Literary Devices, Elements, Genres and More Flashcards
(28 cards)
What is the Genre: Allegory
A story where characters, events, or settings symbolize something deeper, like a moral or political message.
Example: Animal Farm by George Orwell is an allegory about the Russian Revolution.
What is Alliteration and provide an example.
The repetition of the same beginning sound in nearby words.
Example: “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.”
What is Anaphora and provide an example.
The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses.
Example: “It was the bone that the dog had craved for; It was the bone that the dog had wanted for so long.”
What is an Antagonist?
An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain.
What is a Climax?
The highest point of action, tension, or suspense in the story.
What is Diction?
The choice and use of words and phrases in literature.
What is a Dynamic character?
A dynamic character in literature is one who experiences a significant change in their personality, beliefs, or outlook on life throughout the story.
What is Exposition?
Exposition is crucial to any story as it introduces the background information and consists of three main things:
- Setting
- Mood/Climate
- Characters
What is a Flat Character and provide an example.
A simple character that is not fully developed and usually has just one or two traits.
Example: The “greedy villain” who always wants more.
What is a Foil Character?
A foil character is a literary device where a character’s traits are highlighted by contrasting them with another character, often the protagonist. Their job is to make the another character’s (often the protagonist’s) traits clearer.
What is Foreshadowing?
Foreshadowing is a device in which a storyteller gives an advance hint of what is to come later in the story. Foreshadowing often appears at the beginning of a story.
What is a Hyperbole and provide an example.
An exaggerated way of expressing something, not meant to be taken literally.
Example: “I’ve told you a million times!”
What is Imagery and provide an example.
The use of detailed descriptions that appeal to the five senses to create a mental image or feeling.
Example: Describing a rainy day with words like “pattering” and “wet streets.”
What is Situational Irony and provide an example.
When the opposite of what you expect to happen happens.
Example: A fire station burning down.
What is Verbal Irony and provide an example.
When a person says one thing but means the opposite.
Example: A chef saying, “This dish could win an award,” after accidentally burning the food.
What is Dramatic Irony and provide an example.
When the audience knows something that characters do not.
Example: A character in a horror movie hides in a closet, unaware that the killer is inside with them, but the audience knows.
What is a Metaphor and provide an example.
A comparison of two different things without using “like,” “as” or “than” suggesting they are the same in some way.
Example: “Time is a thief.”
What is Mood and provide an example.
The emotional feeling a story creates for the reader.
Example: A dark, stormy setting can create a scary mood.
What is Onomatopoeia and provide an example.
Words that sound like the things they describe.
Example: “Buzz,” “clang,” “crash.”
What is an Oxymoron and provide an example.
Two contradictory words placed together to create a surprising or unique idea.
Example: “Jumbo shrimp.”
What is Personification and provide an example.
Giving human characteristics to non-human things.
Example: “The wind whispered through the trees.”
What is a Protagonist?
A protagonist is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles.
What is a Round Character and provide an example.
A well-developed character with many traits, making them more realistic.
Example: A character who is both brave and afraid of failure.
What is the Genre: Satire
A technique used by writers to expose and criticize foolishness and corruption of an individual or a society by using parody, irony, exaggeration, reversal or incongruity. It intends to improve humanity by criticizing its follies and foibles.
Example: Shrek
