| Question | Answer |
| Plot | Simply put: The story and everything that happens in it |
| Conflict | A struggle between opposing people or forces |
| Setting | The time and place of the story |
| Protagonist | The main character in a story. Not necessarily the "good guy," but the story is about him or her. |
| Antagonist | A character who causes conflict for the protagonist. Not necessarily a "bad guy." |
| External Conflict | External conflict takes place between a character and something outside himself: a person vs another person, or a person vs outside forces (nature, society, technology, fate) |
| Internal Conflict | Internal conflict takes place within a single character. This can be a difficult decision, a moral challenge to over come, or a struggle with fear and self-doubt. |
| Exposition | Readers are given the background information they need to understand the story; they learn about the characters and setting |
| Rising Action | The action of the story begins; the conflict is introduced; tension starts building |
| Climax | Moment of greatest tension; the protagonist must make a decision or confront a challenge |
| Falling Action | The consequences of the protagonists' decision or action play out |
| Resolution | The different story lines are resolved, and the story comes to its conclusion |
| Emily Dickinson | She was the first great American female poet and one of the first great female authors in all of Western literature. |
| Figurative Language | Found in poetry and descriptive writing, authors use it to appeal to the readers imagination and senses. |
| Poetry | A type of writing that focuses on the expression of feelings and ideas through the use of distinctive style and rhythm. |
| Poetic Devices | A type of style and rhythm that is used in poetry. |
| Simile | A comparison of two things using "like" or "as." |
| Metaphor | A comparison of two things without using "like" or "as." |
| Personification | Occurs when the author gives human characteristics to objects. |
| Hyperbole | Extreme exaggeration of the truth. |
| Imagery | Descriptive writing that appeals to the senses of touch, taste, sound, smell, and sight. |
| Repetition | The action of repeating something that has already been said or written |
| Rhyme | The correspondence of similar sound between words or the endings of words. |
| Rhythm | A strong, regular, repeated pattern of movement or sound |
| Alliteration | The repetition of consonant sounds within a line or sentence. |
| Exaggeration | A statement that represents something as better or worse than it really is. |
