Literary Terms
a story in which the narrative/characters carry an underlying symbolic, metaphorical or possibly an ethical meaning
Allegory
“Truffula trees, once cut, can never grow back.”
Task: Name the work and explain what this line suggests about human responsibility and environmental consequence
The Lorax; significance: warns about greed, environmental destruction, and moral responsibility.
This American author, known for works like “The Raven” and “The Tell-Tale Heart,” frequently explored themes of madness, death, guilt, and obsession.
Edgar Allen Poe
poetry written in iambic pentameter, the primary meter used in English poetry and the works of Shakespeare and Milton. its lines generally do not rhyme
Blank Verse
This story teaches the moral that environmental destruction and greed can lead to irreversible consequences.
The Lorax
a series of comparisons between two unlike objects that occur over a number of lines
“John laughs at me, of course, but one expects that in marriage.”
Task: Identify the story and explain how this line illustrates themes of oppression and mental deterioration.
The Yellow Wallpaper; significance: highlights gender roles, repression, and the narrator’s descent into madness.
This English playwright, known for works like Hamlet and Macbeth, frequently explored themes of ambition, fate vs. free will, power, and the complexity of human nature.
Shakespeare
the ordering and structuring of the words in a sentence
Syntax
This tragedy explores the theme that impulsive decisions and intense emotions can lead to devastating consequences.
Romeo and Juliet
Highest point, or turning point of a story
Climax
“I see the sun. I know it will help her.”
Task: Identify the work and explain how this line explores hope and what it means to be human.
Klara and the Sun; significance: shows AI perspective on love, sacrifice, and huma
This American author, known for works like Fahrenheit 451, frequently explored themes of censorship, technology’s impact on society, and the loss of individuality.
Ray Bradbury
an event or statement in a narrative that suggests, in miniature, a larger event that comes later
Foreshadowing
This story highlights the dangers of ignoring mental health and enforcing restrictive gender roles.
The Yellow Wallpaper
the emotional tone in a work of literature
Mood
“Yet, mad am I not—and very surely do I not confess myself guilty of the crime.”
Task: Identify the story and explain how this line demonstrates themes of guilt, morality, and unreliable narration.
The Black Cat; significance: narrator’s moral corruption and guilt illustrate consequences of evil actions.
This British author, known for Frankenstein, explored themes of creation, responsibility, and the dangers of unchecked ambition.
Mary Shelley
the total environment for the action in a novel/play. it includes time, place, historical milieu, and social, political and even spiritual circumstances
Setting
This novel explores the moral question of whether artificial beings can truly love and what defines humanity.
Klara and the Sun
the author's attitude toward the subject being written about. it's the characteristic emotion that pervades a work or part of a work
Tone
“O, I am fortune’s fool!”
Task: Identify the speaker and explain how this line reflects the themes of fate, impulsive decisions, and the consequences of human actions.
Romeo and Juliet; significance: Romeo recognizes that despite his intentions, fate controls events.This highlights the play’s theme of human helplessness against destiny and the tragic consequences of impulsivity.
This American author who used psychological realism to explore themes of gender roles, mental illness, and the oppression of women in the 19th century.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman?
the perspective from which the action of a novel in presented.
point of view
This dark story suggests that guilt and moral corruption inevitably reveal themselves, no matter how carefully they are hidden.