Literary
Concepts
Setting
geographical location
time period
establishes atmosphere
mood
uses DESCRIPTIVE words to describe feelings, sights, sounds, smells
INCLUDES
SETTING THE BACKGROUND
Setting is WHERE and WHEN the story takes place.
Point-of-View
first-person
third-person omniscient
third-person limited
third-person objective
second-person
INCLUDES
POV
Point-of-View is the perspective in which the story is told.
Who is telling the story?
Theme
it is what the author wants you to know
a broad idea about life
usually not stated; must be inferred
IDENTIFY THE THEME
WHAT’S THE MESSAGE?
Theme is the message of the story.
Plot
WHAT’S THE HAPPENING?
Plot is the structure of the story and includes the events that take place in the story.
exposition
rising action
climax
falling action
resolution
INCLUDES
Conflict
man vs. self
man vs. man
man vs. nature
man vs. society
man vs. supernatural
man vs. technology
INCLUDES
WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?
Conflict is the challenge or struggle that characters face in the story.
Juxtaposition
COMPARE AND CONTRAST
puts two elements side by side for the purpose of comparing and contrasting.
characters
ideas
things
settings
words
behaviors
characteristics
ELEMENTS THAT CAN BE JUXTAPOSED
Simile
metaphor
personification
hyperbole
onomatopoeia
idiom
alliteration
symbolism
OTHER TYPES OF Figurative Language
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
SIMILE
uses the words like or as to compare two things
“She was as quiet as a mouse.”
“He was strong like an ox.”
Metaphor
simile
personification
hyperbole
onomatopoeia
idiom
alliteration
symbolism
OTHER TYPES OF Figurative Language
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
METAPHOR
compares two things by saying one thing is another
“My friend is an encyclopedia of trivial facts.”
Personification
simile
metaphor
hyperbole
onomatopoeia
idiom
alliteration
symbolism
OTHER TYPES OF Figurative Language
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
PERSONIFICATION
gives human qualities or attributes to something that is not human
“The sun smiled at the angry cloud.”
Hyperbole
simile
metaphor
personification
onomatopoeia
idiom
alliteration
symbolism
OTHER TYPES OF Figurative Language
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
HYPERBOLE
an extreme exaggeration
“I’m so hungry I could eat an ox.”
Onomatopoeia
simile
metaphor
hyperbole
personification
idiom
alliteration
symbolism
OTHER TYPES OF Figurative Language
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
ONOMATOPOEIA
words that imitate sounds
“The mosquito circled around me and buzzed about.”
Idiom
simile
metaphor
hyperbole
onomatopoeia
personification
alliteration
symbolism
OTHER TYPES OF Figurative Language
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
IDIOM
an expression used to mean something very different than the situation it describes
“It’s raining cats and dogs.”
Alliteration
simile
metaphor
hyperbole
onomatopoeia
idiom
personification
symbolism
OTHER TYPES OF Figurative Language
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
ALLITERATION
repeating the same beginning sound in more than two words
“Rudolph the red nosed reindeer rode along a rickety road.”
Oxymoron
simile
metaphor
hyperbole
onomatopoeia
idiom
personification
symbolism
OTHER TYPES OF Figurative Language
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
OXYMORON
two words that have the opposite meaning combined
“clearly confused”
“only choice”
“terribly good”
Symbolism
simile
metaphor
hyperbole
onomatopoeia
idiom
alliteration
personification
OTHER TYPES OF Figurative Language
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
SYMBOLISM
uses an item or words to represent an abstract idea
the mockingjay as a symbol of rebellion and hope in The Hunger Games series
Irony
INCLUDES
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
IRONY
what is expected is the complete opposite from what actually happens; when the real meaning is contradicted
“Tears just exploded out of my face when I told Momma, ‘I said to him that he always wears the same clothes.’ I hurt Rufus’s feelings.”
When copying text directly out of another source (like a novel), you must put quotation marks
“ _______________”
around the text you are citing.