Freshman English Master Review Packet Study Guide
Expanded Literary Terms (Day 1)
Theme: The central message, moral, or underlying meaning of a literary work.
Protagonist: The main character in a story, often the one the reader roots for.
Antagonist: The character or force that opposes the main character.
Setting: The time and place in which a story occurs.
Conflict: A struggle between two opposing forces, which can be internal or external.
Motif: A recurring image, symbol, or idea throughout a text.
Tone: The author's attitude toward the subject matter.
Mood: The emotional atmosphere or feeling created in the reader by a text.
Point of View: The perspective from which a story is told (e.g., First-person, Third-person).
Allusion: A reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art.
Flashback: A scene that interrupts the chronological sequence of events to depict something that happened earlier.
Foreshadowing: The use of clues or hints to suggest events that will occur later in the plot.
Irony: A contrast between expectation and reality. Types include verbal, situational, or dramatic irony.
Metaphor: A direct comparison between two unlike things without using the words "like" or "as."
Simile: A comparison between two unlike things using the words "like" or "as."
Personification: Giving human qualities, emotions, or actions to non-human objects or ideas.
Hyperbole: An extreme exaggeration used for emphasis or comic effect.
Diction: The author's specific choice of words.
Alliteration: The repetition of initial consonant sounds at the beginning of words.
Onomatopoeia: Words that imitate the sound they describe (e.g., buzz, hiss, crash).
Imagery: Language that appeals to the five senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch).
Characterization: The methods an author uses to reveal a character's personality.
Symbolism: The use of an object, figure, or color to represent an abstract idea.
Climax: The turning point or moment of highest tension in a narrative.
Allegory: A story with two levels of meaning: a literal one and a symbolic one.
The 8 Parts of Speech (Day 1 Continued)
Definitions
Verb: A word that shows action or a state of being.
Adverb: A word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb; it often ends in "-ly."
Conjunction: A word that connects words, phrases, or clauses (e.g., the FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).
Pronoun: A word used in place of a noun (e.g., he, she, it, they).
Noun: A word that names a person, place, thing, or idea.
Interjection: A word that expresses strong emotion, usually set off by a comma or exclamation point.
Adjective: A word that modifies or describes a noun or pronoun.
Preposition: A word that shows the relationship of a noun or pronoun to another word in the sentence (e.g., under, over, through).
Identification Practice
Example 1: "Wow! I can't believe you finished the entire essay." In this sentence, "Wow!" is an interjection.
Example 2: "The weary traveler slept soundly through the storm." In this sentence, "soundly" is an adverb.
Example 3: "She left her backpack under the cafeteria table." In this sentence, "under" is a preposition.
Example 4: "I wanted to go to the movies, but I had too much homework." In this sentence, "but" is a conjunction.
Short Stories and Narrative Poetry (Day 2)
"Sonata for Harp and Bicycle" by Joan Aiken
Key Term - Suspense: The feeling of uncertainty or anxiety about what will happen next.
Application: Aiken builds suspense in the Grimes Buildings by establishing strict rules about leaving before 5:00 PM and hinting at the consequences of staying late.
The Climax: The moment of peak tension when the protagonist confronts the ghostly elements of the building.
"The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe
Key Term - Dramatic Irony: This occurs when the reader knows something that a character does not.
Application: Regarding Montresor's true intentions toward Fortunato, the reader is aware of the plot for revenge while Fortunato believes he is on a quest for rare wine.
Key Term - Unreliable Narrator: This refers to a storyteller whose credibility has been compromised.
Application: Montresor may be unreliable because of his personal bias and the vague nature of the "thousand injuries" he claims to have suffered, which suggests he may be exaggerating or mentally unstable.
"The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant
Key Term - Situational Irony: When the exact opposite of what you expect to happen occurs.
Application: The ending illustrates this perfectly when Mathilde discovers that the necklace she spent ten years of hard labor to replace was actually a cheap fake.
Character Evolution: At the beginning of the story, Mathilde Loisel is superficial, greedy, and dissatisfied with her social status. By the end, she is physically weathered and hardened by a decade of manual labor, having learned the true cost of her vanity.
"The Scarlet Ibis" by James Hurst
Key Term - Symbol: An object, person, or situation that represents something beyond its literal meaning.
Application: The Scarlet Ibis represents Doodle because both are fragile, out of place, and ultimately find death in a storm.
