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English 10-1 > Literary terms > Flashcards

Literary terms Flashcards

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1
Q

Abstract

A

Not the literal meaning.
An object that has a second meaning.

Ex. The symbolism of a dove representing peace.
Ex. A four leaf clover representing luck.

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2
Q

Allegory

A

Objects and characters in a novel represent a second level of meaning besides the surface story.

Ex. Orwell’s novel, Animal Farm.
Ex.

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3
Q

Anachronism

A

Something out of its place in time.
An object that does not coordinate with its current era.

Ex. The clock in Julius Caesar or a story in the Wild West where someone wears Nike shoes.
Ex. A film about dinosaurs set millions of years ago and you catch a glimpse of a building in the background.

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4
Q

Analogy

A

Making a comparison between two different things.
Taking two objects and comparing them.

Ex. The eye is like a camera.
Ex. The helmet is like a skull.

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5
Q

Deduction

A

The ability to reason away false clues to discover the truth.

E.g. The solution to mysteries. (The Crooked Man by Arthur Conan Doyle.)

E.g. Nancy Drew solving mysteries.

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6
Q

Apostrophe

A

Addressing an inanimate object or abstract concept as if it were alive

Ex: “Moon, take thy flight.”

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7
Q

Anecdote

A

A brief story that retells an incident or event.

Ex. talking about something that happened over the weekend

Ex. a story about your vacation

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8
Q

Deus Ex Machina

A

The use of an improbable event to rescue a hero or untangle a plot

e.g. A meteorite crashing on earth and only landing on the villain, leaving the hero unscathed

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9
Q

Fable

A

A story that was created to teach a lesson; not necessarily true.

Your Ex: “The Turtle and the Hare”

My Ex: “Goldilocks and the Three bears”

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10
Q

Euphony

A

The peasant, musical quality produced by agreeable sounds in a line of poetry.

Ex: “An the words hung hushed in their long white dream/By the ghostly glimmering, ice-blue stram”

My Ex:

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11
Q

Dissonance

A

Sounds clashing on your tongue (tongue twister).

Examples:
“She sells sea shells by the sea shore.”
“Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled.”

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12
Q

Assonance

A

The repetition of similar vowel sounds in neighbouring words.

Ex. Sweet dreams

Ex. The rain in Spain falls mainly in the plains.

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13
Q

Cacophony

A

The use of harsh, discordant sounds for poetic effect.

E.G. All the babies cried.

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14
Q

Concrete Poem

A

A poem written in the shape of the poems subject.

E.G. Hate poem in the shape of a knife.

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15
Q

Epitaph

A

A short verse found on a tombstone.

Ex: Here lies dear old uncle Bill; we loved him and always will.

Ex: In loving memory of dear old uncle Bill; Gone but never forgotten.

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16
Q

Euphemism

A

The substitution of a mild word or phrase for another felt to be too blunt or painful.

Ex: “passed away” instead of “dead”.

Ex: “bruised up” instead of “badly injured”.

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17
Q

Aphorism

A

A short statement of truth, usually clever and concise.

Ex: “No pain no gain”

Ex: “Still water runs deep”

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18
Q

Epigram

A

A short, witty poem or statement.

E.g. “I can resist everything except temptation.” - Oscar Wilde

E.g. “Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind.” -John F. Kennedy

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19
Q

Concrete

A

The literal meaning of a symbol.

Eg. Snow outside means that it’s cold outside.
Eg. A dove represents a bird.

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20
Q

Consonance

A

The repetition of consonants within words.

Eg. Whether, weather
Eg. Wonder, wander

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21
Q

Point of view

A

The vantage point from which a story is seen or told. There are two basic points of view: first-person and third-person.

First-person: the protagonist tells their story directly to the reader e.g. “I walked to the store to see if John was there.”

“I then went to Katie’s house.”

Third-person: someone outside the story tells it, referring to the main characters as “her” or “he” e.g. “He walked to the store to see if John was there.”

“He then went to go to Katie’s house.”

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22
Q

Narrator

A

A character that tells the story. This narration may be limited, and told from the point of view of one character in either third person or it may omniscient, in which the narrator knows everything, and is generally the author or persona for the author.

Helping the story along, either a character or a person not involved within then story

Example Jughead from “river dale”

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23
Q

Onomatopoeia

A

A word that imitates the sound it represents. It is also called imitative harmony

.A word that describes a sound

Boom
Crackle
Meow

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24
Q

Oxymoron

A

Putting two contradictory words together for effect (emphasis)

Putting two opposite words together to make effect

I’m busy doing nothing
Love hate
Hot ice

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25
Q

Plot

A
  • The sequence of events in a story

- A brief explanation of events in a story

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26
Q

Protagonist

A
  • The main character in a story
    ex: Ponyboy in “The outsiders”
    Robert Ross in The Wars
  • The good person/main character
    Ex: Jonas in “The Giver”
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27
Q

Pun

A
  • A play on words wherein a word is used to convey two meanings at the same time.
    e. g.The line below, spoken by Mercutio in Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” is an example of a pun. Mercutio has just been stabbed, knows he is dying and says: “Ask for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man.” Mercutios use of the word “grave” renders it capable of two meanings: a serious person or a corpse in his grave.
  • How do you organize a space party? “You planet.”
28
Q

Style

A

A manner of expression in writing or speaking, which, when analyzed, often distinguishes one writer’s work from another.

