9th Literature & Composition Midterm Review

Literary Devices (Unit 1)

• Allusion: A brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing, or idea of historical, cultural, literary, or political significance that is not elaborated on.

• Characterization: The method used by a writer to develop a character's personality through descriptions, actions, dialogue, and interactions with others.

• Flashback: A narrative technique that allows the author to present past events during current events in order to provide background and context to the story.

• Foreshadowing: A literary device used to give hints or clues about what will happen later in the story, increasing suspense and expectation.

• Hyperbole: An intentional and extreme exaggeration used for emphasis or effect, not meant to be taken literally.

• Irony (all three types): A literary technique that highlights a discrepancy between expectations and reality, which includes:

  • Verbal Irony: When a speaker says one thing but means another.

  • Dramatic Irony: A situation where the audience knows more about the events than the characters.

  • Situational Irony: An outcome that is contrary to what was expected.

• Metaphor: A figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things, suggesting they are alike in a significant way, without using 'like' or 'as'.

• Mood: The emotional response that a literary work evokes in the reader, created through language, tone, and context.

• Motif: A recurring element, theme, or idea within a literary work that has symbolic significance.

• Personification: The attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities or abstract concepts.

• Simile: A figure of speech that compares two unlike things using the words 'like' or 'as' to highlight similarities.

• Symbolism: The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities, conveying deeper meanings beyond their literal sense.

• Tone: The attitude or emotional quality of the author toward the subject or audience, expressed through choice of words and stylistic elements.

Types of Conflict (Unit 1)

• Man vs. Nature: A conflict between a character and natural forces such as weather, animals, or diseases, highlighting human vulnerability.

• Man vs. Society: A struggle between a character and societal norms, laws, or expectations that create conflict with their personal beliefs.

• Man vs. Self: An internal conflict where a character grapples with their own emotions, desires, or choices.

• Man vs. Supernatural: A conflict where a character faces forces beyond the natural world, such as ghosts or gods.

Character Types (Unit 1)

• Protagonist vs. Antagonist: The central character (protagonist) faces opposition from another character or force (antagonist), creating the main conflict.

• Dynamic vs. Static: A dynamic character experiences significant internal change throughout the story, while a static character remains largely unchanged.

Survival (Unit 2)

• Reasons that authors write survival stories: Authors often explore themes of human resilience, the instinct to survive, and the challenges faced in extreme circumstances.

• Common survivor experiences: Themes in survival stories often include isolation, the necessity of resourcefulness, and the endurance of the human spirit under duress.

Epic Poetry (Unit 3)

• Themes of an epic: Recurrent themes include heroism, the quest for identity, the role of fate, and the nature of good versus evil.

• Characteristics of an epic: Features include an epic hero of noble ancestry, significant historic or mythological events, and elevated language style.

• Types of epics - folk & literary: Folk epics are traditionally passed down orally, while literary epics are composed by specific authors with deliberate structuring and themes.

• Epic (Homeric) similes: Extended similes that compare heroic events to everyday occurrences, emphasizing the grandeur of the heroic acts.

• Invocation: A formal plea or prayer for inspiration at the beginning of an epic poem, often addressed to a muse or divine entity.

• Epic conventions: Standard elements found in epics, such as starting in medias res (in the midst of action) and involving divine intervention.

• In media res: A narrative technique where the story begins in the middle of the action, rather than at the beginning.

Argumentative Essay Structure (Unit 3)

• Thesis statement: A declarative statement that summarizes the main point or position of an essay, providing a roadmap for the argument.

• Claim: A statement that asserts a viewpoint or argument, which the writer aims to support with evidence.

• Reasons: Logical justifications or explanations that support the claim made in the essay.

• Counterclaim: An argument that opposes the main claim, acknowledging different perspectives on the issue.

• Rebuttal: A response to the counterclaim, providing evidence or reasoning to challenge it and reinforce the main argument.

• Parenthetical citations & citing textual evidence (MLA): A method of crediting sources within the text by including the author's last name and page number in parentheses.

Miscellaneous Topics

• Theme & central idea: The underlying message or insight about life and human nature conveyed in a text, central to its meaning.

• Connotation: The emotional or cultural association that a word carries beyond its literal meaning, which can influence understanding.

• Inferences: Conclusions drawn based on evidence and reasoning, allowing readers to read between the lines of the text.

• Author’s purpose - P.I.E.: The reason an author writes a text, which may be to Persuade, Inform, or Entertain.

• Author’s viewpoint: The unique perspective or opinion of the author expressed through their writing, influencing the text's tone and message.

• Audience: The specified group of readers that a piece of writing is intended to reach, impacting the style and content of the writing.

• Using context clues to determine meanings of words & phrases: Using surrounding text and known information to infer the meanings of unfamiliar words.

Understanding how to reword/restate an idea: Paraphrasing involves rewording the original text while retaining its essential meaning and ideas.

