Definition of Literary Elements

What is an allusion?

• When the audience is more aware of what is happening than a character.

• A reference to a famous person, place, event, or work of literature.

• A person, a place, an object, an animal, or an activity that stands for something beyond itself.

• A reason behind a character’s specific action or behavior.

Tags

CCSS.L.7.5A

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

What is suspense?

• A feeling of growing tension and excitement experienced by a reader. It makes readers curious about the outcome of a story or an event within a story. This is created when the writer raises questions in the reader’s mind.

• When the audience is more aware of what is happening than a character.

• A character who undergoes important changes as a plot unfolds. The changes occur because of the character’s actions and experiences in the story. The changes are usually internal and may be good or bad. Main characters are usually, though not always, dynamic.

• When a speaker say one thing, but means another.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.RL.6.4

CCSS.RL.7.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

CCSS.RL.9-10.4

What is a symbol?

• A figure of speech in which the truth is exaggerated for emphasis or humorous effect

• An interruption of the action to present events that took place at an earlier time. It provides information that can help a reader better understand a character’s current situation.

• A person, a place, an object, an animal, or an activity that stands for something beyond itself.

• A way of speaking that is a characteristic of a particular region or group of people

Tags

CCSS.L.6.6

CCSS.L.8.6

CCSS.W.6.2D

CCSS.W.7.2D

CCSS.W.8.2D

What is dialect?

• A figure of speech in which the truth is exaggerated for emphasis or humorous effect

• An interruption of the action to present events that took place at an earlier time. It provides information that can help a reader better understand a character’s current situation.

• A person, a place, an object, an animal, or an activity that stands for something beyond itself.

• A way of speaking that is a characteristic of a particular region or group of people

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.5.5

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

What is motivation?

• When the audience is more aware of what is happening than a character.

• A reference to a famous person, place, event, or work of literature.

• A person, a place, an object, an animal, or an activity that stands for something beyond itself.

• A reason behind a character’s specific action or behavior.

Tags

CCSS.RL.9-10.5

What is dramatic irony?

• When the audience is more aware of what is happening than a character.

• A reference to a famous person, place, event, or work of literature.

• A person, a place, an object, an animal, or an activity that stands for something beyond itself.

• A reason behind a character’s specific action or behavior.

Tags

CCSS.L.4.5

CCSS.L.5.5

What is verbal irony?

• A feeling of growing tension and excitement experienced by a reader. It makes readers curious about the outcome of a story or an event within a story. This is created when the writer raises questions in the reader’s mind.

• When the audience is more aware of what is happening than a character.

• A character who undergoes important changes as a plot unfolds. The changes occur because of the character’s actions and experiences in the story. The changes are usually internal and may be good or bad. Main characters are usually, though not always, dynamic.

• When a speaker say one thing, but means another.

Tags

CCSS.L.8.5A

What is a static character?

• A character who undergoes important changes as a plot unfolds. The changes occur because of the character’s actions and experiences in the story. The changes are usually internal and may be good or bad. Main characters are usually, though not always, dynamic.

• A force working against the protagonist, or main character. It is usually another character, but can be a force of nature, society itself, or an internal force within the main character.

• Exposition is the first stage of a typical story plot. The exposition provides important background information and introduces the setting and the important characters. The conflict the characters face may also be introduced in the exposition, or it may be introduced later, in the rising action.

• A character who remains the same throughout a story. The character may experience events and interact with other characters, but he or she is not changed because of them.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

What is a dynamic character?

• A character who undergoes important changes as a plot unfolds. The changes occur because of the character’s actions and experiences in the story. The changes are usually internal and may be good or bad. Main characters are usually, though not always, dynamic.

• A force working against the protagonist, or main character. It is usually another character, but can be a force of nature, society itself, or an internal force within the main character.

• Exposition is the first stage of a typical story plot. The exposition provides important background information and introduces the setting and the important characters. The conflict the characters face may also be introduced in the exposition, or it may be introduced later, in the rising action.

• A character who remains the same throughout a story. The character may experience events and interact with other characters, but he or she is not changed because of them.

Tags

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

What is an antagonist?

• A character who undergoes important changes as a plot unfolds. The changes occur because of the character’s actions and experiences in the story. The changes are usually internal and may be good or bad. Main characters are usually, though not always, dynamic.

• A force working against the protagonist, or main character. It is usually another character, but can be a force of nature, society itself, or an internal force within the main character.

• Exposition is the first stage of a typical story plot. The exposition provides important background information and introduces the setting and the important characters. The conflict the characters face may also be introduced in the exposition, or it may be introduced later, in the rising action.

• A character who remains the same throughout a story. The character may experience events and interact with other characters, but he or she is not changed because of them.

Tags

CCSS.RL.4.3

CCSS.RL.5.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3