Rising Action. The action and events that take place in the story and build up to the critical moment when the main conflict is confronted.

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1 PLOT The sequence of events or actions in a short story, novel, play, or narrative poem Exposition The author lays the groundwork for the story by revealing the Setting Relationships between the Situation as it exists before conflict begins Rising Action The action and events that take place in the story and build up to the critical moment when the main conflict is confronted Falling Action Events that occur after the climax and lead up to the closure and conclusion of the story Inciting Incident/Conflict Interrupts the peace and balance of the situation and one or more of the comes into conflict with an outside force, himself, or another character Climax The most critical moment in the story; the point at which the main conflict is at its highest point Resolution The problem set up in the inciting incident is unraveled; there is a revelation of meaning

2 Allusion Irony Symbol A reference to a literary, mythological, or historical person, place, or thing A contrast between appearances and reality usually one in which reality is the opposite from what it seems; when one thing is expected to happen or be, and the exact opposite happens The use of any object, person, place, or action that both has a meaning in itself and that stands for something larger than itself, such as a quality, attitude, belief, or value Foreshadowing Anecdote Setting The use in a literary work of clues that suggest events that have yet to occur A short account of a particular incident or event especially of an interesting or amusing nature The background against which action takes place The geographical location The occupations and daily manner of living of the The time or period in which the action takes place The general environment of the, i.e. social, moral, emotional Suspense Stereotype Archetype The quality of a literary work that makes the reader uncertain or tense about the outcome or situation The act of putting people into groups based on race, religion, physical appearance, social class or some other easily identifiable characteristic A typed of character, action, or situation that occurs over and over in literature; a pattern or example that occurs in literature and life Tone Theme Point of View The writer s attitude or feeling toward a person, a thing, a place, an event or situation A central message or insight into life revealed through the literary work; a lesson about life or people The perspective from which a story is told. Mood Sensory Language (Imagery) Detail The feeling created in the reader by a literary work or passage The words or phrases a writer uses to represent persons, objects, actions, feelings, and ideas descriptively by appealing to the five senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch) Facts revealed by the author or speaker that support the attitude or tone in the work Emphasis Emphasis is created by the use of: When important aspects of a story are given important positions and in-depth development Repetition reiteration of a word, sound, phrase, or idea Parallelism the arrangement and repetition of words, phrases, or sentence structures. Parallelism adds rhythm and emotional impact to writing. Extensive Detail/Description Mechanical Devices such as capitalization, italics, symbols, and/or different colors of ink

3 CHARACTERIZATION Motivation Dynamic Character The method used by an author to create a character, including The character s physical appearance The character s own speech, thoughts, actions, and/or feelings OTHER speech, thoughts, actions, and/or feelings about the character Direct comments by the author about the character A reason that explains a character s thoughts, feelings, actions, or behavior Protagonist The central character and focus of interest who is trying to accomplish or overcome an adversity and has the ability to adapt to new circumstances A character that undergoes a change in actions or beliefs during the course of a story Static Character A character that does not grow or change throughout the story, that ends as he/she began Antagonist The character opposing the protagonist; can be a person, idea, or force DICTION Denotation Word choice. An author often chooses a word, because it suggests a connotative meaning that comes from its use in various social contexts. The specific dictionary definition of a word Connotation The emotions or associations a word normally arouses in people using, hearing, or reading the novel A word may have a POSITIVE connotation, a NEGATIVE connotation, or a NEUTRAL connotation Point of View First Person Third Person Objective Perspective or position from which a story is told The narrator uses I throughout the story The narrator is one of the in the story The narrator s vantage point is inside the story The narrator can reveal his or her feelings and thoughts The narrator does not reveal any of the thoughts of any of the The narrator does not make any observations The story is told in a matterof-fact manner, with no emotion involved Third Person Limited Third Person Omniscient The narrator tells the story through the eyes, mind, and emotions of only ONE character The observations are told in third person: he, she, they The narrator peers into the hearts and minds of several The narrator comments on the behavior, thoughts, and motivations of many The narrator tells the story, but from the perspective of a third-person who knows all

4 FIGURES OF SPEECH Simile Personification Words or phrases that describe one thing in terms of something else; always involve some sort of imaginary comparison between seemingly unlike things; not meant to be taken literally. A comparison of two different things or ideas through the use of the words LIKE or AS Metaphor Writing that gives animals, inanimate objects, or abstract ideas human characteristics. A comparison of two unlike things not using like or as Pun A play on words that are identical or similar in sound but have sharply different meanings. Puns can have serious as well as humorous uses. Idiom An accepted phrase or expression having a meaning different from the literal Analogy Comparison between two similar things Hyperbole A deliberate, extravagant, and often outrageous exaggeration; may be used for either serious or comic effect Proverb An often used short saying that expresses a general truth or rule CONFLICT A struggle between two opposing forces Character vs. Self (Internal) When a character must make a decision about a problem or struggle he is having within himself Character vs. Nature a force of nature such as cold, storms, earthquakes, etc. Character vs. Character another character Character vs. Society a tradition or rule of society Character vs. Fate something he can t do anything about, such as God, luck, death, etc. Comparison Showing the similarities between two of more things Contrast Showing the differences between two or more things Venn Diagram Type of graphic organizer used to show how things are alike and how they are different

