Terms : Hide Images
| 7168885707 | Epic | A long narrative poem telling of a hero's deeds . It tells the story of the life of an Assyrian king, Gilgamesh. Like all other epics, the narrative of this epic revolves around the themes related to gods, human beings, mortality, legacy and seduction. Like other epics, it is also composed in a grand style. -The Epic of Gilgamesh (~2000 BCE) | 0 | |
| 7168852101 | First Person Narration | The story is told from the point of view of a character in the story Classic novels that have used first person are To Kill a Mockingbird, The Sun Also Rises, Catcher in the Rye, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and Lolita. It can also be found in today's popular writing, such as the The Hunger Games trilogy. | 1 | |
| 7168852102 | Third Person Narration | Literary narration from a viewpoint beyond that of any one individual character "He is just what a young man ought to be," said she, "sensible, good humoured, lively; and I never saw such happy manners! -- so much ease, with such perfect good breeding!" Jane Austen in Pride and Prejudice | 2 | |
| 7168852103 | Omniscient | knowing everything; having unlimited awareness or understanding The narrator in Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, The Scarlet Letter, is an omniscient one, who scrutinizes the characters and narrates the story in a way that shows the readers that he has more knowledge about characters than they have knowledge about themselves. | 3 | |
| 7168853122 | Limited omniscient | Narrator shares the thoughts and feelings of one character "Harry had taken up his place at wizard school, where he and his scar were famous ...but now the school year was over, and he was back with the Dursleys for the summer, back to being treated like a dog that had rolled in something smelly...The Dursleys hadn't even remembered that today happened to be Harry's twelfth birthday. Of course, his hopes hadn't been high?" - "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" by J.K. Rowling | 4 | |
| 7168853123 | Free indirect discourse | type of third-person narration that slips in and out of characters' consciousness. "The muddy streets were gay. He strode homeward, conscious of an invisible grace pervading and making light his limbs. In spite of all he had done it. He had confessed and God had pardoned him. His soul was made fair and holy once more, holy and happy. It would be beautiful to die if God so willed. It was beautiful to live in grace a life of peace and virtue and forbearance with others." -James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man | 5 | |
| 7168885689 | Objective Narrator | tells a story without describing any character's thoughts, opinions, or feelings; instead, it gives an objective, unbiased point of view. In fiction, Ernest Hemingway's "The Killers" is told by an objective observer who communicates only the actions and words of the characters, leaving readers to infer their thoughts and emotions. | 6 | |
| 7168885690 | Unreliable narrator | an untrustworthy or naive commentator on events and characters in a story J. D. Salinger's cynical teenage narrator openly admits he's "the most terrific liar you ever saw" at the start of the story. His opinions about the world seem skewed by adolescent angst (he's a precocious protagonist with an immature streak), but Salinger makes us question Caulfield's stability at the end of the story. -Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye | 7 | |
| 7168885691 | Protagonist | the main character in a literary work In William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, the protagonist experiences terrible events because of his indecisiveness, which troubles him while murdering his evil uncle. So, Hamlet's struggle in dealing with the antagonist is what precedes the story. | 8 | |
| 7168885692 | Hero/Heroine | someone who fights for a cause Odysseus is well-known for his brilliance, versatility, wit, and ingenuity - so much so that the epithet "Odysseus the cunning" is used for his character. He is the best example of a larger-than-life-figure type of a classical hero. -Homer's epic "Odyssey." | 9 | |
| 7168885693 | Tragic Hero/Heroine | a literary character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction. Aristotle has used his character Oedipus as a perfect example of a tragic hero, as he has hubris such that he is blind to the truth. He refuses to listen to wise men, such as Tiresias, who predicts that Oedipus has killed his father, Laius. He is tragic because he struggles against the forces of his fate, and pitiable due to his weakness, which arouses fear in the audience. -Oedipus, Oedipus Rex (By Sophocles) | 10 | |
| 7168885694 | Antagonist | A character or force in conflict with the main character King Creon in Sophocles' tragedy "Antigone". Here, the function of the antagonist is to obstruct the main character's progress through evil plots and actions. Antigone, the protagonist, struggles against King Creon, the antagonist, in her effort to give her brother a respectable burial. | 11 | |
