Intro to Literature Honors - Final exam

Simile

A comparison using "like" or "as" (e.g., "Her smile was bright as the sun")

Metaphor

A direct comparison without using "like" or "as" (e.g., "He is a rock")

Personification

Giving human qualities to non-human things (e.g., "The wind whispered through the trees")

Allusion

A reference to a well-known person, event, or work (e.g., "He’s a real Romeo")

Idiom

A common expression that doesn’t make literal sense (e.g., "Break a leg")

Onomatopoeia

A word that imitates a sound (e.g., "Buzz," "Bang," "Crash")

Alliteration

Repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of nearby words (e.g., "Peter Piper picked…")

Hyperbole

Extreme exaggeration for effect (e.g., "I’ve told you a million times")

Dramatic Irony

When the audience knows something a character does not (e.g., we know Juliet isn’t dead, but Romeo doesn’t)

Symbolism

Using an object or action to represent an idea (e.g., the conch shell in Lord of the Flies = order)

Theme

The central message or underlying idea of a text

Tone

The author's attitude toward the subject (e.g., serious, sarcastic, hopeful)

Characterization

How an author reveals a character’s traits (through actions, dialogue, thoughts)

Allegory

A story in which characters/events represent larger ideas (e.g., Animal Farm represents the Russian Revolution)

Conflict

A struggle between opposing forces (e.g., man vs. man, man vs. nature, internal conflict)

Foreshadowing

Clues or hints about what will happen later in the story

Irony

When the opposite of what’s expected occurs (situational, dramatic, or verbal)

Theme of Lord of the Flies

Civilization vs. savagery, loss of innocence, fear of the unknown

Theme of Animal Farm

Power corrupts, propaganda controls, revolution leads to tyranny