Reading Literature: Theme & Character
This is the central idea or underlying message about life revealed in a work of literature.
What is theme?
The repetition of similar consonant sounds at the beginning of words in quick succession. (e.g., Peter Piper picked...)
What is alliteration?
The structure used to detail a problem and then offer potential solutions or remedies.
What is problem/solution?
This is the main point the author wants to convey about the topic of a non-fiction text.
What is the central idea?
This jolly character is traditionally known for wearing red and delivering gifts on Christmas Eve.
Who is Santa Claus (or Saint Nicholas)?
This character is the main person or force driving the plot forward and often faces the central conflict.
Who is the protagonist?
This is a question asked merely for effect or to lay emphasis on a point, where no explicit answer is expected from the audience.
What is a rhetorical question?
The structure where the author explains how one event or action leads directly to another event or outcome.
What is cause/effect?
This is the author's primary reason for writing a non-fiction text, often categorized as to inform, to persuade, or to entertain.
What is author's purpose?
To help you stay awake during the test, you can sit up straight, take a few deep breaths, and do this to your brain by focusing completely on the question.
What is waking up (or focusing)?
This technique is when the author provides hints or clues about events that will happen later in the story.
What is foreshadowing?
The author's unique attitude toward the subject matter or the audience, which is often revealed through word choice.
What is tone?
A text organized this way presents two or more items or ideas and discusses their similarities and differences.
What is compare/contrast?
The author's use of facts, statistics, examples, or expert opinions to support the main point of a text.
What is supporting evidence?
In the movie Elf, this is the main food group that Buddy believes the Elves stick to.
What are sugar, candy canes, candy, and syrup?
This type of character remains largely the same throughout the story and does not undergo significant personal change.
What is a static character?
The emotional quality or atmosphere of a literary work that affects the reader.
What is mood?
This type of organization presents a series of steps or events in the order in which they occurred.
What is chronological order (or sequence)?
This is the implied meaning of a word, which goes beyond its dictionary definition, and often relates to a positive or negative feeling.
What is connotation?
This is the score I am hoping you all try to beat on the EOC.
What is your personal best (higher than projection or higher than check-ins)?
In a text, the universal theme is most often revealed through the interaction of the main conflict, the main character's change (or lack thereof), and the resulting change in this narrative element.
What is the resolution (or climax)?
This is the particular perspective or vantage point from which a story is told (e.g., first-person, third-person limited).
What is point of view?
The part of a text that states the main point and briefly outlines the supporting claims or evidence to follow.
What is the introduction?
The analysis skill that requires the reader to look beyond the stated facts to determine what the author is suggesting or hinting at.
What is inference (or to infer)?
This individual, whose name starts with 'C' or 'R', went to the restroom more than the other this semester, according to Mrs. Drane's highly accurate memory.
Who is Cameron (or Ransom)?