Define the literary terms list below.
Literary terms are labels for the precise language tools writers use to create meaning. Your understanding and use ofthese writing tools is crucial to your success. While deconstructing a piece ofwriting, identifying the tool or technique an author uses is also crucial. Knowing how and why they used the tool is even more crucial. Define each of theseterms concisely in your own words. Do not cut and paste a definition from an online source for each term without translating and understanding the term. You must interpret the definition for yourself. You must internalize it. Cut and paste this list into a separate Word document and add your definitions. You willuse these terms this year when you analyze the readings and for many of the AP assignments, and the exam. You will also use these terms when you analyze the summer readings.When you search, use the literary/writingdefinitions.I’ve grouped like terms as much as possible. Many of these words are just review.
A. Word Use and Meaning (all tools are used for a literary effect, even cliches)
Diction
Prose
Verse
Alliteration
Onomatopoeia
Connotation
Denotation
Colloquial Language
Slang
Imagery
Sensory Detail
Figures of Speech/Figurative Language
Metaphor
Simile
Hyperbole
Understatement
Cliché
Irony
Literary Tone
Literary Style
Literary Theme
Satire/Humor
Sarcasm
Voice
B. Sentences and Paragraphs
Syntax
Parallelism
Repetition
Clause
Juxtaposition
Climactic order
Rhetorical question
Anecdote
C. Literary Genres/Rhetorical Modes
Novel
Non-fiction
Short story
Dramatic literature (plays)
Memoir
Autobiography
Biography
Diary
Expository essay
Narrative essay
Cause-and-effect
Compare and contrast
Classification
Process analysis
D. Fictional Elements
Point of View (POV)
Plot
Setting
Exposition
Rising action
Climax
Falling action
Resolution/denouement
Ambiguous ending
Protagonist
Antagonist
Archetype
Personification
Anthropomorphism
Objectification
Audience
Dialogue
Symbol/symbolism
Parable
Allegory
Motif
Foreshadowing
Flashback
E. Argument and Persuasion
Rhetoric
Ethical Appeal (Ethos)
Rational Appeal (Logos)
Emotional Appeal (Pathos)
Thesis
Claim
Evidence
Concession
Inductive Reasoning
Deductive Reasoning
Oxymoron
Paradox/Logical Fallacies
II. Reading The Best American Essays of the Century(TBAEOTC), Joyce Carol Oates
The AP folks expect you to have read hundreds of different essayswritten by hundreds of different authors about dozens of different subjects.This collection of twentieth century works are just the beginning of a yearspent reading and analyzing essays and this text will provide a solid base fromwhich we can build exposure to effective non-fiction work. (You can purchase it on Amazon for under 20.00 dollars)
1. ReaderResponses for TBAEOTC (no more than 14 pagestotal writing)
A. Word-process reader responses (no more than one page, double-spacedfor each) You will write 14responses—The four essays you must read are as follows: What are the Master Pieces and Why so Few of Them? Gertrude Stein, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Maya Angelou, Letter from Birmingham Jail Martin Luther King, Looking for Zora, Alice Walker you may pick any other 10 essays you want to read. Be clear and concise. Follow the formatting rules.
B. Analyze each essay for any one or more of the four aspects below andyou must provide clear evidence to supportyour analysis. Use quotations from the piece.
C. Vary your analysis. Do not repeat the same type of analysis for everyessay. That’s just silly.
D. Vary your application of the literary terminology. Do not repeat thesame term more than a few times. Challenge yourself to find literary tools thateach writer uniquely.
A. Analyze for one of the four aspects of SPAM (you may blend more than oneaspect):
- Stylistic devices and rhetorical (persuasive) strategies used in the piece. Use your literary terms list to identify and briefly explain what tool(s) the author used and why. AP Comp is mostly about how well you can deconstruct or construct an argument.
- Purpose (thesis or main point) for writing the piece. What are your clues?
- Audience. For whom do you think this piece was written? How do you know?
- Meaning of the piece to you. This is where you can (briefly) elaborate about your personal reaction to the piece. Specific textual evidence is crucial to thoughtful analysis.
Include the author and the title of each essay. Explain what specifically in the essay is effectiveand how and why something was effective. Never, ever flatter an author andnever, ever criticize an author. These are the best essayists of theirgeneration and you are a high school student. And whether you like or enjoy (ornot) the essay is not important. Be objective, clear, and concise. You are studying the structure of each piece. Do not summarize. Summary isnot analysis.
We will continue to analyze essays in this same structured methodthroughout the year. There are hundreds of authors on the must-read AP Language list, and TBAEOTC contains a goodnumber of them. Some will confuse and confound you. That’s okay. Don’t focus onwhat confuses you, look for what is effective or interesting or artistic orweird or powerful.
- Purchase the 5 steps to a 5 for AP English Language (Read Chapter 1 and 2) Please bring your 5 Steps to a 5 to our first class session.
- You are responsible for learning all of these words. They will be extremely useful to you in AP Language. You will have a test on these words the first two weeks of school.
- Read Catcher in the Ryeand prepare to discuss it the first day of school. As you read think and reflect on who is Holden Caulfield?