| 7168885695 | Antihero | A protagonist who has the opposite of most of the traditional attributes of a hero. Jay Gatsby is one of the most famous examples of antihero in literature. He wants to see himself as a hero, and early on in his life he renames himself Gatsby rather than his given name, Gatz. -The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald | 12 | |
| 7168885696 | Foil | A character who acts as a contrast to another character MERCUTIO: Romeo, Humors! Madman! Passion! Lover! Appear thou in the likeness of a sigh, Speak but one rhyme and I am satisfied. Cry but "Ay me!" Pronounce but "love" and "dove." -Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare This is an example of foil in which the two characters are good friends, yet have one very important difference. Romeo is a romantic person, hopelessly romantic in Mercutio's opinion. Mercutio, on the other hand, is witty and not at all romantic | 13 | |
| 7168885697 | Stock Character | Stereotypical character The evil stepmother in the tale of Cinderella is a prime example of a stock character. | 14 | |
| 7168885698 | Dynamic character | A character who grows, learns, or changes as a result of the story's action Hamlet, Hamlet (by William Shakespeare) Throughout the play, Hamlet is worried about life and death, and it is this apprehension that makes him a dynamic character. | 15 | |
| 7168885699 | Static character | A character that does not change from the beginning of the story to the end Mr. Collins, Pride and Prejudice (By Jane Austen) He plays a vital role in the novel by making efforts to get Darcy and Elizabeth together, and contributes comedy to the story; however, his character does not change. | 16 | |
| 7168885700 | Flat character | A character who is not very well developed; has few identifiable characteristics She remains passive, never acts on her own until she becomes a victim herself. -Gertrude from Hamlet (William Shakespeare) | 17 | |
| 7168885701 | Round character | A character who has many different character traits For instance, in the movie "Shrek," the main character says "'Ogres are like onions," which means that, what appears to them is not the only truth. | 18 | |
| 7168885702 | direct characterization | The author directly states a character's traits "The first thing Rainsford's eyes discerned was the largest man Rainsford had ever seen - a gigantic creature, solidly made and black bearded to the waist. -The Most Dangerous Game By Richard Connell | 19 | |
| 7168885703 | Indirect Characterization | Author subtly reveals the character through actions and interactions. Cathy was chewing a piece of meat, chewing with her front teeth. Samuel had never seen anyone chew that way before. And when she had swallowed, her little tongue flicked around her lips. Samuel's mind repeated, "Something—something—can't find what it is. Something wrong," and the silence hung on the table. -East of Eden by John Steinbeck The indirect characterization forces the reader to understand this passage as an allusion to the serpent in the Garden of Eden, thereby inferring Cathy's deep-rooted sinfulness. | 20 | |
| 7168885704 | Allegory | A literary work in which characters, objects, or actions represent abstractionsts "All animals are equal but a few are more equal than others." The animals on the farm represent different sections of Russian society after the revolution. For instance, the pigs represent those who came to power following the revolution -Animal Farm by George Orwell | 21 | |
| 7168885705 | Bildungsroman | a novel dealing with one person's formative years or spiritual education. This is a coming-of-age story of a character, Stephen Dedalus. Following his life story detailing boarding school, his choice of religious dedication, and innovative life as an artist. -"A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" by James Joyce | 22 | |
| 7168885706 | Comedy | A humorous work of drama William Shakespeare's play, A Midsummer Night's Dream, is a good example of a romantic comedy, presenting young lovers falling comically in and out of love for a brief period. Their real world problems get resolved magically, enemies reconcile and true lovers unite in the end. | 23 | |
| 7168885708 | Farce | an extremely ridiculous situation Just like a typical farce that contains basic elements like mockery of upper class, disgraceful physical humor, absurdity and mistaken identities, this novel also contains demonstrates these features of a farce. The most absurd thing in this is the fact that Miss Prism commits a blunder by leaving her manuscript in perambulator and instead putting her child into her handbag. Oscar Wilde's novel, The Importance of Being Earnest | 24 | |
