1. Literary Terms

2. Literary Elements

3. 1. Allegory
1. : A story or visual image with a second distinct meaning partially hidden behind its literal or visible meaning. Oftentimes, an allegory is created through the use of personification where abstract qualities are given human shape. A very good example of allegory is George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm, where farm animals revolt against the farmer. On a literal level it is a simple story about a farm. On a secondary level, it is an allegory of the Russian Revolution with each animal representing an historical person or abstract quality from the Revolution.

5. 2. Alliteration
: When several words that begin with the same letter/sound are used in close proximity. This technique is used to draw attention to a particular part of a poem or narrative. It also serves to add continuity or fluidity to verse or narrative writing.
For example: The slippery snake slowly slithered sideways.

7. 3. Allusion
: A reference to some person, place, event or artistic work (statue, book, poem, painting etc.) the nature and relevance of which is not explained by the author. It is up to the reader to understand the allusion or look it up. It is often described as an “economical means of drawing on the vast history and tradition of literature and art.” In short, it is a way of saying a lot in few words.

9. 4. Literary Allusion
: Any reference to a significant piece of literature. Literary allusions are usually made to classic works that are generally known. One very common type of literary allusion is Biblical Allusion.

11. 5. Ambiguity
: When the meaning or outcome of a text could be interpreted in different ways.

12. 6. Analogy
: The use of a more familiar or simpler thing or event to describe something that is less familiar or more complex. For example: Think of the human brain as a calculator.

13. 7. Antagonist
: A character that is often seen to be creating conflict in a story. He or she stands opposite to the protagonist but is not always evil. He or she may actually help the protagonist solve his or her conflict.

15. 8. Archetype
: A symbol, theme, setting or character that is so common throughout the history of literature that we instantly recognize it. For example: the rose symbolizes love, the snake, treachery, the sun, life.

17. 9. Bias
: In informative pieces, when the writer’s opinion comes through and is detectable by the careful reader. In an objective piece bias is supposed to be avoided, though it is obviously necessary in an editorial or persuasive piece.

19. 13. Bildungsroman – or a Coming-of-age story
A type of novel where the protagonist is initiated into adulthood through knowledge, experience, or both, often by a process of disillusionment. Understanding comes after the dropping of preconceptions, a destruction of a false sense of security, or in some way the loss of innocence. Some of the shifts that take place are these:

20. 13. The 5 ‘Tells’ of a Bildungsroman:
ignorance to knowledge
innocence to experience
false view of world to correct view
idealism to realism
immature responses to mature responses

21. 10. Cacophony
: When several words used together are difficult to pronounce, or when the meaning of several words together is lost, you typically have an example of cacophony. For example: Live vicariously rarely. The language in this line seems harsh, rough and unmusical.
Vs. Symphony i.e. flowing language…

23. 11. Character types
: The four main types of characters differentiated by 1). how much we know of them and 2). whether or not they change.

24. 11. Character types
i) Flat: A character about whom we know only one or two things. (Two dimensional)
ii) Round: A character about whom we know many things. (Three dimensional)
iii) Static: A character, either flat or round, that does not change at all throughout the story.
iv) Dynamic: A character, either flat or round, that does change at some point in the story.

29. 12. Characterization
The process by which a character is described in a story. There are two types:
i) Direct Characterization: The character is described by the narrator or another character as being a certain way. For example: Jack was tough-minded with a strong-jaw to match.

31. 12. Characterization
ii) Indirect Characterization: We learn something about the character through the character’s actions, words or how he looks. For example: Everyday Jack climbed the steps like he was scaling Mt. Everest. OR Jack says “I never really liked other children when I was growing up.”

34. Colloquialism
In literature, colloquialism is the use of informal words, phrases or even slang in a piece of writing. Colloquial expressions tend to sneak in, as writers, being part of a society, are influenced by the way people speak in that society. Colloquialism is a technique to help develop a sense authenticity in the setting.

35. The Christ Figure
The Christ Figure, also known as a Christ-Image is a literary technique that the author uses to draw allusions between their characters and the biblical Jesus. More loosely, the Christ Figure is a spiritual or prophetic character who parallels Jesus, or other spiritual or prophetic figures. The idea of persecution, or serving for society’s sins/wrong doings is also central to the Christ Figure archetype.
The Patsy: a scapegoat or red herring. person accused of a something as a cover for a bigger more elaborate crime or problem…

37. Bildungsroman: Character is not quite there….
Moratorium – refusal to do work
Self-absorption and Narcism (belief that other’s are interested in the details of their daily minutiae).
An ‘Us and Them’ view of the adult world
Inability to control impulses
Inability to link present small task to future payoff

38. 14. Conflict
: An element of plot, conflict is the obstacle that a main character faces in a story.
There are two main types:
i) External: Character vs. one or more of the following: nature, another character, society, the supernatural, technology, fate, etc.
ii) Internal: Character vs. self.

