Literary Elements 1
A reference to something that has happened previously
a flashback
An evidence-based guess about what will happen next
a Prediction
From Paul Lawerence Dunbar : Sympathy "And the river flows like a stream of glass
a Simile
A pattern of end rhyme, identified by capital letters
Rhyme scheme
The theme is Self-Sacrifice, Respect
The Cat Who Went to Heaven
Feeling or emotion the reader experiences while reading a passage
mood
A play on words, usually humorous
a pun
From Edgar Allan Poe The Raven: "Doubting, dreaming, dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;"
an Alliteration
Character struggles against forces of the Earth; often called “survival stories”
Person vs. Nature
Conflict - Person vs. society
Julius Caeser or Letters from Rifka
When the intended meaning is different from the actual meaning
Irony
When something happens as a result of something else
Cause/ Effect
Name point of view
From William Shakespeare, All the world's a stage: "ALL THE world's a stage, And all the men and woman are merely players; They have their exits and their entrances;
third person
A unit of meter, consisting of a certain number of stressed and unstressed syllables
foot
Setting: Ukraine, Poland, Belgium, Ellis Island (Early 1900s)
Letters from Rifka
Main character, not always good
the protagonist
Character who opposes the main character
the antagonist
Name point of view
From Langston Hughes "Mother to Son": " So boy, don't you turn back. Cause you finds it's kinder hard."
second person
The character struggles with beliefs, attitudes, behaviors, and decision-making
person vs. self
Theme: Good vs. evil, perseverance, roles for the ideal man and woman
The Ramayana
An idea or feeling that a word invokes
connotation
The literal meaning or dictionary definition of a word
denotation
From William Wordsworth "I Wander Lonely as a Cloud": "The waves beside them danced, but they outdid the sparkling waves in glee;"
personification
Exaggeration to prove a point, not literal
a hyperbole
Theme: Balance of good and bad fortune, fulfilling a promise, perseverance
King of the Wind