Literary Terms

1. Plot
a. events that occur during the course of that story and the way in which
they are presented to the reader. The plot is also sometimes referred to
as the storyline.
b. The Odyssey is one of the original hero goes on a journey plots. In
Homers ancient Greek epic poem, the character Odysseus takes ten
years to journey home from the Trojan War to Ithaca, where his wife
and son live. Odysseus must navigate many obstacles in The Odyssey,
including the curse that the god Poseidon laid on him to wander the
seas for a decade before being able to return home. Odysseus must
escape cannibals, sirens, and the enchantments of more Greek gods to
find his way home.
c. The plot helps the reader create a sense of inevitability so that they
can trace it back to specific
2. Theme
a. The central topic or idea explored in a text
b. Much of the dramatic action in Othello hinges on the jealousy that
Othello feels toward his wife, Desdemona. In this excerpt, Othellos
best friend, Iago, warns him of being jealous (the metaphor of jealously
as a green-eyed monster is such a famous quote that it created the
idea that a person could be green with envy). Ironically, Iago is the
one who creates this jealousy and feeds it.
c. the theme in a work of literature crosses boundaries and makes a story
meaningful to people to any culture or age. While readers may not
understand all the references and language in a book from a different
time period or culture, the theme of the novel is what makes it
comprehensible.
3. Characterization
a. The act of creating and describing characters in literature.
b. This quote from Atticus Finch in Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird is
another example of indirect characterization. Atticus is a very
compassionate character who is able to extend his empathy to every
member of the community. We learn about the true nobility of his
character through his actions, in defending a man no one else will

believe is innocent, and through the strength of his words. This quote
quite famously captures his facility for empathy.
c. Authors therefore use characterization to flesh out their characters,
show the characters motivations, and make the reader have empathy
with the characters.
4. Foreshadowing
a. gives clues about events that will happen later in the story
b. At this point in the play, Romeo is still completely in love with a
character named Rosaline. His friend Benvolio advises him to fall in
love with someone elseonly then will Romeo be able to get over this
all-consuming love. The last two lines foreshadow Romeos upcoming
infatuation with Juliet and also his death. Though Benvolio uses the
term rank poison to refer to Romeos love for Rosaline, drinking
poison is also the manner in which Romeo will die at the end of the
play, making this a very notable foreshadowing example.
c. Authors might use foreshadowing so as to prepare the reader for some
sort of shock or twist in the story. Foreshadowing can also subtly shift
the mood of a piece of literature by introducing either some optimism
in a dark piece or hinting at a tragic outcome in what otherwise seems
to be a happy story. This usage of foreshadowing adds tension and
leads to certain expectations on the part of the reader that the author
can either satisfy or thwart.
5. Irony
a. a contrast or incongruity between expectations for a situation and
what is reality
b.In this short story, and later in the Disney adaptation, a mermaid falls
in love with a prince and saves him from drowning. Desperate to be with him,
the mermaid makes a deal with a sea witch to trade her voice for human
legs. Though the prince is charmed by the mermaid he doesnt realize who
she really is because she no longer has a voice. This is an example of
dramatic irony where the audience has more information than the princec.
c.irony adds humor and adds wittiscm where it may not normally be
epected.
6.Point of view
a. the perspective from which a story is narrated

