Literary Elements
Refers to time periods, geographic locations, cultural contexts, immediate surrounding weather, times of day, or times of year employed in the story.
Setting
"Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers."
Alliteration
The general feeling the writer wants the audience to have. The writer can achieve this through description, setting, dialogue, and word choice.
Mood
This sentence introduces the topic/ title of the work and author
Topic Sentence
When the character in a narrative struggles to make an important decision
Person vs Self
The narrator is the protagonist in the story and the reader sees the plot from only their point of view
First Person
When an author indirectly hints at—through things such as dialogue, description, or characters' actions—what's to come later on in the story.
Foreshadowing
Buzz, boom, chirp, creak, sizzle, zoom, etc.
Onomatopoeia
An MLA in-text citation looks like this
(Ellis 5)
The most exciting part of the narrative.
The Climax
The main character in a story. They are often the hero but sometimes not. They can also be the story’s narrator.
Protagonist
"I'm so hungry I could eat a horse."
Hyperbole
When a word or phrase is written multiple times, usually for the purpose of emphasis.
Repetition
To begin, next, additionally, for example, in conclusion, etc.
Transition words
The process by which the author reveals the personality of a character
Chracterization or Character Traits
Two characters have an argument, and it devolves into a physical altercation
Person vs Person
In William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Romeo commits suicide in order to be with Juliet; however, the audience (unlike poor Romeo) knows that Juliet is not actually dead—just asleep.
Dramatic Irony
Organized chaos
Oxymoron
Formal paragraphs should follow this general structure
Point, Evidence, Explanation
A brief and often indirect reference to another work of art, person, place, or object.
Allusion
The universal lesson the author is communicating through plot, conflict, and character elements. This can be a moral, but doesn't have to be.
Theme
"What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun."
Metaphor
"The wind moaned, beckoning me to come outside."
Personification
The connection between the point and the direct textual evidence. This is where the writer explains how the example from the text supports the point they are trying to make.
Explanation
A character who stands in the way of the protagonist’s movement in the story. Often times, this is a villain but it does not have to be.
Antagonist