Foreshadowing: The narrator's early cruelty to Doodle (e.g., making him touch his own casket) hints at the tragic ending resulting from the narrator's pushy nature.
"The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe
Key Term - Alliteration: The repetition of initial consonant sounds (e.g., "weak and weary").
Key Term - Mood: The emotional atmosphere created in the reader. The atmosphere of "The Raven" is dark, melancholic, and claustrophobic.
"The Washwoman" by Isaac Bashevis Singer
Key Term - Personal Essay: This text is a true account written about another person.
Themes of Dignity: The washwoman's determination to return the laundry despite her illness teaches the narrator that human dignity is found in fulfilling one's duty and maintaining integrity even in extreme old age.
Epics - The Iliad and The Odyssey (Day 3)
Expanded Epic Literary Terms
Epic Simile: An extended comparison, often running several lines, used in epic poetry.
Epithet: A descriptive phrase used to characterize a person or thing (e.g., "grey-eyed Athena" or "swift-footed Achilles").
In Medias Res: A Latin term meaning "in the middle of things," referring to the way epic poems usually start.
Hubris: Extreme pride or arrogance that ultimately brings about a character's downfall.
The Iliad Discussion Questions
Conflict between Achilles and Agamemnon: The central conflict stems from Agamemnon taking Achilles' war prize (Briseis), which Achilles views as a deep dishonor.
Pride and the Greek Army: Achilles' pride leads him to withdraw from battle, causing the Greek army to suffer heavy losses and nearly fall to the Trojans.
Final Confrontation: Achilles kills Hector and then desecrates his body by dragging it behind his chariot around the city of Troy. This is a violation of Greek cultural values regarding the proper treatment of the dead.
The Odyssey Discussion Questions
Odysseus's Intellect: Odysseus defeats the Cyclops Polyphemus not with strength, but by blinding him after getting him drunk and using the clever alias "No One" to prevent the Cyclops from receiving help.
Penelope's Tricks: To delay choosing a new husband, Penelope tells the suitors she will choose once she finishes weaving a shroud for Laertes; however, she spends three years unweaving her work at night.
Drama - Romeo and Juliet (Day 4)
Dramatic Literary Terms
Tragic Hero: A protagonist of noble birth who has a fatal weakness that leads to their downfall.
Tragic Flaw (Hamartia): The fatal weakness of a tragic hero.
Soliloquy: A long speech expressing the thoughts of a character alone on stage.
Foil: A character who provides a striking contrast to another character (e.g., peaceful Benvolio vs. fiery Tybalt).
Discussion Questions
Romeo's Tragic Flaw: One could argue Romeo's flaw is impulsiveness or emotional volatility, evidenced by his quick marriage to Juliet and his immediate reaction to kill Tybalt.
Friar Laurence's Role: While his intentions were to unite the families and end the feud, his secret plan relied on heavy luck and the timing of a messenger, ultimately contributing to the tragedy.
Fate in the Prologue: Shakespeare uses the prologue to describe the lovers as "star-crossed," establishing the theme that their deaths are destined and beyond their control.
Ending Punishment: Prince Escalus states "All are punished," meaning both the Capulets and Montagues lost their children, the literal source of their family legacies, as a direct result of their ongoing hatred.
Novel - Of Mice and Men (Day 5)
Novel Literary Terms
Imagery: Language appealing to the five senses. Steinbeck heavily uses this in Chapter 1 to describe the Salinas River.
Microcosm: The author's use of a "miniature world" to represent society at large. The ranch is a microcosm of 1930s America, representing the marginalization of minorities, the elderly, and the mentally disabled during the Great Depression.
Juxtaposition: Placing two contrasting images or ideas side by side for effect. Steinbeck often contrasts the peacefulness of nature with the violence of men.
Analysis Questions
George and Lennie's Dream: They dream of owning their own farm and "living off the fatta the lan'." This dream provides hope in a bleak reality and mirrors the American Dream of self-reliance and ownership.
Curley's Wife: She is often viewed as a victim of her environment and isolation; her flirtatious behavior is a result of loneliness in a world where she has no agency or voice.
Foreshadowing: The death of Candy's dog, who is shot because he is no longer useful and suffers from old age, foreshadows George's final action toward Lennie, who is killed because he is seen as a liability to himself and others.
George's Final Action: The debate revolves around whether killing Lennie was an act of love (sparing him from a lynch mob) or an act of betrayal (breaking their brotherhood).