b. George Orwell writes about his own experiences in the Spanish Civil
War in his book Homage to Catalonia. In autobiographical works, the
I narrator is the character of the author. Here Orwell relates the
experience of getting shot and the thoughts that passed through his
mind directly thereafter.
c. First person creates a greater intimacy between the reader and the
story, while third person allows the author to add much more
complexity to the plot and development of different characters that
one character wouldnt be able to perceive on his or her own
7. Exposition
a. a form of writing that explains whats happening or has happened in
the story in a very matter-of-fact way
b. J. K. Rowling ran into an interesting problem as she got further into her
seven-book series about Harry Potter. Many of her readers had been
with her since the very first book, but as her popularity grew there
were plenty of readers who were entering the series for the first time in
the third or fourth book. In this excerpt from her fourth book, Rowling
must briefly explain the origin story of Harry Potters core conflict so
that readers who hadnt encountered the series before would meet the
main villain of the storyVoldemortand understand why Harry is so
important in his world. She must do this in a way that presents all the
key information without boring her readers who are already very
familiar with all of this information. Many serial authors encounter the
same issues and deal with them through brief moments of exposition.
c. One key reason to use it is to skim over information that the reader
needs to know to understand the plot but does not need to experience
first-hand. Exposition is also important to fill in backstory and setting
without dwelling on them too much.
8. Rising action
a. a series of episodes in a narrative which occur after the exposition and
lead to the climax of the story
b. Arthur Millers play The Crucible focuses on the events of the Salem
Witch Trials. He expertly builds the events so that the reader can
understand why girls like Abigail confessed to witchcraft. The climax
later in the story is all the more tragic because we see how it could
have been avoided earlier.
c. The rising action in a story is what makes us care what finally happens.
9. Climax

a. The climax is the point of highest tension in a narrative.

b. There is some debate over the climax in Shakespeares tragedy
Othello. Some argue that the real climax of the play occurs when
Othello murders his wife Desdemona due to jealousy. And, indeed,
theres no going back from this action. Only after Othello murders
Desdemona does he realize her innocence, and of course theres
nothing he can do. However, the above excerpt is the psychological
climax of the play. Iago has subtly convinced Othello of Desdemonas
infidelity, and here Othello swears to kill her. Nothing after this point
will convince him otherwise.
c. Without a climax in a work of a literature, the audience would be
frustrated to have invested so much time and attention without a
payoff. The climax may be an event that the reader is waiting fora
battle that must come, or an inevitable meeting between the
protagonist and antagonist. However, the climax also may be an
unexpected turn of events after which nothing remains the same.
10.

Falling Action

a. occurs right after the climax, when the main problem of the story
resolves.
b. Falling action in Star Wars occurs when rebels and Luke Skywalker
discover a vulnerable section in the Death Star of Vader. It is up to Luke
Skywalker to destroy the space ship following several failed attempts.
Vader virtually hits Lukes ship; however, Han Solo saves his ship by
shooting at Vader. Then, Luke uses force and destroys Death Star
against all odds, and saves the rebels. Yet the story does not end here.
The audience then sees the return of Han and Luke to the rebels, who
receive congratulations for making heroic efforts. Then the falling
action takes place when these two characters win rewards and medals
from Princess Leia for saving the day.
c. falling action serves as a rewarding element in a story or movie. In
addition, it is like a road from climax to resolution, and if the road is
vacant, the story may end abruptly.
11.

Resolution

a. the final moment in which there is resolution for any remaining

conflicts in the plot
b. This is an interesting denouement example from George Orwells
Animal Farm. The entire plot has been about the animals of a farm
rebelling against their human oppressors, but after some time the pigs

begin to see themselves as better than the other animals. In this final
line, the other animals cannot distinguish between the pigs and their
original oppressors, showing that they have become one and the same.
c. a way of wrapping up the story and providing a conclusion
12.
Mood
13.
a. the emotional feeling or atmosphere that a work of literature
produces in a reader.
b . Joseph Hellers novel Catch-22 is famous for its absurd situations. In
this piece of dialogue, the protagonist Yossarian explains that hes upset
about being targeted. The character of Clevinger thinks hes paranoid, but
Yossarian shows the logic behind his fear. This exchange provokes a feeling
of bemusement in the reader.
c. its ability to provoke and inspire different emotions and
psychological states in the reader
13.Setting
a. the time and place in which the story takes place
b. Ernest Hemingway was known for his style of succinct description and
short sentences. The opening paragraph to his short story Hills Like
White Elephants contains the majority of the descriptive details of the
piece. The American and the girl are the two characters, and their
bleak conversation is mimicked in the setting that is hot, white, and
unforgiving.
c. the setting can act almost as a nonhuman character, affecting the
characters in many different large and small ways. Indeed, most plot
lines are so tied to their settings that they could not be put in other
places, time periods, or socioeconomic environments.
14.

