Tools and Strategies Writers Use to Establish Their Central
Ideas
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A narrative technique in which characters representing things
or abstract ideas are used to convey a message or teach a lesson.
Allegory is typically used to teach moral, ethical, or religious
lessons but is sometimes used for satiric or political
purposes
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the repetition of similar initial consonant sounds in order to
create a musical or rhythmic effect, to emphasize key words or to
imitate sounds. Example: He was reluctant to return to the room he
called home.
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a reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary
work, or work of art, often used to help make a comparison.
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person or force that opposes the protagonist in a literary
work
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The antithesis of something is its direct opposite
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unrhymed iambic pentameter
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The method a writer uses to reveal the personality of a
character in a literary work: Methods may include (1) by what the
character says about himself or herself; (2) by what others reveal
about the character; and (3) by the character's own actions direct
characterization the writer directly states the characters traits
or characteristics. indirect characterization the writer allows the
reader to draw his/her conclusions as to what a character is like,
based on the appearances, words, actions, and interactions with
other characters. dynamic character a character who changes over
the course of a story Static character a character who does not
undergo a change over the course of a story
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the point in the story where the protagonists conflict is
resolved
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Conflict is the problem or struggle in a story that triggers
the action. There are five basic types of conflict: Person vs.
Person: One character in a story has a problem with one or more of
the other characters. Person vs. Society: A character has a problem
with some element of society: the school, the law, the accepted way
of doing things. Person vs, Self: A character has a problem
deciding what to do in a certain situation. Person vs. Nature: A
character has a problem with nature: heat, cold, a tornado, an
avalanche, or any other element of nature. Person vs Fate (God): A
character must battle what seems to be an uncontrollable problem
attributed to fate or an act of God.
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The denotation of a word is its dictionary definition. The word
wall, therefore, denotes an upright structure, which encloses
something or serves as a boundary. The connotation of a word is its
emotional content. In this sense, the word wall can also mean an
attitude or actions, which prevent becoming emotionally close to a
person.
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the parts of a sentence, paragraph or piece of writing that
surround a word or passage and can throw light on its meaning
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two lines of poetry that form a unit. If they rhyme, they are
called rhyming couplets.
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A Greek term meaning the God from the machine. (1) In Greek
drama a god who descends by a crane-like arrangement and solves a
problem in the story, thus allowing the play to end. (2) Any
unexpected and improbable device (e.g., an unexpected financial
windfall) used to solve a problem and thus conclude the work.
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an authors choice of words
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The running over of the sense and structure of a line of text
into the next line
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in fiction or drama, when a character suddenly experiences a
deep realization about him or herself.
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a narrative device, often used at the beginning of a work that
provides necessary background information about the characters and
their circumstances. Exposition explains what has gone on before,
the relationships between characters, and the setting.
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a brief story, usually with animal characters, that teaches a
lesson or a moral.
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also called dnouement, which is literally, "untying" (as of a
knot) in French; a plot- related term used in two ways: (1) as a
synonym for conclusion or resolution, and (2) as the label for a
phase following the conclusion in which any loose ends are tied
up.
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writing that tells about imaginary characters and events.
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language that is not literal, but instead uses figures of
speech such as metaphors, similes, hyperboles, irony,
personification, and irony.
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a section in a literary piece that interrupts the sequence of
events in order to relate an earlier incident or set of
events.
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a character who parallels another major character and, by sharp
contrast, serves to stress and highlight the qualities of main
character.
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an authors use of hints or clues to give a reader an idea of
what may happen next.
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is poetry that does not have a regular meter (rhythm) to its
lines
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The use of extreme exaggeration.
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words or phrases that appeal to one or more of the five senses
and help to create a vivid description for the reader.
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something that is suggested without being said directly
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a conclusion drawn by the reader based on available information
or based on the implication.
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A Latin term meaning "in the middle of things." It refers to
the technique of beginning a story at its midpoint and then using
various flashback devices to reveal previous action.
