Epic Poetry Literary Terms for Story Analysis

Narrative Poetry  poetry that tells a story  contains same elements as other narratives ( plot, characters, POV, theme, etc.)  May include epics, lyric poetry, songs, and ballads  examples: The Odyssey, Casey at Bat, Stan, The Brady Bunch Theme Song

Epic  a long narrative that relates the deeds of a hero  often told as poetry  usually includes a journey  hero learns a valuable lesson  relates the values of society  huge setting  examples: The Odyssey, Star Wars

En Media Res  Latin for “in the middle of things”  when story starts in the middle of events, flashes back, then picks back up in real time  example:  The Odyssey starts when Odysseus is almost home after 20 years away, he tells of his adventures, then goes home and takes care of things there.

Archetype  stereotyped characters, symbols, or stories  a basic pattern followed by certain types of characters or stories  examples:  fairy tales  damsel in distress  knight in shining armor

Epic Hero  the protagonist of an epic  often has superhuman characteristics  usually has some sort of weakness  learns a valuable lesson  examples: Odysseus, Indiana Jones, Achilles

Tragic Flaw  personality trait that leads to the downfall of the hero  examples:  Odysseus – pride and bragging leads to loss of men and failure to get home quickly  Romeo –” wishy washy-ness” leads to rash decisions and ultimately his and Juliet’s deaths

Hubris  excessive pride  overconfident  “big-headed”  usually leads to trouble

Epiphany  a great realization of the lesson to be learned  it’s when the “lightbulb comes on” and you “get it”

Epithet  a way of naming that provides an important description  description can be used in place of actual name  examples:  “gray-eyed Athena”  Poseidon, raging cold and rough  the wiliest fighter of the islands leapt and stood on the broad door sill

Epic Simile  lengthy comparison of two unlike things  describes comparison in great detail  usually found in epic poems  example: “Think of a catch that fishermen haul into a halfmoon bay in a fine meshed net from the whitecaps 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.”

Jargon  language used by people in a particular job  makes a story seem more realistic  examples: computer programmers talk about CPUs, USBs, ethernet cables, monitors, modems, gigabytes, etc.

Fate  The intervention of gods, luck, or some higher power or cosmic force into ones actions  A person’s uncontrollable, predetermined destiny  Example:  Odysseus finds the olive tree in the cyclops’ cave, this symbol of Athena shows that she is trying to help him escape

Repetition  The repeating of certain words or lines for emphasis or effect  Often used to create a sense of rhythm in poetry or music  Example:  In “The Gift of the Magi” the narrator repeats the $1.87 to bring emphasis to the fact that Della is almost broke and desparate.

Heroic Couplet  a pair of rhyming lines  highlights actions of the hero  is usually a signal that something important is about to occur  example: “As far off shore as shouted words could carry I sent a few back to the adversary: “ I sent a few back to the adversary: “

Rhythm  the arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables into a pattern  creates a beat that is easy to remember or sing

Personification  figure of speech  gives a nonhuman object human traits or behaviors  example: The hungry tide licked it’s greedy lips as it nibbled away at the fragile coastline.

Hyperbole  an over-exaggeration used for dramatic effect  example : Her mother must have asked a million times for her to get off the phone.

Alliteration  repetition of familiar sounds, usually consonants or consonant clusters in groups of words  example: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.  example: Someone slit the sheet, the sheet is slit, whoever slit the sheet is a good sheet slitter.

Imagery  Language that appeals to the five senses  Creates an image with words  examples:  The clean, floral scent of her perfume lingered in the hall long after she had left. ...we saw the funnel of the malestrom, heard the rock bellowing all around....

Pun  a humorous play on words  words used often have the same or similar sounds but differ in meaning  example:  That joke was so corny, Del Monte wouldn’t can it.  What do the Sweet 16 and flip flops have in common? No Heels!

Simile  comparison of two unlike things using “like” or “as”  example:  He ran like the wind.  My dog is as heavy as a horse.

Onomatopoeia  use of a word to imitate a sound  examples:  drip drip  splash  buzz  thud

Rhetorical Question  a question that is not meant to be answered  answers itself OR  is meant to make a point  Example:  Are you crazy?