Literary Terms 1st semester

Question 1

Allegory

Answer 1

piece of writing that uses symbols to convey its meaning. Its symbolic.
EX animal farm

Question 2

Allusion

Answer 2

a reference to another work or person or event.
EX the odyssey is the original wizard of oz

Question 3

analogy

Answer 3

comparison between two things that are different but share a common trait
EX life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.

Question 4

anecdote

Answer 4

brief, interesting or amusing story about a real person or event.

Question 5

antagonist

Answer 5

not the person you would root for
EX polyphemos the cyclopes

Question 6

apostrophe

Answer 6

to talk to something/ someone that can’t or won’t respond EX “ oh sun, why don’t you shine today? “ praying

Question 7

appeals Logos

Answer 7

logic- stats, facts, info that can be verified. Factual

Question 8

appeal Ethos

Answer 8

ethics, trustworthiness of the speaker - educational, morals, overall authority about a subject

Question 9

appeal Pathos

Answer 9

patho, emotions of an arguments, fear, love, concern, happiness.

Question 10

connotation

Answer 10

an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal meaning.
EX discipline has unhappy connotation of punishment

Question 11

denotation

Answer 11

literal of primary meaning of a word, without the feelings the word suggests
EX a red rose is a red flower (no symbol)

Question 12

diction

Answer 12

the careful selection of words and phrases to communicate a message
EX a speech

Question 13

epic

Answer 13

long poem that tells a story
EX odyssey

Question 14

epigraph

Answer 14

short quote or line or paragraph that appears at the beginning of a piece of writing

Question 15

epithet

Answer 15

discriptive term that characterizesa person or thing. like a nickname or title
EX The grey-eyes goddess athena

Question 16

euphemism

Answer 16

a mild word/phrase used to replace one that is too harsh
EX someone passed away vs. they died

Question 17

evidence

Answer 17

info that supports an argument

Question 18

figurative language

Answer 18

type of discriptive language used to convey meaning in a way that differs from its literal meaning.
EX she’s as happy as a clam

Question 19

foreshadow

Answer 19

used to hint at events yet to come
EX oracle, seer

Question 20

genre

Answer 20

category or style such as type of literature, music, or art
EX horror, fantasy

Question 21

hyperbole

Answer 21

overstatement, over exageration
EX i’m so hungry I could eat a horse

Question 22

idiom

Answer 22

word or phrase that isn’t meant literally
EX pull yourself together. Beating around the bush

Question 23

imagery

Answer 23

fiurative language to create a mental image
EX smell, color, shape

Question 24

dramatic irony

Answer 24

occurs when the audience knows something that the characters don’t
EX cheating on somebody

Question 25

situational irony

Answer 25

when the opposite of what is expected happens EX a police station gets robbed

Question 26

verbal irony

Answer 26

using language in a non-literal manner, someone says something but means the opposite EX character stepping out of a huricane saying What lovely weather!

Question 27

malapropism

Answer 27

humorous missuse of a word by confusing it with a similar sounding word EX weatherman said there was 90% participation

Question 28

metaphor

Answer 28

describe something by saying its something else EX she IS an angel

Question 29

motif

Answer 29

distinctive feature or dominant idea in a literary composition

Question 30

myth

Answer 30

traditional story explaining some phenomenon that is widely believed but false EX pandoras box

Question 31

oxymoron

Answer 31

combines two contradictory or ooposing words or ideas to create a new meaning EX old news, act naturally

Question 32

paradox

Answer 32

absurd or self contradictory statements that when investigated may prove to be true EX less is more

Question 33

parallel structure / parallelism

Answer 33

same gramatical structure for similar phrases EX I will go swimming, biking, and running

Question 34

parody

Answer 34

creative work that mimics that style of a particular writer, artist, genre EX Saturday Night live do fake news to look real

Question 35

personification

Answer 35

giving a non-alive thing human characteristics EX leaves danced in the wind

Question 36

point of view

Answer 36

the narrator's position in relation to a story being told EX in first person, second person

Question 37

protagonist

Answer 37

main character EX Katniss Everdeen, Harry Potter

Question 38

reasoning

Answer 38

thinking about something in a logical, sensible way

Question 39

satire

Answer 39

the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity EX most political cartoons

Question 40

sensory imagery

Answer 40

language that appeals to senses :EX touch, taste, smell, sound, sight

Question 41

simile

Answer 41

compares two things using 'like' or 'as' EX brave AS a lion

Question 42

symbol

Answer 42

one thing that's supposed to represent something else. EX color red is love , color black is death/evil

Question 43

theme

Answer 43

underlying, hidden message or meaning the writer wants to communicate to the reader. EX love, forgiveness, coming of age

Question 44

thesis

Answer 44

claim or interpretation of a literary work that is supported by evidence or discussion

Question 45

tone

Answer 45

the way the author expresses their attitude through their writing. their emotions towards whatever they're writing about.

Question 46

understatement (litotes)

Answer 46

emphasizes its point by using a word opposite to the condition EX 'not bad' for 'good' 'she's not ugly' for 'she's pretty'

Question 47

unreliable narrator

Answer 47

narrator who misleads readers, either deliberately or unintentionally EX a patient in a mental hospital would be unreliable.

Question 48

Foil

Answer 48

A character who's purpose is to highlight the protagonists qualities EX harry potter and Neville longbottom