MTTC 002 - Literature and Understanding - Pt.1 (SET TWO)) Flashcards
Explain the Difference Between Literal Meaning and Figurative Meaning in Literature, Including Some Examples
- When language is used literally, the words mean exactly what they say and nothing more
When language is used figuratively, the words mean something beyond their literal meaning
EX: “The weeping willow tree has long, trailing branches and leaves” is a literal description.
“The weeping willow tree looks as if it is bending over and crying” is a figurative description
Define What Figures of Speech Are and Give Examples
- A figure of speech is a verbal expression whose meaning is figurative rather than literal.
EX: “Butterflies in the stomach.”
Give a General Definition of Figurative Language in Literature and Identify Two Functions It Serves.
-Figurative Language extends past the literal meaning of words.
- It offers readers new insight into the people, things, events, and subjects covered in a work of literature.
- It also enables enables readers to feel they are sharing the authors’ experiences.
Identify Seven Specific Types of Figurative Language
Seven specific types of figurative language include:
- Alliteration
-Onomatopoeia - Personification
- Imagery
- Simile
- Metaphor
-Hyperbole
Define Alliteration and Onomatopoeia
Alliteration - Describes a series of words beginning with the same sounds
EX: “The moan of doves in immemorial elms, / And murmuring of innumerable bees.”
“Moan” sounds like some sounds doves make and “murmuring” represents the sounds of bees buzzing.
Describe What Personification Is
- Personification describes a non-human thing, like an animal or an object, as if it were human
EX: “The tree groans in the wind.”
Describe What a Simile Is
- Similes are stated comparisons using “like” or “as”.
Describe What a Metaphor Is
- A metaphor is a type of figurative language in which the writer equates something with another thing that is not particularly similar.
EX: “The bird was an arrow arcing through the sky.”
Define and Give a Literary Example of a Metaphor From a Poem, Explaining How it Fits the Definition. Name a Poem That Uses an Extended Metaphor, Identifying the Extended Metaphor
- A metaphor is an implied comparison (without using “like” or “as”).
EX: William Blake writes, “Tyger Tyger, burning bright, / In the forests of the night.” Blake compares a tiger to a flame without using “like” or “as”. Instead, he simply describes it as “burning”.
EX (Extended Metaphor): Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem “O Ship of State” uses an extended metaphor by consistently referring to the state, union, or republic as a seagoing vessel.
Define and Give Several Examples of Hyperbole as a Kind of Figurative Language Used in Literature
- Hyperbole is excessive exaggeration used for humor or emphasis rather than for literal meaning
EX: Harper Lee wrote: “People moved slowly then. There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, nothing to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb County.” This was not literally true; Lee exaggerates the scarcity of these things for emphasis
EX: Mark Twain (“Old Times on the Mississippi”) wrote, “I…could have hung my hat on my eyes, they stuck out so far.” This is not literal, but makes his description vivid and funny.
Define Three Types of Literary Irony. Give Some Examples in Literature of Two of These Types
- In literature, Irony demonstrates the opposite of what is said or done
- There are three types of irony:
- Verbal Irony
- Situational Irony
- Dramatic Irony
- Verbal irony uses words opposite to the meaning
EX: Describing something that is confusing as “clear as mud.”
- Situational irony is when the outcome of a situation is contrary to or different from what is expected
EX: O. Henry’s short story “The Gift of the Magi” uses situational irony: a husband and wife each sacrifice their most prized possession to buy each other a Christmas present. The irony is that she sells her long hair to buy him a watch fob, while he sells his heirloom pocket watch to buy her the jeweled combs for her hair she had long wanted. In the end, neither of them can use their gifts.
- In dramatic irony, narrative informs audiences of more than its characters know.
EX: In “Romeo and Juliet”, the audience is made aware that Juliet is only asleep, while Romeo believes her to be dead, which then leads to Romeo’s death.
Define Idioms and Identify the Meanings of Common Idioms
Idioms - Phrases that create comparisons, often using metaphors or similes.
EX: “Break a leg” or Call it a day”
Describe the Influence of Setting in Literary Texts
Setting - the place in which the story as a whole is set
- Both setting and timeframe are relevant to a text’s meaning because they help the reader place the story in time and space.
- The author uses setting and timeframe to anchor a text, create a mood, and enhance its meaning
- Helps a reader to understand why a character acts the way they do.
Describe How a Brief Passage Can Reveal Information About the Setting and Its Significance in Text
-Excerpt from Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”:
-“We said there warn’t no home like a raft, after all. Other places do seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft don’t. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft.”
- Reader can place that Finn lives on a raft, presumably on a river.
- Character values independence and freedom, and he likes the outdoors.
-Information about the quote helps us better understand the rest of the text.
Define Plot, The Components of Basic Plot Structure, and Nonlinear Plots
- The plot includes the events that happen in a story and the order in which they are told to the reader
- The most common plot is the Chronological Plot
- Chronological Plots usually have five main parts:
- Exposition
- Rising Action
- Climax
- Falling Action
-Resolution - Nonlinear Plots - Plot does not sequence events in the same order the characters experience them
Describe the Exposition Component of Basic Plot Structure
- The exposition is at the beginning of the story and generally takes place before the rising action begins.
- The purpose of the Exposition is to give readers context in the story.
- Author may do this by introducing one or more characters, describing the setting or world, or explaining the events leading up to the point where the story begins.
Define Conflict Relative to Literary Plot. Identify Some Major Kinds of Plot Conflicts. Articulate Some Ways the Reader Can Identify Conflict in a Literary Plot
- A Conflict is a problem to be solved.
- Characters’ attempts to resolve conflicts drive the narrative’s forward movement.
- Conflict Resolution is often the protagonist’s primary occupation.
Major Plot Conflicts include:
- Man Versus Self
- Man Versus Nature
- Man Versus Man
-Man Versus Society
Describe the Rising Action Component of Basic Plot Structure
- The Rising Action the part of the story where conflict intensifies.
- Begins with an event that prompts the main conflict of the story.
Describe the Climax Component of Basic Plot Structure
- The Climax is the event in the narrative that marks the height of the story’s conflict or tension.
Describe the Falling Action and Resolution Components Basic Plot Structure
- The Falling Action shows what happens in the story between the climax and Resolution.
- Often composes a much smaller portion of the story than the rising action does
- Resolution is the end of the story, which shows the final result of the plot’s events and shows what life is like for the main characters once they are no longer experiencing the story’s conflicts.
Describe How the Type of Conflict Found in a Text Influences the Resolution
- Man Versus Man Conflicts: often resolved by two parties coming to some sort of agreement or by one party triumphing over the other
- Man Versus Nature Conflicts: often resolved by man coming to some realization about some aspect of nature.
- Man Versus Self Conflicts: often resolved by the character growing or coming to an understanding about part of themselves.
Discuss the Importance of Syntax
- Syntax is the arrangement of words in sentences, clauses, and phrases, and the study of the formation of sentences and the relationship of their component parts.
- Conveys the author’s writing style and sometimes makes a point or emphasis.
- Can contribute to the reader’s understanding of the text as well as to the tone and mood of a text.
Discuss How the Use of Allusion Affects Both a Text and the Audience
- An Allusion is an uncited but recognizable reference to something else.
- An author may allude to a very important text in order to make their own text seem important.
- An author may also allude to a place to ground their text or make a cultural reference to make readers feel included.
