Academic Lanuage for Essays

Subvert

To undermine or challenge traditional structures, such as gender roles.

Challenge

To confront or question societal norms and expectations.

Diminish

To reduce the reliability or credibility of something, such as a protagonist's account.

Critique

To analyze and evaluate the power dynamics within a society.

Weaken

To make less effective, often through irony.

Erode

To gradually undermine trust in institutional authority.

Discredit

To undermine the legitimacy of an idea, such as absolute power.

Question

To raise doubts about the legitimacy of concepts like divine intervention.

Destabilize

To disturb or unsettle perceptions of truth, often through narrative techniques.

Undermine

To weaken certainty concerning characters’ intentions or actions.

Foreshadowing

Hints or clues about future events in a narrative.

Symbolic resonance

When a symbol carries deep and layered meanings.

Motif

A recurring theme, idea, or image within a text.

Allegory

A story or symbol that represents a broader conceptual meaning.

Juxtaposition

Placing contrasting elements side by side to highlight differences.

Irony

An outcome that contradicts expected results.

Omen

A sign or warning indicating a future event.

Surrealism

A technique that blends elements of reality with dream-like aspects.

Intertextuality

References to other texts or historical events within a work.

Narrative fragmentation

A storytelling style that is non-linear or disjointed.

Subjectivity

Influence of personal feelings or opinions on perception.

Unreliable narration

A narrative style where the storyteller’s accuracy is questionable.

Discrepancy

A contradiction or inconsistency in accounts or information.

Revisionism

The act of altering or distorting historical perspectives.

Posthumous judgment

Evaluating someone’s actions after their death.

Fragmentation

Broken or incomplete recollection of events.

Retrospective narration

Storytelling that reflects back on past events.

Ambiguous morality

Uncertainty in making moral judgments.

Distortion of reality

Altering facts to fit a particular viewpoint.

Collective amnesia

A society's tendency to forget past wrongs.

Inevitability

Something that cannot be avoided; certain to happen.

Fatalism

The belief that events are predetermined and unavoidable.

Determinism

The idea that human actions are shaped by fate or social circumstances.

Resignation

Acceptance of one's fate without resistance.

Martyrdom

Suffering or dying for a cause.

Complicity

Active or passive involvement in wrongdoing.

Culpability

Responsibility for a crime or wrongdoing.

Moral ambivalence

Contradiction or uncertainty in moral judgment.

Systemic violence

Harm embedded within societal structures.

Repression

The act of suppressing emotions or memories.

Subjugation

The act of dominating or oppressing others.

Objectification

Treating a person as an object rather than an individual.

Androcentrism

A worldview that centers around male perspectives.

Misogyny

Hatred or prejudice against women.

Hegemony

Dominance of one group over another, particularly in gender.

Codified

Reinforced by societal rules and expectations.

Commodification

Treating something or someone as a product for trade.

Honor-based violence

Harm committed to uphold family reputation.

Patriarchal constraints

Limitations placed on women due to societal expectations.

Prescriptive gender roles

Rigid expectations about behavior for men and women.