Symbolism and Figurative language Flashcards
- thing or idea represented
- concrete, particular > abstract, general
- sometimes arbitrary, culturally specific
EX) snakes, apple tree
Symbol
Literary Symbolism is…
Rarely…, H…,Layers of…, Varied…,
- a simple question
- Hinted at
- meanings
- interpretations
- cross-cultural
Archetypes
- Especially religious
- Symbol keeps coming up in the story
- Clear, intended meaning
- Moral
Allegory
- rule of conduct or maxim for living (a statement about how one should live or behave)
Moral
- When the entire story is allegorical or symbolic
- Religious (creation myth, explanatory myth)
- Universal experiences of truths (mythic)
Myth
Art and scholarly study of effective communication, whether in writing or speech.
Rhetoric
- metaphor, overstatement
- the word or phrase creates a “figure” in reader’s mind by obvious change of the usage of the word.
Figure of speech / trope
A representation of one thing as if it were something else, without a verbal signal such as like or as.
Metaphor
A combination of contradictory or opposite ideas, qualities, or entities
(EX) Voiceless cry, wise fool or jumbo shrimp
Oxymoron
The name of one thing is used to refer to another associated thing.
(EX) white house, pentagon
Metonymy
Focal point in story, a single object or situation that draws the attention of one or more characters
(EX) I don’t have wheels = I don’t have a car.
Interpretation
indirect reference within a literary text to something outside the text
allusion
a meaning or outcome contrary to what is expected
irony
a speaker or narrator says one thing but means the reverse
Verbal irony
intended meaning is harshly critical or mocking
Sarcasm
a character holds a position or has an expectation that is reversed or fulfilled in an unexpected way
Situational irony
when there is instead a gap between what an audience knows and what a character believes or expects
Dramatic irony
dramatic irony in tragedy
tragic irony
situational irony is the result of fate, chance, the gods, or other supernatural power
Cosmic irony/ irony of fate
figure of speech in which two unlike things are compared implicitly (use word “like” or “as” as connections)
Metaphor
figure of speech in which the name of one thing is used to refer to another associated thing
Metonymy
figure of speech that combines two apparently contradictory elements
Oxymoron
figure of speech that involves treating something nonhuman
Personification
a figure of speech involving a direct, explicit comparison of one thing to another, usually use “like” as connections
Simile
type of metonymy in which the part is used to name or stand in for the whole (like use wheels to mean a car)
Synecdoche
any word or phrase that creates a ‘figure’ in mind of the reader by effecting an obvious change in the usual meaning or order of words
Figure of speech
language that uses figures of speech
Figurative language
visually descriptive or figurative language, especially in a literary work.
Imagery
