Q3 Lit Terms

1st person POV

perspective from the main character (uses personal pronouns “I”, “me”

ex. I went to go eat lunch

2nd person POV

a person or people who are addressed by the speaker (uses pronoun “you”)

ex. Have you studied for the test yet?

3rd person POV

perspective from the outside (uses pronouns such as “he”, “she” and “they”)

ex. She went to go get the markers

Omniscient

perspective where the narrator knows everything about the characters including their thoughts and feelings

ex. The Lord of the Flies. “Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of a man’s heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy”

Cacophony

harsh and unpleasant sounds (usually words that use hard k and c sounds)

ex. Honking, crumpled, plates breaking

Euphony

harmonious and pleasant sounds

ex. Mellow, lullabies, Shakespeare’s sonnets

Antecedent

A word or phrase represented by another word (typically a pronoun)

ex. Bob at his lunch. Bob is the antecedent and his is the pronoun.

Classic hero

characters who processes nobel traits and talents

ex. Achilles, Hercules, Spiderm

Tragic hero

character who has heroic characteristics but has a tragic flaw which leads to their downfall

ex. Romeo Montague, Hamlet, Victor Frankenstein

Anti-Hero

character who doesn’t have traditional heroic qualities, challenges societal norms, and has a questionable moral code

ex. The Beast from Beauty and the Beast, Jay Gatsby

Fallacy – ad hoc

Making up an explanation to why a belief is correct even though evidence contradicts the belief.

ex. Bob says he failed his test because his teacher is terrible, but he did not study.

Fallacy – ad hominem

Attacking someone who is making an argument instead of addressing their argument (personal attack)

ex. “You don’t agree with my idea because you’re stupid”, “you’re just saying that because I have a better job than you”

Fallacy – appeal to authority

When a person accepts a claim just because an authority figure supports it.

ex. Your mom telling you that candy makes your teeth fall out, so you stop eating candy.

Fallacy – band wagon

Appeal through common opinion or belief.

ex. Many people will buy from Nike because it is a well known brand that people like.

Fallacy – begging the question

An argument that assumes the correctness of a point instead of proving it.

ex. Pineapple is the best fruit. You all should eat pineapple.

Fallacy – poisoning the well

An attack against a person’s opponent in order to discredit them before their argument is even presented.

ex. A political candidate releases negative information about their opponent during a political campaign to discredit them.

Fallacy – slippery slope

An argument where a single course of action will lead to a chain reaction that will cause a undesirable ending

ex. If phones are banned in schools, that will cause phone sales to greatly decrease and the businesses selling phones will shut down which will stop the usage of phones for all.

Fallacy – straw man

A type of fallacy where a person intentionally distorts another person's argument.

ex. Bob says that he hates dogs, and I state “so you love cats”.

Syllogism

An argument that uses deductive reasoning and consists of multiple parts

ex. All trees are plants. All cherry blossoms are trees. Therefore, all cherry blossoms are plants.

Meiosis

Downplaying the significance of something through euphemism

ex. In Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio states “ay, ay, a scratch, a scratch” after being stabbed by Tybalt.

ETHOS

persuasion through credible and ethical appeal

ex. A brand using a celebrity to endorse their brand.

PATHOS

persuasion through emotional appeal

ex. Sad music or upset looking dogs to invoke feelings of sympathy

LOGOS

persuasion through logical appeal

ex. Using statistics and data to prove their point

Apostrophe

An address to a person who is not present or to a personified object

ex. In Romeo and Juliet, Juliet asks where Romeo is without him being present stating “O Romeo, Romeo, where art thou Romeo”

A priori

Knowledge and reasoning based on deduction and assumption rather than experience and observation.

ex. It’s 90 degrees outside; you must be hot. All birds are animals.

A posteriori

Knowledge and reasoning based off of experience and personal observation rather than assumption

ex. Lemons are sour. Water is wet.

Ergo

Therefore, hence

ex. Strawberries have seeds; ergo, strawberries are a fruit.

Mens rea

Mental intent of a person who is or is accused of committing a crime

ex. If someone plans out and murders someone, they have mens rea for 1st degree murder.

Quid pro quo

A favor granted in exchange for something back

ex. A supervisor offering a raise in exchange for sexual favors (quid pro quo harassment)

Homily

A short sermon or speech that’s used to encourage moral change

ex. Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God by Jonathon Edwards