Terms
Semester 1:
- Origin Myth- A traditional story that explains how life began
- Themes- Insights about life or the human condition; central message
- Archetypes- Symbols, patterns, or character types that repeat across cultures
- Rhetoric- The skill in effective use of speech
- Logos- Rhetorical appeal to reasoning
- Ethos- Rhetorical appeal of character
- Pathos- Rhetorical appeal of emotion
- Literacy- A set of cultural competences for making socially recognizable meanings by the use of particular material technologies
- Political Document- Document that defines the structure and practices of a political organization
- Symbol- Person, place, animal, or object that represents something else, often an abstraction
- Exploration Narratives- Firsthand accounts of the travels of Europeans who first came to the Americas
- Chronological Order- Describing events in the order in which they occurred
- Author's Purpose- His or her reason for writing; general purposes are to persuade, inform, and entertain
- Audience- Readers
- Puritan Plain Style- Style characterized by short words, direct statements, and references to everyday objects and experiences
- Syntax- Sentence structure
- Inversion- Placing of sentence elements out of normal position
- Metaphor- Figure of speech in which two very different subjects are shown to have a point of similarity
- Conceit- Extended metaphor that is taken to its logical limit
- Stanza- A group of consecutive lines that form a unit; two lines=couplet, four lines=quatrain, six lines=sestet, eight lines=octave
- Speech- A nonfiction work that is delivered orally to an audience
- Sermon- Speech given from a pulpit in a house of worship intended to provide religious instruction
- Oratory- Formal public speaking
- Political Speech- A speech focusing on an issue relating to government
- Address- A formal speech prepared for a special occasion, such as the dedication of a memorial or the inauguration of a new leader
- Rhetorical Devices- Patterns of words and ideas that create emphasis, clarify meaning, and stir listener's emotions
- Restatement- Expressing the same ideas using different words
- Anaphora- Repetition of the same word or group of words at the beginning of successive sentences, clauses, or phrases
- Rhetorical Questions- Questions asked for effect rather than for answers
- Repetition- Restating an idea using the same words
- Antithesis- Juxtaposition of strongly contrasting words, images, or ideas
- Parallelism- Repeating a grammatical structure
- Exclamation- An emotional statement, often indicated in texts by an exclamation mark
- Persuasion- Writing that presents an argument, or message meant to get readers to think or act in a certain way
- Heroic Couplets- A traditional poetic form, or structure; often in a pair of lines
- Allusions- References from well-known people or events from history, literature, or the Bible
- End Rhyme- Full rhyme at the end of each line
- Iambic Pentameter- A meter in which five unstressed syllables are followed by five stressed syllables
- Classical Mythology- Myths dealing with Greek gods or goddesses
- Autobiography- A life history written by its subject
- Aphorisms- Short sayings with a message
- Slave Narrative- An autobiographical account of a person's life as a slave
- Characterization- The creation and development of a character
- Direct Characterization- A writer tells you what a character is like
- Indirect Characterization- The writer reveals a character's personality through the character's speech, thoughts, actions, appearance, and other characters' reactions
- Parable- Story that teaches a moral lesson
- Ambiguity- Uncertain meaning
- Gothic Literature- A literary genre that began in England in the late 1700's
- Single Effect- Where every detail in a work contributes to one impression
- Figurative Language- Also called figures of speech; language that is used imaginatively instead of literally
- Synecdoche- The use of a part of something to stand for the whole
- Imagery- Word pictures
- Author's Style- Unique manner in which he or she puts thoughts into words
- Tone- Attitude
- Analogy- Extended comparison of relationships
- Report- A document written to inform officials and the public about issues
- Narrative Poetry- Tells a story and has the same literary elements as works of prose fiction
- Dramatic Poetry- Uses the techniques of drama to present the speech of one or more characters in verse form
- Lyric Poetry- Expresses the thoughts and feelings of a single speaker
- Sound Devices- Innate musical qualities of words in a pattern to emphasize meaning
- Rhyme- Repetition of sounds at the end of words
- Consonance- Repetition of final consonant sounds
- Assonance- Repetition of similar vowel sounds
- Alliteration- Repetition of initial identical consonant sounds in accented syllables
- Simile- Figure of speech to compare two unlike things using 'like' or 'as'
- Exact Rhyme- Two or more words have identical sounds in their final stressed syllables
- Slant Rhyme- Final sounds are similar but not identical
- Paradox- Statement that seems contradictory but actually presents a truth
- Epic Poetry- Tells a long story about a hero whose adventures embody the values of a nation
- Free Verse- Has irregular meter and line length and sounds like natural speech
- Catalogues- Lists
- Diction- Word choice
- Onomatopoeia- Words whose sounds imitate their meanings
- Thesis- Specific position or claim that reasonable people can agree or disagree with
- Point of View- Perspective from which the story is told
- Omniscient Point of View- Narrator relates everything that happens, as well as private thoughts and feelings of characters
- Limited Third-Person Point of View- Readers' information is limited to what a single character feels, thinks, and observes
- Stream of Consciousness- Technique in which a character's thoughts are presented as the mind experiences them- in short bursts without obvious logic
- Diaries/Journals- Personal records of events, thoughts, feelings and observations
Semester 2:
- Spirituals- Folk songs that were often sung by enslaved African Americans
- Refrain- A word, phrase, line, or group of lines repeated at regular intervals.