42. Connotation
Is the associated or secondary meaning of a word or expression in addition to its explicit or primary meaning: A possible connotation of “home” is “a place of warmth, comfort, and affection.”. the act of connoting; the suggesting of an additional meaning for a word or expression, apart from its explicit or literal meaning.

43. 15. Denotation
: This is the dictionary definition of a word. i.e. the literal meaning of the word….
As opposed to ‘connotation’ – which is the implied meaning of a word….

45. 16. Deus ex machine
: “God from the machine.” This term is derived from Greek plays when a device was often mechanically lowered onto the stage to solve some otherwise unsolvable conflict in the plot. It is now taken to mean any unlikely event or feature of a story that the author uses to resolve the conflict in the plot.

47. 17. Diction
: An author’s word choice. A good author will choose his/her vocabulary carefully in order to enhance other elements of the story. For example, vocabulary in the native language/dialect of a character spoken in the country where the story is set. It may also be vocabulary that is dated or taken from an older time period or vocabulary that is clearly that of a child.

49. 18. Dilemma
: When one or more characters is faced with a choice between two similar options. Both may have equally positive or negative consequences, making the choice a difficult one.

51. 19. Dystopian novel
: The opposite of an utopian novel where, instead of a paradise, everything has gone wrong (often in the attempt to create a perfect society) and the result is a worst-case scenario. For example, the novels Nineteen Eighty-Four (George Orwell) and Brave New World (Aldous Huxley).

53. Empathy
Empathy is an emotional concept crucial to engaging writing. It is designed to create an emotional response in your readers to make them care about the characters in your story. Caring doesn’t always mean the reader wants the characters to achieve their goals, but rather the characters are interesting enough to invested in their development. When writers create an initial emotional bond, readers begin to understand why characters behave as they do. This is the core of all great stories. The distinction between sympathy and empathy in good writing - arises when the reader decides which characters they want to succeed (protagonist) or fail (antagonist).

54. CHARACTER FLAW
A CHARACTER FLAW has typically been used to give characters something to overcome via a character arc. Are they too selfish? Hopefully they’ll become more selfless by the end of the story. A flaw tends to be linked with empathy or the creation of empathy.
A trauma, or wound is much deeper than a flaw because it affects a character’s psyche more than just their behavior. A wound also helps us better understand a character’s flaw since it often triggers the flaw in good films.

55. 20. Epic
: A long story, usually in poetic form, that tells the story of a hero. The hero is usually caught in the middle of fighting gods and is often struggling to gain control of his or her own fate. The hero is typically superhuman, having been born of the gods. For example, Achilles from The Iliad and Odysseus from The Odyssey. (Both these epics were written by Homer.) The Norse epic Beowulf and The Epic of Gilgamesh are two other examples. We may consider Prometheus an epic that is also a myth since it fits the description of an epic but also describes the circumstances under which humanity came to be.

57. 21. Epiphany
: (1) : a usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something (2) : an intuitive grasp of reality through something (as an event) usually simple and striking (3) : an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure b : a revealing scene or moment

59. 22. Euphemism
: The use of polite language to describe something that is not nice or desirable.

61. 23. Fable
: A brief tale that conveys a strong moral lesson, usually by giving human speech and manners to animals or inanimate things. For example, the story of the tortoise and the hare or George Orwell’s novella Animal Farm.

63. 24. Flashback/Flashforward
: An element of plot whereby an author reveals plotline that occurs before or after the present. For example: the T.V. series Lost makes use of both of these plot techniques. Although the “present” in the show involves characters surviving on an island, it characterizes them by flashing back to their lives before crashing on the island and by flashing forward to after they have been rescued.

65. 25. Foil
: A character that balances against another opposite kind of character. For example: one character may be strong-willed, the other meek.