| 7168885709 | Free Verse Poetry | no repeating patterns of syllables, no rhyme, conversational, modern Barely tolerated, living on the margin In our technological society, we were always having to be rescued On the brink of destruction, like heroines in Orlando Furioso Before it was time to start all over again. There would be thunder in the bushes, a rustling of coils,....... The whole thing might not, in the end, be the only solution........ Came plowing down the course, just to make sure everything was O.K.... About how to receive this latest piece of information. -Soonest Mended by John Ashbury In this poem, there is no regular rhyme scheme and rhythm; it is without poetic constraints, but with a flow that gives it a natural touch. | 25 | |
| 7168885710 | Lyric Poem | A type of poem characterized by brevity, compression, and the expression of feeling. "Turn back the heart you've turned away Give back your kissing breath Leave not my love as you have left The broken hearts of yesterday But wait, be still, don't lose this way... Accept my love, live for today." -Italian Sonnet by James DeFord This is an example of a sonnet, using fourteen lines with a metrical pattern of iambic pentameter. The poem is about feelings of love for a beloved. It tells how it is worth staying with one another instead of leaving. | 26 | |
| 7168885711 | Parody | a work which imitates another in a ridiculous manner Shakespeare wrote "Sonnet 130" in parody of traditional love poems common in his day. He presents an anti-love poem theme in a manner of a love poem mocking the exaggerated comparisons they made: "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far more red than her lips' red; If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. I have seen roses damasked, red and white, But no such roses see I in her cheeks;" | 27 | |
| 7168885712 | Romance | an extended narrative about improbable events and extraordinary people in exotic places This 14th century romance, whose writer is still unknown, revolves around the bravery of Sir Gawain, a knight of King Arthur, who accepts the challenge from the Green Knight. Sir Gawain beheads the knight, but the knight goes away reminding him that he would appear again. In this struggle, Sir Gawain shows his true nature of bravery, chivalry, and courage when tested by a lady, as he stays in the castle of that very knight. -Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (Author Unknown) | 28 | |
| 7168885713 | Satire | using humor to expose something or someone to ridicule Alexander Pope's The Rape of the Lock is an example of poetic satire in which he has satirized the upper middle class of eighteenth century England. It exposes the vanity of young fashionable ladies and gentlemen and the frivolity of their actions. For example, Pope says about Belinda after losing her lock of hair: "Whether the nymph shall break Diana's law, Or some frail china jar receive a flaw, Or stain her honor, or her new brocade" | 29 | |
| 7168885714 | stream-of-consciousness | writing that imitates the sometimes unpredictable workings of the mind James Joyce successfully employs the narrative mode in his novel "Ulysses" which describes the day in life of a middle-aged Jew, Mr. Leopold Broom, living in Dublin, Ireland. Read the following excerpt: "He is young Leopold, as in a retrospective arrangement, a mirror within a mirror (hey, presto!), he beholdeth himself. That young figure of then is seen, precious manly, walking on a nipping morning from the old house in Clambrassil to the high school, his book satchel on him bandolier wise, and in it a goodly hunk of wheaten loaf, a mother's thought." These lines reveal the thoughts of Bloom. He thinks of the younger Bloom. The self-reflection is achieved by the flow of thoughts that takes him back to his past. | 30 | |
| 7168885715 | Tragedy | A serious form of drama dealing with the downfall of a heroic or noble character Shakespeare, the most popular of all playwrights, knew the Greek tragedy style well and he used several Greek themes but modified them to his own purpose. He intentionally violates the unity of action and mixes tragic actions with comical. Examples of tragedy written by Shakespeare include: Hamlet Othello King Lear | 31 | |
| 7168885716 | Alliteration | the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words From Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" "The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew, The furrow followed free; We were the first that ever burst Into that silent sea." In the above lines we see alliteration ("b", "f" and "s") in the phrases "breeze blew", "foam flew", "furrow followed", and "silent sea". | 32 | |