Tone

a. the attitude or approach that the author takes toward the works
central themeor subject
b. The narrator of To Kill a Mockingbird is a young girl, Scout, though the
story is told in retrospect. The novel is a coming-of-age story where
Scout begins to understand the injustices in the world. In this tone
example, Scout acknowledges the things that she took from neighbor
Boo Radley without having given anything back. Though she is talking
about literal things here, her nostalgia about not having done enough
for Boo extends to intangible things as well.

c. The tone that an author uses greatly influences what kind of story he
or she tells and how the audience perceives it.
15.

Style

a. style comprises many literary devices that an author employs to create

a distinct feel for a work
b. In these two contrasting examples of style, we can see a great leap
from James Joyces earlier works to his later works. His writing style in
Dubliners is descriptive yet quite direct. However, in Finnegans Wake,
Joyces writing is almost unintelligible. This line is the first in the novel
note that it doesnt even start with a capital letterand already
Joyce has used several barely understandable words.
c. Authors make thousands of choices when writing a work of fiction, and
even the very smallest choices, such as choosing to include or exclude
conjunctions affect the style of a work. Style choices also include the
prevalence or absence of metaphor, repetition, foreshadowing, irony,
and so on. Choosing between a character driven novel and a plot
driven novel is also part of an authors style.
16.

Diction

a. diction refers to the choice of words and style of expression that an

author makes and uses in a work of literature
b. This is an interesting example of diction from Shakespeares famous
tragedy Macbeth. As modern readers, we often consider Shakespeares
language to be quite formal, as it is filled with words like thou and
thy as well as archaic syntax such as in Macbeths questions Didst
thou not hear a noise? However, there is striking difference in the
diction between these two passages. In the first, Macbeth is
contemplating a murder in long, expressive sentences. In the second
excerpt, Macbeth has just committed a murder and has a rapid-fire
exchange with his wife, Lady Macbeth. The different word choices that
Shakespeare makes shows the different mental states that Macbeth is
in in these two nearby scenes.
c. The diction in a piece establishes many different aspects of how we
read the work of literature, from its formality to its tone even to the
type of story we are reading
17.

Conflict

a. the result of competing desires or the presence of obstacles that need

to be overcome

b. William Shakespeares play Othello represents a case of man versus

man. There are other conflicts, such as the racism in the society, but
the key struggles are between Othello and his confidant Iago. Iago is
upset with Othello for two main reasonsOthello has promoted
another man instead of Iago, and Iago believes that Othello has slept
with his wife, Emilia. Iago therefore sets up scenarios in which Othello
confronts insurmountable obstacles. Ultimately, since Iago wants to
destroy Othello and his happiness, he and Othello are at odds in their
desires. Othello, however, remains unaware that they are in conflict
until it is too late, falsely believing that he is in conflict instead with his
wife Desdemona and her supposed lover.
c. Conflict challenges a characters convictions and brings out their
strengths and/or weaknesses, much as it does in real life
18.

Connotation

a. refers to the emotional or cultural association with that word rather

than its dictionary definition
b. Mary Shelleys Frankenstein plays with the concept of what can count
as human and what is less than human. The word creature is used
throughout the novel to refer to Frankensteins monster, something
less than human. Yet in this excerpt, the monster uses the word
creature as he addresses Frankenstein, the human scientist, and the
rest of humanity. The connotation of creature is that this being
deserves less empathy and less love than a normal human being. By
calling Frankenstein and other humans creatures, Frankensteins
monster levels the playing field and shows that he is as deserving as
love as any other.
c. it adds nuance and more subtle meaning. Authors use connotation to
allow the readers to infer more meaning than there is explicitly written
on the page, making the readers more active parts of the interpretive
process.
19.

