Unit 5: Part 3 Literary Terms

The setting of a story is the time and place in which it occurs; it may include details about the weather, physical features of the landscape, and other elements of an environment.

A symbol is a person, place, or object that has a meaning in itself but also suggests a larger meaning.

A eulogy is a literary work written to pay tribute to someone who has died.

A eulogist creates a mood, or emotional quality, that expresses his or her feelings and captures qualities in the person being honored.

Persuasive writers, such as President Kennedy and Dr. King, use a variety of rhetorical devices to clarify and balance ideas and evoke emotions...

Parallelism is the repetition of words, phrases, clauses, or sentences that have the same grammatical structure or the same meaning: "the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans—born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace."

Antithesis is a form of parallelism that emphasizes strong contrasts: "Now the trumpet summons us again—not as a call to bear arms....not as a call to battle...but [as] a call to bear the burden."

King uses an argument/support structure, which consists of a series of arguments supported with evidence.

King uses an argument/support structure, which consists of a series of arguments supported with evidence.

Plot is the sequence of events that happen in a story.

Climax: The conflict reaches its moment of greatest intensity. This is the turning point, when an event signals the final outcome.

Falling Action: The conflict diminishes and approaches resolution.

In this play, Miller uses dramatic exposition, or prose commentaries, to provide background information about the characters and their world.

Conflict is a struggle between opposing forces.

It is also revealed through Biblical allusions, or references to figures, stories, or settings from the Bible.

Characterization is the art of revealing characters' personalities.

When there is a contrast between expectation and reality, irony is at work.

With dramatic irony, there is a contradiction between what a character thinks and what the audience knows.

Tragedy is a dramatic form that was first developed in ancient Greece.

The main character is involved in a struggle that ends in disaster. This character, often called the tragic hero, is a person of high rank who has the respect of the community.

The tragic hero's downfall is usually the result of some combination of fate, an error in judgment, and a personality weakness often called a tragic flaw.

An allegory is a story with more than one layer of meaning: a literal meaning and one or more symbolic meanings.

Write an essay of tribute to honor a person who has influenced you: someone you know or someone whose art has inspired you.

Assume the persona of a character in the play and write a persuasive letter urging another character to take a particular course of action.

Verbs have different forms, called tenses, which indicate the time in which an action occurs.

A verb is in the passive voice if the action is done to the subject.

A verb is in the active voice when the subject does the action.

A drama, or play, is a story written to be performed by actors.

Unlike a short story or novel, a drama presents action mainly through dialogue, the conversation and speeches of characters.

A play is often divided into large units called acts, which are then subdivided into smaller ones called scenes.

A play is often divided into large units called acts, which are then subdivided into smaller ones called scenes.

Characters are the people who participate in the action of the play and are portrayed onstage or onscreen by actors.

Characters are the people who participate in the action of the play and are portrayed onstage or onscreen by actors.

Stage directions are notes included in the play to describe sets, costumes, lighting, sound, props, and—in some cases—the ways in which actors should move and deliver their lines.

Comedy is drama that ends happily. Comedies may be funny, but humor is not their defining trait.

A review is a persuasive nonfiction article in which a writer states an opinion about a work of art.

Facts: hard data, such as statistics, dates, and events, that can be proved true and do not change with the context.

Opinions: statements of belief that cannot be proved true or false; may use language that is evaluative ("too much"; "genuine contribution") or emotional ("powerful"; "silly").

An argumentative essay is not a piece of writing in which you start a fight. An argument is a well-reasoned position or opinion.

Standardized tests often include prose fiction reading selections, passages drawn from novels and short stories.