What is the main problem in a story?
The conflict
What is a big idea?
A concept or idea that is explored throughout a text, such as race, gender, power, or freedom.
What is a plot?
The sequence of events in a story, including the exposition, rising action, climax and conclusion.
What is a paragraph in a literary analysis essay that focuses on a literary element or author’s craft technique and details how it contributes to the theme of the text.
A body paragraph
What is an introduction?
The first paragraph in a literary analysis essay, it includes the title and author of the text, a summary of events and ideas in the text, and a thesis statement.
What does the word settings mean?
The time and place in which a story takes place.
What is the final paragraph in a literary analysis essay, often including a restatement of the thesis statement, a summary of ideas, a call to action and/or how the text remains relevant in today’s world.(something close counts)
The conclusion
What is a universal message that the author is teaching the reader, or that the character is learning, about life, living or people in general?
Theme
What is an original idea?
An idea generated by the reader that is not explicitly found in a text, but can be supported with textual evidence.
What are the techniques that a writer uses to convey ideas in a meaningful and effective way?
Authors craft
What is a character?
Any person, animal or inanimate object that has been presented as a person in the narrative of a text
What is a thesis statement?
What a writer is arguing in an analysis essay.
What is the point of view?
Who is telling the story; could be first person (when the speaker is in the story) or third person (when the speaker is an outside narrator)
What is a reader response?
A paragraph that explains a reader’s original idea about a text, and includes context, a direct quote, and analysis.
What is a literary analysis?
Breaking up a story into literary elements and thinking critically about how each element contributes to the meaning of the story.
What is symbolism?
When an object in a story represents a big idea.
What is character development?
The process of a character’s growth, change, or learning.
What is characterization?
The process by which the writer reveals the personality of a character; it can be through physical appearance, behaviors or actions, speech, or what others say about them.
What are literary elements?
The fundamental components of a text that contribute to the overall meaning and impact of the text.
What is a literary analysis essay?
An essay that makes an argument about a text and that highlights the literary elements and/or author’s craft techniques that contribute to the text’s overall theme.