E.g. Robert Service’s poetic style is much different from Edgar Allan Poe’s.

E.g. John Green, Robert Munsch

29
Q

Thesis

A

An argument or proposition.

E.g. Position papers and source analysis’s.

30
Q

Theme

A

The main idea of a story, often expressed as an insight about life in general or about human behaviour. It may be expressed directly, but often is implied. Note that not all literary works have a theme - the purpose of a ghost story, for example, may be simply to frighten the reader.

E.g. A theme may be that people who try too hard to succeed at something may end up causing themselves harm.

E.g. Any piece of literature.

31
Q

Symbolism

A

Something chosen to stand for or represent something else.

E.g. The dove can represent peace; black can represent death, evil.

E.g. Narrator of “The Book Thief”.

32
Q

Suspense

A

The quality of a story that makes the reader uncertain about the outcome.

E.g: All detective and mystery stories.

E.g: “All Is Not Forgotten.”

33
Q

Figurative meaning

A

An understood meaning of a phrase.

e. g. “Lets hit the road.” Is understood figuratively to mean “lets get going.”
e. g.”I’ve told you a million times.” meaning “I told you a lot of times.”

34
Q

Metonymy

A

A figure of speech in which an idea or name for one thing is used for another idea or name associated with it.

Ex. “Sword” is a metonym for “military career in the sentence “He abandoned his sword forever.”

Ex. “Silver Fox”is a metonym for “Old Attractive Person” in the sentence “He’s such a silver fox!”

35
Q

Setting

A

The time and place in which the events of a story occur

e. g. The beach at midnight
e. g. The city center at 10:15am

36
Q

Monologue

A

In literature and drama, an extended speech by one person. The term has several closely related meanings. A dramatic monologue is any speech of some duration addressed by a character to a second person. A soliloquy is a type of monologue in which a character directly addresses an audience or speaks his thoughts aloud while alone or while the other actors keep silent and do not react.

Ex. Bilbo says “Oh dear what am I going to do. This was not a good idea. Gandalf has gone off into the big wood and I am not sure what to do. What would Gandalf want me to do? Oh look… my friend.”

37
Q

Mood

A

The dominant attitude or tone which runs through an entire piece of literature.

Ex. In Poe’s “The Raven” there is a negative, dark mood throughout.

Ex. The poem “The Road Not Taken” has a mood of nostalgia, it means looking back on the past with sentimental emotions.

38
Q

Figure of Speech

A

The special use of language where a word or expression is not meant to be taken in a literal sense, often to show comparison between things. Using figurative language rather than literal language.

e. g. similes, metaphors, personification, hyperbole
example: “It’s raining cats and dogs”, “kick the bucket”

39
Q

Rhetoric

A

The art of effective expression and persuasive use of language.

Example: Mark Antony’s speech to the crowd in “Julius Caesar”

Example: author styles such as

            - Robert Munsch
            - Hitler
40
Q

Rhyme Scheme

A

Rhymed words at the ends of lines in poems.

Example: 
Roses are red (A) 
Violets are blue (B) 
Sugar is sweet (C) 
And so are you (D)
Example: 
The coolness of the nights (A) 
Refreshes my skin (B) 
The sun shines so bright (A) 
Causing me to grin (B)
41
Q

Moral

A

A lesson contained in or implied by a fable, poem, etc. Often it teaches us something about how to live life more successfully.

Ex: In the fable “The Ant and the Grasshopper” the moral might be that if you play all the time while others are working, you might not be prepared for hard times when they come.

-The moral of the story could be that one must see the beauty in what one has.

42
Q

Motif

A

A recurrent thematic element, like an idea, symbol or incident in a literary work

Ex: The motif of “blood” in Shakespeare’s Macbeth

-In Snow White, the wicked stepmother hates Snow White because of her beauty and plots to kill her.

43
Q

Motivation

A

The conscious or unconscious need, drive, or incentive that causes a character to behave a certain way

Ex: Romeo is motivated to run away with Juliet in order to marry her
- Having the motivation to study hard and graduate high school for a successful future.

44
Q

Myth

A

Usually a story about God or God’s, that is intended to explain something unknowable

Ex: The Greek myth about Zeus

-A Unicorn.

45
Q

Narrative Poem

A

A poem which tells a story. Usually a long poem, sometimes even book length, the narrative may take the form of a plotless dialogue as in Robert Frost’s “The Death of the Hired Man.” In other instances the narrative may consist of a series of incidents, as in Homer’s “The llaid” and “The Odyssey,” John Milton’s “Paradise Lost”

Ex: The Three Little Pigs

46
Q

Tone

A

The attitude a writer takes towards his or her subject. It is created through the choice of words and detail.

E.G serious, angry, humorous, satirical

Our example is a romantic tone such as the book “Fifty Shades of Grey”.