67. 26. Foreshadowing
: An author’s use of hints or clues to suggest events that will occur later in the story. Not all foreshadowing is obvious. Frequently, future events are merely hinted at through setting, dialogue, description, or the attitudes and reactions of the characters.
Foreshadowing frequently serves two purposes. It builds suspense by raising questions that encourage the reader to go on and find out more about the event that is being foreshadowed. Foreshadowing is also a means of making a narrative more believable by partially preparing the reader for events which are to follow.

69. 27. Genre
: A type of literature. We say a poem, novel, story, or other literary work belongs to a particular genre if it shares at least a few conventions (standard technique or well-used device), or standard characteristics, with other works in that genre. For example, works in the Gothic genre often feature supernatural elements, attempts to horrify the reader, and dark, foreboding settings, particularly very old castles or mansions. Poe's short story "The Fall of the House of Usher" belongs to the Gothic genre because it takes place in a gloomy mansion that seems to exert supernatural control over a man who lives in it. Furthermore, Poe attempts to horrify the reader by describing the man's ghastly face, the burial of his sister, eerie sounds in the house, and ultimately the reappearance of the sister's bloody body at the end of the story.

71. 27. Genre
Other genres include the pastoral poem, epic poem, elegy, tragic drama, and bildungsroman. An understanding of genre is useful because it helps us to see how an author uses, plays with, or advances the standard practices that other authors have developed.

72. Hubris
Hubris is extreme pride and arrogance shown by a character that ultimately brings about his/her downfall. Hubris is a typical flaw in the personality of a character who enjoys a powerful position; as a result of which, he/she overestimates his/her capabilities to such an extent that he loses contact with reality. A character suffering from Hubris tries to cross normal human limits and violates moral codes. Examples of Hubris are found in major characters of tragic plays. For example, “Victor” the protagonist of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” exhibits Hubris in his endeavor to become an unmatched scientist. He creates a “monster” named “Frankenstein” which ultimately becomes the cause of his disaster.

73. 28. Hyperbole
: An exaggerated statement used to heighten effect. It is not used to mislead the reader, but to emphasize a point. For example, ‘I’ve told you a million times to do your homework!’ or ‘I haven’t seen you in ages!’

75. 29. Imagery
: Imagery describes an author’s use of various techniques (metaphor, simile, personification, literal description, symbolism etc.) to create an “image” in the reader’s mind. It is important to note that imagery is a two-way process in that the reader will also interpret the image in his/her own way. The end result is always remarkable as true imagery “leaps” into a reader’s mind:
He sat prostrate before his killer, blood streaming from the gash in his throat. Reaching the floor, his life essence lazily painted a red ribbon upon the cold marble of the foyer. Imagery is sensory: visual, auditory (hearing), tactile (touch) or olfactory (smell), taste.

77. 30. In media res
: A technique meant to immediately grab the reader’s attention. The term is Latin for "into the midst of affairs” and refers to a narrative which starts in the middle of the story instead the ’real’ beginning. The characters, setting, and conflict, etc., are then introduced through a series of flashbacks or through characters relating past events to each other.

79. 31. Irony
: Basic irony is when something happens that was not expected to happen. There are several types of irony.

81. 32. Situational Irony
: When something occurs that we would not expect to occur.
Ted is afraid of bears so he doesn’t like to camp outdoors. His wife loves camping and grudgingly, he agrees to go on a trip, but only in Texas where there are no bears. Unfortunately, the very day he arrived, a ferocious Grizzly bear escaped from the Austin City Zoo and mauled him as he slept unsuspecting in his tent.

82. 33. Dramatic Irony
: When the reader, and often several characters in a story or play, knows something that one or more characters does not. Depending on what type of character is left in the dark the reader may feel pity, happiness, or anxiety as a result of what may be in store for them. For example: In the short story “Lamb to Slaughter”, three policemen who are investigating a murder are eating a tasty leg of lamb. Little do they know that the woman who has just cooked it for them, recently used it while it was frozen to beat her husband to death. The irony is that they do not realize they are eating the very thing they are looking for—the murder weapon.

84. 34. Verbal Irony
Understatement: Purposely downplaying something to create the opposite effect of drawing attention to it. For example: A plane is crashing and a passenger says “well this sucks.”
v Overstatement (Hyperbole): Purposely exaggerating something to the point of disbelief in order to make someone believe it. For example: I’ve got like a billion of those.
v Sarcasm: Purposely saying the opposite of what is meant in order to convey a message. It is usually done in a spiteful way though it can also be used in a humorous way. “C’mon man, everyone knows KFC is the healthiest food available”. Message: you shouldn’t eat KFC.