Denotation

a. Dictionary definition of a word or literal meaning.

b. And on a day we meet to walk the line. And set the wall between us
once again. We keep the wall between us as we go. To each the
boulders that have fallen to each. (Robert Frosts Mending Wall ) In
the above lines, the word wall is used to suggest a physical boundary
which is its denotative meaning but it also implies the idea of
emotional barrier.

c. Readers are familiar with denotations of words but denotations are

generally restricted meanings.
20.
Dialogue
a. Dialogue is a literary technique in which writers employ two or more
characters to be engaged in conversation with each other.
b. My dear Mr. Bennet, replied his wife, how can you be so tiresome!
You must know that I am thinking of his marrying one of them My
dear, you flatter me. I certainly have had my share of beauty, but I do
not pretend to be anything extraordinary nowshe ought to give over
thinking of her own beauty. (Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen).
c. Dialogue makes a literary piece interesting and alive, and gives
enjoyable experience to the readers.

1. Dialect
a. The language used by the people of a specific area, class, district or
any other group of people.
b. Lula: I wants to know why you bringing white chillun to nigger church.
(To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee)
c. You learn more about the characters by the way they speak and the
slang they use.
22. Metaphor
a. Resemblance of two contradictory or different objects is made based
on a single or some common characteristics.
b. Shall I Compare Thee to a summers Day (William Shakespeare).
c. Using appropriate metaphors appeals directly to the senses of listeners or
readers, sharpening their imaginations to comprehend what is being
communicated to them.
23. Extended Metaphor
a. The term extended metaphor refers to a comparison between two
unlike things that continues throughout a series of sentences in a
paragraph or lines in a poem.
b. But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the East, and
Juliet is the sun! Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, who is
already sick and pale with grief. (Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet)
c. Extended metaphor provides the writer with an opportunity to make a
larger comparison between two things or notions.

24.Simile
a. Makes a comparison using the words like or as.
b. I wandered lonely as a cloud that floats on high oer vales and hills.
(Daffodils)
c. Simile allows readers to relate the feelings of a writer or a poet to their
personal experiences.
25.
Personification
a. Figure of speech in which a thing, an idea or an animal is given human
attributes.
b. When well-appareled April on the heel. Of limping winter treads.
(Romeo and Juliet).
c. Writers and poets rely on personification to bring inanimate things to
life, so that their nature and actions are understood in a better way.
26. Genre
a. Type of art, literature or music characterized by a specific form,
content and style.
b. Fiction is a type of genre.
c. Major function of genre is to establish a code of behavior between the
writers and audience, and keep the readers informed about the topics
discussed or the themes presented.

27.Imagery
a. The use of figurative language to represent objects, actions and ideas
in such a way that it appeals to our physical senses.
b. O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs
upon the cheek of night. Like a rich jewel in an Ethiopes ear; (Romeo
and Juliet)
c. Aids the readers imagination to envision the characters and scenes in
the literary piece clearly.

28.Hyperbole
a. Exaggeration of ideas for the sake of emphasis.

b. I had to wait in the station for ten days-an eternity. (Joseph Conrads
novel The Heart of Darkness)
c. Writer or a poet makes common human feelings remarkable and
intense to such an extent that they do not remain ordinary.
29. Meiosis (understatement)
a. witty understatement that belittles or dismisses something or
somebody, particularly by making use of terms that gives impression
that something is less important than it is or it should be.
b. I am a very foolish fond old man, Fourscore and upward, not an hour
more or less; And, to deal plainly, I fear I am not in my perfect
mind.( King Lear by William Shakespeare).
c. basic function of meiosis is to reduce the significance of someone or
something in order to heighten something else simultaneously.
30. Allusion
a.

