1. “By the Waters of Babylon” By Stephen Vincent Benet Study Guide
Unit 3 Literary Terms
“By the Waters of Babylon”
By Stephen Vincent Benet
Study Guide

2. Literary Terms Term Definition Notes First-Person Point of View
Narration of a story by the main character
First-person narrator uses the pronouns “I” and “our”
Second-Person Point of View
A way of writing that directly addresses the reader
Refers to the readers with pronouns “you” and “your”
Third-Person Limited Point of View
Narration of a story by someone who is not a character, but who focuses on the thoughts and feelings of one character
Readers do NOT know the thoughts/feelings of the minor characters
Omniscient Point of View
The position of a narrator who is not a character in the story but who knows the thoughts and feelings of all the characters
Omniscient means “all knowing”

3. Literary Terms Term Definition Notes Flashback
An account of an event or a conversation that happened before the beginning of a story
A narrator recalling what it was like to grown up in a big family might include a flashback about a childhood birthday.
Foreshadowing
The use of hints to build suspense about what will happen next
A writer might describe dark clouds in the distance as foreshadowing of a thunderstorm that ruins a picnic
Context Clues
Hints about a word’s meaning from the surrounding words
Jordan must be frugal when she shops because she doesn’t have much money. – frugal means “careful about spending”
Infer
To make a guess or judgment based on evidence or past experience
Whenever I hear a crash in the kitchen, I infer that someone has dropped a glass.

4. Literary Terms Term Definition Notes Analyze To examine in detail
You must analyze a problem in order to understand its cause.
Narrator
the voice that tells the story
The narrator of this mystery novel is the detective who solves the case.
Influence (verb)
To have an effect upon
Campaign speeches influence voters.
Root (noun)
A word part that contains the core meaning of the word
The word predict contains the Latin root -dict, which means “tell” or “say.”
Reflective Essay
An essay in which the writer shares personal experiences and observations
An author might write a reflective essay about his fear of heights.