Topics: Art › Symbolism
Type: Narrative Essays
Sample donated: Stacey Miller
Last updated: May 6, 2019
Plot
Series of related events that comprise a story
Point of view
Relationship between the narrator and the story he/she is telling
Narrator
The person, animal, or thing that is telling a story
Irony
The contrast between what the reader expects and what actually happens
Exposition
The part of the plot in which readers are introduced to the characters and setting
Climax
The part of the plot in which characters make a decision or take an action that brings about the resolution.
This is often the most intense part of the plot.
Resolution
The way in which the conflict of a story reaches a solution
Affix
One or more letters at a bound form attached to the beginning or end of a word that create the definition or form of the word
Alliteration
The repetition of initial consonant sounds in a series of wirds
Allegory
A story in which the characters and plot are metaphorically symbolic of ideas outside the story itself
Antonym
A word that is opposite in meaning to a given word
Bias
The presence of a subtle or obvious positive or negative attitude toward a subject
Characterization
An author’s methods for revealing characters and their various traits to the reader
Allusion
A direct or implied reference in a work of literature to an idea outside that work of literature
Context clue
Words or phrases that help a reader to understand the meaning of an unfamiliar word
Diction
The author’s choice or words, phrases and sentence structures to create a specific style
Drama
A genre of literature which is intended to be performed as a play, television show, or movie
Dialect
A variety of language that is distinct from the standard, accepted language. Often these are geographical in origin
Conflict
The struggle or clash among characters or ideas that is central to a narrative
Connotation
The range of emotions a reader associates with specific word choice
Fact
A piece if information presented objectively and accepted as true
Falling action
The part of the plot characterized by diminished conflicts and complications
Fiction
Any writing that is the product of an authors imagination
First person
A point of view in which the narrator is a character in the story
Foreshadowing
The author’s use of hints or clues that suggest what will happen later in the story
Flashback
An organization tool that reveals to readers events that happened at a time prior to the current point in time of the narration
Genre
A category used to classify works of literature
Hyperbole
Exaggeration or overstatement
Imagery
The use of words designed to appeal to the readers’ senses
Inference
A judgement based on reasoning rather than explicit information; reading between the lines
Metaphor
The direct comparison of two unlike things, not using any words of comparison
Motif
A recurring theme, idea or subject in a literary work
Monologue
An extended speech by a single speaker, not necessarily in the context of a play
Soliloquy
A speech by a character, alone on stage, that reveals his/her inner thoughts and feelings
Mood
The prevailing emotional impact or atmosphere or a literary work
Personification
The giving of human qualities to a non-human
Band-wagon
A propaganda technique that aims to convince people that “everyone else is doing it. “
Testimonial
A propaganda technique that uses a famous person to promote a product or idea
Red-herring
A propaganda technique that attempts to distract the reader by introducing unrelated ideas or arguments
Name-calling
A propaganda technique that acts as a personal attack on a person’s character
Biography
A written account of a person’s life
Setting
The time and place in which a story takes place
Symbolism
A literary device in which an object is used to represent an idea
Tone
The author’s attitude toward his subject, characters, and audience
Third person
A point of view in which the narrator is an outsider
Style
The author’s choice or words and sentence structures to create a specific effect
Synonym
A word very similar in meaning to a given word
Rising action
That part of the plot preceding the climax in which the plot becomes increasingly more complicated
Prefix
Group of letters added to the beginning of a word that change the meaning of the original word.
Speaker
The voice used by the author to narrate his/her story