Knowt w/Literary Terms 1 - QUIZ on D Days

author's purpose

1. the author's motivation/reason for writing

point of view - (POV)

1. a way of thinking about something that is influenced by the type of person you are or by your experiences

first person point of view

1. the narrator gives the audience/reader all of the information from HIS or Her point of view/perspective/consciousness and is involved in the events, using the words "I", "me", or "we" to tell the story. Example:

There was no possibility of taking a walk that day. We had been wandering, indeed, in the leafless shrubbery an hour in the morning; but since dinner (Mrs. Reed, when there was no company, dined early) the cold winter wind had brought with it clouds so sombre, and a rain so penetrating, that further outdoor exercise was now out of the question.

I was glad of it: I never liked long walks, especially on chilly afternoons: dreadful to me was the coming home in the raw twilight, with nipped fingers and toes, and a heart saddened by the chidings of Bessie, the nurse, and humbled by the consciousness of my physical inferiority to Eliza, John, and Georgiana Reed.
— Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre, 1847

third person omniscient point of view

1. the narrator gives the audience/reader the point of view/perspective/consciousness of MANY characters but is not involved in the events, using the words "he", "she", or "they" to tell the story. Example:

"Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents," grumbled Jo, lying on the rug.

"It's so dreadful to be poor!" sighed Meg, looking down at her old dress.

"I don't think it's fair for some girls to have plenty of pretty things, and other girls nothing at all," added little Amy, with an injured sniff.

"We've got Father and Mother, and each other," said Beth contentedly from her corner.

The four young faces on which the firelight shone brightened at the cheerful words, but darkened again as Jo said sadly, "We haven't got Father, and shall not have him for a long time." She didn't say "perhaps never," but each silently added it, thinking of Father far away, where the fighting was.
— Louisa May Alcott, Little Women, 1868

Explanation: “The story is not told from the point of view of Meg, Jo, Beth, or Amy, but from someone who is observing the four sisters as they talk to one another. Each character is therefore referred to by their names or the third-person pronoun she. The narrator does not exist as a character in the story, and the girls do not acknowledge the narrator’s presence” (merriam-webster.com)

third person limited point of view

1. the narrator gives the audience/reader information through the point of view/perspective/consciousness of ONE character and is not involved in the events, using the words "he", "she", or "they" to tell the story. Example:

Three days later, the Dursleys were showing no sign of relenting, and Harry couldn't see any way out of his situation. He lay on his bed watching the sun sinking behind the bars on the window and wondered miserably what was going to happen to him.

What was the good of magicking himself out of his room if Hogwarts would expel him for doing it? Yet life at Privet Drive had reached an all-time low. Now that the Dursleys knew they weren't going to wake up as fruit bats, he had lost his only weapon. Dobby might have saved Harry from horrible happenings at Hogwarts, but the way things were going, he'd probably starve to death anyway.
— J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, 1999

Explanation: “Even though the narrator is not Harry, and Harry is referred to as 'he,' the reader is allowed into Harry's thoughts—what he is wondering without saying out loud. We are also, like Harry, left uncertain about what other characters are thinking” (merriam-webster.com)

Protagonist

1. the principal/most important character in a piece of literature

Example: Romeo & Juliet from Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet

Antagonist

1. the force or person who opposes or struggles against the protagonist

Example:  Darth Vader from Star Wars

character motivation

1.  the reason behind the character's behaviors and actions in a given scene or throughout the story. Examples:

• Get revenge

• Secure justice

• Survive a natural disaster

• Escape confinement

• Rescue someone in danger

• Reinvent oneself

• Overcome addiction 

• Expand one’s mind and experiences

• Protect the city/country/world from a serious threat

conflict

1. a struggle between two opposing forces

Internal Conflict: Character vs. Self 

External Conflict: Character vs. Character (protagonist vs. antagonist)

External Conflict: Character vs. Society/Group 

External Conflict: Character vs. Nature

                     External Conflict: Character vs. Supernatural climax

climax

the moment of peak tension, excitement or importance which draws an emotional response from the audience. It usually is when the character makes an important decision.

resolution 

1.  the solution to the conflict or difficult situation of the protagonist

theme

1. is the universal idea, lesson/moral, or message explored throughout a piece of literature that not only apply to the characters but a broader truth about the human experience.