5 Genre Types of writing Expository Writing Informs or explains about a topic Narrative Type of writing that tells a story Periodical Any newspaper or magazine published regularly Folktale Story passed down from one generation to the next Fable Brief tale, usually about an animal, that teaches a moral or a lesson Legend Story from the past, often about a famous person or event, based at least somewhat on historical fact Myth Story that attempts to explain something about the world Biography Writing of or about another person s life Autobiography Writing about one s own life Structure-Short book or chapters Content-Real people, places, events Purpose-tell thoughts, feelings, observations to others; inform, explain, entertain Diary Structure-Dated entries in order of time Content-Real people, places, events Purpose-To record thoughts, feelings, observations for self Persuasive Intended to change or influence opinion Rhetorical Fallacies An argument that seems convincing but is based on bad logic, emotional manipulation or both. Argument A case built for or against something Factual Claim Can be proven with data, observations, and reliable sources Common Knowledge Information that is known by many people or that can be found in a number of different sources Commonplace Assertion Statement that many people assume to be true but which may or may not be so Exaggeration An overstatement of a fact or an idea; often meant to frighten Categorical Claim A claim based on an incorrect comparison between two things Generalizations Broad statement based on examples or instances Ad Hominem An attack on a person or people making a claim instead of addressing the claim itself Poetry Type of literature, usually written in lines and stanzas, that combines words, sounds, imagery, and rhythm to create meaning Rhyme Repetition of sounds at the ends of words, as in spot and dot Rhythm Arrangement of stressed and unstressed beats Lyric Expresses the thoughts and feelings of a single speaker, often in highly musical verse Narrative Poetry Poetry tells a story in verse. Narrative poems often have elements similar to those in short stories, such as plot and Haiku A three-line Japanese verse form. The first and third lines each have five syllables and the second line has seven Free Verse Is defined by its lack of strict structure. It has no regular meter, rhyme, fixed line length, or specific stanza pattern Ballads Songlike poems that tell stories. They often deal with adventure and romance Concrete Poems that are shaped to look like their subjects. The poet arranges the lines to create a picture on the page Limericks Humorous, rhyming, five-line poems with a specific rhythm pattern and rhyme scheme Rhyming Couplets Pairs of rhyming lines, usually of the same meter and length

6 T Title P Paraphrase C Connotation A Attitude S Shift T Title T Theme Before you even think about reading the poetry or trying to analyze it, speculate on what you think the poem might be about based upon the title. Jot down what you think this poem will be about. When you paraphrase a poem, write in your own words exactly what happens in the poem. Look at the number of sentences in the poem your paraphrase should have exactly the same number. Although this term usually refers solely to the emotional overtones of word choice, for this approach the term refers to any and all poetic devices, focusing on how such devices contribute to the meaning, the effect, or both of a poem. You may consider imagery, figures of speech (simile, metaphor, personification, symbolism, etc), diction, point of view, and sound devices (alliteration, onomatopoeia, rhythm, and rhyme). It is not necessary that you identify all the poetic devices within the poem. The ones you do identify should be seen as a way of supporting the conclusions you are going to draw about the poem. Examination of diction, images, and details suggests the speaker's attitude and contributes to understanding. You may refer to the list of words on Tone that will help you. Remember that usually the tone or attitude cannot be named with a single word think complexity. Rarely does a poem begin and end the poetic experience in the same place. As is true of most us, the poet's understanding of an experience is a gradual realization, and the poem is a reflection of that understanding or insight. Watch for the following keys to shifts: key words, (but, yet, however, although) punctuation (dashes, periods, colons, ellipsis) stanza divisions changes in line or stanza length or both irony changes in sound that may indicate changes in meaning changes in diction Now look at the title again, but this time on an interpretive level. What new insight does the title provide in understanding the poem? What is the poem saying about the human experience, motivation, or condition? What subject or subjects does the poem address? What do you learn about those subjects? What idea does the poet want you take away with you concerning these subjects? Remember that the theme of any work of literature is stated in a complete sentence. Playwright the author of a play Actors people who perform the drama Acts units of action Scenes acts are divided into these parts Stage Directions information about where the action takes place or how it is done Theater place where plays are performed Characterization playwright s method for creating believable Dialogue a conversation between or among Monologue a long speech by a single character that reveals his or her thoughts and feelings Set everything on stage that suggests the time and place Props small items that the actors use or carry to make their actions seem real Comedy a drama with a happy ending. Comedies are written to entertain and make people laugh. Comedies often point out faults in people or society. Tragedy an unhappy drama that ends with the downfall of the main character. The main character can be an average person or a person of great importance. Often, the main character is a heroic figure Drama is written about serious subjects such as events that happen in everyday life. Dramas may not have a comedic or a tragic tone. Drama often takes place on a stage in a theater. Stage plays require actors, costumes, lights, and sets. Other types of drama are not performed on stage. Screenplays are scripts for films. Screenplays include directions not only for actors but also for camera operators. They usually have more scene changes than a stage play Teleplays are scripts for television. They also include directions for camera operators and have more scene changes than a stage play Radio Plays are scripts for radio broadcasts. They include sound effects. Radio plays do not require sets, costumes, or directions for actors or camera operators about movement