2. Characterization: refers to a characters personality or the method by which the writer reveals this personality. Direct Characterization: the writer tells you directly about the character. Indirect Characterization: the writer lets you learn about the characters through their thoughts or through what other characters think about them. Motivation: character’s reason or reasons for saying or doing something.

3.  Character Traits: all of those qualities that make a person unique. › Examples of common character traits:  Adventurous, friendly, loud, anxious, rude sad, evil, foolish, intelligent, lucky, stubborn, sweet, tired, honest, hopeful, curious, greedy, popular, young, worried, loving, confused, clumsy, lazy, ambitious, shy, loyal, silly, humorous, etc.  Write down at least five character traits that represent you.

4.  The principal or main character around which a literary work usually revolves.  Examples: › Katniss from Hunger Games › Rapunzel from Tangled › Batman (any of the movies)

5.  The character who opposes the central character, causing conflict.  Examples: › Mother Gothel from Tangled › Joker from The Dark Knight › Scar from The Lion King

6.  Character who contrasts another character.  Example: › Edward and Jacob from Twilight

7.  Point of View: the position of the narrator in relation to the story.  Perspective: Shaped by many factors, including his or her gender, age, cultural heritage, and personal experiences.  Empathy: Ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes.

8. First-person Narration: the story is told by one of the characters in it, with the character referring to himself or herself as “I.” Third-person Narration: the narrator is a voice outside the story who refers to all the characters as he, she, or they. Omniscient Narrator: When a third-person narrator is all-seeing and all-knowing. An omniscient narrator can tell us things that the characters in the story do not know. This narrator can enter the minds of the characters, telling us what they think and feel and how they view events.

9. The theme of a story is the general idea or insight into life that the story presents.

10. Abandonment Ambition American Dream, The Coming of Age Survival Cruelty Death Education Family Fate Freedom Grief Heroism Identity Illness Individual and Society Isolation Justice Love Nationalism Nature Oppression Pride Race Regret Rejection Religion Violence Spirituality Success Common themes found throughout literature:

11.  A person, place, or thing that is present as a representation of a larger meaning.  Your Turn: List as many symbols as you can in our daily lives.

12.  The location and time period where the plot takes place.

13.  The combined defining elements of how language is used within a literary work, by an author, or as a category of expression.

14.  Various classifications of literary works.  Examples: › Mystery › Comedy › Fantasy › Science Fiction › Drama › Romance

15.  The representation of conversation within a literary work.  Slang = informal language used by particular group of people.

16.  A reference to a famous person, place, or event.  The Bible is the most alluded piece of literature.

17.  Words that affect a meaning other than the usual or literal meaning of the words. (Simile, metaphor, personification, etc.)

18.  To compare similar things or ideas without using the words like or as.

19.  To compare different things or ideas by using the words like or as.

20.  Attribution of human qualities to an inanimate thing.  Examples: › The pen danced across the paper. › Opportunity was knocking at your door. › The wind howled. › Time creeps up on you. › The storm attacked the town.

21.  Deliberate exaggeration to give emphasis or focus.  Examples: › I’ve told you a million times › It was so cold I saw polar bears wearing jackets. › I am so hungry I could eat a horse. › He is as skinny as a toothpick.

22.  A feeling, object, or occurrence that forewarns of an event and which is only fully understood in hindsight.

23.  A statement that initially seems to contradict itself but, in fact, includes a fundamental truth.  Examples: › It was Bittersweet › Wise fool › The beginning of the end › Nobody goes to that restaurant because it is too crowded.

24.  When the expected outcome differs from what actually happens.  Examples: › Firehouse catching on fire › Tow truck getting towed › Dying in your living room › Getting hit by an ambulance

25.  An expression that is clear only to those who are familiar with the language of its origin; cannot be understood based on its literal meaning.  Examples: › Sick as a dog › Chip on your shoulder › Rub someone the wrong way

26.  The use of similar or identical sounding words to create an alternate meaning to the sentence in which they are used.  Examples: › I’ve been to the dentist so many times, so I know the drill. › I went to buy some camouflage pants yesterday and couldn’t find any. › Being struck by lightning is a shocking experience!

27.  To combine two words with contrasting meanings to convey a single idea or thought.  Examples: › Jumbo shrimp › Least favorite › Random order › Act naturally

28.  An expression that has been used too often that its meaning and impact are no longer effective.  Examples: › Opposites attract › All is fair in love and war › Read between the lines › What goes around comes around

29.  A polite word or phrase used in place of an offensive or crude word or phrase.  Examples: › “Passed away” instead of “died” › “Correctional facility” instead of “jail” › “Between jobs” instead of “unemployed” › “Flatulence” instead of “farts”

30.  Words that imitate sounds.  Examples: › Zip, bang, boom, swoosh, splash, fizz, beep clap, buzz, drip, zoom, achoo, belch, etc.

31.  Repetition of the same sound beginning several words in sequence.

32.  The repetition of consonant sounds within or at the end of words in a phrase or sentence.

33.  The repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds found within or at the end of words and phrases.  In this example by Carl Sandburg, in Early Moon, the long “o” sounds old or mysterious. “Poetry is old, ancient, goes back far. It is among the oldest of living things. So old it is that no man knows how and why the first poems came.”

34.  The use of figurative language to paint a sensory picture for the reader.  Example: “Daffodils” by William Wordsworth A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the Milky Way

35.  Exposition — gives background on setting and characters  Complication — the problem or challenge that main character(s) must resolve  Rising Action — emotion and conflict build as the character(s) deal(s) with complication(s)  Climax (or turning point) — the highest point of emotion; the complication is at its worst  Falling Action — the complication begins to move toward resolution  Resolution — the complication is resolved in some way

36. Types of Conflicts Internal Mental or emotional struggle that occurs within a character. External Struggle that occurs between a character and outside forces Person vs. person Person vs. nature Person vs. fate