| 7168885717 | Anaphora | the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses Richard II, Act 2, Scene 1 (By William Shakespeare) "This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England, This nurse, this teeming womb of royal kings [. . .] This land of such dear souls, this dear dear land," Here, Shakespeare does not disappoint us in the use of anaphora. The repetition of the word "this" creates an emotional effect on the readers, particularly those who are English. Further, it highlights the significance of England. The repetition of the word "dear" shows the writer's emotional attachment to the land, and expects to elicit a similar response from the readers as well. | 33 | |
| 7168885718 | Antithesis | a person or thing that is the direct opposite of someone or something else In Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" we notice antithesis in characters of "Mark Antony" and "Marcus Brutus". Brutus is portrayed as a "noblest of Romans" close to Caesar and a person who loved Rome and Caesar. Antony, on the contrary, is shown as a man with evil intentions of harming Caesar and taking charge of Rome. These antithetical characters highlight the conflict in the play. | 34 | |
| 7168885720 | Apostrophe | A locution that addresses a person or personified thing not present.William Shakespeare makes use of an apostrophe in his play "Macbeth": "Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee! I have thee not, and yet I see thee still." In his mental conflict before murdering King Duncan, Macbeth has a strange vision of a dagger and talks to it as if it were another person. | 35 | |
| 7168885721 | Assonance | Repetition of a vowel sound within two or more words in close proximity Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening (By Robert Frost) Try to recognize the use of assonance in Robert Frost's poem Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening: "He gives his harness bells a shake To ask if there is some mistake. The only other sound's the sweep Of easy wind and downy flake. The woods are lovely, dar and deep. But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep." | 36 | |
| 7168885722 | Cliché | a worn-out idea or overused expression They all lived happily ever after. Read between the lines Fall head over heals Waking up on the wrong side of the bed The quiet before the storm Between the devil and the deep blue sea | 37 | |
| 7168885723 | Consonance | Repetition of a consonant sound within two or more words in close proximity. Just like the poem "T was later when the summer went" by Emily Dickson: 'T was later when the summer went Than when the cricket came, And yet we knew that gentle clock Meant nought but going home. 'T was sooner when the cricket went Than when the winter came, Yet that pathetic pendulum Keeps esoteric time. | 38 | |
| 7168885724 | Epithet | A descriptive name or phrase used to characterize someone or something "Here of a Sunday morning My love and I would lie, And see the coloured counties, And hear the larks so high About us in the sky." -Brendon Hills by A.E Housman Here, "coloured" is an epithet used to describe the pleasant and beautiful spring season in those countries where the poet wishes to enjoy his beloved's company. | 39 | |
| 7168885725 | Hyperbole | exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally. "People moved slowly then. There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go,, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, nothing to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb County." -To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee This is an example of hyperbole because Lee is over exaggerating the peoples want or urge to stay in Maycomb County instead of going elsewhere. | 40 | |
| 7168885726 | Understatement | The ironic minimizing of fact, presents something as less significant than it is. "'I've got a nice place here,' he said, his eyes flashing about restlessly. Turning me about by one arm, he moved a broad flat hand along the front vista, including in its sweep a sunken Italian garden, a half acre of deep, pungent roses, and a snub-nosed motor-boat that bumped the tide offshore." -The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald This is an example of an understatement because Tom Buchanan simply calls his estate "nice" even though its obviously more than "nice". Instead of boasting he allows the place to speak for itself. | 41 | |
| 7168885727 | Enjambment | In poetry, the use of successive lines with no punctuation or pause between them "April is the cruelest month, breeding Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing Memory and desire, stirring Dull roots with spring rain. Winter kept us warm, covering Earth in forgetful snow, feeding A little life with dried tubers." -The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot This is an example of enjambment because throughout the poem only two lines have punctuation. The rest are enjambed. | 42 | |
| 7168885728 | Euphemism | An indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant "For the time being," he explains, "it had been found necessary to make a readjustment of rations." -Animal Farm by George Orwell This is an example of an euphemism because its taking a bad situation, cutting rations, and making it seem like its just changing the amount verses completely cutting rations. | 43 | |