86. 35. Juxtaposition
: Placing two things closely together that are very different in order to create effect. One common form of juxtaposition is when a story features two characters that are opposites. Lisa Simpson and Bart Simpson. Juxtaposed characters are also called foils. Another example that occurs often in literature is the good and bad twin brother (Think of the movie the Iron Mask). Another form of juxtaposition occurs when one setting is contrasted with another. In Brave New World we have the poverty stricken “Reservations” and the rich “Brave new World.” A more common example that occurs often in literature is heaven and hell. This example occurs so often we may call it a motif and even an archetype.

88. 36. Legend
: A story or group of stories that have been passed on through oral story-telling tradition. They may be based on an actual event or person but have been ‘exaggerated’ over time such that they may be very different from the original. For example: the stories of Robin Hood or King Arthur.

90. 37. Metaphor
: When one thing, idea, or action is referred to by a word or expression normally meaning another thing so as to suggest a common quality shared by the two. Metaphor is a way to convey deep meaning in a brief statement. It is therefore useful when describing things. For example: That guy is a diamond in the rough. Literally, this statement refers to a diamond that is found in a mine in its natural state, before it is cleaned, cut and polished. Figuratively, this expression is used to describe someone who is still pretty rough but has a good heart and with time will be a great person.

92. 38. Motif
When something occurs again and again in literature or even when it occurs often in a single piece of literature, you have an example of a motif e.g. ‘Fair is foul, and foul is fair…’ A more extreme case of motif is the archetype.

94. 38. Motif
: A character, event or setting that is very common in the history of literature or that occurs several times in one piece of literature. For example, the character that pretends to be in need of assistance one too many times and then when in real need of assistance finds that there is none offered as in “The Boy Who Cried Wolf.” OR The idea that the world will end suddenly in a flood. OR The use of fog, rain and cold to accompany battle or a miserable situation. OR The sunrise signalling a new beginning.

95. 39. Myth
: A story that accounts for the social customs and/or religious beliefs of a culture. It communicates deep, fundamental truths about human existence or explains the origin of humanity, but may itself not be a true story. For example: The story of Adam and Eve can be considered a myth since it is a tale about the origin of humanity.

97. 40. Novella
: A prose fiction longer than a short story but shorter than a novel. There is no standard definition of length, but since rules of thumb are sometimes handy, we might say that the short story ends at about 20,000 words, while the novel begins at about 50,000. Thus, the novella is a fictional work of about 20,000 to 50,000 words. Examples include:
-Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Robert Louis Stevenson) Turn of the Screw (Henry James), -Heart of Darkness (Joseph Conrad) - Of Mice and Men (John Steinbeck)

99. 41. Onomatopoeia
: When a word sounds like its meaning. For example: A skirt “swishes.” OR A bat “cracks.” OR A bee “buzzes.”

101. 42. Oxymoron
: A compressed paradox when a word or series of words cancels one another out. For example: bittersweet OR sound of silence.

103. 43. Paradox
: When two things that should not exist together are placed together. For example, it was both night and day in that frosty part of the world. OR The child is the father of a man. Time travel is said to create paradox because a person cannot be in two places at once. Paradox exists in a simpler form as oxymoron.

105. 44. Parody
: A satiric imitation of a work or of an author with the idea of ridiculing the author, his/her ideas, or work. The parodist exploits the peculiarities of an author's expression—his/her propensity to use too many parentheses, certain favourite words, etc. The parody may also be focused on, say, an improbable plot with too many convenient events.

107. 45. Pathetic Fallacy
: When natural phenomena, which cannot feel as humans do, are described as if they could. Usually, pathetic fallacy occurs in poetry. For example: Clouds may “weep,” or flowers may be “joyful.” The difference between pathetic fallacy and personification is that the natural phenomena are personified according to their perceived attributes—Clouds give rain which could be tears. Flowers typically make us happy. It is called “pathetic” because when overdone (as with the romantic poets) it is kind of “cheesy.” The fallacy is that it clouds obviously don’t ‘weep’ and flowers cannot be ‘joyful’.

108. What emotion is this volcano displaying?

109. 46. Persona
: The person created by the author to tell a story. Whether the story is told by an omniscient (all-knowing) narrator or by a character in it, the actual author of the work often distances themselves from what is said or told by adopting a persona--a personality different from their real one. Thus, the attitudes, beliefs, and degree of understanding expressed by the narrator may not be the same as those of the actual author (just because Poe writes stories about murderers, it doesn‘t make him a murderer). Some authors, for example, use narrators who are not very perceptive in order to create irony.

