English I Literary Terms & Stories

FOR MIDTERMS

plot

* the **events** within a story


1. exposition - introduces characters, setting, conflict
2. rising action - conflict develops
3. climax - turning point; highest point of tension
4. falling action - conflict resolves
5. resolution - resolution of conflict

conflict

* a **struggle** between **two opposing** forces
* internal conflict - man vs self
* external conflict - man vs man; man vs nature; man vs society

setting

**time** + **place** of a story

mood

**emotional** **atmosphere** evoked by an author’s **description** of the **setting**

suspense

feeling of **anxiety** + **uncertainty** as the outcome remains **unclear**

foreshadowing

**hints** at what is to come in the story

protagonist

the person the story follows

antagonist

the **force** or person **opposing** the protagonist

types of characters

* round - fleshed-out, multiple traits
* flat - undeveloped, **limited** traits
* dynamic - changes over the course of the story
* static - remains the same through the story

types of characterization

* direct characterization
* tells readers directly how a character is
* indirect characterization
* thoughts
* dialogue
* actions
* opinions of other characters
* appearance

POV

* 1st person
* “I” + typically the main char.
* 2nd person
* “You”
* 3rd person
* **Limited** - follows one char. the whole story
* **Omniscient** - follows all the chars.

unreliable narrator

* a narrator who **cannot be fully trusted**
* Ex. naive, insane, manipulative, etc.

tone

the **attitude** an author/narrator takes toward a subject

voice

the **unique use of language** of an author/narrator; stylistic

symbol

* an object, person, place, etc. that stands for itself + **something else**
* inherited symbol
* a widely-recognized symbol; meanings passed down
* invented symbol
* something in a story that takes on a symbolic meaning as it progresses
* allegory
* story in which everything is a symbol

irony

* contrast between what is expected + what is given
* situational irony
* the outcome is the **opposite** of what is expected
* dramatic irony
* the audience knows something the chars. don’t **AND** it affects the way an audience **perceives** a scene
* verbal irony
* chars. say something but means something else

biography

story of someone’s life written by someone else

autobiography

story of someone’s life written by that person

memoir

stories from a selective part of someone’s life written by that person

essay

persuasive, expository, personal

speech

impromptu, memorized, extemporaneous

author’s purpose

* to entertain
* to inform
* to persuade

style

an author’s unique way of using language

* word choice
* sentence structure

word choice

diction

rhetorical device

techniques a speaker/writer uses to achieve a certain effect

types of rhetoric

* antithesis - a juxtaposition of two opposing things
* metaphor/simile
* imagery - sensory details
* repetition
* parallelism - repeated grammatical structure
* anaphora - parallelism w/ repeated first few words in successive sentences
* allusion - reference to something
* alliteration - repetition of initial consonant sounds

pathos

* emotional appeal
* uses: loaded lang + vivid language

logos

* logical appeal
* uses: reason, facts

ethos

* ethical appeal
* uses: quotes from trustworthy people
* convince audience that we are trustworthy

A Separate Peace

* Setting: New Hampshire, The Devon School; WWII post-Pearl Harbor
* Plot
* Exposition - Gene goes to Devon school and looks at fearful sites (First Academy Building stairs + the tree where Finny fell)
* Rising action - FLASHBACK: Phineas + Gene jump from tree & make the Super Suicide Soc
* Goes to gym → Phineas breaks a swim record; goes to beach → Gene starts to hate him
* Finny’s 1st fall from tree; Gene tries to confess that he made Finny fall but doc interrupts
* Summer Session ends; Gene returns to southern hometown for vacay; Gene visits Finny and confesses
* Winter Session starts - Brinker introduced; Gene is assistant senior crew manager; Quackenbush fights w/ Gene; Brinker jokes about Finny's fall in butt room
* Gene & gang shovel snow for war while Leper skis; Gene thinks about enlisting → Finny returns so Gene decides not to
* Finny & Gene go to gym → war conspiracy; Finny trains gene for Olympics; Leper enlists
* Winter carnival; Leper sends message to Gene; Gene meets crazy Leper → snowball fight after
* Brinker’s trial; Leper’s testimony
* Climax - Finny leaves and falls off stairs & his leg breaks again
* Falling action - Gene + Finny closure/reconcile; later learns that Finny died; Gene meets Brinker’s dad
* Resolution - Everyone graduates and goes into peaceful war positions
* Conflicts
* Internal (man vs self) - Gene struggles with inferiority and low self-esteem
* External (man vs society) - WWII enlistment
* Characters
* Gene - protagonist; round, dynamic
* Indirect characterization: thoughts
* Phineas - round, dynamic
* Direct characterization
* Leper - round, dynamic
* Indirect characterization: actions
* Brinker - (becomes) antagonist; round, dynamic
* Direct characterization
* Type of narrator & how they affect the story
* 1st person; unreliable (Gene)
* Type of irony
* Dramatic irony - we know Gene’s thoughts of rivalry when he pretends to be friendly with Phineas
* Symbols
* Naguamsett + Devon Rivers
* Foreshadowing
* Beginning of story “fearful places”

The Sniper

* Setting: Dublin, Ireland; Irish Civil War
* Plot
* Exposition - intro of setting/sniper
* Rising action - he is shot at; kills informant; is wounded
* Climax - the sniper’s ploy; kills enemy
* Falling action - he feels guilt/remorse + decides to check the body
* Resolution - he discovers that he killed his brother


