Epic Unit Terms 9th Literature

Epic A long narrative poem about the deeds of gods or heroes. An epic is elevated in style and usually follows certain patterns. The poet begins by announcing the subject and asking a Muse – one of the nine goddesses of the arts – to help.

In Media Res “in the middle of things” The text begins in the middle of the story not at the beginning.

Epic Hero  A main character in an epic whose legendary or heroic actions are central to his/her culture, race, or nation.

Muse One of the nine goddesses of the arts

Narrative Poem A poem that tells a story

Ballad A song like poem that tells a story, often one dealing with adventure and romance. Most ballads are written in four to six line stanzas and have regular rhythms and rhyme schemes. A ballad often has a refrain.

Universal Theme A message about life that can be understood by most cultures. Also known as an archetype Examples: The creation story The flood story

Oral Tradition The passing of stories, songs, and poems from generation to generation by word of mouth.

Allusion A reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art. Example: In Taylor Swift’s song “Love Story”, she alludes to the play “Romeo and Juliet” and the novel The Scarlet Letter to enhance her message.

Archetype A symbol or character which reoccurs in the literature of various cultures as a recognizable element of literature. See Universal Theme

Quest An epic journey upon which the hero must embark

Alliteration The repetition of the same consonant sounds at the beginnings of words that are near each other in a poem. Example: Peter Piper picked a pair of pickled peppers.

Figurative Language Writing or speech not meant to be interpreted literally. It is often used to create vivid impressions by setting up comparisons between dissimilar things. Examples: Similes, metaphors, and personifications

Onomatopoeia A word that imitates the sound it represents, it also imitates harmony. Sounds literally make the meaning in such words as "buzz," "crash," "whirr," "clang" "hiss," "purr," "squeak," "mumble," "hush," "boom."

Setting The time and place of the action. Time can include not only the historical period—past, present, or future—but also a specific year, season, or time of day. Place—though usually physical—may also involve the social, economic, or cultural environment of the story

Protagonist The main character in a literary work. He/she is NOT necessarily the “good guy”, just the main character

Antagonist A character or force in conflict with the main character This is NOT necessarily the “bad guy”, just the person or thing that is working against the main character

Tone and Mood Tone - The attitude toward the subject that an author conveys in a piece of writing Mood - The feeling created in the reader by a literary work

Theme The central message or insight into life revealed through a literary work This is the deeper meaning, the main lesson/message/moral that the author hopes the reader will understand at the end of the story

Personification Personification - a type of metaphor that gives living qualities to inanimate objects or abstract ideas; or human qualities (feelings, thoughts) to animals.  It gives non-living things and animals the ability to think, feel emotions, or have human relationships. Example:   The moon smiles. Fires rage.

Metaphor and Simile Metaphor - A figure of speech that compares two unlike things NOT using like or as. Simile – A figure of speech that compares two unlike things using LIKE or AS.

Epic Simile An epic simile, also known as a Homeric simile, is an elaborate comparison of unlike subjects. Example: Think of a catch that fishermen haul in to a half-moon bay in a fine-meshed net from the white caps of the sea: how all are poured out on the sand, in throes for the salt sea, twitching their cold lives away in Helios’ fiery air: so lay the suitors heaped on one another. The example above from The Odyssey compares the bodies of men killed by Odysseus to a fisherman’s catch heaped up on the shore…

Symbol An object or idea to suggest more than its literal meaning. A person, place, or event stands for something other than it is, usually something broader or deeper than it is.

Imagery Words and phrases used specifically to help the reader to imagine each of the senses: smell, touch, sight, hearing, and taste.

Diction Word choice, including vocabulary used, word appropriateness, and vividness of language