Georgia 11th Grade American Literature EOC Review Terms

Alliteration

Repeating identical beginning consonant sounds

Flashback

The author interrupts the scene of a narrative to tell about earlier events

Foreshadowing

An author gives hints or clues as to what will happen in a story

Hyperbole

Exaggeration for emphasis or humorous effect

Situational Irony

When things happen that are in direct contrast to what we expect (or would like to happen)

Verbal Irony

When people say one thing but mean the opposite

Dramatic Irony

When the reader knows something the character doesn't

Metaphor

Compares two things directly, without using the words "like" or "as"

Extended Metaphor

A continued comparison throughout a work

Onomatopoeia

Words that imitate specific sounds

Paradox

A statement that at first seems self-contradictory but that upon reflection makes sense

Personification

Gives human characteristics to animals, objects, or ideas

Pun

A play on words that have similar meanings

Refrain

A word, phrase, or series of lines that is repeated, adding rhythm and emphasis to a song or poem

Repetition

The act of repeating words and phrases throughout a work (usually for emphasis), or repeating literary devices such as metaphors, symbols, or types of imagery

Simile

A comparison using "like" or "as"

Symbol

Using one thing to represent another

Tone

The emotion created by the author's use of language or by a character's words and actions

Understatement

Minimizes or lessens the importance of what is meant

Fiction

A literary genre based on imagination and not necessarily on fact

Non-fiction

A literary genre based on fact

Drama

A literary genre intended to be performed by actors on a stage

Chronological

The story is arranged in order of time from the beginning to the end

Epistolary Narrative

A narrative written in the form of letters, diary/journal entries, postcards, or e- mail

Frame Narrative

A story is told within a story

In Medias Res

The novel or story begins at the midpoint, flashes back to the beginning, & tells the story from there.

End Rhyme

Rhymes that occur at the end of a line of poetry; the most common type of rhyme

Internal Rhyme

Rhyme occurring within a line of poetry

Slant Rhyme

Also called a near rhyme, half rhyme, or off rhyme. The final consonant sounds are the same but the vowel sounds are different.

Consonance

Repeating consonant sounds at any point in a word

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds

Rhyme Scheme

The pattern of rhymes in a poem

Fixed Form

Has specific requirements on length, rhyme scheme, and number of syllables

Free Verse

Follows no specific guidelines about rhyme, meter, or length

Narrative Poem

The main purpose is to tell a story

Ballad

A narrative poem, often of folk origin, intended to be sung

Lyric Poetry

Expresses a person's thoughts or feelings

Allusion

An implied or indirect reference to a person, place, or thing that is fictitious, historical, or real

Conceit

An elaborate or extended simile or metaphor

Metonymy

A figure of speech where the name of a thing is being substituted for another word or term closely associated with it

Synechdoche

A part is used to represent the whole or vice versa

Tragedy

A serious play that ends in disaster and sorrow

Comedy

A lighthearted play intended to amuse the audience

Dramatic Conventions

Rules in which the actors and audience engage during a play

Fourth Wall

The imaginary wall between the actors and the audience.

Expressionism

This dramatic style exaggerates reality

Minimalism

Relies on sparse scenery and limited dialogue

Political Drama

A drama or play with a political component, advocating a certain point of view or describing a political event

Modern Drama

Explores themes of alienation and disconnectedness

Theatre of the Absurd

Refers to plays written in the 1950s and 1960s with the basic belief that human existence is absurd, or without meaning

Theme

The central idea of a text

Denotation

The dictionary definition of a word

Connotation

A meaning or idea associated with a word

Dictionary

The best source for the definition and spelling of words

Encyclopedia

Reference book used to get more detailed information on subject areas

Thesaurus

Reference book for synonyms and related words

Narrative Writing

Tells a story

Descriptive Writing

Language to describe a person, place, or thing

Persuasive Writing

Designed to influence the reader's thoughts in some way

Expository Writing

Used to provide information on a topic or to explain something

Bandwagon Technique

Appeals to people's desire to fit in and be part of the group

Card Stacking

Refers to the persuasive technique of only presenting information that supports an idea

Stereotyping

Creates a simplified picture of a complex situation, individual, or group

Rhetorical Question

A question to which no answer is needed

Parallelism

The repetition of similar parts of a sentence or of several sentences to show that the phrases or sentences are of equal importance

Analogy

A comparison of two items, more extensive than a simile, often used to convey difficult ideas by comparing them to things or ideas most people know

Language

The words and phrases an author uses

Diction

The word choices a writer makes

Imagery

Description intended to elicit a sensory response

Exposition

Introduces the characters, establishes the setting, and reveals the problem or conflict

Plot

The events that occur in a story

Rising Action

Incidents that either help or hinder the protagonist in finding a solution

Climax

The peak or turning point of the action

Falling Action

The part after the climax that gives any necessary explanation and ends with resolution

Protagonist

The central character and the one with whom the reader often identifies

Antagonist

A character (or force) that opposes the protagonist

Mood

A feeling or emotion created by the words and setting

Point of View

The perspective from which a story is told

Second Person

The narrator addresses the reader directly using the word "you."

Third Person

A speaker outside the action narrates the events using he, she, and they

argumentation

Exploring of a problem by investigating all sides of it; persuasion through reason. One of the four chief forms of discourse, the others being exposition, narration, and description. The purpose of argumentation is to convince by establishing the truth of falsity of a proposition.

blank verse

Poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter

direct characterization

Author directly describes character

indirect characterization

The author reveals to the reader what the character is like by describing how the character looks and dresses, by letting the reader hear what the character says, by revealing the character's private thoughts and feelings, by revealing the characters effect on other people (showing how other characters feel or behave toward the character), or by showing the character in action. Common in modern literature

dialogue

Communication between two or more people

internal conflict

A struggle between opposing needs, desires, or emotions within a single character.

external conflict

A character struggles against some outside force: another character, society as a whole, or some natural force

iambic pentameter

A poetic meter that is made up of 5 stressed syllables each followed by an unstressed syllable

idiom

A common, often used expression that doesn't make sense if you take it literally.

interior monologue

A term from novels and poetry, not dramatic literature. It refers to the mental dialogue that occurs within a character's head.

memoir

A type of autobiography that often focuses on a specific time period or historical event.

epic

Long narrative poem, written in heightened language, recounts the deeds of a heroic character who embodies the values of a particular society

rhetoric

From the Greek for "orator," this term describes the principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively.

ode

A lyric poem usually marked by serious, respectful, & exalted feelings toward the subject.

monologue

A long speech in a play or story, delivered by a single person (see soliloquy).

sonnet

Lyric poem of fourteen lines, usually in iambic pentameter; rhymes arranged according to certain definite patterns. Expresses a single/ complete idea/thought with a reversal, twist, or change of direction in the concluding lines.

first person POV

The point of view is told by the character that uses the first person pronoun "I".

third person limited POV

This is a point of view in which the narrator is outside the story and reveals the thoughts of only one character, who is referred to as "he" or "she."

third person omniscient POV

Point of view in which an all-knowing narrator who is privy to the thoughts and actions of any or all characters.

structure

In poetry, described in terms of stanza, form, and meter.In other forms of writing, it refers to the organization of the piece--chronological, in media res, cause/effect, compare/contrast, etc.