| 7168885729 | Caesuras | A pause or break within a line of poetry "I'm nobody! || Who are you? Are you nobody, too? Then there's a pair of us || - don't tell! They'd banish || - you know!" -I'm Nobody! Who Are You? by Emily Dickinson The Caesuras in this piece cause it to have an uneven rhythm which conveys the depth of idea. | 44 | |
| 7168885730 | Simile | A comparison using "like" or "as" "I would have given anything for the power to soothe her frail soul, tormenting itself in its invincible ignorance like a small bird beating about the cruel wires of a cage." -Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad This is an example of a simile because the helplessness of the soul is being compared with a bird in a cage, beating itself against the merciless wires to be free. | 45 | |
| 7168885731 | Conceit metaphor | an extended metaphor with a complex logic that governs a poetic passage or entire poem. By juxtaposing, usurping and manipulating images and ideas in surprising ways, a conceit invites the reader into a more sophisticated understanding of an object of comparison. "Thou counterfeit'st a bark, a sea, a wind; For still thy eyes, which I may call the sea, Do ebb and flow with tears; the bark thy body is, Sailing in this salt flood; the winds, thy sighs; Who, raging with thy tears, and they with them, Without a sudden calm, will overset Thy tempest-tossed body." -Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare This is a good example because he compares Juliet to a boat in a storm. The comparison is an extended metaphor where he compares her eyes to a sea, her tears to a storm, her sighs to the stormy winds and her body to a boat in a storm. | 46 | |
| 7168885732 | Dead metaphor | a comparison that is overused. "Oh, if the economy, the elderly could leap above what binds them- bound toward bounty" -Leaps and bounds by Linda Varsell Smith This is a dead metaphor poem because it uses "leaps and bounds" in a way that is not usually seen. | 47 | |
| 7168885733 | extended metaphor | A metaphor developed at great length, occurring frequently in or throughout a work. "Bobby Holloway says my imagination is a three-hundred-ring circus. Currently I was in ring two hundred and ninety-nine, with elephants dancing and clowns cart wheeling and tigers leaping through rings of fire. The time had come to step back, leave the main tent, go buy some popcorn and a Coke, bliss out, cool down."-Seize the Night. Bantam, 1999- Dean Koontz Here, it can be seen that the "circus" has been compared to the author's "imagination." | 48 | |
| 7168885734 | mixed metaphor | a metaphor that is used incorrectly by combining two contrasting expressions. "Mr. Speaker, I smell a rat. I see him floating in the air. But mark me, sir, I will nip him in the bud."- Boyle Roche in the Irish Parliament Utilized several different metaphors in order to get the point across. | 49 | |
| 7168885735 | Metonymy | the substitution of the name of an attribute or adjunct for that of the thing meant "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears."- Julie's Ceaser- Shakespeare Mark Anthony uses "ears" to say that he wants the people present there to listen to him attentively. It is a metonymy because the word "ears" replaces the concept of attention. | 50 | |
| 7168885736 | Synecdoche | a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa "At midnight I went on deck, and to my mate's great surprise put the ship round on the other tack. His terrible whiskers flitted round me in silent criticism."- The Secret Sharer by Joseph Conrad The word "whiskers" mentioned in the above lines refers to the whole face of the narrator's mate. | 51 | |
| 7168885737 | Paradox | a statement that seems contradictory but is actually true "All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others".- Animal Farm by George Orwell This statement seems to not make any sense. However, on closer examination, it gets clear that Orwell points out a political truth. The government in the novel claims that everyone is equal but it has never treated everyone equally. It is the concept of equality stated in this paradox that is opposite to the common belief of equality. | 52 | |
| 7168885738 | Oxymoron | A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase. "the shackles of love straiten'd him His honour rooted in dishonoured stood And faith unfaithful kept him falsely true"- Lancelot and Elaine By Alfred Lord Tennyson We clearly notice the use of oxymoron in the phrases "shackles... straiten'd," "honour... dishonor," "faith unfaithful," and "falsely true". | 53 | |
