English 2H lit terms

Allegory

a type of story that's built on an overarching extended metaphor. It appears to be about one thing, but when examined closely, it secretly represents something else

Allusion

a reference to a historical or literary person, place or event with which the reader is assumed to be familiar

Analogy

Comparing two dissimilar things to clarify the less familiar one.

Connotation

the emotional response evoked by a word

Couplet

when two successive lines contain end rhyme

Enjambment

A literary device in which a line of poetry carries its idea or thought over to the next line without a grammatical pause.

Ethos

writers establish credibility or trustworthiness

Imagery

words or phrases that re-create vivid sensory experiences for the reader

Irony

a contrast between what is expected and what actually happens

Logos

writers appeal to logic, reasoning, facts etc. to persuade

Metaphor

a figure of speech that compares two unlike things that have something in common.

Mood

overall feeling at the beginning of a story

Narrator

the person who relates or "tells" the events

Objective writing

states facts, avoids bias and opinions.

Oral Literature

Literature that has been passed on by word of mouth

Parallelism

a literary device that uses similar grammatical structures, word order, or ideas to create a sense of balance, rhythm, and emphasis

Pathos

writers appeal to emotions to persuade the audience

Personification

giving human characteristics to an object, idea or animal

Persuasion

swaying readers in a particular direction

Place

location where a piece of literature takes place (house, state, room…etc.)

Plot

the sequence of events in a story: Exposition, rising actions, climax, falling action, resolution

Point of View

a person's unique way of looking at things

Prose

ordinary language used in speaking or writing

Resolution

how things are worked out at the end of a story

Rhetorical Question

a question that is designed to produce an effect and not an answer

Rhyme Scheme

the pattern of end rhyme in a poem

Setting

the time, place, and mood at the beginning of a literary work

Simile

comparison between dissimilar things using the words "like" or "as"

Style

the way a work of literature is written. Not "what" is said but "how"

Subjective writing

expresses personal feelings, opinions, and preferences.

Symbol

A person, place, or object that represents something beyond itself

Theme

message or meaning that the author attempts to deliver

Time

could be expressed as time of year, day, season etc.

Tone

the attitude that a writer takes toward a subject

Turning Point

the climax or high point of the story where the events change direction