Allusion is a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or

idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance.
b. Dont act like a Romeo in front of her. Romeo is a reference to
Shakespeares Romeo, a passionate lover of Juliet, in Romeo and Juliet.
c. Biblical allusions appeal to the readers with religious backgrounds.
31. Suspense
a. The intense feeling that an audience goes through while waiting for the
outcome of certain events.
b. One minute to go and hed be eleven. Thirty secondstwentyten
nine may be hed wake Dudley up, just to annoy him threetwo
one BOOM. The whole shack shivered and Harry sat bolt upright,
staring at the door. Someone was outside, knocking to come in.
(Harry Potter and the Sorceresss stone)
c. Used to make readers want to keep reading, or audiences not become
bored.
32.
Antagonist
a. The bad guy or group that disagrees with the main character.
b. The main antagonist in The Hunger Games is President Snow.
c. The presence of an antagonist alongside a protagonist is vital for the
typical formula of a plot.
33. Protagonist

a. The good guy (usually the main character).

b. Tris Prior and Tobias Eaton are the protagonists of the Book Divergent
by Veronica Roth.
c. The protagonist is the main ingredient in a novel because usually the
novel is all about them and their journey.
34.
Flashback
a. an occurrence in which a character remembers an earlier event that
happened before the current point of the story
b. "When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly
broken at the elbow. When it healed, and Jems fears of never being
able to play football were assuaged, he was seldom self-conscious
about his injury."(To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee)
c. to fill in elements of one or more characters backstories. Flashbacks
can help the reader understand certain motivations that were
otherwise unclear, or provide characterization in other ways.
Flashbacks can also create suspense or add structure to a story.
35.

Apostrophe

a. when a speaker breaks off from addressing one party and instead
addresses a third party
b. JULIET: Yea, noise? Then Ill be brief. O happy dagger! This is thy
sheath; there rust, and let me die.(Romeo and Juliet by William
Shakespeare)
c. It provides a way for the storyteller to switch gears, add his or her own
commentary, or state feelings inspired by abstract concepts
36.

Rhetorical Question

a. a question that is asked not to get an answer, but instead to

emphasize a point
b. `Take some more tea, the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly.
`Ive had nothing yet, Alice replied in an offended tone, `so I cant
take more.
`You mean you cant take less, said the Hatter: `its very easy to take
more than nothing.
`Nobody asked your opinion, said Alice.
`Whos making personal remarks now? the Hatter asked triumphantly.
(Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll)
c. may signify that a character is having a dialogue with himself or
herself, and considering different options

37.

Repetiton

a. consists of repeating a word, phrase, or sentence, and is common in

both poetry and prose
b. ve known rivers:
Ive known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of
human blood in human veins.My soul has grown deep like the rivers.
(The Negro Speaks of Rivers by Langston Hughes)
c. it is a good way to help remember a story, particular lines of a story, or
a story in song form.
38.

Author's purpose

a. the reason an author decides to write about a specific topic

b.
c. To inform, persuade, or inform the reader
39.
Impact of syntax and grammar on meaning
a. Syntax is the arrangement of words into a sentence that make sense in
a given language
b. Love will not be constraind by mastery.
When mastry comes, the god of love anon
Beateth his wings, and, farewell, he is gone.
Love is a thing as any spirit free.(The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey
Chaucer)
c. is part of every utterance and written line, and even the majority of
thoughts
40.

Shift/ turn/ volta

a. introduces a change in the speakers understanding of what he is

narrating, signaling to readers that he has reached an insight.
b. "The bridge was still open then, and I was up there one day mowing
the grass alongside the road, just minding my own business, when I
see something moving out of the corner of my eye."
(C.J. Fisher, The Legend of Diadamia. AuthorHouse, 2005)
c. shifts are what makes the story exciting, taking the reader through a
wide range of emotions
43.

Anastrope

a. refers to the reversal of the syntactically correct order of subjects,

verbs, and objects in a sentence
b. GLOUCESTER: Now is the winter of our discontent
Made glorious summer by this sun of York;
And all the clouds that lourd upon our house
In the deep bosom of the ocean buried.(Richard III by William
Shakespeare)
c. authors use inversion in their works to emphasize certain words. When
the natural flow of language is manipulated
45. Alliteration
a. Stylistic device in which a number of words, having the same first
consonant sound, occur close together in a series.
b. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes; A pair of star-crossd
lovers take their life. (Romeo and Juliet)
c. Creates a musical effect in the text that enhances the pleasure of
reading a literary piece.
46.
Assonance
a. the repetition of a vowel sound or diphthong in non-rhyming words. To
qualify as assonance, the words must be close enough for the
repetition of the sound to be noticeable.
b. Stem end and blossom end,
And every fleck of russet showing clear(After Apple-Picking by Robert
Frost)
c. contemporary poets still use assonance, consonance, and alliteration
to provide more subtle phonemic unity.
47.

