Literary Terms Review

Literary Terms Review Wohoo! (Yes, that’s an onomatopoeia.)

Name that literary term! • “The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor.” • I heard the swishing of her skirts as she walked up the stairs. • "Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.“ • The pen is mightier than the sword.

Name that literary term! • "He was a remarkable Prime Minister with feet of clay". • The less you have the more free you are. • “My love is like a red, red rose.” • Julie wears so much make-up she has to use a sandblaster to get it off at night. • America is a melting pot. • My desk is groaning underneath the mountains of papers to grade. • I love it when my students cheat on their tests.

Imagery • Use of words to create a sensory experience or image • Uses the 5 senses • Ex: The family dinner was a “combination of boisterous conversation, badly burnt chicken, and the scent of freshly baked bread.”

Imagery • Your examples: • A sunset (sight) • A bowl of ice (touch) • A song you love (sound) • Be ready to share!

Simile • Figure of speech that makes a comparison between two seemingly unlike things by using a connective word—like, as, than, or resembles • “My love is like a red, red rose.” -Robert Burns • “And the sudden flurries of snow-birds, Like brown leaves whirling by.” –James Russell Lowell

Simile • The desks overhead sounded like the thunderous dancing of elephants. • My eyes pooled like rivers during the wedding vows. • Your examples: • Anger tastes like . . . • Kindness smells like . . .

Metaphor • Figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things without using a connective word such as like or as. Metaphors can be direct, implied, extended, or mixed • Ex: “I am soft sift/ In an hourglass.” –Gerard Manley Hopkins

Metaphor • “All the world's a stage,And all the men and women merely playersin it.” -William Shakespeare • America is a melting pot. • How could she date a snake like that? • Your example: fill in the blank with an object • Friendship is . . . • Education is . . .

Personification • Gives human qualities to an animal, thing, or concept • The tree sighed sadly in the cold wind. • The warm sun wrapped me in a blanket of peace.

Personification • “The ruddy brick floor smiled up at the smoky ceiling; the oaken settles, shiny with long wear, exchanged cheerful glances with each other; plates on the dresser grinned at pots on the shelf . . .”--The Wind in the Willows • Your example: • Describe a place in the style above--giving a feeling to the place by adding personification.

Hyperbole • Figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion or create a comic effect • Ex: The limousine was as long as the Titanic. • Julie wears so much make-up she has to use a sandblaster to get it off at night.

Hyperbole • “At last the garbage reached so high That finally it touched the sky. And all the neighbors moved away, And none of her friends would come out to play. And finally Sarah Cynthia Stout said, “OK, I’ll take the garbage out!” But then, of course, it was too late. . . --Shel Silverstein Your example: I laughed until . . . I was hungry enough . . .

Symbolism • Represents something else and itself • Always actually occurs in the text, usually more than once, instead of as a comparison • Common symbols: • Rose • Flag • Rain

Symbolism • “All this last day Frodo had not spoken, but had walked half-bowed, often stumbling, as if his eyes no longer saw the way before his feet. Sam guessed that among all their pains he bore the worst, the growing weight of the Ring, a burden on the body and a torment to his mind.” -J.R.R. Tolkien • Your example: Come up with your own symbol that represents two different meanings.

Irony--3 kinds • A deliberate contrast between two levels of meaning • Verbal—implying a different meaning than what is directly stated • Different than sarcasm, which is much more direct and harsh • Situational--the opposite of what is expected happens • Dramatic—audience knows something that one or more of the characters does not

Irony—which kind? • The beautiful woman lawyer walked into the courtroom wearing a visibly stained suit that frayed at the edges. • “Oh, and there’s a thrilling shot of one of the kids being sick on a small fishing boat off the coast of Florida and we are hovering over him offering him salami and mayonnaise sandwiches. That one really breaks us up.”—Erma Bombeck • Juliet is actually not dead, but asleep with the help of a strong potion. Romeo sees her lying in the tomb and kills himself because he believes her to be dead.

Irony—your turn! • Verbal Irony--a teenager is being yelled at for being out past curfew. What does he/she say in reply? • Situational Irony--You meet the man/woman of your dreams and expect to make a good impression. Instead, . . . • Dramatic Irony--Think of a recent movie in which the audience knows something the characters do not.

Allusion • Reference to a statement, person, place, event, or thing that is known from literature, history, religion, myth, politics, sports, science, or the arts • Examples: "Christy didn't like to spend money. She was no Scrooge, but she seldom purchased anything except the bare necessities".

Allusion • Ex: The students were sure that their teacher had drunk from the river Styx because of her complete inattention to their pranks. • Your example—think of a recent example you’ve heard or seen in which someone references a well-known work

Metonymy • Type of symbolism or naming in which the name of something is replaced with something closely associated with it • Ex: The White House issued a statement regarding the recent economic downturn. • What do these metonymies represent? • The throne • The Kremlin • Time to “hit the books”

Metonymy • Create your own metonymy! Decide what thing closely associated with school should represent it. Then use it in a sentence about school.

Paradox • A statement that appears to be contradictory, but actually expresses a truth • Ex: “Less is more” • “Truth must dazzle gradually/Or every man be blind” -Emily Dickinson • “Success is counted sweetest/By those who ne’er succeed” -Emily Dickinson • “It is in giving that we receive” -Francis of Assisi

Paradox • “Though this be madness, yet there is method in’t” -Polonius in Hamlet • Write your own paradox! Humans are the best examples of paradoxes. Think of someone you know who has seemingly opposite characteristics that make sense and are true. • Mrs. Bell is rarely on time and yet chose a career that is governed by time and a bell schedule.

Oxymoron • Figure of speech which seems to be self contradictory, but is actually true; a compressed paradox • Ex: Romeo describes love using several oxymorons, such as “cold fire,”“feather of lead” and “sick health” • Ex: She had a terrible beauty. There was a deafening silence. • Create your own oxymoron using this same adjective-noun form.

Allegory • A constant set of symbols operating on two levels in a story • Ex: Plato’s Allegory of the Cave--People are chained in a cave and think that the shadows they see are truth. When people break free, they leave the cave and see things as they truly are. • Ex: “Young Goodman Brown” ignores warning of his wife Faith, travels into the forest and meets a man with a snake staff and witches. He loses his faith.

Satire • Genre of comedy ridiculing human faults such as vanity, hypocrisy, stupidity, and greed--the aim is to evoke laughter, to expose and criticize • Ex: Anything on Saturday Night Live or The Daily Show • Austin Powers--ridicules the spy movies and heroes • Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” in which he proposes a solution to the problem of over-population in Ireland--the children of the poor should be a food source for the rich • Think of an example you’ve seen in pop culture and explain what it ridicules

Point of View • The identity of the narrative voice; the person or entity through whom the reader experiences the story. • First-person is narrated by a character in the story or a direct observer). • Second person style which addresses the reader as you, hoping to make you identify with the character • Third-person Omniscient knows all about all the characters and is only limited by what she may want to tell you. • Third-person Limited describes a narrator who knows everything but only follows the point of view of one particular character.

Point of View Which point of view are each of the following? 1. Mary's uncertainty cut like a knife in my gut. 2. Mary's uncertainty cut like a knife in John's gut. 3. You know how uncertainty can cut like a knife? 4. Mary’s uncertainty cut like a knife in John’s gut, froze her mother in shock and made the entire room stand still. Create your own example of third person omniscient, giving one of your characters ant bites.

Literary Terms Review