A. SIMILE – a figure of speech involving the screeched by applying brakes.

Thank
compassion of one thing with another god, I was saved.
thing of a different kind, used to make a
description more emphatic or vivid (e.g., D. METAPHOR – A metaphor is a figure of
as brave as a lion, crazy like a fox) speech that is used to make a comparison
between two things that are not alike but
B. IRONY – it is a contrast or incongruity do have something in common.
between expectations of a situation and Example: Spending too much time with
what is reality. This can a difference him is worse than swimming in the sea of
between the surface meaning of something sharks.”
that is said and underlying meaning. It can E. HYPERBOLE – exaggerated statements or
also be a difference between what might claims not meant to be taken literally.
be expected to happen and what actually Example:
occurs. - I’ve told you to clean your room a
million times.
Example: She is a great singer who sings - It was so cold, I saw polar bears
like crow. wearing hats and jackets.
- An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
- IRONY is a contradiction between - I could sleep for a year.
what happens and what you expect to - This book weighs a ton.
happen.
F. ALLITERATION – is a term used to
Examples: describe a literary device in which series
 A fireman afraid of fire. of words begin with the same consonant
 A dentist with crooked teeth and sound.
cavities galore. - The repetition of the same letter or
 You shout “I’m not upset!” but sound at the beginning of words.
your fists are clenched, your eyes Examples:
look like they are ready to pop out, - She sells sea shells by the sea shore.
and your face is the color of tomato - Peter piper picked a peck of pickled
red (sarcasm). peppers.
G. PERSONIFICATION – the attribution of a
C. ONOMATOPOEIA – The formation of a personal nature or human characteristics to
word from a sound associated with what is something nonhuman, or the
named. representation of an abstract quality in
(e.g., cuckoo, sizzle). If you want the red human form.
team win, clap your hands right now!
Example:
- It is the use of words that imitates the - The wildfire ran through the forest at an
sounds associated with the objects for amazing speed.
action actions they refer to. - The moon smiled at the stars in the sky.
Examples: - The car danced across the icy road.
- I squeezed the sauce bottle but in vain. - The angry clouds marched across the
- The actor vroomed his motorbike sky.
across his lover. - The stars in clear night sky winked at me.
- While I was driving on a highway, - The tulips nodded their heads in the
suddenly the car on my right side went breeze.
out of control to hit my car, I

