Mid-term Flashcards

Question

Epigraph

Answer 1

A short quotation, phrase, saying, poem at the beginning of a book/ chapter Intended to suggest a theme and/or genre through tone and diction that is groundwork for “larger meaning” Develops structure in the story Moves the plot forward Foreshadows different shifts in story

Answer 2

A turning point in a character’s psyche Great philosophical, spiritual, and personal insight growth A life changing realization Impacts plot and character dynamics Movements of spiritual, philosophical, and personal “A-HA” moment It can provide readers hope

Answer 3

Leading up to the work as a whole Collecting details to discover larger meanings (connect to real world)

Answer 4

A narrative told by a character involved in the story, using first-person pronouns such as I and we. It may or may not represent the author’s views.

Answer 5

A minor character whose personality contrasts with a main character Magnifies, illuminates, highlights the beliefs of round characters

Answer 6

1) What occurred right before the passage begins? (infer) 2) What is the setting? How’s it functioning in the passage? 3) Who are the characters and how are they related/connected? 4) What conflicts or tensions are present? Are they internal? External? Both?

Answer 7

When a story takes place within another story; acts as a point of access for the story Typically goes back in time from the story’s ‘present’ typically set the tone of a story and introduce key characters. Framing devices should always return to the present Not returning to the present often signals a key theme in the story, such as being stuck in the past Allows for reader to infer possible bias of narrator

Answer 8

A term describing literary forms (ex: play, novel, poem)

Answer 9

An overstatement or exaggeration serves to dramatize. Serves to highlight key themes to the reader

Answer 10

three types- dramatic, situational, and verbal

Answer 11

Where the audience knows something that the characters don’t know. Effective tool to sustain and excite the readers’ interest Creates a contrast between the situation of characters and the episodes that unfold, generating curiosity and tension. By allowing the audience to know important facts ahead of the leading characters, dramatic irony puts the audience and readers above the characters and encourage them to anticipate, hope, and fear the moment when a character would learn the truth behind events and situations of the story It emphasizes the fatality of incomplete understanding on honest and innocent people, and it demonstrates the painful consequences of misunderstandings Employment of dramatic irony can elicit horror in the reader as they feel the full weight of the tragedy that’s about to occur.

Answer 12

Where the expected outcome of a story is different than the actual outcome.

Answer 13

Where a narrator tells something different from what they actually mean.

Answer 14

The placement of two or more things side by side, often in order to bring out their differences. Example: “All is fair in love and war” Similar to a contrast

Answer 15

The “magic sentence” What the work is saying about society as a whole The entire essay should build up (funnel up) to the larger Meaning as a whole

Answer 16

An analysis focused on character, set of circumstances, setting, or specified feature

Answer 17

Thesis + topic sentences + commentary Discuss the significance of textual evidence Explain how your analysis relates to the topic sentences and thesis Elaborate on the complexities and nuances that emerge as new evidence and/or claims that are incorporated Expand on the commentary found in other paragraphs by providing new insights Analyze how literary elements and techniques contribute to the development of meaning Straight clear line from beginning to end

Answer 18

A type of realism that uses fantastical elements that are treated as they are common day elements Often, these fantastical elements are used to hyperbolize parts of the real world and to make a political statement. World is still grounded in the real world but fantastical elements are considered normal in this world. Blurs the line between fantasy and reality Characteristics: realistic setting, magical elements, limited information, critique, unique plot structure

Answer 19

A direct comparison between two things that are unrelated and distinct Discover the connections between two seemingly different things and emphasize their similarities for a desired effect

Answer 20

Figure of speech that substitutes a word or phrase that relates to a thing for the thing itself Uses name of name of one thing to represent something else that it is associated with; overarching term Ex: the white house made tax cuts

Answer 21

They serve to move plot forward They highlight, magnify, illuminate, and/or contrast the values, motives, and perspectives of the Main Characters They can be the embodiment of an intangible force

Answer 22

literary period that started in the Late 1800’s and was spurred by disillusionment after WWI early Modernisms roots are in the late 1800's in response to the failed expectations of the Industrial Revolution-- it brought child labor, pollution, etc. and then this disillusionment became magnified to a deep extent by the horrors of WW1 (all of our technological advancements were used for destruction, the darkest impulses of humanity came to fruition in a bloody world war). There is no definitive end date to Modernism, other than seeing it move into Post-Modernism by the middle/ end of the 1940's rapid innovation and economic growth gave people hope in the future and increased faith in Western values. However, the carnage caused by WWI tore down all of this. Technology was used for slaughter instead of progress, and nationalism threw young individuals into the meat grinder of war. This style rebels against clear cut storytelling. It criticizes institutions and society while denying the existence of an absolute truth, people should seek their own answers. “Lottery” by Shirley Jackson Fueled by industrialization, urbanization and search for authentic response to the changed world “Stream of consciousness” structure, cynical work that reflected disillusionment and explores the dark side of human nature

Answer 23

A phrase, idea, or event that is repeated throughout a story/narrative

Answer 24

What a character does or does not do allows us to INFER their motives. What they value plays a huge role