111. 47. Personification
: When human qualities are given to something that is not human. For example: The tree swayed in the breeze, its arms waving to me as I passed.

113. 48. Plot (Literary Element)
: The sequence of events in a narrative (story). Plot typically consists of four (or five) main elements. Depending on the genre of the story, certain elements may be more or less evident. In some cases, elements may be completely absent.

114. 48. Plot
i) Exposition (Initial Situation): Setting and character are introduced and the reader learns what the conflict is.
ii) Rising Action: A series of major events which serve to increase suspense and brings the protagonist closer to solving (or not solving) the conflict.
iii) Climax: This is a pivotal event where the protagonist is either solves or does not solve the conflict.

115. 48. Plot
iv) (denouement): an unravelling of the knot/plot i.e. what really happened
V) Resolution: The outcome of the climax is explained and the reader sympathises or celebrates with the protagonist or in some cases comes to dislike the protagonist.

117. 49. Point of view
Point of view: The identity of the narrative voice - the person or entity through whom/which the reader experiences the story. It may be third-person (no narrator; abstract narrative voice, omniscient or limited) or first-person (narrated by a character in the story or a direct observer). Point-of-view is a commonly misused term; it does not refer to the author’s or characters’ feelings, opinions, perspectives, biases, etc.

120. 49. 3rd person Limited
Though it is written in third-person, Animal Farm is told from the limited point-of-view of the common animals, unaware of what is really happening as the pigs gradually and secretively take over the farm.

122. 49. POV first-person
Writing the story in first-person point-of-view enables the reader to experience the soldier’s fear and uncertainty, limiting the narrative to what only he saw, thought and felt during the battle.

124. 49. POV
i) First person: Uses “I.” One character is telling the story from her perspective.
ii) Second person: Uses “You.” The author speaks directly to the reader. Usually used in non-fiction.
iii) Third person: Uses “he,” “she,” or “it.” The author is telling about the characters.

126. 49. 3rd Person There are three types of third person –
Omniscient: The author tells us everything about the story including the thoughts and feelings of all the characters, and even information in the author’s mind that no character knows.
Limited omniscient: The author tells us the story through the thoughts and feelings of only one character.
Dramatic or Objective: We are only told what happens and what is said; we do not know any thoughts or feelings of the characters. It is called “dramatic” because it is similar to a play, where as an audience, we only know what we see and hear. (We must guess what the thoughts of the characters are.)

127. Limited Third Person

128. Omniscient

129. Dramatic or Objective

130. 50. Propaganda
: When something is written or produced for the sole purpose of convincing people of a particular point of view we may say that it is propaganda. For example, George Bush’s administration relied heavily on propaganda through CNN to convince the American public that it was necessary to attack Iraq to stop the fundamentalist group Al Queda. Fundamentalist Islamic schools rely heavily on propaganda to convince students that they should attack the American infidels.

132. 51. Protagonist
: A character facing a conflict in a story or poem that she must overcome. Often, the antagonist is creating the conflict though the antagonist may also be seen to be helping the protagonist by “pushing” them along.

134. 52. Pun
: A pun is a play on words, often humorous, that uses words that have similar or identical sounds but very different meanings. Samuel Johnson called it the lowest form of humour, but many disagree. Examples include, "Puns are their own rewords," and "It is better to have loved a short person and lost, than never to have loved A TALL."

136. Red herring
Red herring is a kind of fallacy that is an irrelevant topic introduced in an argument to divert the attention of listeners or readers from the original issue. In literature, this fallacy is often used in detective or suspense novels to mislead readers or characters or to induce them to make false conclusions.

137. Redemption (Plot Archetype)
An act of redeeming or atoning for a fault or mistake, or the state of being redeemed.
The action of regaining or gaining possession of something in exchange for payment, or clearing a debt.
The action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil e.g. "God's plans for the redemption of his world"

138. 53. Sarcasm
: A type of verbal irony where what is meant is the opposite of what is said. For example: I love studying.

140. 54. Satire (Genre)
: A piece of literature where the object is to ridicule or poke fun at some aspect of society. Usually, the purpose is to point out a common flaw in human nature. It may be in “light” form where the tone is humorous, or “dark” form where the tone is more ominous, often containing a warning for humanity.