Be sure to study the following notes that you took over the course of this semester:

• Short Story Terminology (Unit 1)

• Survival Notes (Unit 2)

• Epic/Epic Hero Notes (Unit 3)

• Argumentative Writing Notes (Unit 3)

Midterm Review
Fall 2024

Claim & Counterclaim

A claim is your main argument. A counterclaim is
the opposite of that argument, or the opposing
argument. Reason explains why the claim is made,
and should be supported by evidence. Evidence is the
facts or research to support your claim (textual
evidence pulled from a text or information pulled from
a reliable source).

Paradox vs Hyperbole

Hyperbole is an obvious exaggeration that is not
meant to be taken literally.
EX: I am so hungry I could eat a horse.
Paradox is a statement that might at first appear to be
contradictory, but that may in fact contain some truth.
EX: “He was fire, he was ice.”

Onomatopoeia

The formation of a word from a sound associated
with what is named.
EX: Boom, Sizzle, Bang, Clap

Personification

The attribution of a personal nature or human
characteristics to something nonhuman, or the
representation of an abstract quality in human form.
EX: I could hear the snow whisper as it blanketed the
ground.

Homeric Similes vs. Invocation

Homeric Similes: Elaborately extended comparisons that
relate heroic events to simple everyday events.
Invocation: A formal plea for aid or help.

Allusion

An implied or indirect reference to a person, event, thing, or
part of another text.
“He saw their Cheshire cat smiles burning through the walls
of the house.”

Idiom

A figure of speech that means something different than a
literal translation of the words would lead one to believe.
Cold feet, Heading right off the cliff

Metaphor vs. Similes

Metaphor: Compares two things by stating one thing is
another.
“Christ is a regular peppermint stick now.”
Simile: Directly compares two things using like or as.
“Sitting there like a wax doll melting in its own heat.”

Foreshadowing vs. Flashback & In Media Res

Foreshadowing: When the author gives an advance hint about
what is to come later in the story.
Flashback: An interjected scene that takes the narrative back
in time from the current point in the story In Media Res: The action of the story begins in the middle of things.
Example: The Odyssey is told in media res.

Themes of An Epic
● The power of good over evil
● The pitfalls of temptation
● Respect for the gods
● The power of the mind over muscles
● The importance of leadership and justice
● Fate

Characteristics of An Epic
Refer to “Epic Heroes Note Sheet”

Motif

A recurring image, idea, or symbol. Motifs can carry meaning
and often reveal a theme.
Ex: Silence is a recurring motif in Night.

Reasons authors write survival stories

● To warn or advice their readers
● To create/ establish the future consequences of present
day actions
● To expose society’s lust for greed, power, and control

Characterization

Characterization is a writer’s tool, or “literary device” that
occurs any time the author uses details to teach us about a
character.

Dynamic vs. Static Characters

Dynamic: Highly developed and complex-- meaning they have a variety
of traits and different sides to their personality.
Static Character: Character that stays the same throughout the story. They
do not go through any kind of change in mindset.

Foil Character

Foil characters are those who contrast with another
character; most of the time it is the protagonist, to highlight
qualities of the other character.

Protagonist vs Antagonist

Protagonist: Drives the plot, changes the most.
Antagonist: Forces the protagonist to change not necessarily a person.

Symbolism

Symbols are often characters, settings, images, or other
motifs that represent bigger ideas.
Authors often use symbolism to give their work more
meaning and to make a story be about more than the events it
describes.

Main vs. Central Idea

Main Idea: Point of the paragraph. It is the most
important thought about the topic. Central Idea: Overarching point of the whole text. To figure out
the idea, ask yourself this question: What is being said about the
person, thing, or idea (the topic)?

Connotation
Is a feeling or idea that a word has, in addition to its literal or
main meaning (the denotation). For example, “This clothing
is affordable!” versus “This clothing is cheap!”
In the first example, affordable has a positive connotation. In
the second example cheap has a negative connotation. Even
though affordable and cheap mean the same thing, they have
different connotations associated with them.

mood
Mood is the general feeling or atmosphere that a piece of
writing creates within the reader. Mood is produced most
effectively through the use of setting, theme, voice and tone.

Tone
The definition of "tone" in literature is the way the author
expresses attitude through their writing.
EX: sad, joyful, formal, informal, pessimistic, optimistic,
lonely

Author’s Purpose
Author’s purpose is their reason for or intent in writing.
Examples: amuse the reader, persuade the reader,
inform the reader

Author’s description
The author's perspective, or viewpoint, is how the
author feels about the subject.
Tone: Tone expresses the writer's attitude toward or
feelings about the subject matter and audience.

audience
Audience is the person for whom a writer writes. A writer uses
a particular style of language, tone, and content according to
what they know about their audience.

Conflicts
Man vs Self - When a character has internal conflict within his or her
self
Man vs Nature - When a character has a conflict with weather
changes, global catastrophes, unfamiliar environments, etc.
Man vs Society- When a character has a conflict with the society they
live in, an issue with humanity or power structures
Man vs Gods - When a character encounters the supernatural or some
force beyond scientific understanding