Literary Element: First Column Flashcards
(25 cards)
adage
a well known proverb or saying
ex. look before you leap
allegory
can be interpreted as having a hidden meaning/ symbolism
ex. Aslan in The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe as an allegory for Jesus Christ
alliteration
repetition of a certain letter/sound in a series of words
ex. the slithery snake sneaked
allusion
an indirect reference to something else
ex.
analogy
a comparison of two things to explain one of the two
ex. the couple was like romeo and juliet
anecdote
a short and interesting/funny story about someone or something
ex.
antithesis
person/thing that’s a direct opposite to another
ex. a villain to a hero
aphorism
brief statement of wisdom
ex. if it’s not broke, don’t fix it
apostrophe
talking to someone/something that is not there
ex. monologues to dead loved ones
ethos
appeal to ethics; proves credibility
ex. a meteorologist discussing recent weather phenomena
logos
appeal to logic
ex. providing graphs and statistics
pathos
appeal to emotion
ex. the dog commercial with injured dogs and sad music
archetypes
typical example of person or thing
ex. the hero, the villain, the damsel
chiasmus
reversing syntax
ex. work to live don’t live to work
colloquialism
word used in informal or friendly conversation
ex. ain’t
conceit
clever comparison of two very unalike things
ex. in romeo and juliet, juliet’s father compares her to tree bark in the sea
connotation
idea/feeling evoked by a word
ex. childlike evokes a negative feeling while youthful evoke sa positive, though they mean the same things
denotation
dictionary definition of a word
ex.
diction
an author’s specific word choice
ex. humorous diction
dialogue
conversation between two or more characters
ex. “How are you doing?” asked Suzanne. Luke replied, “Well enough.”
dialect
form of speaking particular to a specific area
ex. words like “ain’t”, “gunna”, and replacing “ing” with “n’” show a southern dialect
dilemma
situation requiring a difficult choice be made, usually between two undesirable choices
ex. someone with limited money choosing between paying bills or buying groceries
dissonance
use of harsh-sounding or odd words, giving an inharmonious tone, mainly in poetry
ex.
dynamic character
character that undergoes a change in their attitude or behavior
ex. Lord Capulet or Montague in romeo and juliet