Summer Vocab Flashcards
ad hominem
is Latin for “against the man,” and refers to the logical fallacy (error) of arguing that someone is incorrect because they are unattractive, immoral, weird, and so on.
Ex: “Stalin was evil and against religion. All people against religion are evil.”
allegory
a story within a story. It has a “surface story” and another story hidden underneath.
Ex: Dr. Seuss wrote The Sneetches as an allegory for racism and other forms of prejudice. The story is all about creatures who are treated as inferior because they don’t have stars on their bellies. It’s written in a child-friendly, playful style, but it still contains an important political message.
alliteration
In alliteration, words that begin with the same sound are placed close together.
Ex: Sally sells seashells by the seashore.
allusion
is basically a reference to something else. It’s when a writer mentions some other work or refers to an earlier part of the current work.
Ex: You’re acting like such a Scrooge!
ambiguity
is an idea or situation that can be understood in multiple ways.
Ex: “The murderer killed the student with a book.” We know what all these words mean individually, but altogether they are ambiguous; was the book used as a murder weapon? Or was the victim carrying a book during the attack?
analogy
is a literary technique in which two unrelated objects are compared for their shared qualities. This is not done for poetic purposes, but to make rational arguments.
Ex: Raising children requires the same dedication you would give to a garden. Nurture them, feed them, introduce them to both light and dark, and have patience; and soon you will see them grow into blooming wonders.
anaphora
is when a certain word or phrase is repeated at the beginning of clauses or sentences that follow each other. This repetition emphasizes the phrase while adding rhythm to the passage, making it more memorable and enjoyable to read.
Ex: I’m sick and tired of you letting me down. I’m sick and tired of you making me mad. And I’m sick and tired of you doing such silly things!
anecdote
is a very short story that is significant to the topic at hand; usually adding personal knowledge or experience to the topic.
Ex: Mom and Dad discuss whether or not to get a dog for the family. Dad says: *You know, when I was a kid, my dog was my best friend. He made my childhood better.* Mom contemplates his anecdote and then agrees that they should get a dog.
antithesis
is the opposite of a statement, concept, or idea. In literary analysis, an antithesis is a pair of statements or images in which the one reverses the other. The pair is written with similar grammatical structures to show more contrast.
Ex: That’s one **small step **for a **man** – one **giant leap** for **mankind**. (Neil Armstrong, 1969, said upon walking on the moon for the first time)
aphorism
is a short statement of a general truth, insight, or good advice. It’s roughly similar to a “saying.”
Ex: “The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.“
archetype
is an idea, symbol, pattern, or character-type, in a story. It’s any story element that appears again and again in stories from cultures around the world and symbolizes something universal in the human experience.
Ex: Hero, Trickster, Lost Love, the Mentor, and Fire.
assonance
is the repetition of the same or similar vowel sounds within words, phrases, or sentences.
Ex: Go slow over the road. (repetition of the long o sound).
caesura
refers to a break or pause in the middle of a line of verse. It can be marked as || in the middle of the line, although generally it is not marked at all – it’s simply part of the way the reader or singer pronounces the line.
Ex: “Oh, say can you see || by the dawn’s early light...”
Catharsis
meaning “cleansing” in Greek, refers to a literary theory that cleansing our emotions was the purpose of a tragedy. Catharsis applies to any form of art or media that makes us feel strong negative emotions. Afterward, we can walk out of the theater feeling better. Catharsis is roughly synonymous with the idea of “blowing off steam.”
Ex: If you listen to a death metal song in which the singer screams the lyrics, it might help lessen your own feelings of needing to scream.
cliché
is a saying, image, or idea which has been used so much that it sounds terribly uncreative.
Ex: As white as snow, happily ever after, don’t judge a book by its cover.
consonance
is the repetition of a consonant sound in a line or sentence, creating rhythm. Alliteration is consonance limited to just sounds at the beginning of words.
Ex: Mike likes his new bike.
connotation
is a feeling or idea that a word has, in addition to its literal or main meaning (the denotation) - basically, the emotions or meanings that are implied.
Ex: Here are some word groups where each word has a different feeling or idea 1)Stench, smell, aroma, scent, odor, and 2)Proud, confident, arrogant, egotistical
conundrum
is a difficult problem, one that is impossible or almost impossible to solve - anything from moral dilemmas to riddles.
Ex: What can be swallowed, or can swallow a person? Pride
deux ex machina (DAY-us ex MACK-in-uh)
is Latin for “a god from the machine.” It’s when some new character, force, or event suddenly shows up to solve a seemingly hopeless situation. The effect is usually unexpected, and it’s often disappointing for audiences.
Ex: In the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy accidentally splashes the Wicked Witch with water, which causes her to disintegrate.
diction
refers to word choice and phrasing in any written or spoken text.
Ex: formal, informal, elementary teacher, police officer, sarcastic, flowery. The King James Bible has very distinct diction, with words like “yea” and “thy.”
double entendre
A double meaning or interpretation for a word, phrase, or figure of speech. Usually, the first meaning is straightforward, but another meaning is slightly inappropriate or risqué.
Ex: At a local farmer’s market, a woman is working at a fruit stand. A man walks up... Man: “Wow, those are some huge melons you’ve got there. Did you grow them yourself? Can I see one?” Woman: “EXCUSE ME?” Man points to a pile of watermelons behind her...