- Biblical Allusions- References to people, places, and events from the Bible.
- Allegory- A story in which all of the literal elements are also symbols.
- Author's General Purpose- May be to inform, persuade, describe, or entertain
- Author's Specific Purpose- Can be a subliminal or unstated purpose with aims to, usually, persuade
- Periodical Abstract- A summary of a long article from a magazine or scholarly journal
- Government Form- A document that allows organizations to compile information efficiently
- Existentialism- A philosophy that emphasizes the uniqueness and isolation of the individual in a hostile or indifferent universe
- Humor- Writing intended to amuse
- Incongruity- Differences in logic or degree
- Hyperbole- The exaggeration of details beyond what is logical
- Comic Uses of Language- Funny names, etc.
- Social Commentary- Critique of society
- Dialect- Ways of speaking that are specific to a particular area or group of people
- Regionalism- Language or behavior specific to a certain part of the country
- Foibles- A focus on human flaws
- Internal Conflict- A struggle between opposing forces occurring inside the mind of the character
- External Conflict-A struggle occurring between a character and society, nature, another person, etc.
- Irony- Discrepancy in what is stated or meant and what actually happens
- Dramatic Irony- Contradiction between what the character thinks and what the reader knows to be true
- Personal History- Type of autobiographical nonfiction in which the author relates his or her experiences during a particular event or era
- Verbal Irony- Occurs when someone says something that deliberately contradicts what a person actually means
- Situational Irony- Occurs when something happens that contradicts the readers' expectations
- Formal Verse- Poetry that follows a fixed structure
- Petrarchan Sonnet- Fourteen line poem separated into one stanza with eight lines and one stanza with six lines
- Rhyme Scheme- Pattern of rhyming words at the ends of each line
- Speaker- Voice that tells the story
- Dramatic Monologue- A poem or speech in which a character addresses a silent listener
- Imagism- Literary movement that began in the early 1900's by Ezra Pound and other poets
- Images- Words or phrases that appeal to the senses
- Characters- The personalities represented in a story
- Flat Characters- One-dimensional characters with few traits
- Round Characters- Usually main characters; have many character traits and develop as the story goes on
- Ballad- Song or songlike poem that usually tells a story
- Satire- Writing that ridicules the faults of individuals, groups, institutions, or humanity at large
- Resolution- When the struggle ends and the outcome is revealed
- Flashback- Interruptions in which earlier events are described
- Hero's Quest- One type of archetypical plot structure
- Humorous Essay- A short, funny work of nonfiction
- Understatement- Opposite of hyperbole; downplaying of a dramatic event
- Idiom- Expression in which the literal meanings of the words do not add up to the actual meaning
- Apostrophe- Literary device in which a speaker directly addresses a thing, or person which is dead or absent
- Blank Verse- Unrhymed iambic pentameter that mimics the sound of natural speech
- Pastorals- Poems that deal with rural settings
- Values- Literature written as a part of the Harlem Renaissance stresses the importance of values such as family, history, and cultural pride
- Sonnet- Fourteen-line lyric poem that is either a Petrarchan sonnet or a Shakespearean sonnet
- Social Context- Attitudes, customs, and beliefs of the culture in which the writer lived
- Disillusionment- Most common theme of the Modern Era of literature
- Fragmentation- Writing which causes confusion by being sporadic; not smooth and flowing
- Editorial- A persuasive essay that appears in a news publication and expresses the opinions of the editorial board
- Grotesque Character- A character who has become bizarre or twisted, usually through some kind of obsession
- Inciting Incident- Establishes the central conflict
- Development- Conflict increases
- Epiphany- A moment of insight
- Foreshadowing- Clues that hint at what will happen next
- Falling Action- The events that follow the climax
- Rising Action- Events that lead up to the climax
- Extended Metaphor- A sustained comparison
- Pun- Words or phrases with double meanings
- Imperatives- Mild commands that invite readers to do or feel certain things
- Exclamations- Statements ending in an exclamation point inject an emotional intensity
- Questions- Questions cast the reader in the role of the speaker's confidant
- Eulogy- A literary work written to pay tribute to someone who has died
- Organizational Structure- Adds to a text's persuasive appeal
- Dramatic Exposition- Prose commentaries
- Tragedy- Dramatic art form developed in Ancient Greece
- Tragic Hero- Person of high rank who has respect of community
- Tragic Flaw- Personality weakness that results in tragic hero's downfall
- Feature Article- Work of nonfiction about a general interest topic
- In Media Res- Latin for "in the middle of things"; it is used as a plot device
- End-Stopped Lines- Lines that complete a grammatical unit; often have punctuation at the end of the line
- Enjambed- Lines that do not end with a grammatical break and do not make sense without the following line
- Expository Essay- A writer explains a topic or discusses ideas
- Parody- Comic piece of writing that mocks the characteristics of a specific work
- Comparison-and-Contrast Essay- An essay where a writer analyzes similarities and differences between two objects
- Memoir- Nonfiction narratives that recount events in which the writer was a participant or eyewitness