Midterm Terms Flashcards
Exposition*
Provides background information–introduces the setting, characters, and situation
Plot*
The sequence of events that make up a story
Rising action *
Begins when the conflict is introduced and continues to the climax
Conflict*
A struggle between opposing forces. Characters in conflict form the basis of stories, novels, and plays
Climax *
Moment at which the conflict reaches it’s highest point
Falling action *
Follows climax & leads toward the end of the story
Resolution *
Aka denouement which is the end of the story, in which an insight or a change as a result of the conflict is shown
Tone*
Writers attitude toward his/her subject, characters, or audience.
Formal or informal
Friendly or distant
Mood*
The feeling creates in a reader by a literary work or passage
Point of view *
Perspective from which the story is told
What is 1st person point of view?*
Narrator is inside the story
What is third person limited point of view ?*
Narrator is outside of the story telling the story from one characters perspective
What is third person omniscient point of view ?*
Narrator of the story knows all of the characters thoughts
Symbolism & examples *
When something stands for, or represents, something else
An object that serves as a symbol has it’s own meaning, but it also represents abstract ideas
Exs. Flag symbolizes a country
Dove represents peace
Marks on paper=spoken words
Irony *
General term for literary techniques that portray differences between appearance and reality, expectation, and result, or meaning and intention
What are the 3 ironies?*
Verbal
Dramatic
And situational irony
Verbal irony *
Words used to suggest the opposite of what is meant (sarcasm)
Dramatic irony *
Contradiction between what a character thinks and what the reader or audience knows the be true
Situational irony *
An event occurs that directly contradicts the expectations of the characters, the readers, or the audience
Characterization
The act of creating and developing a character
Direct characterization
Author simply states to the reader the characters traits (Tina is nice)
Indirect characterization
Author shoes a characters personality through his/her actions, thought, feelings, words, and appearance or through another characters observations and reactions.
Ex. Tina helps the new student find his classroom and invited him to join her friends at lunch
Foreshadowing *
Clues that suggest that something will happen later
External conflict
Examples of conflicts*
The main character struggles against an outside force Character vs character Character vs nature Character vs society Character vs machine
Internal conflict *
Involves a character in conflict with himself or herself
Character
Person, animal, or thing that takes part in action of a literary work
Antagonist
The character or force the opposes the protagonist
Protagonist/main character
The character on which the work focuses ( typically the character the readers would like to see succeed )
Round characters
Show many traits-faults as well as virtues
Flat characters
Demonstrates only one or there are few key traits
Dynamic characters
Develop and grow during the course of the story
Static characters
Stay essentially the same throughout the story
Theme *
Central message or insight revealed throughout a literary work
Generalization about people/life that is communicated through literary work
Theme may be stated directly or implied
(Though there’s usually no single correct statement of a literary works theme, there can be incorrect ones. Not all literary works have themes)
Stanza *
A group of lines in a poem
Stanza names, how many lines?* Couplet Quatrain Cinquin Sestet Heptastich Octave
Couplet 2 Quatrain 4 Cinquin 5 Sestet 6 Heptastich 7 Octave 8
What does a thesis statement do?*
Tells the reader the main points of the story or essay
Authors purpose is meant to do what for the reader ?*
Explain persuade or inform
Allusion *
Reference to something in history or literature
ex. She had a Cinderella wedding
Imagery *
representation through language of sense experience, appeals to the senses
Pun*
Play on words
Foreshadowing*
Clues that something will happen later
Alliteration*
Repetition of initial sounds
Ex sevens steaks sizzled
Iambic pentameter*
Unstressed stressed
Shakespearean sonnet rhyme scheme*
Ababcdcdefefgg
14 lines
3 quatrains
1 couplet
personification*
A nonhuman subject is given human
characteristics
simile*
A comparison between two
unlike things using like or as
ex. Quiet as a mouse
oxymoron*
two words of opposite meaning.
ex. burning cold, pretty ugly
metaphor*
An implied comparison between unlike things.
ex.He’s a house.
hyperbole*
an exaggeration to make a point
I’m starving to death
Rhyme Scheme*
Alphabet letters are assigned to every new rhyme at the end of a line
ababcdcdefefgg
couplet has how many lines ?*
2
