English Figurative Language Aside - Comic Relief

aside

a technique in drama where a character speaks directly to the audience. the other characters on stage do not hear this characters aside words

atmosphere

the general feeling of a piece of writing. this can also be referred to as the tone or mood. often emotion words are used to describe atmosphere

audience

the person or group of people that a writer or author is writing for

autobiography

an account of someones life written by that person

ballad

a song or a poem that is narrative or tells a story

ballad stanza

a common stanza form used in ballads, typically quatrains with an A B C B rhyme scheme and iambic rhythms

bias

an unfair preference or dislike of something/someone; a personal belief or stance on a subject; a person with bias may not consider another persons pov

biography

an account of a persons life written by another person

blank verse

a form of poetry that is written in unrhymed iambic pentameter: every line of the poem has 10 syllables and those syllables have a sing-songy up and down sound to them. most of shakespeares plays are written in blank verse

cacophony

harsh, unpleasent, discordant sounds

caricature

a depiction or representation of a person that exaggerated for a comic effect

case study

a form of research that examines a single event or instance in depths as opposed to a larger group study

cause and effect

a method of organizing information that outlines the problem first, including its cause, and the subsequent outcome or effects

character

the fictional people an author creates in a story or poem; a character can be complex (round) or simple (flat); a character can change over the course of a story (dynamic) or remain unchanged (static); a good writer makes characters interesting and believeable

characterization

the method an author uses to describe or create a distinctive character. methods include indirect and direct presentation. character can be revealed indirectly thru what he thinks, says or does; it can be revealed directly thru description of his appearance; and character can be revealed by what other characters say or think about a character

character foil

a character who is used to contrast another character

chorus

common in greek tragedies, the chorus is a group of actors, often masked, who provide commentary on the happenings in the play

chronological order

a story or event that is presented in the order that things happened in time - the beginning, middle, and end. there are no flashbacks or jumping around in time

cliché

a metaphor, simile, or saying that has become so overused that it is no longer unique

climactic order

a method of organizing information that presents the least important information first and builds to present the most important information last

climax

the high point of tension or suspense in a story; the decisive moment or turning point in a story; an author writes a story that build towards a climax; the climax often determines the outcome of the conflict

colloquial language / colloquialism

a way of expression, written or spoken, that is usually found in informal situations or in language confined to a particular reigon

comedy

comedy is a type of fiction or drama that depicts humorous plots where the protagonist (central character) is faced with a light-hearted challenge and in the end overcomes it and the story or play ends happily

comic relief

a comic episode or element inserted in an otherwise serious or tragic play to provide some relief from the heavy mood