Vocab

Allusion Definition: a reference to a person, place, event, or piece of literature The most popular allusions comes from Shakespeare’s works, Greek mythology and the Bible.

Examples “I was surprised his nose was growing like Pinocchio's.” This refers to the story of Pinocchio, where his nose grew whenever he told a lie. “When she lost her job, she acted like a Scrooge, and refused to buy anything that wasn’t necessary.” Scrooge was an extremely stingy character. “I thought the software would be useful, but it was a Trojan Horse.” This refers to the tale in which the Greeks built a large, hollow wooden horse to hide soldiers in. It was given as a gift to the enemy during the Trojan War and, once inside the enemy's walls, the soldiers broke out. By using trickery, the Greeks won the war.

Censorship the suppression or prohibition of any parts of books, films, news, etc. that are considered obscene, politically unacceptable, or a threat to security

Direct Characterization Explicitly tells the audience what the personality of a character is

Examples “Mr. Bingley was good-looking and gentlemanlike; he had a pleasant countenance, and easy, unaffected manners. … he was discovered to be proud, to be above his company, and above being pleased; and not all his large estate in Derbyshire could then save him from having a most forbidding, disagreeable countenance, and being unworthy to be compared with his friend.” -- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Mr. Bingley is explicitly described as physically attractive and well- mannered. However, he was found to be proud and high maintenance.

Indirect Characterization shows the audience what the personality of the character is through speech, thoughts, effects, actions, and looks Remember the acronym S.T.E.A.L.!

Examples “Janie didn’t go in where Mrs Washburn was. She didn’t say anything to match up with Nanny’s gladness either. She just fell on a chair with her hips and sat there.” -- Their Eyes were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston This passive “just sitting there” suggests Janie’s state of disappointment and confusion -- without simply stating it for the audience.

Conflict In literature, conflict is a literary element that involves a struggle between two opposing forces, usually a protagonist and an antagonist. The struggle is usually one of the following: man versus man, man versus self, man versus society, man versus nature, man versus supernatural, or man versus technology.

Dystopia A futuristic, imagined universe in which oppressive societal control and the illusion of a perfect society are maintained through corporate, bureaucratic, technological, moral, or totalitarian control Dystopias, through an exaggerated worst-case scenario, make a criticism about a current trend, societal norm, or political system.

Suspense Suspense is a literary device that authors use to keep their readers’ interest alive throughout the work. It is a feeling of anticipation that something risky or dangerous is about to happen.

Suspense Definition: something that represents something bigger than itself Example: Black is used to represent death or evil. (Think back to “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe.)

Theme Theme: A central message or insight into life revealed through a word of literature, typically appears in the form of a noun or noun phrase Example: the effects of loneliness A theme statement should be written in a full sentence. Example: Lonely people can make poor decisions.