Consonance

a. a literary device in which a consonant sound is repeated in words that

are in close proximity
b. I trust the sanity of my vessel; and
if it sinks, it may well be in answer
to the reasoning of the eternal voices,
the waves which have kept me from reaching you.(To the
Harbormaster by Frank OHara)
c. a technique to add aural harmony and rhythm
48.

Anaphora

a. a literary and rhetorical device in which a word or group of words is

repeated at the beginning of two or more successive clauses or
sentences
b. And the places on her body have no names.
And she is whats immense about the night.
And their clothes on the floor are arranged
for forgetfulness.(Dwelling by Li-Young Lee)
c. used to create rhythm and emphasis in a poetic fashion
49.

Pun

a. a play on words which usually hinges on a word with more than one
meaning or the substitution of a homonym that changes the meaning
of the sentence for humorous or rhetorical effect
b. [Alice:] You see the earth takes twenty-four hours to turn round on its
axis
Talking of axes, said the Duchess, chop off her head!(Alice in
Wonderland by Lewis Carroll)
c. they are rewarding for the reader or listener when they decipher the
pun
50.

Rhyme

a. literary device in which the repetition of the same or similar sounds

occurs in two or more words, usually at the end of lines in poems or
songs
b. Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.(Stopping By Woods on a Snowy
Evening by Robert Frost)
c. Authors often use rhyme to make their lines more memorable and to
signal the ends of lines.
51.

Meter

a. the rhythm of syllables in a line of verse or in a stanza of a poem

b. Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.(Stopping By Woods on a Snowy
Evening by Robert Frost)

c. it contributes a rhythmic unity to the verse and highlights the

difference between the elevated language of poetry and normal
speech patterns.
52.

Ballad

a. a narrative poem that originally was set to music

b. It is an ancient Mariner,
And he stoppeth one of three.
By thy long grey beard and glittering eye,
Now wherefore stoppst thou me?(The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
by Samuel Taylor Coleridge)
c. generally had love as their theme at the beginning. Over time, ballads
branched out in their themes, and often featured stories that were
tragic, comic, or heroic. Most ballads focus on one story with a central
dramatic event
53.

Couplet

a. a successive pair of lines in a poem

b. So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this and this gives life to thee.(Sonnet 18 by William
Shakespeare)
c. couplet is an attractive form because it can contain so much meaning
in a short pair of lines yet also lend itself to developing a longer whole.
The first line often posits something that the second line answers.
58.

Speaker

a. the speaker is the voice behind the poemthe person we imagine to

be saying the thing out loud. It's important to note that the speaker is
not the poet
61.

Free Verse

a. a type of poetry that does not contain patterns of rhyme or meter

b. I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving
hysterical naked,
dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an
angry fix,
angelheaded hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly connection to
the starry dynamo in the machinery of night(Howl by Allen
Ginsberg)

c. Most poets now eschew rhyme and strict rhythm in favor of the more
open possibilities of free verse
62.

Iambic pentameter

a. a combination of one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed

syllable
b. Shall I compare thee to a summers day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summers lease hath all too short a date.
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or natures changing course, untrimmed;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owst,
Nor shall death brag thou wandrest in his shade,
When in eternal lines to Time thou growst.
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.(Sonnet 18 by William
Shakespeare)
c. give their poetry more rhythmic unity. As stated above, some theorists
think that pentameter is both a natural and an ideal length for a line,
as it contains about the amount of syllables that we can speak in a
single breath
64.

End rhyme

a. occurs when last syllables or words in two or more lines rhyme with
each other
b. Whose woods these are I think I know,
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.(Stopping by Woods on a
Snowy Evening by Robert Frost)
c. he lines ending in similar sounds are pleasant to hear and give musical
effect to the poem or song
65.