47
Q

Verse

A

Another name for poetry.

Our example is rap for rappers because they make verses for their songs so rappers are poets.

48
Q

Paraphrase

A

To restate the meaning of a passage in your own words.

Basically to sum it up

49
Q

Metaphor

A

Comparison of two unlike things the verb “to be” and not using “like” or “as” as in a simile.

E.x. “She is my universe.”

E.x. “She is the sun to my sky.”

50
Q

Simile

A

The comparison of two unlike objects using “like” or “as”
(although one could also use such comparative terms as “than”, “ressembles”, etc.).

e.g. “He runs like a gazelle”
“ Fly like a bird”
“ Cute as a button”

51
Q

Foil

A

A character whose behaviours, attitude and opinions contrast with those of the protagonist. The foil helps us better understand the main character.

E.g. Jack is a foil for Ralph in “Lord Of The Flies”. Malfoy is a foil for Harry in “Harry Potter”. Swiper is a foil for Dora in “Dora The Explorer”

52
Q

Understatement

A

Presenting something as less important than it really is.

e. g. Upon winning a million dollar lottery, you say, “that’s nice.”
e. g. Upon losing wifi, you say, “it’s not that bad.”

53
Q

Parable

A

• a brief story, told or written in order to teach a moral lesson.

Tortoise and the hare is an example

54
Q

Unstressed

A

Syllable which is not emphasized

e.g. O-pen, To-day

55
Q

Rhyme

A

The similarity between syllable sounds at the end of two or more lines.

Couplet: a pair of lines rhyming consecutively.

Eye rhyme: words whose spellings would lead one to think that they rhymed (slough, tough, bough, though, hiccough. Or: love, move, prove. (Or: daughter, laughter.)

Feminine rhyme: two syllable rhyme consisting of stressed syllable followed by unstressed.

Masculine rhyme: similarity between terminally stressed syllables.

56
Q

Personification

A

Giving non-human things human characteristics.
Ex- “The wind whispered through the night.”
“The book spoke to me when I finished reading it.”

57
Q

Hyperbole

A

Exaggeration or overstatement.

e. g. I’m as fast as lightning.
e. g. I’m so hungry I could eat a horse. He’s as big as a house.

58
Q

Imply

A

To suggest something without saying it directly.

e.g. Jill informs “We have a meeting tonight.”
Bob answers “Is it mandatory?” (Bob is hinting that he doesn’t want to go to the meeting.)

e.g. I like to give pop quizzes (you hint that you will give one.)

59
Q

Literal meaning

A

The actual meaning of a word.

Ex: “She took three steps away from me.” (She literally took three steps away from me.)

60
Q

Lyric

A

A lyric poem, the words of a song - often used in plural.

Ex: “Baby baby baby, oh.”- Justin Bieber.

Ex: Songs

61
Q

Imagery

A

A word or group of words in a literary work which appeal to one or more of the senses: sight, taste, touch, hearing, and smell. The use of images serves to intensify the impact of the work. The following example of imagery in T.S. Eliot’s “ The love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.”

When the evening is spread out against the sky
Like a patient etherized upon a table.

Imagery uses images of pain and sickness to describe the evening, which as an image itself represents society and the psychology of Prufrock, himself. Imagery is language that evokes one or all of the five senses: seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, touching.

Example - I tried turkey for the first time, it tasted like chicken.

62
Q

Point of view

A

The vantage point from which a story is seen or told. There are two basic points of view: first-person and third-person.

a) first-person: the protagonist tells her/ her own story directly to the reader.

Ex- “I walked to the store see if John was there.”
“I walked in, only to find a dead body.”

b) third-person: someone outside the story tells it, referring to the main character as “he” or “she”

Ex- “ He walked to the store to see if John was there.”
“ He walked in the room, only to find her dead.”

1) This narrator could be an omniscient (all-knowing) person who can tell about all the characters and actions in the story.
2) On the other hand, the third person narrator might tell the story from the point of view of only one person in the story (called the Limited point of view).

63
Q

Infer

A

To understand something without someone saying it directly.

e.g. Jill informs “we have a meeting tonight”
Bob replies “is it mandatory” (Jill understands that Bob doesn’t want to go)

e.g. I like to give pop quizzes (you understand the teacher means you will get one)

64
Q

Verbal irony

A

A difference between what is said and what is meant. The speaker says the opposite of what is meant.

e. g. “Oh, goody! It’s time to do math homework. “
e. g “I can’t wait for my math test.”

65
Q

Situational irony

A

A difference between what happens and what would be expected to happen.

e. g. An Olympic gold medalist in swimming dies from drowning in a bathtub.
e. g. SPCA truck runs over dog

66
Q

Dramatic irony

A

The difference between what the audience knows and what a character knows to be true.

e. g. A man is eager to get home to his wife, but the audience knows she is involved there with another man.
e. g. A man is escaping a murderer through the back door, but the audience knows that the killer is behind the door waiting.

67
Q

Wit

A

A brilliance and quickness combined with a cleverness of expression

Example: Mercutio in “Romeo and Juliet”
Thinking of something off the top if your head

English 10-1 (1 decks)

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