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H. APOSTROPHE – as a literary device is FREE FORM – is a poem that has neither
when a speaker breaks off from addressing regular rhyme nor regular meter. Free
one party and instead addresses third party. verse often uses cadences rather than
This third party may be an individual, uniform metrical feet.
either present or absent in the scene, it can
also be an inanimate object, like a dagger
or an abstract concept, such as death or the SUBJECT MATTER OF POEMS
sun.
- Not to get a response, but to express  Love poem, Political poem,
emotions. Metaphysical poem. Confessional
Poem
- “But tell me Death, when you will
show your face at my door.” –  Elegy (poem that reflects on death
Unknown. or solemn themes)
 Epithalamion (poem that praises a
wedding)
POETRY – A type of writing that uses  Proverb (a poem that imparts
language to express imaginative and wisdom, learning, and aid memory.
emotional qualities instead of or in  Found Poem (poem that are
addition to meaning. discovered in everyday life)
Poetry may be written as individual poems  Pun (word play, humor, or
or included in other written forms as in cleverness – “Pasteurize: Too far to
dramatic poetry, hymns, or song lyrics. see.”)
 Epigram (short, witty, concise
- Is language written with rhythm, saying – can be sarcastic or
language, sound devices, and parodic, about a person or an idea-
figurative emotionally charged “Swans sing before they die –
language. ‘twere no bad thing/should certain
people die before they sing!”)
SOME ELEMENTS OF POETRY RHYME – (end, internal, approximate)
 Length
 Visual impressions YHYME SCHEME – (Roses are red…
 Concentrated, intense language that abcd)
makes deliberate sound effects
NEOLOGISM – (a new word or
which can involve rhythm, rhyme,
expression)
or other sounds.
 Written in lines and stanzas rather
LINES – a single line of poetry.
than sentences or paragraphs.
 (Deeper) Meaning is gleaned from
STANZAS – a group of lines set off from
understanding the use of metaphor,
the other lines in a poem; the poetic
symbol, imagery, etc.
equivalent of a paragraph in prose. In
traditional poems, the stanza usually
contains a unit of thought, much like a
FIXED FORM – is a poem that may be paragraph.
categorized by the pattern of its lines.
Meter, rhythm, or stanzas; a style of poetry PUNCTUATION – used for emphasis.
that has set rules.
Ex. Sonnet, Villanelle, Limerick. STRUCTURE OF IMAGES/SYMBOLS
WITHIN THE POEM – watch for colors,
patterns, figurative language.
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 at a critical moment. The speaker has a listener
TYPES OF POEMS: within the poem, but we too are his/her listener,
Sonnet – 14-line poem with specific rhyme and we learn about the speaker’s character from
scheme. what the speaker says.
English (Shakespearean) – three quatrains Elegy – a sad and thoughtful poem lamenting the
and a couplet. death of a person.
Italian (Petrarchan) – octet, sestet, volta is
between lines 8 and 9) Limerick – short, sometimes bawdy, humorous
poems consisting of five anapestic lines.
Haiku – Japanese poem with 17 syllables:
5-7-5.
The Major Genres
- It combines form, content, and
language in a meaningful yet compact Literature
form. Prose
- Haiku doesn’t rhyme. A Haiku must Prose Poetry Drama

“paint” a mental image in the reader’s

mind. - Written in paragraph form.
- Expressed in ordinary form.
- To the intellect.
Cinquain – a poem with five lines. - To convince, instruct, imitate, and
reflect.
Line 1: one word (the title)
Fiction Non - Fiction
2: two words that describes the title. Short stories Personal Narrative
Fairy tales Letters
3: three words that tell the action. Folk tales Memoirs
4: four words that express the feeling. Novels Short stories
Poems Reports
5: one word that recalls the title.
Example: Poetry

Tree - Written in stanzas or verse form.

- Expressed in metrical, rhythmical and
Strong, tall figurative language.
Swaying, swinging, sighing - To the emotion.
- Stirs the imagination and set an idea of
Memories of Summer how life should be.
Oak

Concrete Poetry – uses word arrangement,

Villanelle – 19 lines long, but uses only two typeface, color or other visual effects to
rhymes, while repeating two lines throughout the complement or dramatize the meaning of the
poem. words used.

- No particular meter or line length. Lyric Poem – is very personal in nature, it

expresses the author’s own thoughts, feelings,
- Obsessive and can bring out the emotions of any moods and reflections in musical language.
neurotic writer.
- It focuses on expressing private
emotions or thoughts.
Dramatic Monologue – a poem in which a single - Sonnets and ballads are also example
speaker who is not the poet utters the entire poem of lyric poetry.

3
 - It portrays the poet’s own feelings,  Irony
state of mind, ideas, and perception.  Litotes – understatement is employed for
rhetorical effect, principally via double
Elements that make up a lyric poem:
negatives. It emphasizes truth.
 Customarily accompanied by music.
 Brief Examples:
 Intensely passionate Litotes As a means of saying:
 Emotional “Not bad” “Good”
 Down-to-earth “(…) no ordinary City” “(…) a very
impressive
Epic Poetry – is a long story told in verse which City”
tells the great deeds of a hero. “You are not wrong.” “You are
Narrative Poetry – is a poem that tells a story. correct.”