Answer 25

voice of the story that depicts the events to the reader Used to influence the story and the reader’s understanding, depending of the point of view of the narrator the story can shift entirely identify through language, imagery, characters, conflicts, themes, plots Types: Different voices-multiple people that move forward or back in time, Omniscient- all knowing Often reflect the beliefs of the author and carry a hidden meaning

Answer 26

view of experience that is generally characterized as bleak and pessimistic A subcategory of realism Depicts struggle and survival - Darwinism: “Survival of the fittest” External forces overpower the internal forces There is a sense of futility, helplessness, powerlessness, and overriding pessimism Key difference between realism: science and environmental factors influence the characters Exposes the dark sides of society/life; futility, lack of hope, intentionally pessimistic. Environment influences

Answer 27

Word(s) that describe the sound it makes/stimulates the auditory senses Often helps establish the imagery of a story, create interest, become an interesting diction choice.

Answer 28

Pride & Prejudice: contrast b/w authoritarian with Elizabeth & permissive with Lydia A Raisin in the Sun: Authoritarian/authoritative Apollo: Authoritarian Two Kinds: Authoritarian

Answer 29

There is a lack of limits/boundaries/expectations Most often they do not follow through on consequences There is a lack of accountability

Answer 30

How characters and narrators understand their circumstances Includes the background, personality traits, biases, and relationships of a character A character’s perspective may change over the course of a novel/play A perspective may SHIFT due to internal and external factors

Answer 31

The interrelationship among the events in a story; the plot line is the pattern of events, including exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution The story plus the complex interconnections between events Doesn’t have to have stories told chronologically, but harmony must exist between the events Sequence of events is important

Answer 32

What the character or narrator can see (the narrator or speaker's perspective) A story told from a 1st person point of view has an internal pov; an observer uses an external pov. Stories told from a first person narrator may not represent the views of the author 3rd person limited or omniscient

Answer 33

The main character in a work of literature Makes decisions that drive the plot forward

Answer 34

The depiction of people, things, and events as they really are without idealization or exaggeration for effect. It is in contrast to how the Romantics addressed things through flowery, idealized, and romanticized lenses Often talked about the lower/middle class Uses vernacular, dialect, slang, and incorrect grammar/spelling The plot is “ordinary.” Character-driven Truth-seeking (the good, bad, and ugly sides of life)

Answer 35

Authors use it to critique people’s behavior or ideas as well as societal institutions or other creations. Can be humor, wit, and exaggeration (can be seen in irony) Satire is intentionally absurd since it serves to exaggerate the negative sides of certain topics

Answer 36

Form of fiction that deals principally with the impact of actual/imagined science upon society/individuals Relies on a “suspension of disbelief” from readers and includes imaginary yet plausible situations Explores consequences of scientific innovations Qualities include: technological advancement, futuristic/ alt. Timeline

Answer 37

The way in which a group of back-to-back events are ordered to communicate a deeper meaning or say something about a theme or character

Answer 38

the total environment of a novel or play that includes time, place, historical period, and social/political circumstances The Big Why: Why is something there? Surroundings profoundly influence the thoughts, emotions, and actions of the characters. Enriches the literary experience but also contributes to the point and purpose of the work as a whole

Answer 39

Comparison using like or as

Answer 40

Non-linear Unusual syntax (bad grammar, fragments, dashes) Repetition Free association / associative thoughts emotional/psychological Sensory details (Imagery) Capture’s characters'/narrator's thought process Deeply reflective of the moving inside one’s self

Answer 41

The deeper meaning beneath/below what is said/written Helpful for drilling down to motive and unspoken needs and wants The implied meaning that underlies the main meaning of a work of literature/words Underlying message that’s not stated directly

Answer 42

the use of one object to evoke ideas and associations not literally part of the original object Shows human behavior through objects Describes the nature of the human heart and mind A figure of speech that communicates a second meaning along with its literal meaning. Can be layered or simple

Answer 43

The arrangement of words in a given sentence Can shift throughout a story to convey a feeling or meaning

Answer 44

The main idea or meaning, often an abstract idea upon which a work of literature is built Themes are developed by the behaviors of characters, the plot and subplots in the narrative, the setting and its influence on the characters, and even the authors writing technique and use of language Themes relate to such matters as changes in a way of life, problems of good and evil, loss of innocence, and struggle for power An idea the author wants to explore + communicate * not to be confused with subject matter of a work

Answer 45

The author’s attitude towards the subject Characteristic emotion that persuades the part or whole work Spirit of emotional essence Derives from total of emotional/intellectual effects IDENTIFIED: through figures of speech, rhymes, rhythms, structure, imagery.etc.

Answer 46

A picture-perfect society in which everyone is happy and everything is working smoothly Very common in science fiction-authors are able to explore what a perfect society might look like and what the problems would be in such a society (moral, philosophical , political etc.) Goes hand-in-hand with a dystopia as they are is often presented as a utopia at first and many characters believe it’s a utopia, but has dystopian elements once you dive further into the text.

Answer 47

The “larger meaning” of the work (what you are funneling up to) and a key part of a good thesis Applicable across all time periods, races, genders, ages, etc. Sums up a part of the human experience Top of the "funnel"