Internal rhyme

a. the use of rhyming words in the same line, or rhyming words in the
middle of lines

b. Who so beset him round with dismal stories

Do but themselves confoundhis strength the more is.
No foes shall stay his might; though he with giants fight,
He will make good his right to be a pilgrim.(To Be a Pilgrim by Percy
Dearmer)
c. a good way to connect successive lines aurally without making as
strong of an impact
66.

Sonnet

a. a poetic form that has fourteen lines

b. Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-crossd lovers take their life;
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents strife.
The fearful passage of their death-markd love,
And the continuance of their parents rage,
Which, but their childrens end, nought could remove,
Is now the two hours traffic of our stage;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.(Romeo and Juliet by
William Shakespeare, 1594)
c. allows for a great range of expression in sonnets
67.
Haiku
a. a short poetic form from Japan characterized by juxtaposition,
seasonal imagery, and number of on, which are similar to syllables
b. An old pond!
A frog jumps in
the sound of water.(By Matsuo Bash)
c. can change the stream of thought or provide a comparison between
the different lines
68.

Symbol/symbolism

a. to imbue objects with a certain meaning that is different from their

original meaning or function

b. One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,

One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.(The Lord of
the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien)
c. When analyzing a piece of literature, examining the primary symbols
often leads to a greater understanding of the work itself.
69.

Rhyme scheme

a. the pattern of rhyme that comes at the end of each verse or line in
poetry
b. Twinkle, twinkle, little star, (A)
How I wonder what you are. (A)
Up above the world so high, (B)
Like a diamond in the sky. (B)(Twinkle Twinkle Little Star by Jane
Taylor)
c. it shows that the poets write poems in a specific type of rhyme
scheme or rhyming pattern
70.

Rhythm

a. the pattern of stressed and unstressed beats

b. So. The SPEAR-danes in DAYS gone BY
And the KINGS who RULED them had COUrage and GREATness.
We have HEARD of those PRINces herOic camPAIGNS.(Beowulf
translated by Seamus Heaney)
c. the presence of rhythm was a necessary aspect for the memorization
of the lines and passing these poems on
71.

Stanza

a. a set of lines in a poem grouped together and set apart from other
stanzas in the poem either by a double space or by different
indentation
b. Shall I compare thee to a summers day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summers lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or natures changing course, untrimmd;

But thy eternal summer shall not fade

Nor lose possession of that fair thou owst;
Nor shall Death brag thou wanderst in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growst;
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
(Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare)
c.to break the images and information into shorter pieces
72.Quatrain
a. a stanza in a poem that has exactly four lines
b. The Bridegrooms doors are opened wide,
And I am next of kin;
The guests are met, the feast is set:
Mayst hear the merry din.(The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by
Samuel Taylor Coleridge)
c. its brevity makes the form easier to memorize
73.

Caesura

a. a complete stop in a line of poetry

b. Dead ! One of them shot by the sea in the east,
And one of them shot in the west by the sea.
Dead ! both my boys ! When you sit at the feast
And are wanting a great song for Italy free,
Let none look at me !(Mother and Poet by Elizabeth Barrett
Browning)
c. help to highlight the meter in a line of verse
74.

Motif

a. a narrative element with symbolic meaning that repeats throughout a

work of literature
b. ABIGAIL: I want to open myself! . . . I want the light of God, I want the
sweet love of Jesus! I danced for the Devil; I saw him, I wrote in his
book; I go back to Jesus; I kiss His hand. I saw Sarah Good with the
Devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the
Devil!(The Crucible by Arthur Miller)
c. to tie together moments that might otherwise not seem related

75.

Archetype

a. a reoccurring symbol or motif throughout literature that represents

universal patterns of human nature
b. I dont give a damn, except that I get bored sometimes when people
tell me to act my age. Sometimes I act a lot older than I am I really
do but people never notice it. People never notice anything.(The
Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger)
c. help the audience understand what the expectations are for a certain
type of story or character