POETIC STRUCTURES
Drama (play) – is a form of literature meant to be
performed before an audience. Dramas or stages  Iambic foot – is an unstressed syllable
are called theatre. followed by a stressed syllable.
 Meter – is the pattern of rhythm
In a drama, the story is represented through the established for a verse
dialogue and the actions of the characters.  Rhythm – is the actual sound that results
The written form of a drama is known as a script. from a line of poetry.
It usually includes dialogue, a cast of characters,  Iambic Parameter – is a line of poetry with
and stage directions that give specific instruction five iambic feet in a row. This is the most
about performing the play. common meter in English poetry.
 Rhyme – is the placement of identical or
Verse Fable – a brief story told in verse that similar sounds at the end of lines or at
illustrates a moral and features human-like predictable locations within lines.
animals, plants, objects, or forces of nature.  Stanzas – are group of lines in a poem
which are named by the number of lines
included.
Acrostic Poetry – use letter patterns to create
multiple messages.

LITERARY DEVICES IN POETRY

 Figurative language – the use of words
outside of their literal or usual meaning to
add beauty or force.
 Metaphor
 Simile
 Onomatopoeia
 Personification
 Symbolism – is when a person, place,
thing, or idea stands for itself and for
something else.
Example:
- Use of the bald eagle to represent the
United States.
 Alliteration (consonance) Fiction – a literary work based on the imagination
and not necessarily on fact.
 Assonance (vowels)
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 ssand do not develop. Static characters are
flat characters.
- Imaginary, invented writings such as
novels and short stories. o Stereotype – sometimes characters with
Oral Fictions common, generalized traits are repeatedly
found in unrelated stories.
o Myth
o Fables - These characters are known by
o Folktales what they do and how they act.
o Fairytales - The author doesn’t need to tell us
o Parables much about the character because
we’ve encountered the stereotype
before and can make some
Literary Fiction inferences.
o Short stories Protagonist – is the central to the action of a story
o Novels and moves against the antagonist.

Non-Fiction (based on facts) Antagonist – the villain or a force which opposes

the protagonist.
o Biography
o Autobiography
o Essays METHODS OF CHARACTERIZATION
o Texts forms
o Newspapers a. Direct Characterization – the author
o Magazines develops the personality of a character by
direct statements. Example: A Walk to
Remember
Setting – the place where the story takes place. It b. Indirect Characterization – revealing the
includes the ff: characters personality through:
- Geographical location - The character’s thoughts, words,
- Time period and actions.
- The socio-economic characteristics of - The comments of other characters.
the location (wealthy, suburbs, - The character’s physical
depressed society) appearance.
- Examples: Sherlock Holmes, Fifty
Characters – a person or the people who acts in Shades of Gray, Miss Kinney.
the story.
o Round characters – have various
characteristics or traits. The character can
change or grow.

o Flat Characters – readers see one side of a

flat character.

o Dynamic Characters – characters also

develop and change (often) e.g., Scrooge –
from villain to a loving father.

o Static Characters – one dimensional –

readers see only one side, stays the same

5
 STORY ELEMENT Person vs. Nature – E.g. when two lovers are
PLOT – is the literary element that describes the separated by a hurricane in Their Eyes Were
structure of a story. It shows the arrangement of Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston.
events and actions within the story. Person vs. Self – conflict between a character and

Climax
their inner struggle. E.g. Rodion’s violent
fantasies in Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment.
Rising Action Falling Action
Person vs. Society – a character is victimized by
society, e.g. Hester’s public shaming in
Exposition Resolution Hawthorne’s The scarlet letter.
Person vs. Technology – characters face the
ominous results of science moving beyond our
Exposition – the start of the story., the situation control. E.g. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
before the action starts. Person vs. Supernatural – the source of conflict is
Rising Action – the series conflicts and crisis in supernatural, e.g. the shape-shifting ‘it’ that
the story that leads to the climax. terrorizes children in Stephen King’s novel of the
Climax – the turning point, the most intense same name.
moment.
Falling Action – all of the action which follows POINT OF VIEW – the perspective from which
the climax. the story is told.
Resolution – the conclusion, the tying together of
all the threats. Omniscient Point of View – the author is telling
the story directly.
CONFLICT – is the dramatic struggle between Limited Omniscient Point of View – third person,
two forces in a story. Without conflict, there is no told from the viewpoint of a character in the story.
plot. First Person Point of View – told from the
viewpoint of one of the characters, using the first-
The four types of conflict: person pronoun “I”.
 Man vs. Man (Interpersonal conflict)
 Man vs. Nature (Interpersonal conflict) THEME – the central idea or central message of
 Man vs. Society (Interpersonal conflict) the story. It usually contains some insight into the
 Man vs. Himself (Internal conflict) human condition – telling something about human
and life.
Person vs. Person – character conflicts whether  The theme can be stated directly or
between heroes and villains or sparring lovers. implied by the events and actions in the
story.