| 7168885739 | Synesthesia | describing one kind of sensation in terms of another ("a loud color", "a sweet sound") "The butterfly and I had lit upon, Nevertheless, a message from the dawn, That made me hear the wakening birds around, And hear his long scythe whispering to the ground..."- A Tuft of Flowers by Robert Frost In the above excerpt, the speaker reveals a blend of sensory experiences that the speaker is experiencing. The speaker's visual sense and his sense of hearing make him aware of his surroundings. | 54 | |
| 7168885740 | Connotation | an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning. "Hie thee, gentle Jew. The Hebrew will turn Christian: he grows kind."- "The Merchant of Venice" by Shakespeare The word "Jew" has a negative connotation of wickedness, while "Christian" demonstrates positive connotations of kindness. | 55 | |
| 7168885741 | Denotation | The dictionary definition of a word "And on a day we meet to walk the line And set the wall between us once again. We keep the wall between us as we go. To each the boulders that have fallen to each."- Mending Wall by Robert Frost In the above lines, the word "wall" is used to suggest a physical boundary, which is its denotative meaning, but it also implies the idea of an emotional barrier. | 56 | |
| 7168885742 | Run-On /Fused Sentence | when a writer has connected two main clauses with no punctuation. A main clause makes a complete thought, so you should not find two of them smashed together in a single sentence. "My God the cigar what would your mother say if she found a blister on her mantel just in time too look here Quentin we're about to do something we'll both regret I like you liked you as soon as I saw you I says he must be ..."- "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner This excerpt is a perfect example of fused run-on sentences, where we find neither commas nor use of conjunction that could separate the clauses and gives clarity to this passage. | 57 | |
| 7168885743 | Comma Splice | Two sentences joined incorrectly by a comma instead of a conjunction, period, or semicolon "By day the goldfinches dip in yellow light, by night the frogs sing the song that never goes out of favor."- A Report in the Spring by E.B. White This example also has a comma splice that needs correction. Simply using the coordinating conjunction "and," or a semi-colon, can correct the comma splice. | 58 | |
| 7168885744 | Sentence Fragment | a sentence missing a subject or verb or complete thought "Late afternoon. The sky hunkers down, presses, like a lover, against the land. Small sounds. A far sheep, faint barking. Time to drive on, toward Strathpeffer, friends, a phone call from my father.-"Culloden," Only the Dance by Judith Kitchen This is an intentional use of sentence fragments in order to show the rhythmic phrasing. | 59 | |
| 7168885745 | Allusion | an indirect reference "The two knitting women increase his anxiety by gazing at him and all the other sailors with knowing unconcern. Their eerie looks suggest that they know what will happen (the men dying), yet don't care"- "Heart of Darkness" by Conrad This alludes to "Moirae" or Fates as visualized in Greek Mythology. The thread they knit represents human life. The two women knitting black wool foreshadows Marlow's horrific journey in the "Dark Continent". | 60 | |
| 7168885746 | Juxtaposition | Placement of two things closely together to emphasize comparisons or contrasts "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way..." - "A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens In order to give us an idea of the factors responsible for the French Revolution, Dickens uses Juxtaposition throughout the novel in which the have not's and the haves are put side by side to highlight the presence of severe disparity and discord in the then French society that paved the way for the revolution. By examining the given juxtaposition, readers can vividly imagine the calamitous atmosphere before the revolution and understand its need at that time. | 61 | |
| 7168885747 | Personification | Attribution of a lifelike quality to an inanimate object or idea "I hied me away to the woods — away back into the sun-washed alleys carpeted with fallen gold and glades where the moss is green and vivid yet. The woods are getting ready to sleep — they are not yet asleep but they are disrobing and are having all sorts of little bed-time conferences and whisperings and good-nights."- The Green Gables Letters by L. M. Montgomery The lack of activity in the forest has been beautifully personified as the forest getting ready to sleep, busy at bed-time chatting and wishing good-nights, all of which are human customs. | 62 | |
