Topics: Entertainment › Events
Type: Satire Essays
Sample donated: Orlando Holmes
Last updated: April 22, 2019
plot
the series of related actions or events in a literary work
sequence
the arrangement of events in a literary work
conflict
struggle between opposing forces; any problem that must be solved
internal and external
the two major types of conflict
internal conflict
a problem or struggle within a character
external conflict
a problem or struggle between a character and someone or something outside of the character
exposition
establishes the setting, identifies the characters, introduces the basic situation (problem may be revealed here)
initiating incident
introduces the central conflict (sometimes it occurs before the opening of the story)
rising action
any events leading up to the climax
climax
the point of highest interest, the conflict must be resolved one way or another or a character begins to take action to end the conflict
falling action
events that occur between the climax and the conclusion
conclusion/resolution
the story’s end
setting
the time and place of the story (where and when it takes place)
suspense
the quality of the story that makes the reader curious and excited about what will happen next
foreshadowing
an author’s use of hints or clues to suggest events that will occur later in the story
flashback
presents events of the past in the midst of a story in the present
mood
the feeling created in a reader by a literary work or passage
tone
the attitude toward the subject and audience conveyed by the language and rhythm of the speaker in a literary work
character
a person or animal who takes part in the action of a literary work
protagonist
the main character in a literary work
antagonist
a character or force in conflict with the main character
round character
this character is fully developed – the writer reveals good and bad traits as well as background
flat character
this character seems to possess only one or two personality traits – little or no background is revealed
dynamic character
this character changes as a result of the action in the story
static character
this character stays the same throughout the story
trait
one of the qualities that makes up a character’s personality
character motivation
a reason that explains, or partially explains a character’s thoughts, feelings, actions or speech
dialogue
conversation between characters
dialect
a form of language spoken by people in a particular region or group
jargon
the special words or terms used by the members of a particular profession or class
slang
an informal, often short-lived kind of language used in place of standard words
informal language
the language of everyday speech, may use contractions and slang
formal language
the standard language of written communication, formal speeches, and presentations; may not use contractions or slang
narrator
the speaker or character who tells the story
point of view
the relationship between the narrator and the story he/she is telling – the perspective from which the story is told
prose
the ordinary form of writing; most writing that is not poetry, drama, or song
fiction
prose writing that tells about imaginary characters and events
nonfiction
prose writing that presents and explains ideas about real people, places, objects or events
fantasy
highly imaginative writing that has elements not found in real life
biography
a form of nonfiction in which a writer tells the life story of another person
autobiography
a form of nonfiction in which a writer tells his or her own life story
genre
a division or type of literature – generally prose, poetry or drama
theme
the message, central concern, or insight into life revealed in a literary work
stereotype
a fixed, generalized idea about a character, place, or situation
symbol
anything that stands for or represents something else
allusion
a reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art
irony
the general name given to literary techniques that involve surprising, interesting, or amusing contradictions
verbal irony
words are used to suggest the opposite of their usual meaning or contradict their usual meaning
situational irony
an event occurs that directly contradicts the expectations of the character, the reader, or the audience (a surprise twist)
dramatic irony
a contradiction between what a character thinks and what the reader or audience knows to be true (we, the audience, know more than the character/s)
euphemism
an inoffensive word or term used in place of another that is felt to be offensive
idiom
an expression having a special meaning different from the usual meanings of the words (example – “hit the road”)
figurative language
writing or speech that is not meant to be taken literally
figures of speech
types of figurative language
simile
a figure of speech that makes a direct comparison between two unlike subjects using like or as
metaphor
a figure of speech that makes an indirect comparison between two unlike subjects (something is described as if it were something else)
hyperbole
a figure of speech that is an exaggeration for effect
personification
a figure of speech in which a non-human subject is given human characteristics
alliteration
the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words
onomatopoeia
the use of words that imitate sounds
stanza
a division of poetry similar to a paragraph in prose
refrain
a regularly repeated line or group of lines in a poem or song
author’s purpose
the author’s intent either to inform/teach, to entertain, or to persuade/convince the audience
voice
the fluency, rhythm and liveliness in writing that makes it unique to the writer
satire
literary tone used to ridicule or make fun of human vice or weakness
primary source
text that tells a first-hand account of an event; original works used when researching (letters, journals)
secondary source
text used when researching that is derived from something original (biographies, magazine articles)
text structure
the author’s method of organizing text
inference
understanding gained by “reading between the lines;” a judgment based on reasoning rather than direct statement
imagery
a word or group of words in a literary work which appeal to one or more of the senses: sight, taste, touch, hearing, and smell
bias
a judgment based on personal point of view
generalization
a conclusion that is used to make a broad statement about a topic or person
editorial
a newspaper or magazine article that gives the opinions of the editors or publishers
propaganda
techniques used to influence people to believe, buy, or do something
name-calling
an attack on a person instead of an issue
bandwagon
tries to persuade the reader to do, think, or buy something because it is popular or everyone is doing it
red herring
an attempt to distract the reader with details not relevant to the argument
emotional appeal
tries to persuade the reader by using words that appeal to the reader’s emotions instead of to logic or reason
testimonial
attempts to persuade the reader by using a famous person to endorse a product or idea
sweeping generalization
makes an oversimplified statement about a group based on limited information
circular argument
states a conclusion as part of the proof of the argument
appeal to numbers, facts, and statistics
attempts to persuade the reader by showing how many people think something is true