Topics: Art › Symbolism
Type: Descriptive Essays
Sample donated: Heather Cortez
Last updated: May 7, 2019
Diction
the author’s choice of words in regard to vocabulary, slang, language, and level of formality
Flashback
a way the authors present material that occurred earlier than present tense that appears through a character’s dream or memory
Inference
a conclusion drawn from evidence or reasoning
Irony
portrays differences between expectation and reality or appearance and reality
Verbal Irony
when words are used that suggest the opposite of what is meant; when something is said the has another meaning or that contradicts something
Situational Irony
when what you expect in an event does not happen
Dramatic Irony
when the thoughts of the reader and the character are contradicting
Motivation
a reason the explains why a character behaves in a certain way
Persona
narrator in poem
Plot
the sequence of events in literary works
Exposition
intro into a setting, characters, and situation
Inciting Incident
intro into central conflict
Development
when the conflict increases
Rising Action
the events leading up to the climax
Climax
the high point of suspense
Falling Action
leads to the denouncement and resolution
Denouncement/ Resolution
the general insight or change is conveyed to the reader
Allusion
a reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art
Satire
a work that ridicules the foolishness of individuals, a society, or humanity
Style
the author’s unique way of writing determined by tone, rhythm, and structure
Theme
a central message or insight into life that is revealed through literary work
Tone
the writer’s attitude towards their audience and subject
Antagonist
a character or force in conflict with a main character or protagonist
Protagonist
the main character in a story
Dialect
a form of a language spoken by people of a particular region with changes in language, vocab, grammar, sentence structure, and pronunciation
Hero/ Heroine
the principle character in a movie, novel, or play and especially one who plays a vital role in the plot development and solves the conflict
Hyperbole
deliberate exaggeration or over statement used for comic effect
Narrative
a story told in fiction, non-fiction, poetry, or drama
Novel
a long work of fiction that has a plot with characters in conflict that may also have subplots and several themes
Point of View
directs the type and amount of info the writer reveals
1st Person
a character in the story is the narrator; the reader sees only what the character sees
3rd Person Omniscient
the narrator is all knowing and tells the reader what any character thinks or feels
3rd Person Limited Omniscient
the story is told through one character’s eyes and reveals only that characters thoughts
3rd Person Objective
just states facts – no details on character’s thoughts – “fly on wall” point of view and is usually used in newspapers
3rd Person
story told like “he/ she/ they”
2nd Person
story told like “you”
Conflict
when characters are disagreeing, clashing, or fighting
Internal Conflict
character vs. self; disagreeing or fighting with self
External Conflict
character vs. society; character vs.
character; character vs. nature; when a character comes in conflict with something outside them selves
Simile
a figure of speech that expresses a resemblance between things of different kinds (usually formed with ‘like’ or ‘as’)
Metaphor
a figure of speech in which an expression is used to refer to something that it does not literally denote in order to suggest a similarity
Imagery
when a writer uses descriptive language and similes or metaphors to create a vivid image in the readers mind
Foreshadowing
the act of providing vague advance indications; hinting to something that may happen in the future
Theme
a unifying idea that is a recurrent element in a literary or artistic work; the idea or basis of a story
Suspense
excited anticipation of an approaching climax; an uncertain cognitive state
Personification
when an inanimate item has human qualities
Alliteration
use of the same consonant at the beginning of each stressed syllable in a line of verse
Symbolism
when a writer uses one thing to represent another
Dialogue
the lines spoken by characters in drama or fiction; a conversation between two persons
Tone
the manner in which a story is told
Mood
overall feeling of a story