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Maxims

Short, wise, and guiding statements offering practical life lessons (e.g., "Honesty is the best policy").

Universal Truths

Timeless and widely accepted realities applying to all people across cultures and generations (e.g., "What goes around comes around").

Philosophies

Views or systems of thought providing deeper meaning to life and human existence (e.g., "Life is what you make it").

Rhyme

The repetition of ending sounds in words.

Meter

The rhythm created by stressed and unstressed syllables in a poem.

Diction

The author's choice of words used to create clear images and strong feelings.

Tone

The author's attitude toward the subject of the text.

Mood

The overall feeling created for the reader by the poem or text.

Motif

A recurring symbol, phrase, or idea in a poem that suggests a deeper meaning (e.g., a dove representing peace).

Simile

A figure of speech comparing two things using "like" or "as" (e.g., "Her smile is like the sunshine").

Metaphor

A figure of speech comparing two things without using "like" or "as" (e.g., "Time is a thief").

Personification

A figure of speech giving human qualities to nonhuman things (e.g., "The wind whispered secrets").

Alliteration

A sound device repeating the same initial consonant sound in a series of words (e.g., "Wild winds whisper").

Assonance

A sound device repeating the same vowel sound within words (e.g., "The rain in the plain").

Consonance

A sound device repeating the same final consonant sound (e.g., "The night is calm and still").

Onomatopoeia

Words that imitate natural sounds (e.g., "Boom!", "Buzz").

Biographical Context

A literary context focusing on the author's life and personal experiences that influenced the text.

Historical Context

A literary context considering the events, time period, and historical circumstances when the text was written.

Sociocultural Context

A literary context examining the social, cultural, political, and economic conditions of society in the text.

Co-text

Linguistic context referring to the surrounding words, sentences, or passages that help clarify meaning.

Collocation

Linguistic context referring to words commonly or naturally used together (e.g., "heavy rain," "make a decision").

Psychological Context

A literary context focusing on characters' mental states, emotions, thoughts, and inner struggles.

Organic Unity

A structural element where all parts of a work (setting, characters, plot, conflict) are interconnected to form one complete story.

Sign

A word, image, or symbol that stands for or points to something else.

Referent

The real thing, idea, or deeper meaning represented by a sign or symbol.

Binary Opposition

The presentation of two contrasting ideas, values, or forces in a text (e.g., Light vs. Darkness, Good vs. Evil).

Spectacle

The visual aspects of a drama seen on stage, including costumes, makeup, props, scenery, and lighting.

Dialogue

The spoken lines by characters that reveal thoughts, move the plot forward, and show relationships.

Music (in Drama)

The background music, songs, and sound effects used in a play to enhance emotion and mood.

Episodic Structure

A narrative technique where the story is told through a series of events/episodes rather than strict chronological order.

1st Person POV

Narrative perspective where the narrator is a character telling the story using "I" or "me".

2nd Person POV

Narrative perspective where the narrator speaks directly to the reader using "you".

3rd Person Limited POV

Narrative perspective where the narrator is outside the story and knows the thoughts/feelings of only ONE character.

3rd Person Omniscient POV

Narrative perspective where the narrator knows the thoughts, feelings, and actions of ALL characters.

Flashback

An interruption in the present narrative to show events that happened in the past to provide background info.

Foreshadowing

Hints or clues about future events in a story used to build suspense and anticipation.