Name the Term
A comparison between 2 unlike things using "like" or "as."
Simile
"The wind whispered through the empty house."
What device is being used?
Personification
We look for this in poetry because the first part starts one way but the poem ends in another way.
Shift
The narrator tells us what one character thinks and feels but cannot reveal the thoughts of other characters.
What POV?
3rd person limited
An author uses extremely short sentences during a character's escape scene.
Why?
Create a fast, tense, urgent rhythm
A comparison between 2 unlike things without using "like" or "as."
Metaphor
"He was as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs."
What device is being used?
Simile
A poem repeatedly uses words such as: cold, dark, alone, hollow, etc.
What choice should we analyze?
diction, imagery, tone
The narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of multiple characters.
What POV?
3rd person omniscient
An author suddenly switches from long, flowing sentences to short fragments.
What should you investigate?
A shift in syntax/structure and what is an effect or result of the change
The attitude a speaker, narrator, or author has toward the subject.
Tone
"The golden sun poured warmth across the meadow."
What technique is being used?
Imagery
A poem's speaker asks several questions but never answers them.
What does this technique reveal?
Uncertainty, conflict, frustration, etc.
The narrator participates in the story and tells it using "I."
What POV?
1st person
A character repeatedly describes his wealthy neighbors as "refined," but the story shows them behaving cruelly.
What should you investigate?
Irony, the hypocrisy of the characters or society
The author's specific word choice.
Diction
A character says, "Wonderful. Another flat tire."
What technique is being used?
Verbal Irony
What should we be able to figure out by the end of a poem?
Theme
An author describes a character as: "He smiled politely, but his hands trembled beneath the table."
What kind of characterization is this?
Indirect characterization
A character says, "I don't care what they think," then spends the rest of the story worrying about everyone's opinion.
What should you investigate?
Characterization/irony, the character is insecure despite wanting to appear independent
A reference to another text, person, historical event, myth, etc.
Allusion
A character repeatedly notices locked door throughout a story.
What technique is being used if the doors represent something?
Symbolism
This word appears on most AP exam prompts and means that nothing is as simple as a summary.
Complexity
What is it called when the author gives you information about something that happened earlier in the character's life?
Flashback
In a story, a storm begins immediately after 2 characters have a major argument.
What should you investigate?
Symbolism, the storm may function to create an atmosphere that reflects the conflict