Figurative Language
This literary device is at work when a dove represents peace or a heart stands in for love.
symbolism
In "How the World Began", the world’s origins through the fall of a Sky Woman onto a ______.
Turtle
This farmer is the tragic hero of The Crucible who ultimately chooses honesty over his own life.
Proctor
Among the five core beliefs of this ideology is the idea that humans come to know God primarily through reason—rather than through scripture or revelation.
deism
A country declaring independence is seeking this—its ability to govern itself without outside control.
autonomy
Calling someone “vertically challenged” instead of “short” shows this polite, indirect way of softening harsh realities.
euphemism
In this poem "To My Dear and Loving Husband", this Puritan author declares that her love is so strong no man could ever repay it.
Anne Bradstreet
The panic that fuels the play begins when a group of girls is caught doing this.
dancing in the forest
In his Autobiography, Franklin lists how many virtues—such as moderation and humility—which he used in a personal system of charts designed to help him reach moral perfection.
13
When two variables appear to rise or fall together, they have this statistical relationship—though it doesn’t prove causation.
correlation
Describing something as a “deafening silence” is an example of this figure of speech that pairs contradictory terms.
oxymoron
This Bradstreet poem accepts earthly loss by reminding the speaker that her true home is built “above the sky.” She is refering to this place.
Heaven
The play explores this destructive pattern in which fear and false accusations spread rapidly, tearing apart the community of Salem.
mass hysteria, scapegoating, mob mentality
This author declares we have the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
Jefferson
Something located on the outer edges of an area—or less central to an idea—is described by this adjective.
Peripheral
If you “spill the beans” or “hit the sack,” you’re using this type of non-literal expression.
idiom
This sermon uses terrifying imagery—like a spider dangling over a fire—to portray humans relying entirely on God’s mercy.
“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”
In Miller’s drama, the trials themselves come to symbolize this real-world 1950s political phenomenon that inspired the play.
McCarthyism
Rationalist ideas about government and natural rights directly influenced this 1776 document that reshaped the course of U.S. history.
Declaration of Independence
If someone seizes power without legal authority, they do this—often used to describe taking over a throne or leadership position.
Usurp
When an expression becomes so overused that it loses its originality—like saying “only time will tell”—it becomes this.
cliche
The Puritan belief that your salvation or damnation is determined before birth is called:
predestination
The moment when Proctor tears up his signed confession highlights this type of hero, the struggle between preserving one’s life and preserving this personal quality.
Tragic Hero
This founding father was a deist through and through, believing he could achieve moral perfection through lists and routines.
Franklin
A collection that mixes many styles, sources, or ideas—like a playlist with jazz, K-pop, and classical—is described with this word.
Eclectic