Literary Terms

Literary TermsDefinitions and ExamplesAlliterationthe repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of wordsEx. tongue twistersPeter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppersEx. Papooses Alphabetical SlaughterManeuvers made miraculously, microphone majesty/Music messiah mastered money makin' mathematically

Allusiona reference to a well-known character, place, or situation from history or from music, art, or another work of literature. Ex. Langston Hughes I, Too, Sing America (references Walt Whitmans I Hear America Singing)Ex. Jessie J, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Minajs Bang BangAnd Batman is robbin it

Antagonista person or force that opposes the protagonist, or central character, in a story or drama; often the bad guyEx. In The Odyssey, Poseidon is one of the many antagonists to OdysseusEx. The Dark Knight Rises: Bane is the antagonist toBatmanAssonancethe repetition of the same vowel soundsEx. William Shakespeares Romeo and JulietIs crimsonin thy lips andin thy cheeks.Ex. Beyoncs Love on Top

I can feel the wind whipping pastmy face./As wedance the night away

Atmospherethe physical qualities that contribute to the mood of the literary work, such as time, place, and weatherEx. Edgar Allan Poes The RavenAh, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December;/ and each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floorEx. haunted houses in scary movies

Autobiographythe story of a persons life written by that personEx. Warriors Dont Cry by Melba Pattillo BealsEx. Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme songIn West Philadelphia born and raised/On the playgrounds where I spent most of my days

Biographyan account of someones life written by someone other than the subjectEx. John Adams by David McCulloughEx. Malcolm X: By Any Means Necessary by Walter Dean Myers

Charactera person portrayed in a literary piece of work

Direct Characterizationexplicit statements about a characterEx. description of Ivan in Richard Connells The Most Dangerous GameThe first thing Rainsfords eyes discerned was the largest man Rainsford had ever seena gigantic creature, solidly made and black-bearded to the waist.Ex. Journeys Dont Stop BelievinJust a small town girl, livin in a lonely world/She took a midnight train going anywhere/Just a city boy, born and raised in south Detriot/He took a midnight train going anywhere

Indirect Characterizationthe authors use of a characters speech, thoughts, and actions and through what other characters think and say about a character to describe that characterEx. Nathaniel Hawthornes The Ministers Black Veil Our parson has gone mad! cried Goodman Gray, following him across the threshold.Ex. Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme songIn west Philadelphia born and raised/On the playground was where I spent most of my days

Dialecta variation of a language spoken within a particular region or classEx. Evan Hunters The Last SpinThis is how the club said we should settle it. Without a big street diddlebop, you dig? Ex. Tyler Perrys Madea Goes to Jail- Madea: Ella, cmon! Where you at?- Ella: Right now?- Madea: Ride or die, fool! Ride or die!Foreshadowingan authors use of clues to prepare readers for events that will happen later in the storyEx. Louise Edrichs The LeapIn the town square a replica tent pole, cracked and splintered, now stands cast in concrete. It commemorates the disaster that put our town smack on the front page of the Boston and New York tabloids.Ex. the music in scary movies

Hyperbole (hi-per-buh-l-ee)a figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express emotion, to make a point, or to evoke humorEx. Langston Hughess Thank You, MaamShe was a large woman with a large purse that had everything in it but hammer and nails.I was scared to death!Imagerythe word pictures that writers create to evoke an emotional responseEx. William Wordsworths Daffodils A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the Milky WayEx. Bob Marleys Three Little BirdsRise up this mornin, Smiled with the risin sun, Three little birds Pitch by my doorstep

Ironya contrast or discrepancy between appearance and realityEx. William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet- Romeo kills himself thinking that Juliet is dead, but the audience knows shes really just under a sleeping potion.Ex. No Ragrets tattoo

Metaphora figure of speech that compares two seemingly unlike thingsEx. William Shakespeares As You Like ItAll the worlds a stage, and all the men and women merely playersEx. Blake Sheltons Honey BeeYoull be my sunny day/ Ill be your shade tree

Onomatopoeia the use of a word or phrase that imitates or suggests the sound that it describesEx. James Baldwins The RockpileShe heard, behind her, his scrambling movement as he left the easy chair, the scrape and jangle of the lunchbox as he picked it upEx. Charli XCXs Boom ClapBoom Clap/ The sound of my heart/ The beat goes on and on and on and on and/ Boom Clap

Personificationa figure of speech in which an animal, an object, a force of nature, or an idea is given human characteristicsEx. Homers The OdysseyWhen the young Dawn with fingertips of rose lit up the world Ex. Disney moviesBeauty and the Beast

Plotthe sequence of events in a short story, novel, or drama

Point of Viewthe standpoint from which a story is told

First-Person Point of Viewthe narrator is a character in the story and uses the words I and me Ex. Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry FinnI never felt easy till the raft was two mile below there and out in the middle of the Mississippi.Ex. Luke Bryans Crash My Party It dont matter what plans I got, I can break em/ Yeah, I can turn this thing around at the next red light

Second Person Point of Viewthe narrator addresses the reader as youEx. Jay McIrneys Bright Lights, Big CityYou are not the kind of guy who would be at a place like this at this time of the morning.You are at a nightclub talking to a girl with a shaved head.Ex. Carly Rae Jepsens Call Me MaybeYou took your time with the callI took no time with the fallYou gave me nothing at all,But still, you're in my way

Third Person Point of Viewthe narrator is someone who stands outside the story and describes the characters and action

Third Person Limited Point of Viewthe narrator describes events as only one character perceives them

Third Person Omniscient Point of Viewall-knowing point of view; the narrator knows everything about the characters and events and may reveal details that the characters themselves could not reveal

Protagonistthe central character in a literary work, around whom the main conflict revolvesAndy is the protagonist in Sharon Drapers Tears of a TigerKatniss Everdeen is the protagonist in Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Similea figure of speech that uses like or as to compare seemingly unlike thingsEx. William Shakespeares Romeo and JulietMy bounty is as boundless as the sea,\ My love as deepEx. Forrest GumpJenny and me was like peas and carrots.

28Suspensea feeling of curiosity, uncertainty, or even dread about what is going to happen next in a storyEx. Frederic Browns The Knock The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock on the door.

Symbolany object, person, place, or experience that exists on a literal level but also represents, or stands for, something else, usually something abstractEx. Suzanne Collinss Hunger GamesKatnisss bow and arrows are a symbol of survival. Ex.

Themethe central message of a work of literature, often expressed as a general statement about life* Complete Sentence!Ex. William Shakespeares Romeo and JulietLove is a powerful force that can overpower all other emotions, loyalties, and values.

Tonean authors attitude toward his or her subject material or the audienceWord choice!Ex. Think about the tone of someones voice