M2 Frontier Fiction Flashcards
Why were the relations between the Native Americans and French better than the relations between the Native Americans and British?
The French developed strong trading ties, learned the native language, and didn’t compete for land. The British considered themselves both superior to the Indians and entitled to their land. They leveled the forests for their farms, greatly affecting the landscape that Indians had used for hunting.
true character
Authors often reveal aspects of a character’s personality through the character’s words or actions.
Infer Why
As a reader, you often must rely on inferences to help you understand secondary characters–people who are not described in great detail.
A Change of Heart
Tone is the attitude or feeling created by the words an author uses and the way the words are arranged into sentences.
A Thematic Ending
One way to define theme is “a message that the characters learn that the readers are also supposed to learn.”
inference
-a conclusion we draw based on evidence and reason
-when we make a guess based on implicit or explicit evidence we are drawing an inference
tone
In literature TONE is the way an author creates an attitude or mood in a piece of writing.
Polite tone - I’m sorry, Dad, I’d rather not.
Whiny tone - Why do I always have to got to the store with you.
Angry tone - I’m not going to the store again.
connotation
beyond a word’s simple meaning to the things a word is associated with. An author may choose certain words to make use of it’s connotations to emphasize tone.
perspective
point of view; attitude toward or way of looking at something
- an author’s biographical background (his/her life story, culture, experiences, historical time, location, experiences, etc.) can affect his or her perspective and writing; even when writing about facts
textual evidence
information from the text that backs up your analysis
How do authors set the tone?
figurative language
connotative language
word choice
rhyme and repetition
simile and metaphors
allusions
figurative language
language that means something different from it’s literal interpretation
example: He looked like he’d just stepped off a long-delayed flight from the end of the world. Instead of just writing “He was tired” the sentence includes other images which add to tone.
Interpretation
a way of understanding or explaining something
Types of figurative language
figure of speech
irony
metaphor
allusion
personification
fun
pun
simile
evidence
facts or information that prove something
analysis
close examination of the parts or structure of something usually as a basis for understanding, discussing, and interpreting
implicit evidence
evidence that is only implied by what is stated in the text. You have to figure out what the offer is suggesting from the text
explicit evidence
proof that is plainly stated in the text
Based on what you know about fiction and about the author, which statement best describes Mary Mapes Dodge’s purpose for writing this story?
She wanted to create an exciting, suspenseful story that children would find interesting.
Dodge was recognized as a leader in the development of children’s literature as a genre. She was not a historian, and she did not have direct experience interacting with Native American tribes in the Ohio River Valley.
In the second paragraph of the story, Dodge writes that “hostile Indians swarmed in every direction.” What feelings toward Indians are suggested by the author’s choice of words?
fear and mistrust
The story’s beginning expresses a very negative attitude towards the Indians. The word “hostile” is usually used to describe an enemy, and “swarmed” makes readers think of angry bees or wasps.
Which words from the story suggest a negative perception of Native Americans?
According to Dodge, the Indians–not the British–were the invaders, and the Indians were also the reason why the settlers had to live in “anxiety” and “danger”.