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differentiated from stream of consciousness in that it should
only be applied when the words used to express the thoughts are
those that the character is assumed to be using for thinking; it
implies the use of language, whereas stream of consciousness
doesnt, necessarily; OR undertakes to present to the reader the
course and rhythm of consciousness precisely as it occurs in a
characters mind
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a situation where the opposite of what is expected to occur or
exist does occur or exist. Irony of situation Verbal irony Dramatic
irony
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the act or an instance of placing two or more things side by
side
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a short poem meant to express an emotion
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- a figure of speech in which something is described as if it
were something else; a comparison made without using like or
as.
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is the patterned repetition of stressed and unstressed
syllables in a line of poetry.
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the feeling or atmosphere an author creates for the reader
within the piece of writing.
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a lesson taught by a literary work.
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a reason that explains or partially explains a characters
thoughts, feelings, actions, or speech.
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writing or speech that tells a story.
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poetry that tells a story
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the structure of a story, including number and order of events,
pace; overall pattern of a story
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the character who tells the story in a text. unreliable
narratornarrator whose perception, interpretation, and evaluation
of the matters s/he narrates do not coincide with the opinions and
norms implied by the author, which the author expects the alert
reader to share.
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is the use of a word whose sound suggests its meaning, as in
clang, buzz, and twang.
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the close placement of words having opposite or near opposite
meanings in order to create a unique description.
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is a statement that seems contrary to common sense, yet may, in
fact, be true: "The coach considered this a good loss."
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a short tale that illustrates a universal truth, a belief that
appeals to all people of all civilizations.
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a type of figurative language in which a non-human subject is
given human characteristics
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the sequence or series of events in a literary work.
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the perspective from which a story is told. 3rd person: someone
outside the story proper who refers to all the characters in the
story by name, or as he, she, they. The point of view is said to be
limited when we see things only from one characters perspective; it
is said to be omniscient when we get the perspective of multiple
characters. 1st person: the narrator speaks as I and is to a
greater or lesser degree a participant in the story.
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is the main character or the hero of the story
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a humorous play on words.
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is the repetition of a line or phrase of a poem at regular
intervals, especially at the end of each stanza
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the repeated use of words or phrases in order to emphasize a
point.
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the events that occur in the falling action of a storys
plot.
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is the similarity or likeness of sound existing between two
words.
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A work that uses ridicule, humor, and wit to criticize and
provoke change in human nature and institutions.
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the time and location of the events described in a literary
work.
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a comparison between two things, using like or as.
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A type of monologue performed onstage as part of a play in
which characters reveal their inner thoughts and feelings out loud
while alone
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a 14-line verse poem written in iambic pentameter with a
specific rhyme scheme. The Italian (Petrarchan) rhyming abbaabba,
cdecde.or cdcdcd. The Shakespearean rhyming abab, cdcd, efef,
gg.
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the imaginary voice assumed by the writer of a poem, the one
describing the events in a poem.
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a group of lines in a poem.
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A narrative technique for rendering the inward experience of a
character. This technique is designed to give the impression of an
ever-changing series of thoughts, emotions, images, and memories in
the spontaneous and seemingly illogical order that they occur in
life.
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Suspense in fiction results primarily from two factors: the
reader's identification with and concern for the welfare of a
convincing and sympathetic character, and an anticipation of
violence.
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anything that stands for or represents something else.
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a central message, idea, or concern that the author of a
literary work is trying to express.
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the attitude of an author toward the subject that he or she is
writing about.
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is a literary work in which the hero is destroyed by some
character flaw or by forces beyond his or her control.
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In a tragedy, the quality within the hero or heroine that leads
to his or her downfall.
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a statement, which lessens or minimizes the importance of what
is meant.
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is a line of poetry with a regular pattern of syllables that
creates a certain rhythm. It is named according to the kind and
number of feet composing it: iambic pentameter, for example.
