Unit 1 Short Fiction Flashcards
Exposition
introduction to story: characters, setting and conflict
Rising Action
Events that occur as a result of the central conflict
Climax
Highest point of interest or suspense within a story
Falling Action
Tension eases, main character begins to resolve conflict
Resolution
Loose ends are tied up, conflict is solved, story ends (and sometimes epilogue)
Protagonist
Main character that undergoes change and that has the sympathy of the audience
Antagonist
Opposition of the protagonist. Usually a person, but can sometimes be a force of nature or society or an internal conflict.
Dynamic Character
Undergoes change
Static Character
Stays the same
Character Traits
Descriptive physical characteristics of a character or comments on their personality.
Direct Characterization
Explicitly stated by the author
Indirect Characterization
Readers must infer character traits based on observations of text.
External Conflict
Conflict occurring outside of the main character (can be a person, group, force of nature, animal or some other obstacle).
Internal Conflict
Conflict a character has within themselves ex. battling depression
Name the 4 types of character conflict
Character vs. …
1.) Character
2.) Nature
3.) Society
4.) Fate
What type of character conflict does “Story of an Hour” display?
Character vs. society
Theme
Central message/life lesson/ primary question a text poses for readers to ponder
Suspense
excitement, tension, curiosity created as readers anticipate what will happen next
Foreshadowing
Hints or clues about what will happen in the story
Flashback
Narrative is interrupted with a character’s memory of the past
Symbolism
Use of specific objects or images to represent ideas
Personification
Human characteristics given to inhuman objects ex. My fridge was sad because it was empty
Aphorism
“Truism”- A brief and meaningful message expressing a general truth.
Motif
Pattern that repeats in a text (ex. multiple symbols that all have to do with the ocean)
Metaphor
Two things that are directly compared (ex. He’s a fish! meaning he loves to swim)
Simile
Comparison using “like” or “as” (ex. She runs like a gazelle)
Tone
The attitude of a literary work. Can be expressed by characters themselves or the narrator’s description.
Parallelism
Structure of writing where all verbs are the same tense. (ex. I ran, I swam and I jumped) all past tense
Rhyme Scheme
Ordered pattern of rhymes at the ends of lines in a poem or verse
Poetic Meter
Combination of repeating stressed and unstressed syllables that make up 1 line of poetry. Kind of like a time signature in music!
Couplet
Two lines of poetry that are usually in the same meter (have the same beat or “time signature”) and are joined by a rhyme, forming a unit. Differs from the rhyme scheme of the rest of the poem and ends poem with universal truth.
Name the three types of rhetorical appeals
1.) ethos
2.) logos
3.) pathos
Ethos
Appeal to credibility (ex. buy these vitamins because they are recommended by a doctor)
Logos
Appeal to logic (ex. it is best to study for the AP exam so you don’t have to pay to take it multiple times)
Pathos
An appeal to emotions. ex. commercial that shows pictures of homeless, dirty and starving puppies aimed to get you to donate to the animal shelter
Inversion
Inverting or reordering words of common phrases to spark attention in readers or create variety
Diction
Choice of words and phrases in writing that are chosen sometimes because of how they sound
Conceit
Fanciful or unrealistic metaphor or simile used to gain audience’s attention (ex. my love was like a blazing grenade)
Rhetorical Question
A question asked for dramatic effect so audience can think about a topic rather than answer the question (ex. what is the meaning of life if not to enjoy it?)
Analogy
Sequence of logic implying relationship (ex. blue is to sky as green is to…)
Fallacy
Conclusion arrived at by faulty reasoning (ex. I failed my first quiz therefore I will never go to class ever again because I am not smart)
Allusion
References to other popular culture or texts. (ex. the garden of Eden)
Irony
Figure of speech in which the meaning of words used differs from what the speaker truly means by saying them
Dramatic Irony
When something is known by the reader or audience but not to characters in the story
Verbal Irony
Statement that implies the opposite by saying it in a given context
Situational Irony
Event that happens in the story that violates reader’s or other character’s expectations
Name the three types of irony
1.) Dramatic
2.) Verbal
3.) Situational
What type of irony is displayed in “Story of an Hour”?
Situational irony- Mrs. Mallard (Louise) does not react as we expect a woman to react when she receives news of her husband’s death. In fact, she ends up being happy!
Anecdote
Additional information provided that is unrelated or only somewhat related but is often besides the main point. Anecdotal information can also be examples.