6
SYMBOLISM – a symbol represents an idea, o Panel – same story told from
quality, or concept larger than itself. different viewpoints.

Other Fiction Elements:

 Allusion – a reference to a person, place,
or literary, historical, artistic, mythological Illustrated Novels – story through text and
source or event. illustrated images.
“It was in St. Louis, Missouri, where they  Generally, 50% of the narrative is
have that giant McDonald’s thing towering presented without words. The reader must
over the city…” (Bean Trees 15) interpret the images in order to
 Atmosphere – the prevailing emotional comprehend the complete story.
and mental climate of a piece of action.  Textual portions are presented in
 Dialogue – the reproduction of a traditional forms.
conversation between two of the  Some illustrated novels may contain no
characters. text at all.
 Foreshadowing – early clues about what  Illustrated novels span all genres.
will happen later in a piece of fiction.
 Irony – a difference between what is Digi Fiction – a literary experience that combines
expected and reality. three media: book, movie/video, and internet
 Style – a writer’s individual and distinct websites.
way of writing. The total of the qualities  In order to get the full story, the students
that distinguish one author’s writing from must engage in navigation, reading, in all
another’s. three formats.
 Structure – the way time moves through a  Popular series include:
novel. o 39 clues
o Chronological – starts at the o Skeleton Creek
beginning and moves through time. o Level 26
o Flashback – starts in the present Graphic Novels – narrative in comic book
and then goes back to the past. formats.
o Circular or Anticipatory – starts in  A graphic novel is a narrative work in
the present, flashes back to the which the story is conveyed to the reader
past, and returns to the present at using comic form.
the conclusion.  The term is employed in a broad manner,
encompassing non-fiction works and

7
 thematically linked short stories as well as For sale: baby socks, never worn.
fictional stories across a number of genres. Margaret Atwood:
Manga – it is used in the English-speaking world Longed for him. Got him. Shit
as a generic term for all comic books and graphic Speculative Fiction – Dystopian, supernatural
novels originally published in Japan. fiction, weird fiction, superhero fiction,
 Manga is the Japanese word for comic. apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic fantastical fiction,
 Manga is considered an artistic storytelling sci-fi.
style. Spoken Poetry – Oral art that focuses on the
 The term “Ameri-Manga” is sometimes aesthetics of word play and intonation and voice
used to refer to comics created by inflection.
American artists in a manga style. Text-talk Novels – blog, e-mail, & IM format

 Manga usually follows the traditional style narratives.

as found in Japan. Japanese Manga to be

read from the right side to the left,
opposite of traditional American book.
 Not only do you read pages from right to
left, but you also read the panels and text
from right to left.
 In America, the traditional Japanese style
distinguishes Manga from other graphic
and illustrated texts.
Doodle Fiction – a literary presentation where the
author incorporates doddle drawings and hand-
written graphics in place of traditional font.
Example: Diary of a Wimpy Kid
 Drawing enhances the story, often
adding humorous elements that would
be missing if the illustrations were
omitted.
Chick-lit – genre of fiction which addresses issues
of modern womanhood, often humorously and
lightheartedly.
Flash Fiction – a style of fictional literature of
extreme brevity.
Ernest Hemingway: