| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Alliteration | The repetition of initial consonant or vowel sounds in two or more successive or nearby words. |
| Allusion | A reference to a well known person, place, event, work of art, myth, or religion. |
| Analogy | A comparison of two things that are somewhat alike. |
| Antagonist | A character, institution, group, or force that is in conflict with the protagonist. |
| Archetypes | Primordial images and symbols that occur in literature, myth, religion, and folklore. |
| Assonance | The repetition of vowel sounds in two or more words that do not rhyme. |
| Climax | The high point in the plot, after which there is falling action. May coincide with crisis. |
| Conflict | The struggle between characters and other characters, forces of nature, or outside forces beyond their control, internal conflict within a character who struggles with moral choices and matters of conscience. |
| Consonance | The repetition of a consonant at the end of two or more words. |
| Couplet | A pair of rhyming lines in the same meter. |
| Denouement | The falling action or final revelations in the plot. |
| Ellipsis | Three periods (...) that signify the omission of one or more words. |
| Epic | A long narrative poem about the adventures of gods or a hero. |
| Epithet | A word or phrase describing a quality of a person, place, or thing that is repeated throughout a work. |
| Essay | A short nonfiction work about a specific subject. These may be narrative, persuasive, descriptive, expository, or argumentative. |
| Extended Metaphor | A metaphor that is elaborated on and developed in several phrases or sentences. |
| Falling Action | All action that takes place after the climax. |
| Figurative Language | The use of figures of speech to express ideas. |
| Foil | A character who, through contrast, reveals the characteristics of another character. |
| Hyperbole | A figure of speech that uses exaggeration. |
| Irony | The opposite of what is expected. A reality different from appearance. |
| Metaphor | A figure of speech in which one thing is said to be another thing. |
| Myth | A fictional tale about gods or heroes. Allusions to Greek, Roman, Norse, and Celtic myths are common in English literature. |
| Onomatopoiea | A figure of speech that uses words to imitate sound. |
| Personification | A figure of speech that attributes human qualities to an inanimate object. |
| Poetic Devices | Words with harmonious sounds including assonance, consonance, alliteration, repetition, and rhyme. |
| Protagonist | The main character. |
| Pun | A play on words. |
| Repetition | A poetic device that uses the repeating of words, sounds, phrases, or sentences. |
| Rhyme | Words with identical sounds, but different spelling. |
| Rising Action | The path of the plot leading to the climax. |
| Sensory Imagery | Language that evokes images and triggers memories in the reader of the five senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. |
| Simile | A figure of speech that compares two things that are not alike, using the words like, as, or then. |
| Theme | A central idea. |
| Tragedy | A drama in which the protagonist is overcome by some superior force or circumstance. |
| Rhapsode | A professionally trained poet who performed a wealth of literary material orally. |
| Arete | The striving for excellence in particular areas of human behavior, such as strength, skill, determination, courage, or moral responsibility. |
| Hubris | Excessive pride and arrogance. |
| Ate | Blind, rash behavior. An excessive action performed without thinking of the consequences. |
| Nemesis | Retribution, or getting what you deserved. |
| Introduction | Includes the title, author, a one sentence plot summary, and a thesis statement. |
| Thesis Statement | A sentence with a subject and an opinion. |
| Topic Sentence | Opening sentence of a paragraph. |
| T.I.E. | Tag, Intro, Embed. |
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