Theme
A message or lesson that applies across cultures and time periods.
What is a universal theme?
The reader's attitude or feeling about the text.
What is mood?
Identify the device: “He drowned in a sea of grief.”
What is a metaphor?
An appeal to logic and reasoning.
What is logos?
The difference between a "line" and a "stanza" in a poem.
What is a line is a single row of words; a stanza is a group of lines forming a "paragraph"?
The literary term for an object or idea that represents a larger, abstract concept (e.g., a dove representing peace).
What is symbolism?
The definition of the word 'ambiguous' based on this sentence: "The note’s meaning was so ambiguous that neither of us could agree on what the author wanted."
What is unclear (or open to more than one meaning)?
The comparison in this sentence: "The linebacker hit the runner with the force of a freight train."
What is a linebacker hitting someone to a freight train hitting someone?
The purpose of this is to provoke thought or emphasize a point without expecting anything to be said.
What is a rhetorical question?
The repetition of initial consonant sounds in a sequence of words, as in “The soft silver snow slipped silently.”
What is alliteration?
Which sentence best develops the universal theme that change is inevitable, and growth requires letting go of the past?
(1) The abandoned mill stood on the riverbank, its brick smokestack a lonely monument to a bygone industrial era. (2) The city council debated endlessly about its fate, torn between preserving the historic structure and razing it for modern development. (3) Mayor Hayes pointed out that while the building held many fond memories for the older generation, the space was desperately needed for a new science academy. (4) A thick layer of dust covered the old assembly line, where nature had begun to push up weeds through cracks in the concrete floor.
What is sentence 3?
The perspective used when the narrator is a character in the story and uses "I," "me," and "my."
What is first-person point of view?
Analyze this simile (the connotation/feeling): “Like a kicked dog, he slunk away.”
What is the feeling of shame or sorrow?
The rhetorical appeal being used when a speaker shares a personal story to gain sympathy.
What is pathos (emotional appeal)?
Language that appeals to the five senses to create vivid pictures or emotions.
What is imagery?
Which sentence best develops the universal theme that the pursuit of knowledge requires sacrifice and often leads to discomfort?
(1) Dr. Elena spent her days surrounded by dusty manuscripts and complicated equations in the quiet university library. (2) She often refused invitations to social gatherings, knowing that every minute spent away from her research was a minute wasted. (3) The air conditioning unit in her tiny office had broken weeks ago, but she barely noticed the heat as she worked. (4) Elena knew that the final answer to her theoretical physics problem was just beyond the horizon of her current understanding.
What is sentence 2?
The text structure that presents an issue or disagreement and then provides a potential remedy or path forward.
What is problem and solution?
The literary device that uses contradictory terms appearing in conjunction, like "jumbo shrimp" or "bitter sweetness."
What is an oxymoron?
The rhetorical device used here: “If not now, when? If not us, who?”
What is parallelism (or repetition)?
The literary term for the attitude an author takes toward the subject or audience, which is conveyed through the choice of words and viewpoint.
What is tone?
The two terms that describe how a theme is implied through a story's characters and events, rather than being directly stated by the narrator.
What are implicit and explicit?
A warning or indication of a future event in a story.
What is foreshadowing?
The connotation/feeling of this hyperbole: “I’ve told you a million times to clean your room!”
What is frustration?
The rhetorical strategy of using parallel structure in a sentence to express opposing ideas, such as in "Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country."
What is an antithesis?
Repeating an idea or word for emphasis.
What is repetition?