Prose 11/10 Quiz

epitaph

a brief statement written on a tomb or gravestone / “in loving memory”

anachronism

something located at a time when it could not have existed or occurred / “a character in a historical novel using a cellphone”

atmosphere

the emotional tone or background that surrounds a scene / ominous in edgar allan poe

allegory

a literary work in which characters represent abstract ideas; symbolic representation / fables, parables

euphemism

a mild, indirect, or vague term substituting for a harsh, blunt, or offensive term / liar, creative w/ the truth

connotation

implied or associative meaning of a word / “childlike” → positive connotation of innocence & wonder

alliteration

repetition of initial consonant sounds / pretty purple pen

foil

a character whose personality & attitude contrast sharply with those of another / hinata & kageyama (haikyuu)

anaphora

word or phrase is repeated at the beginning of successive clauses, sentences, or verses to create emphasis, rhythm, or emotional impact

aphorism

a brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life / “actions speak louder than words”

denotation

dictionary definition of a word (primary/literal meaning) / cold: having a cold temperature

analogy

a comparison of 2 difficult things that are similar in some way / “life is like a box of chocolates”

catharsis

an emotional or psychological cleansing that brings relief or renewal / pity/sorrowful feelings aroused from watching a play like romeo & juliet

apostrophe

address to an absent or imaginary person

conceit

a fanciful expression, usually in form of an extended metaphor

anticlimax

a disappointing end to an exciting or impressive series of events

diction

a writer or speaker’s choice of words

anti-hero

a protagonist who lacks the characteristics that would make them conventionally good

assonance

the repetition of vowel sounds

anecdote

a short narrative

allusion

a reference to another work of literature, person, or event

cacophony

harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance

foreshadow

the use of hints & clues to suggest what will happen

colloquialism

informal words of expression not usually acceptable in formal writing

parallelism

the use of a series of words, phrases, or sentences that have similr grammatical form

onomatopoeia

the use of words that imitate sounds

symbolism

a device in literature where an object represents an idea

nemesis

the protagonist’s arch enemy or supreme & persistent difficulty

rhetorical question

a statement that is formulated as a question but is not supposed to be answered

satire

a literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human through humor or decision

metonym

word that is used to stand for something else that it has attributes of or is associated with

theme

the main idea of the story

hyperbole

figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion, make a point, or evoke humor

personification

the act of attributing human characteristics to abstract ideas

parable

a simple story that illustrates a moral or religious lesson

irony

a contrast between what is expected & what actually exists or happens

oxymoron

a figure of speech consisting of 2 apparently contradictory terms

pathos

a quality that arouses emotion

parody

a work which intimates another in a ridiculous manner

simile

a figure of speech that expresses a resemblance between things of different kinds (‘like’ or ‘as’)

protagonist

main character in a literary work

interior monologue

a narrative technique that records a character’s internal flow of thoughts, memories & ideas; longish passage of uninterrupted thought

pun

a play on words, often achieved thru use of words with similar sounds

metaphor

a figure of speech comparing 2 unlike things without using like or as

pastoral

a literary work idealizing the rural life (especially life of sheperds)

persona

the speaker, voice, or character assumed by the author of a piece of writing

objectivity

an impersonal presentation of events & characters