Literary/Academic Terms Glossary

Class, you will be held accountable not only for the definitions of these items, but also for the function and use of them.

These notes should be placed in the Glossary section of your binder.

You will be referring and adding to this list all year.

These terms and their application are key to your success in English IV.

alliteration: the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words, which helps unify the lines.Example: The wind whipped wildly through the trees.

allusion: an indirect reference to a person, place, event, or literary work with which the author believes the reader will be familiar: literature, history, religion, myth, politics, sports, science, or the arts.Example: She gave a Herculean effort in the race.

hyperbole: Figure of speech in which the truth is exaggerated for emphasis or for humorous effect; overstatement.Example: Ms. Rausch’s smile was so bright, it blinded the entire classroom.

Personification: A figure of speech in which an inanimate object or abstraction is endowed with human qualities or abilities.

metaphor: Figure of speech that makes a comparison between two things that have something in common without using a connective word such as like, as, than, or resembles. Example: She is such a bear in the morning.

Irony: The use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning. A statement or situation where the meaning is contradicted by the appearance or presentation of the idea.

Oxymoron: A figure of speech in which incongruous or contradictory terms appear side by side. Example: icy hot, jumbo shrimp

conflict: struggle or clash between opposing characters, forces, or emotions that is the basis of the story’s plot; can be external or internal.

connotation: the emotional or personal response evoked by a word.

denotation: the literal meaning of a word, the dictionary definition.

Dog- a highly variable domestic mammal (Canis familiaris) closely related to the gray wolf b : a male dog; also : a male usually carnivorous mammal

Dog- Ms. Rausch’s connotation ----

diction: a writer's or speaker’s choice of words, as well as the syntax, or order of the words.

Writing Tip: "Good writing starts with a profound respect for words--their denotations, their connotations, their force, their rhythm. Once you learn to respect them, you'll develop a passion for using them thriftily. Why use three or four words if one says the same thing? Why say 'in the event that' when you can say 'if'? Or 'in order to' when you can say 'to'? Or, 'for the reason that' when you can say 'since'? Why write 'They speak with great bitterness' when you can write 'They speak bitterly'?

"A skilled writer writes as if she were paid a dime for each word she deletes. Her prose is concise."(John R. Trimble, Writing With Style: Conversations on the Art of Writing, 2nd ed. Prentice Hall, 2000)

The Primary Rhetorical Appeals

emotional appeals (pathos): messages that evoke strong feelings—such as fear, pity, or vanity—in order to persuade instead of using facts and evidence to make a point

ethical appeals (ethos): establish a writer’s credibility and trustworthiness with an audience.

logical appeal (logos): relies on logic and facts appealing to people’s reasoning or intellect ; rather than to their values or emotions

foreshadow: a writer’s use of hints or clues to indicate events that will occur later in the story; creates suspense and prepares the reader for what is to come

imagery: words and phrases that create vivid sensory experiences for the audience. (Think of intense descriptions of sight, smell, taste, touch, and sound)

protagonist: The main character in a work of literature who is involved in the central conflict of the story, and is the one with whom the reader is meant to identify. The person is not necessarily “good” by any conventional moral standard.

antagonist: the principal character (or a force of nature) in opposition to the protagonist,

repetition: a sound, word, or phrase is repeated for emphasis or unity; helps reinforce meaning and create an appealing rhythm

tone: the attitude a writer takes toward the reader, a subject, or a character.

Terms for Beowulf

kenning: a metaphorical compound word or phrase substituted for a noun or name, which enhances meaning—for example, “mankind’s enemy” used in place of Grendel

epic: long narrative poem that relates the great deeds of a larger-than-life hero who embodies the values of a particular society.

Terms for Beowulf

caesura: a pause dividing each line, with each part having two accented syllables to help maintain the rhythm of the lines.

Know then thyself II, presume not God to scan;

The end