* Conflicts
* Internal (man vs self) - remorse for killing
* External (man vs man) - enemy sniper
* Characters
* the sniper - protagonist; flat, static


* Type of narrator
* 3rd person limited


* Type of irony
* Situational irony - he kills his brother

The Most Dangerous Game

* Setting: Ship-Trap Island
* Plot
* Exposition - introduces Rainsford/island
* Rising action - Rainsford falls off boat; washes up on island; finds Zaroff’s house + dinner; is put into the game
* Climax - Rainsford jumps off cliff
* Falling action - Zaroff sulks
* Resolution - Rainsford sleeps in the bed


* Conflicts
* External (man vs man) - Zaroff
* External (man vs nature) - Quicksand
* Characters
* Rainsford - protagonist; flat, dynamic
* indirect characterization
* Zaroff - antagonist; round, static
* indirect characterization


* Type of narrator
* 3rd person limited


* Foreshadowing
* Strange scream-unknown animal
* Small cartridges, but big game
* More dangerous animal than Cape buffalo; prey “has logic”
* Importing" his prey
* "Ship-Trap Island"
* Zaroff calls himself a savage indirectly

Lady or the Tiger

Setting: made-up Kingdom near Rome

* Plot
* Exposition - introduces the tyrant king, system of justice
* Rising action - suitor is jailed, princess wrestles with what to do with him
* Climax - princess chooses the door
* Falling action - suitor opens it
* Resolution - unresolved
* Conflicts
* External (man vs man) - king vs princess + suitor
* Characters
* King- antagonist; flat, static
* indirect characterization
* Princess- flat, static
* indirect characterization
* Type of narrator
* 3rd person omniscient

Thank You, Ma’am

* Setting: neighborhood
* Plot
* Exposition - Roger tries to steal a purse
* Rising action - he’s caught + taken to Mrs. Jones’ home
* Climax - could run while her back is turned but doesn’t
* Falling action - eat dinner + talk
* Resolution - receives $10 to buy shoes + wants to say thank you but can’t as he leaves
* Conflicts
* External (man vs man)
* Characters
* Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones - round, static
* Roger - flat, dynamic
* Type of narrator
* 3rd person limited

American History

Elena's Character:

* Shy (reluctant to speak)
* Reserved (keeps to herself)
* Reader
* Observant (we see her watching her neighbors & drawing conclusions)
* Insecure (we see her thoughts)
* Romantic dreamer (we see her thoughts of fantasies)
* Indifferent to many things, but passionate about a few select things (thoughts, actions - JFK's death, placing herself in Eugene's path)
* Absorbed in her own world, insensitive to others' feelings

The Cask of Amontillado

* Type Narrator
* First person narrators


* Dark, eerie atmosphere + subject matter
* Elevated language


* Montresor:
* Oddly composed
* Lacks empathy, ruthless
* Self-righteous (believes Montresor deserves this)
* Manipulative, sly, cunning
* Sociopath
* Unreliable narrator


* Irony:
* Verbal irony - saying one thing but meaning another
* Foreshadowing

The Wife’s Story

* Voice:
* Incredulous/denial
* Casual - "sis"
* "Country" dialect - "real close, her and me"
* Proper grammar - "really close, she and I"
* Sounds colloquial/spoken
* Familiar effect; like we're friends/confidants


* Unreliable narrator
* Presumably talking to other wolves
* Not deliberately deceptive

Scarlet Ibis

* Symbolism
* Scarlet ibis = Doodle
* Both push past their limits + die of exhaustion
* Came much farther than expected
* Struggle to keep moving
* Both are in a precarious situation
* Die away from home
* Red color (Doodle is red at birth + death)
* Doodle is the only one who cares for the ibis + buries it (does he feel a connection?)
* Similar posture in death
* The storm weakens both
* Both are different from those around them

The Necklace

* Plot
* Exposition - Character intro
* Rising action - Getting ready for the party
* Climax - Party bliss; shock at the loss of the necklace
* Falling action - 10 yrs of toil
* Resolution - The necklace was fake


* Conflicts
* External (man vs society)
* Characters
* wife - flat, dynamic
* husband - flat, static


* Type of narrator
* 3rd person limited
* Irony
* Situational irony
* Symbols
* Necklace symbolizes:
* Her vanity
* False appearances
* Greed/dreams/hopes of luxury
* Dignity

I Have A Dream Speech

* Rhetoric devices
* Anaphora
* Antithesis
* Imagery
* Repetition

The Obligation to Endure

* Loaded language:
* Terrorist - negative
* Combatant - neutral
* Freedom fighter - positive
* “destructive"/ "man's assaults upon the environment"
* "chain of evil"/"chain of poison + death"/"chemical war"/"chemical death rain"


* Factors of humans: why we used pesticides:
* Materialism + greed
* Manufacturers capitalize on the cycle of pests growing immune and selling even more pesticides
* Ex. Monsanto - gov branch appoints specialist to make decisions; they appoint monsanto; monsanto pesticide products are approved and sent into market; cycle
* Short-sightedness
* Expectation/desire for power & control
* Obsession with speed