Literary Terms
A figure of speech which involves the comparison of two unlike things typically using the words “like” or “as”.
What is a Simile
In Paul Lawrence Dunbar’s “We Wear the Mask” the “We” refers to which group that was responsible for the Harlem Renaissance?
What are African Americans.
Whitman described his time and experience treating wounded soldiers in this poem.
What is "The Wound-Dresser."
This dialogue-drenched piece details bumps of all kinds, from train rides, to rolling hills, to rocky relationships.
"Hills Like White Elephants", Ernest Hemingway, 1927.
Although he was not the first to use the sonnet, this English poet and playwright succeeded in making it his own.
Who was Shakespeare.
The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses.
What is an Anaphora
In Mark Twain’s “A True Story” Aunt Rachel lies about experiencing what trouble when talking to Mr. C?
What is her son Henry being sold into slavery.
A soldier describes his comradery felt for his fallen friend in this poem
What is "Vigil Strange I Kept on the Field One Night."
This as-told memoir follows the days of a Sioux girl as she is displaced from her home and forced to assimilate into another.
"The School Days on An Indian Girl", Zitkala-Sa, 1900.
This many lines comprise the body of a traditional sonnet, usually written in iambic pentameter.
What is 14.
The term for the continuation of a sentence or phrase from one line of poetry to the next.
What is an Enjambment.
“Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with __ trouble, great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband’s death.” (Chopin)
What is heart trouble.
This poem reflects upon the end of the American Civil War and the reality that many stories during the conflict will never make it into recorded history.
What is "The Real War Will Never Get in the Books?"
This brief piece of fiction depicts the wilds of the West and its pacification from the East.
"The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky", Stephen Crane, 1898.
This Italian word for “turn” indicates a change in thought or argument before the final couplet.
What is the Volta.
A period of U.S. history marked by a burst of creativity within the African American community in the areas of art, music and literature.
What is the Harlem Renaissance.
This form of lying is alluded to when Dickinson wrote: “Tell all the Truth but tell it slant— / Success in Circuit lies” (Dickinson 1263, lines 1-2)?
What are white lies.
This piece references Walt Whitman watching a basketball game.
What is "Defending Walt Whitman."
This 1930’s excerpt paints the “God of America” as “golden” and “dyspeptic”.
"The Soul of A Landlord", Michael Gold, 1930.
The traditional rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet.
What is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.
A writing style created by Ernest Hemingway where details are limited for the purpose of leaving space for the viewer's imagination.
What is Hemingway’s iceberg theory / theory of omission.
Dickinson wrote: “I like a look of Agony, / Because I know it ’s true / Men do not sham ___ /Nor simulate, a ___” (Dickinson 241, Lines 1-4)
What is “Convulsion” and “Throe.”
Whitman appears in this poem written by _ while walking through a grocery store. (Name the author too)!
What is Allen Ginsberg's "A Supermarket in California."
This technically true tale follows a slave woman’s harsh years through slavery, where she is woefully separated from her son, only for him to miraculously return. (Full title)
"A True Story, Word for Word as I Heard It", Mark Twain, 1874.
The traditional rhyme scheme of a Petrarchan sonnet.
What is ABBA ABBA CDCDCD (or CDECDE).