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Literary Terms

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Term
Definition
alliteration   series of words have the same letter or sound (example: She sells sea shells by the sea shore.)  
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allegory   a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one (Animal Farm is an allegory)  
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allusion   a reference to something else  
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antagonist   a person who is opposed to, struggles against, or competes with another opponent; adversary (example: Jack in Lord of the Flies is an antagonist.)  
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argument   an exchange of opposing views  
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character   a person/animal in a novel  
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characterization   description of a character, can be either what they look like (short, tall, skinning, brown hair) or describe a trait (honest, brave, funny)  
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citation   giving credit to a quotation  
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claim   statement that is true; can either be factual or opinion  
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conflict   a struggle between two opposing forces (examples: man vs. himself, man vs. society, man vs. man, man vs. nature, man vs. supernatural)  
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contrast   describe the difference between two items  
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dialect   language of people, may be based on location, social status and race  
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dialogue   conversation  
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dramatic irony   reader knows something, but the character in the book does not know  
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direct characterization   the author states a character's trait  
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evidence   used to support a claim  
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exposition   introduce background information on events, characters, setting  
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external conflict   struggle between character and outside force (nature, another character, society)  
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flashback   a section of a literary work that interrupts the chronological presentation of events to relate an event from an early time  
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foreshadowing   hints at an important plot developments to come  
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hyperbole   exaggerates an idea  
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illusion   a reference to something else  
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imagery   appeals to our sense of smell, sight, taste, touch or hearing  
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indirect characterization   we read the words/thoughts/actions of a character; we read descriptions of a character's appearance; we read what other characters are thinking  
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irony   a situation that ends up differently than one would have expected  
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metaphor   comparison of two dissimilar things  
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mood   reader has emotional feelings as they read  
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motif   subject, idea or concept that is present throughout the whole story  
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narrator   person who tells the story  
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onomatopoeia   word whose sound imitates its meaning (example: whoosh, drip, pop)  
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personification   giving human qualities to a non-human object (example: The leaves waved in the wind)  
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plot   the events that make up the story  
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point of view   manner in which the story is narrated (first person - "I", third person - "he" or "she"  
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propaganda   used to influence ideas of society  
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rhetorical question   question that is asked to make a point, but does not need to be answered  
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setting   time and place of a story  
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simile   a direct comparison between two subjects using either "like" or "as"  
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situational irony   when something happens that is different that what is expected  
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symbol   something that stands for something else (example: the conch in Lord of the Flies symbolizes order)  
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symbolism   something that stands for something else  
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thesis   sentence giving main point of essay  
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theme   main point of story  
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