Literary Terms
What is non-fiction?
Prose writing that is based on facts, real events, and real people
What was the main idea of Adichie's TED Talk - "The Danger of a Single Story"
Accepting only one perspective of a person or place can lead people to make assumptions that may be incomplete and lead to misunderstanding.
What genre is Isabel Allende’s “Writing As an Act of Hope”?
“Writing as an Act of Hope” is an informal or personal essay, because Allende uses the first person, writes in a conversational tone, and expresses several of her own opinions in a short piece of nonfiction.
How would you describe this poem? What is being compared throughout the poem?
“The Guest House” is an extended metaphor poem which compares the experience of being human to the idea of a guest house.
How does the poet use an extended metaphor in the poem “Amphibians”?
The poet compares immigrants to amphibians to emphasize how they live in between two cultures and adapt to different environments, like amphibians which live both on land and in water.
What is imagery?
The use of descriptive language to create sensory impressions that form a vivid mental picture for the reader
How did “single stories” impact Adichie’s experience as a reader and writer?
Single stories impacted Adichie's experience as a reader and writer by changing her perception of literature, originally thinking that books could only be about foreigners. She did not know that people like her could exist in literature so her writing reflected the things she was reading.
“There is an apparent world and a real world--nice neighborhoods where blond children play on their bicycles and servants walk elegant dogs, and other neighborhoods, of slums and garbage, where dark children play naked with hungry mutts.”
This quote is an example of...
imagery
Who or what do the “guests” represent?
different types of emotions
“Fully at home in the rain.”
What is the figurative meaning of this quote?
Immigrants feel most comfortable when they can successfully adapt to their new environment while also staying connected to their original culture in some ways.
What is figurative language?
Use of a word or phrase that does not have its normal, literal meaning and instead has a symbolic meaning
What country was Adichie from?
Nigeria
“A novel is like a window, open to an infinite landscape.”
What figurative language is being used in this quote?
***not imagery
simile
What is the main idea or message of the text?
It is beneficial for people to accept and appreciate all the types of emotions they experience, even the unpleasant ones.
What is an extended metaphor?
a symbolic comparison of two seemingly unlike things that continues throughout many sentences, many lines, or an entire poem
What is a simile?
a figurative comparison of two seemingly unlike things using “like” or “as”
What is an example of when Adichie incorrectly perceived someone else due to only having a single story of them?
Fide and Fide's family - She thought that because they were poor that they were not hardworking
Mexicans - Adichie assumed all Mexicans were abject immigrants because of what she saw in media coverage.
“The writer of good will carries a lamp to illuminate the dark corners.”
This quote is an example of...
metaphor
Why does Rumi think we should accept all of our unpleasant emotions?
Because negative emotions can bring on positive ones and those emotions are there for a reason
Where is the poet Joseph Legaspi from?
The Philippines
What is an informal or personal essay?
A short piece of nonfiction which is usually conversational in tone, full of personal opinions, and flexible in organization
What is an example of something Adichie's college roommate incorrectly perceived about her because she only had one story of Nigerian people?
She thought that Adichie didn't know how to use a stove.
She thought that English wasn't Adichie's first language and that she must have had a great teacher.
She thought that Adichie listened to tribal music.
How does Isabel Allende feel about Latin America and the role of the writer?
She cares deeply about Latin America. She believes it is a complex place full of contrasts, including both suffering and hope. She believes that writers should tell the complicated truth of Latin America so that people can gain a greater understanding.
What year was Rumi born in?
1207
What is a metaphor?
The comparison of two unlike things in which NO words of comparison are used (does NOT use “like” or “as”)