| 7168885748 | Anthropomorphism | attributing human characteristics to an animal or inanimate object (Personification) "My father was a St. Bernard, my mother was a collie, but I am a Presbyterian. This is what my mother told me, I do not know these nice distinctions myself. To me they are only fine large words meaning nothing. My mother had a fondness for such; she liked to say them, and see other dogs look surprised and envious, as wondering how she got so much education.... When I was well grown, at last, I was sold and taken away, and I never saw her again. She was broken-hearted, and so was I, and we cried; but she comforted me as well as she could...."- A Dog's Tale by Mark Twain The protagonist of the story is a dog that is telling the story. It is describing his life as a puppy. The story is told from the loyal pet's perspective. The dog possesses human traits like emotions, shame, fear, anguish, happiness and hopelessness. | 63 | |
| 7168885749 | Imagery | Description that appeals to the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste) . Consider an example from Act I, Scene V: "O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear ..."- Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare Romeo praises Juliet by saying that she appears more radiant than the brightly lit torches in the hall. He says that at night her face glows like a bright jewel shining against the dark skin of an African. Through the contrasting images of light and dark, Romeo portrays Juliet's beauty. | 64 | |
| 7168885750 | visual imagery | Describing what one would see "The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep ... "- Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost Robert Frost uses visual imagery in these lines of his famous poem as, "the woods are lovely, dark and deep." | 65 | |
| 7168885751 | Auditory Imagery | Describing what one would hear "Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies; And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn; Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft The redbreast whistles from a garden-croft, And gathering swallows twitter in the skies."- To Autumn by John Keats The animal sounds in the above excerpt keep appealing to our sense of hearing. We hear the lamb bleating and the crickets chirping. We hear the whistles of the redbreast robin and the twitters of swallows in the skies. Keats call these sounds the song of autumn. | 66 | |
| 7168885752 | kinesthetic imagery | an image that represents movement. "I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o'er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze."- Daffodils by William Wordsworth This is a very good example of imagery in Wordsworth's Daffodils. The poet uses the sense of sight to create a host of golden daffodils beside the lake. Their fluttering and dancing also refers to the sight. | 67 | |
| 7168885753 | Olfactory imagery | Sense of smell "Brookfield he had liked, almost from the beginning. He remembered that day of his preliminary interview—sunny June, with the air full of flower scents and the plick-plock of cricket on the pitch. Brookfield was playing Barnhurst, and one of the Barnhurst boys, a chubby little fellow, made a brilliant century. Queer that a thing like that should stay in the memory so clearly."- Goodbye Mr. Chips by James Hilton This is an excellent example of the use of imagery in Goodbye Mr. Chips by James Hilton. First the word sunny refers to the visual imagery. The flower scent refers to the sense of smell, and then the plick-plock refers to the sense of hearing. | 68 | |
| 7168885754 | gustatory imagery | imagery of taste "I have eaten the plums that were in the icebox and which you were probably saving for breakfast Forgive me they were delicious so sweet so cold." - "This is just to say" by William Carlos Williams Hes describing the taste of plums and how they feel | 69 | |
| 7168885755 | situational irony | a contrast between what the audience and a character expect and what actually happens The whole story of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" presents a case of the situational irony. Dorothy moves to the wizard in order to find a way to go her home just to learn that she was capable of doing so persistently. Scarecrow wished to become intelligent, but he discovers himself a perfect genius. Woodsman considers himself as not capable of love; nevertheless he learns that he has a good heart. Lion appears as a coward and then turns out to be an extremely fearless and courageous.- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum | 70 | |
| 7168885756 | Verbal Irony | A figure of speech in which what is said is the opposite of what is meant "She is tolerable but not handsome enough to tempt me".- Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen We can find many finest examples of this form of irony in Pride and Prejudice. In this example, we relish ironic flavor of Darcy's statement that we later figure out that the woman whom he finds unsuitable to dance with, in reality, finds her place in his heart. | 71 | |