142. Self-fulfilling Prophecy
Positive or negative expectations about circumstances, events, or people that may affect a character’s behavior toward them in a manner that he or she (unknowingly) creates situations in which those expectations are fulfilled. In other words, causing something to happen by believing it will come true… For example, let us assume a teacher, who expects a student to be slothful, is likely to treat that student in such a way that it draws out the very same response he or she expects. Similarly, if we start a day and think “I’ll have a bad day today,” such thinking may alter our actions and the prediction might be fulfilled by our actions.

143. 55. Setting (Literary Element)
: The time (century, decade, year, day, time of day, etc.) and place (country, city, neighbourhood, etc.) in which a story occurs, including all of the other additional factors, such as climate (season), landscape, people, social structures and economic factors, customs, moral attitudes, and codes of behaviour.

145. 56. Simile
: A comparison using “like” or “as.” It is used to enhance our understanding of a thing, person or event. That dog is dumb as a post.

147. 57. Stereotype
: A character that has all of the expected traits of a “group.” For example: The nerd, the jock, or the damsel in distress. Stereotyped characters are usually a sign of bad writing, but in some cases-especially minor characters, or in satires and fables, they are useful.

149. 58. Symbol
: A common object that has a deeper meaning is a symbol. A symbol is something that stands for something else. There are universal symbols, which we find often in literature and film. For example, shapes (the red cross symbolizes help and healing), animals (the dove symbolizes peace) and colours (black often symbolizes death).
An object or event may often be regarded as symbolic of something in the future (omens of good or evil).

150. Symbol
A Private Symbol only has its meaning from within a single narrative (story). In other words, its significance would not be recognized outside the story. For example, Katniss’ bow symbolizes her disdain for the capital. A common bow would not have this meaning – but within the story we can derive its importance…

152. 59. Theme
: A theme is the main idea or underlying meaning of a literary work. A theme may be stated or implied. Theme differs from the subject or topic of a literary work in that it involves the author’s opinion about the topic. Not every literary work has a theme. Themes may be major or minor. A major theme is an idea the author returns to time and again. It becomes one of the most important ideas in the story. Minor themes are ideas that may appear from time to time.

154. 59. Theme
Usually we identify themes as consisting of two parts. There is a subject (such as love or prejudice) and the author’s view or opinion on the subject (such as ‘love is rare’ or ‘any act of prejudice demeans all of us’).

155. What is the author saying about the subject?
What is the Subject?
What is the author saying about the subject?

156. 59. Theme
It is important to recognize the difference between the theme of a literary work and the subject of a literary work. The subject is the topic on which an author has chosen to write. The theme, however, makes some statement about or expresses some opinion on that topic. For example, the subject of a story might be war while the theme might be the idea that war is useless. Theme cannot be stated in one word. They are more complicated than that.

157. Theme or Subject?

158. Theme or Subject?

159. Theme or Subject?

160. Four ways in which an author can express themes/the reader can find themes:
1. Themes are expressed and emphasized by the way the author makes us feel. By sharing feelings of the main character you also share the ideas that go through his/her mind.
2. Themes are presented in thoughts and conversations. Authors put words in their character’s mouths only for good reasons. One of these is to develop a story’s themes. The things a person says are much on their mind. Look for thoughts that are repeated throughout the story.

161. Feel? Subject?

163. Four ways in which an author can express themes:
3 . Themes are suggested through the characters. The main character usually illustrates the most important theme of the story. A good way to get at this theme is to ask yourself the question, what does the main character learn in the course of the story?
4. The actions or events in the story are used to suggest theme. People naturally express ideas and feelings through their actions. One thing authors think about is what an action will "say". In other words, how will the action express an idea or theme?

166. 60. Tone (Voice)
: Tone is the author’s attitude (through diction), stated (said outright) or implied (only hinted at), toward a subject. Tone reflects how the writer or author feels about their subject or listener. Possible attitudes include a pessimistic tone, optimistic tone, concerned tone, serious tone, bitter tone, humorous tone, defiant tone, regretful tone, and incredulous tone. An author’s tone is revealed through choice of words and details.

168. Bonus: Mood
The emotional response the reader feels towards the literary work i.e. how you feel about the story… or how the author makes you feel…(i.e. through the ‘tone’ of the story_). This will always be described in emotional terms: happy, sad, morose, exuberant, depressed etc.