literary terms starting with A

Question 1

Allegory

Answer 1

symbolic device in which characters / events represent or symbolize ideas and concepts

EX:
Narnia is believed to be and Allegory of Jesus Christ

Question 2

Allusion

Answer 2

figure of speech where author refers to a subject as a passing matter such as a person, place, event, or literary work (an implied or indirect reference)

EX: Taylor Swift’s song “Love Story”

Question 3

Anagram

Answer 3

when writer jumbles up parts of a word to create a new word

Question 4

analogy

Answer 4

comparison between two things for the purpose of clarification / explanation

Question 5

anti-hero

Answer 5

blurs the line between hero and villain who lacks conventional heroic attributes

EX: Severus Snape

Question 6

Anthropomorphism

Answer 6

the attribution of human traits, feelings, and behaviors to inanimate objects, nonhuman animals, or nature

Question 7

Difference between personification + anthropomorphism

Answer 7

Personification and anthropomorphism are similar literary devices with a few key distinctions. Personification is the use of figurative language to give inanimate objects or natural phenomena humanlike characteristics in a metaphorical and representative way. Anthropomorphism, on the other hand, involves non-human things displaying literal human traits and being capable of human behavior.

Question 8

antithesis

Answer 8

when writer puts two contrasting words close together
EX: Katy Perry’s Song “Hot n’ Cold”

Question 9

Apostrophe

Answer 9

when character / speaker addresses an object, concept or person that is unable to respond

Question 10

archetype

Answer 10

the original pattern or model of which all things of the same type are representations or copies
EX: A character being the ‘archetype’ of a high school cheerleader, blonde, skinny, and popular

Question 11

atmosphere

Answer 11

atmosphere is created when the setting / scene creates an emotional response in viewer / reader