| 7168885757 | dramatic irony | the contrast between what a character expects and what the audience knows is true "To be able to be free from care, quite free from care; to be able to play and romp with the children; to be able to keep the house beautifully and have everything just as Torvald likes it!"- A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen Nora is delightedly looking forward to those moments when she would be able to pay off her debts to Krogstad. This reflects that she would be free. However, her speech shows the use of dramatic irony when the readers know that her freedom is, in fact, a bondage, which she comes to realize by the end of the story. | 72 | |
| 7168885758 | Foreshadowing | the use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in a plot "The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees... Riding—riding— The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door."- The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes The above lines are entirely filled with melancholic tone and foreshadowing. The very first line calls wind "a torrent of darkness," where darkness is a foreshadowing danger. The depiction of night and weather as 'darkness' foretells the coming of a dark tale. | 73 | |
| 7168885759 | Mood | Feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader "The river, reflecting the clear blue of the sky, glistened and sparkled as it flowed noiselessly on."- "Pickwick Papers" by Charles Dickens The depiction of idyllic scenery imparts a serene and non-violent mood to the readers. | 74 | |
| 7168885760 | Motif | a distinctive feature or dominant idea in an artistic or literary composition In Shakespeare's Hamlet, we find a recurring motif of incest accompanied by incestuous desires of some characters. Laertes speaks to his sister Ophelia in a way that is sexually explicit. Hamlet shows obsession for Gertrude's sexual life with Claudius has an underlying tone of an incestuous desire. Besides, there is a motif of hatred for women that Hamlet experiences in his relationship with Gertrude and Ophelia. Hamlet expresses his disgust for women in Scene 2 of Act I: "Frailty, thy name is woman" | 75 | |
| 7168885761 | Symbol | anything that stands for or represents something else "Ah Sunflower, weary of time, Who countest the steps of the sun; Seeking after that sweet golden clime Where the traveler's journey is done;"- Ah Sunflower by William Blake Blake uses a sunflower as a symbol for human beings, and "the sun" symbolizes life. Therefore, these lines symbolically refer to their life cycle and their yearning for a never-ending life. | 76 | |
| 7168885762 | Contextual Symbol | can be a setting, character, action, object, name, or anything else in a work that maintains its literal significance while. suggesting other meanings. Such symbols go beyond conventional symbols; they gain their symbolic. meaning within the context of a specific story. "In the spring, I asked the daisies If his words were true, And the clever, clear-eyed daisies Always knew. Now the fields are brown and barren, Bitter autumn blows, And of all the stupid asters Not one knows."- Wild Asters by Sara Teasdale In the above lines, "spring" and "daisies" are symbols of youth. "Brown and barren" are symbols of transition from youth to old age. Moreover, "Bitter autumn" symbolizes death. | 77 | |
| 7168885763 | Cultural Symbol | the meaning of a symbol is not inherent in the symbol itself but is culturally learned. An "A+" is a cultural symbol. Think how random an A+ really is yet how much meaning it conveys. Especially as a child and likely still as a college student, when you see that A+, which is technically just a series of lines arranged in a particular manner, the first letter of our alphabet, you feel a sense of pride and accomplishment. You know that symbol means that you did an excellent job, especially when compared to the symbol "F". | 78 | |
| 7168885764 | Theme | Central idea of a work of literature Love and Friendship Theme Love and friendship are frequently occurring themes in literature. They generate emotional twists and turns in a narrative, and can lead to a variety of endings: happy, sad, or bittersweet. The following are famous literary works with love and friendship themes: Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen | 79 | |
| 7168885765 | Thesis | a statement or theory that is put forward as a premise to be maintained or proved. Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice. (One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez) The rest of the passage is based upon the afternoon before mentioned. | 80 | |
| 7168885766 | Tone | an attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience "This was the last fish we were ever to see Paul catch. My father and I talked about this moment several times later, and whatever our other feelings, we always felt it fitting that, when we saw him catch his last fish, we never saw the fish but only the artistry of the fisherman."- A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean The extract contains tones of loss and nostalgia; however, the characters look quite satisfied with the way things are moving forward. | 81 |
