Literary Devices
An extreme exaggeration for effect
I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!
What is hyperbole?
The reason a character acts or behaves in a certain way.
What is motivation?
introduces the main characters, setting and
other important details to set up the story.
What is the Background?
When the author leaves clues that hint at events that are yet to come; A scene that predicts an event in the future.
What is foreshadowing?
This shows a sequence of past events, cause and effect
through the eyes of fictional characters.
What is historical narrative/historical fiction?
A comparison between two things using the words "like" or "as"
What is a simile?
Characters can evolve throughout a story. This can
be caused by hardships, relationships, beliefs,
health, regrets etc...
What is Character Development?
The wrap up to the story may be conventional or
unexpected.
What is the Ending?
The use of words to convey a meaning by using language that normally means the opposite.
What is Irony?
The narration presents events in time order
What is linear narration?
Giving human qualities to non-human objects
The wind howled and whistled during the storm.
What is personification?
Daily Double
Many times characters motivations stem from or lead to the conflict in the story.
These are the 2 main types of conflict
What are:
Internal Conflict: Character vs. themselves. and
External Conflict: Character vs. an outside influence,
A build up in the action, contains clues or other exciting details to build up the reader’s anticipation and interest. (Often includes a complication/problem.)
What is Rising Action?
the emotion or feeling that readers get from reading a piece of literature
What is mood?
Told through characters’ eyes. (1st person)
What is Viewpoint?
An object, event or person in the story that stands
for something else or an idea.
What is symbolism?
This is what motivated the character of Roger in Thank You, Ma'am by Langston Hughes
Possible answers:
* In the beginning, Roger was motivated by greed/jealousy to steal Mrs. Bates' pocketbook
*At the end, Roger wanted Mrs. Bates to trust him and think of him as a good person
the point in the narrative where the tension, excitement, or stakes reach the highest level. It is often the conclusion of a story's main conflict and sets up for either a successful resolution or an unsatisfying ending
What is the Climax?
any ideas that appear repeatedly throughout a
text, like a lesson or message to the reader
What is Theme?
The story travels back and forth between time
periods.
What is nonlinear narration?
Words that describe sounds similar to the sound
they make.
What is onomatopoeia?
A character trait and text evidence for Mrs. Price in Eleven by Sandra Cisneros
Possible answers:
o Trait: insensitive
Evidence: Mrs. Price doesn’t think about why Rachel would tell her the sweater isn’t hers, she doesn’t notice or care that Rachel is upset, and she doesn’t apologize for her mistake.
o Trait: authoritative
Evidence: Mrs. Price demands that Rachel put on the sweater, not just keep it on her desk.
o Trait: persistent
Evidence: Mrs. Price refuses to let the sweater issue go.
Everything that happens as a result of the climax, including wrapping-up of plot points, questions being answered, and character development
What is Falling action?
Repetition of initial sounds in the words.
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers
What is alliteration?
The story starts and ends in the same place.
What is circular narration?