Literary Terms and Rhetorical Devices Review

Flashcards covering literary terms, character types, conflict, points of view, and rhetorical devices (Ethos, Pathos, Logos) as presented in the lecture notes.

Static Character

A character that does not change much in the course of a work.

Dynamic Character

A character that does change in the course of a work.

Character Foil

A secondary character who contrasts with the protagonist in order to highlight aspects of the main character’s personality. Example: Mufasa is a foil to Scar.

External Conflict

A character struggles with an outside force which may be another character, society as a whole, or a natural force.

Internal Conflict

A character struggles within his/her own mind between opposing needs, desires, or emotions.

Metaphor

A comparison between two unlike things in which one thing becomes another thing.

Simile

A comparison between two unlike things, using a word such as like or as.

Personification

A figure of speech in which an object or animal is spoken of as if it were human.

Subplot

A subordinate plot that exists in addition to a main plot.

Exposition

The part of a plot that gives information about the characters and their problems or conflicts; also known by the synonym introduction.

Resolution

The final point of a story where the conflict is resolved and the story is brought to a close.

Omniscient Point of View

The narrator knows everything about the characters and their problems, including past, present, and future; also known by the synonym “all knowing”.

Third Person Limited POV

The narrator focuses on the thoughts and feelings of only one character, allowing readers to see the story from only one character’s view.

First Person POV

One of the characters tells the story using the pronoun I.

Protagonist

The main character in a work of literature.

Antagonist

A character that opposes the main character or protagonist.

Symbol

A person, place, thing, or event that has meaning in itself and stands for something beyond itself as well.

Style

The way a writer uses language, resulting from diction (word choice), sentence structure, and tone.

Theme

An idea or message that a writer wishes to convey about a subject; it should always be written as a statement.

Tone

The attitude a writer takes toward his or her subjects, characters, and audience.

Characterization

The way a writer reveals the personality of a character.

Flashback

Interruption in the present action of a plot to show events that happened at an earlier time.

Foreshadowing

The use of clues and hints to suggest events that will occur later in a plot.

Imagery

Language that appeals to the senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch.

Gustatory Imagery

Language that appeals to the sense of taste, such as 'her tongue burned as she bit into the sour, peppery mango chow'.

Mood

The overall atmosphere or feeling of a work of literature.

Allusion

A reference to something or another piece of literature, which can be biblical, historical, or literary.

Ethos

A speaker's appeal to the audience based on credibility.

Pathos

An appeal where the audience feels an emotion that helps make an argument stronger.

Logos

An appeal where the speaker uses evidence, facts, and logic to support claims.