english 2h vocabulary

thesis

the overall arguable claim of the paper that directly answers all parts of the prompt. Thesis statements must take a position and include TAGs (title, author, genre).

CTA (close text analysis)

strategy for analysis when examining (written or verbal) a complex text. Focuses on the effect of language and how analysis leads to purpose

literary purpose

the goal or aim of a piece of writing. When determining the purpose of the text, consider elements such as theme, setting, tone, characters, etc.

genre

the specific type or category of work. Examples: poem, novel, short story, song, drama/play, etc.

formulate

to create a specific idea and express it in a concise way

effect

the meaning of what a device is actually doing/the author's purpose for using the specific device. For example, to establish tone/mood, to characterize, to assert/deny, etc.

social criticism

the examination and critique of the social issues of modern society. It often involves pointing out problems in society and proposing solutions.

conflict

the dramatic struggle between two forces in a story. without conflict, there is no plot.

external conflict

outside force may be person, group, animal, nature, or a non-human obstacle

internal conflict

takes place inside a character's mind

in media res

Latin phrase for "in the midst (middle) of things" - a narrative work that opens in the midst of the plot

tone

the writer or speaker's attitude towards the subject

denotation

the dictionary definition of the word

connotation

the ideas/feelings/implied meaning of the word

theme

the universal message/deeper meaning of the work that he writer is trying to convey to readers

motif

a repeated/recurring word, phrase, image, or topic that appears throughout the work and has a symbolic meaning

symbol

an object with a figurative meaning which provides an entirely different meaning that is much deeper and more significant

anaphora

a form of syntax in which there is a repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines, clauses, or sentences

situational irony

an incongruity appears between expectations of something to happen, and what actually happens instead

existentialism

a human being is "thrown into" into a concrete, inveterate universe that cannot be "thought away", and therefore existence ("being in the world") precedes consciousness, and is the ultimate reality.

kafkaesque

term used to describe a situation that is complex, surreal, disorienting, and thus menacing.

allusion

a reference within a literary work to a well known literary figure or work, religious figure or event, political movement or leader, pop culture, etc.

allegory

a work of fiction carrying two levels of meaning -- one literal and one symbolic or metaphorical; a narrative in which abstractions (ideas) are made concrete; characters stand for principles, attitudes, ideas etc

allegorical figure

a character in an allegory, generally not three-dimensional, but more the representation of an abstraction.

tragic hero

the character who exhibits a tragic flaw which eventually leads to his or her demise. A tragedy must have a tragic hero who exhibits the following qualities: cannot be an ordinary person; highly renowned or royal; has a tragic flaw; not all good or all bad; in conflict with an opposing force; responsible for their own downfall; comes to recognize their own error, but only after it is too late

hamartia (greek)

a tragic flaw leading to a downfall; a mistake

hubris (greek)

excessive pride or self-confidence leading to a downfall

catharsis

to arouse pity and fear in the audience; a release of emotional tension

antithesis

a figure of speech in which an opposition or contrast of ideas is expressed by parallelism of words that are the opposites of, or strongly contrasted with, each other

paradox

a statement that is seemingly contradictory/opposed to common sense and yet is perhaps true

apostrophe

a figure of speech used when the writer or speaker speaks directly to someone who is not present, or speaks to an inanimate object

monologue

an extended speech by one person

soliloquy

an act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers, especially by a character in a play

aside

a remark or passage by a character in a play that is intended to be heard by the audience but unheard by the other characters in the play

dramatic irony

situations in which the audience knows more about the situations, the causes of conflicts, and their resolutions before the characters

foil

a character that shows qualities that are in contrast with those of another character. The objective is to highlight the traits of the other character

tragic flaw

a trait in a heroic character leading to his downfall. This trait could be the lack of self-knowledge, lack of judgment, and often is hubris (excessive pride)

turning point

the point of highest tension in a narrative; it's the most exciting and revealing part of a story. It leads the rising action into the falling action before a story is resolved

alliteration

repeated consonant sounds at the beginning of words

assonance

repeated vowel sounds

cacophony

the grouping together of harsh, discordant sounds (opposite of euphony)

consonance

the repetition of consonant sounds in close proximity

euphony

the grouping together of harmonic, pleasing sounds. Much poetry is naturally euphonic, engendered by such devices as alliteration and consonance (opposite of cacophony).

metonymy

a figure of speech with which an author refers to something indirectly; references the name of something else with which it is associated.