Lit Terms 31-56

Dialect- the language of a particular district, class or group of persons; the sounds, grammar, and diction employed by people distinguished from others

Dialectics- formal debates usually over the nature of truth

Dichotomy- split or break between two opposing things

Diction- the style of speaking or writing as reflected in the choice and use of words

Didactic- having to do with the transmission of information; education

Dogmatic- rigid in beliefs and principles

Elegy- a mournful, melancholy poem, especially a funeral song or lament for the dead, sometimes contains general reflections on death, often with a rural or pastoral setting

Epic- a long narrative poem unified by a hero who reflects the customs, morals, and aspirations of his nation of race as he makes his way through legendary and historic exploits, usually over a long period of time

Epigram- witty aphorism

Epitaph- any brief inscription in prose or verse on a tombstone; a short formal poem of commemoration often a credo written by the person who wishes it to be on his tombstone

Epithet- a short, descriptive name or phrase that may insult someone's character, characteristics

Euphemism- the use of an indirect, mild, or vague word or expression for one thought to be coarse, offense or blunt

Evocative- a calling forth of memories and sensations; the suggestion or production through artistry and imagination of a sense of reality

Exposition- beginning of a story that sets forth facts, ideas, and characteristics in a detailed explanation

Expressionism- movement in art, literature, and music consisting of unrealistic representation of an inner idea or feelings

Fable- a short simple story, usually with animals as characters, designed to teach a moral truth

Fallacy- from Latin word "to deceive", a false or misleading notion, belief or argument; any kind of erroneous reasoning that makes arguments unsound

Falling Action- part of the narrative or drama after the climax

Farce- a boisterous comedy involving ludicrous action and dialogue

Figurative Language- apt and imaginative language characterized by figures of speech

Flashback- a narrative device that flashes back to prior events

Foil- a person or thing that, by contrast, makes another seem better or more prominent

Folk Tale- a story passed on by word of mouth

Foreshadowing- in fiction and drama, a device to prepare the reader for the outcome of the action; "planning" to make the outcome convincing, though not to give away

Free Verse- verse without conventional metrical pattern, with irregular pattern or no rhyme

Lit Terms 6-30

Analogy- a comparison made between two things to show the similarities between them

Analysis- a method in which a work or idea is separated into its parts, and those parts given rigorous and detailed scrutiny

Anaphora- a device or repetition in which a word or words are repeated at the beginning of two or more lines, phrases, clauses, or sentences

Anecdote- a very short story used to illustrate a point

Antagonist- a person or force opposing the protagonist in a drama or narrative

Antithesis- a balancing of one term against another for emphasis or stylistic effectiveness

Aphorism- a terse, pointed statement expressing some wise or clever observation about life

Apologia-  a defense or justification of some doctrine, piece of writing, cause, or action; also apology

Apostrophe- a figure of speech in which an absent or dead person, an abstract quality, or something inanimate or nonhuman is addressed directly

Argument-the process of convincing a reader by proving either the truth or falsity of an idea in proposition; also, the thesis or proposition itself

Assumption- the act of supposing, or taking for granted that a thing is true

Audience- the intended listener or listeners

Characterization- the means by which a writer reveals a character's personality

Chiasmus- a reversal in the order of words so that the second half of a statement balances the first half in inverted word order

Circumlocution- a roundabout or evasive speech or writing, in which many words are used but a few would have served

Classicism- art, literature, and music reflecting the principles of Ancient Greece and Rome (tradition, clarity, reason, balance and order)

Cliché- a phrase or situation overused within society

Climax- the decisive point in a narrative or drama; the point of greatest intensity or interest at which plot question is answered or resolved

Colloquialism- folksy speech, slang words or phrases usually used in informal conversation

Comedy- originally a nondramatic literary place of work that was marked by a happy ending; now a term to describe a ludicrous, farcical, or amusing event designed to provide enjoyment or produce smiles and laughter

Conflict- struggle or problem in a story causing tension

Connotation- implicit meaning, going beyond dictionary definition

Contrast- a rhetorical device by which one element  is thrown into opposition to another for the sake of emphasis or clarity

Denotation- plain dictionary definition

Denouement- loose ends tied up in a story after the climax, closure, conclusion

Lit Terms 1-5

Allegory-a tale in prose or verse in which characters, actions, or settings represent abstract ideas or moral qualities; a story that uses symbols to make a point

Alliteration- the repetition of similar initial sounds, usually consonants, in a group of words

Allusion- a reference to a person, a place, an event, or a literary work that a writer expects a reader to recognize

Ambiguity- something uncertain as to interpretation

Anachroism- something that shows up in the wrong place or wrong time

Spring Semester Plan 1

My goal coming into this semester was like my goal every semester. I come into every semester with a clear mind and the desire to work my hardest and do my best to accomplish my goal in receiving the grade and the experience I best see fit for myself. Along the way I have found myself distracted and having a hard time focusing on this class. I am not doing my best and I need to take a step back and refocus myself. Now that I have really realized how much I have been slacking I am really going to put this class as my main focus to catch up on work and to get the full experience out of this class.