Module 2: English Literature, Plot Structures, and Literary Devices

Vocabulary flashcards covering Afro-Asian Literature, Rabindranath Tagore, plot structures, narrative techniques, points of view, figures of speech, and sound devices.

Afro-Asian Literature

Literary works from Africa and Asia that reflect rich customs, traditions, struggles for independence, and philosophical beliefs, often highlighting a Universal Truth.

Universal Truth

A concept or reality that is true for all people, regardless of culture, such as love, suffering, and family.

Rabindranath Tagore

A legendary Bengali polymath from India who was the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913.

Gitanjali (Song Offerings)

Rabindranath Tagore's most famous collection of poetry, which explores themes of spiritual devotion, nature, and humanity.

Plot

The sequence of events in a story or film.

Linear Plot

A plot structure where the story moves in chronological order (Beginning -> Middle -> End).

Flashback

A narrative technique where the narrative shifts to the past to reveal important background information about a character or event.

Parallel Plot

A plot structure where the story follows two or more separate narratives that are linked by a common character, theme, or eventual intersection.

Narrative (Movie Movement)

The overarching storytelling structure of the film.

Dialogue (Movie Movement)

The spoken conversations between characters that drive the plot forward and reveal personality.

Imagery

The use of vivid, descriptive language that appeals to the five senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch) to create mental images.

Tone

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

Mood

The feeling or atmosphere created for the reader (e.g., eerie, romantic, tense).

Motif

A recurring element, image, or idea that has symbolic significance in a story.

First-Person Point of View

A point of view where the narrator is a character in the story and uses "I", "me", or "we".

Second-Person Point of View

A point of view where the narrator addresses the reader directly using "you".

Third-Person Point of View

A point of view where the narrator is an outside observer and uses "he", "she", or "they".

Simile

A figure of speech comparing two different things using "like" or "as" (e.g., He is as brave as a lion).

Metaphor

A direct comparison between two different things without using "like" or "as" (e.g., Time is a thief).

Personification

A figure of speech giving human qualities to non-human things (e.g., The wind whispered through the trees).

Alliteration

A sound device in poetry involving the repetition of initial consonant sounds (e.g., Peter Piper picked a peck…).

Assonance

A sound device in poetry involving the repetition of vowel sounds within words (e.g., The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain).