English 9B Of mice and men study guide questions

Where is the setting in of mice and men?

the Salinas Valley, California during The Great Depression

Simile

A comparison using like or as

Metaphor

A comparison between two things without using like or as

Personification

The attribution of human like characteristics to otherwise inanimate objects

Evokes

To bring or call to the conscious mind
-a memory, a feeling, an image

Imagery

Descriptive language that evokes the 5 senses [sight, sound, smell, touch, taste]

Zoomorphism 

Giving animal traits to humans

Giving animal traits to humans

The creation of a fictional character is shown through indirect and direct characterization

Direct Characterization

• Telling - The author describes the character explicitly based on their appearance, personality, and things that motivate them. 

Indirect Characterization

• Showing - The author or narrator reveals a character’s traits through their actions and speech

The reader makes an inference based on the speech or action. 

Thematic Topic:

The word or phrase that represents the lesson of a story 

Complex Literary Theme

The lesson of a story. A complex literary theme creates a very specific lesson that follows five (5) criteria:
1. Complex Idea

2. At least sometimes true

3. Applicable to life + literature

4. A complete sentence 

5. Avoids 1st and 2nd person pronouns

Tone

The emotion that is created from an author’s language choices. This is typically an adjective. 

Polysyndeton

The repetition of coordinating conjunctions to connect ideas within a sentence. 

Alliteration 

The repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of consecutive words

First person narrator

• A story is told from the perspective of one character using first person pronouns (I, me, my, we, etc.)
  
  

Second person narration:

 A story is told directly to the reader using second person pronouns (you)

Third person narration (limited)

• A story is told by a narrator who is separate from the events of the story. The narrator can only access the thoughts and feelings of one character.
  
  

Third person narration (omniscient):

• A story is told by a narrator who is separate from the events of the story. The narrator can access the thoughts and feelings of multiple characters. 

setting

the time and place which the story is told

Allusion 

A reference to another literary work, historical event, famous person, or the Bible. The author includes the allusion to create deeper meaning in the text. 

Foreshadow

A literary technique where authors drop hints or clues about future events in a story.