English 11 Exam Study Guide

Allegory

A work in which the characters, events or setting symbolize/ represents something else

Alliteration

The repetition of initial consonant sounds in consecutive or slightly separated words.

Analogy

A comparison of two things that are alike in some ways but otherwise quite different. Usually an analogy explains or describes something unfamiliar by comparing it to something more familiar.

Autobiography

The story of a persons life written by that person

Catalog

A list of people/things

Dialect

A version of a language spoken by the people of a particular place, time, or social group

Diction

Applied to writing referring to the authors choice of words

Figurative language

Writing/speech meant to be understood imaginatively instead of literally. Many writers use figurative language to help readers see things in new ways

1st Person POV

The story is told by someone who participates in/witnesses the actions: this person is called the narrator and uses I and we to tell the story

Foreshadowing

The technique of hinting at events that will occur later in the story

Free Verse

Poetry that does not use regular rhyme, meter, or stanza division, May contain irregular line breaks and sentence fragments and tends to mimic the rhymes of ordinary speech

Gothic fiction

Style of fiction characterized by the use if medieval settings, a murky atmosphere of horror and gloom, and grotesque, mysterious, or violent incidents. Essential to Gothic Fiction is a setting that evokes strong feelings of foreboding or anticipation

Imagery

The figurative or descriptive language used to create word pictures or images

Local color

Details used to create a particular regional setting

Lyric Poem

A highly musical type of poetry that expresses the emotion of a speaker. Often is contrasted with narrative poems, which have storytelling as their main purpose. Whiteman and Dickinson are two of the most recognized American lyric poets

Memoir

A type of biography that focuses on one incident or person in a person's life

Metaphor

Figure of speech in which one thing is spoken or written about as if it were another

Modernism

An artistic and literary movement of the early 20th century that was characterized by rejection of the artistic conve5tions of the past. It weas response to the perceived breakdown of modern culture. Important Modernist writers were Ezra Pound, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Ernest Hemingway

Mood

The emotion created in the reader by the part or all of a literary work. Can evoke an emotional response in the reader such as fear, discomfort, longing, or anticipation

Narrator

A character/speaker who tells a story

Personification

A type of figurative language in which an animal, thing, force of nature, or idea is described as if it were human or given human characteristics

Point of View

The vantage point/perspective, from which a story is told - in other words, who is telling the story

Regionalism

Characterized by works that are set in a particular geographical region

Rhyme Scheme

A pattern of end rhymes, or rhymes at the ends of lines verse

Romanticism

Was a literacy and artistic movement of the 18th and 19th centuries that placed emotion or imagination over reason

Setting

The time and place in which a literacy work takes place in, together with all the details used to create a sense of a particular time and place

Simile

A comparison of two seemingly unlike things using the word like or as

Style

How something is said/written. A writers style is characterized by elements such as word choice (or diction), sentence structure and length, and other recurring features that distinguish his or her work from that of another. One way to think of style is the writer's personality

Symbol

Anything that stands for represents both itself and something else

The "Lost Generation"

Group of writers in 1920s who shared the belief that they were lost in a greedy, materialistic world that lacked moral values and often choose to flee to Europe.

Theme

A central message or perception about life revealed through a literacy work

3rd person Limited POV

The thoughts of only the narrator or single character are revealed

3rd person Omniscient POV

The thoughts of all the characters are revealed

Tone

The emotional attitude toward the reader or toward the subject implied by a literacy work. Tone may be revealed by such elements as word choice (Diction), sentence structure, and use of imagery

5 important facts about Edgar Allen Poe

1. Expressed his troubled life through his writing
2. Experienced different types of poems and techniques that left an impact on America
3. Loss of his parents, struggles with poverty, and personal depression
4. Was a respected critic
5. Is often credited as one of the pioneers of the modern detective fiction genre

4 important elements which contribute to an author's style

1. Word Choice
2. Sentence Length
3. Imagery
4. Tone

4 important facts about Fedrick Douglass

1. Published his first autobiography in 1845
2. Helped organize regiments of African American soldiers to fight in the war for the north
3. Was the U.S Ambassador for the Dominican republic
4. Taught himself how to read and write

5 important facts about Walt Whitman

1. Known for leaves of grass
2. Had passions for American democracy and the common man and woman
3. Consider the greatest of all poets
4. Worked as a nurse during the Civil war
5. Worked in several government departments until he died from a stroke

5 important facts about Mark Tawin

1. Known for his novels "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"
2. His pen name "Mark Twain" is a riverboat term meaning two fathoms (12 feet) deep, which was safe for steamboats to navigate
3. Twain was known for his wit and humor, both in his writing and public speaking.
4. Twain worked as a riverboat pilot on the Mississippi River, which greatly influenced his writing
5. Twain faced significant financial difficulties later in life due to failed investments

4 important facts about F. Scott Fitzgerald

1. Is known for "The Great Gatsby" which is known as one of the greatest American novels
2. Fitzgerald is often associated with the Jazz Age, capturing the era's spirit and culture in his writing
3. Fitzgerald struggled with alcoholism throughout his life, which affected his health and career
4. Fitzgerald moved to Hollywood to work as a screenwriter, but he found limited success and often struggled with the transition from novelist to screenwriter.