Literary Term Of The Week With Modern Examples © Presto Plans Allegory Allegory is a symbolic device in which characters or events in a story represent or symbolize ideas and concepts. Many people believe that Aslan's death in The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe is an allegory for Christ's crucifixion in the Christian Bible. Click HERE to watch the scene http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpsdcj3pFtQ Allegory Why do people think it is an allegory for Christ's death? Chronicles Of Narnia The Christian Bible Aslan is a lion. Christ is called 'The Lion of Judah' in the Bible. Aslan sacrifices Christ sacrifices himself himself for Edmund, a for sinners in the Bible. traitor, in the story. Aslan is killed brutally Christ is killed brutally and is resurrected in and resurrected in the the story. Bible. Alliteration The repetition of an initial consonant sound. This literary term is often used in poetry Consider Carrie Underwood's use of alliteration in her song Blown Away. Shatter every window 'Til it's all blown away. Every brick, every board, Every slamming door blown away. Alliteration Alliteration is also often used in tongue twisters. Try a few of these out! If Freaky Fred Found Fifty Feet of Fruit And Fed Forty Feet to his Friend Frank. How many Feet of Fruit did Freaky Fred Find? Silly Sally swiftly shooed seven silly sheep. The seven silly sheep Silly Sally shooed shilly-shallied south. Allusion An allusion is a figure of speech where the author refers to a subject matter such as a person, place, event, or literary work in a passing reference. It is up to the reader to make a connection to the subject being mentioned. Taylor Swift alludes to Shakespeare when she sings the following from her song "Love Story": That you were Romeo, You were throwing pebbles And my daddy said Stay away from Juliet. Allusion Swift's song alludes to other parts of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet as well. She mentions disapproving families and the famous balcony scene from the play. This is allusion because she mentions the names and plot aspects of Romeo and Juliet in passing. Click HERE To See The Video For This Song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xg3vE8Ie_E Anagram Anagrams are an extremely popular form of literary device wherein the writer jumbles up parts of the word to create a new word. It is a type of wordplay! The plot of the novel and movie The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown uses anagrams! Can anyone remember how anagrams are used in this novel/movie? Anagram In the novel and movie The Da Vinci Code, the following was written on the floor of the Louvre next to a dead man: "O Draconian devil Oh lame saint.". The main characters discover that it is an anagram for "Leonard Da Vinci. The Behind The Mona Lisa they Mona Lisa"! find another anagram "so dark the con of man". By re- arranging the letters, they came up with "Madonna of the Rocks", another of Da Vinci's paintings. Click HERE To See A Clip From The Movie http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_HKGZRUroE Analogy A comparison between two things for the purpose of explanation or clarification. Click HERE to see Barrack Obama's Analogy. He is comparing the economic recession to driving a car into a ditch. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKv-dXHhtMs Antagonist The antagonist of a story is a character, group of characters, or institution that opposes the protagonist or main character. In the novel and movie Harry Potter, Voldemort is the main antagonist. He opposes the main character - Harry. Click HERE to see the protagonist (Harry), and antagonist (Voldemort) in opposition http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haZEcPbF1T0 Anti-Hero In literature, an antihero is a central character who lacks conventional heroic qualities. They blur the line between hero and villain. Why Are They Anti-Heroes? T V SHOW: Dexter TV SHOW: Dexter is a serial killer who Breaking Bad kills other murders. He lacks normal heroic qualities, yet the In Breaking Bad, Walter White is a struggling show is constructed so you high school chemistry are on his side. teacher who is diagnosed with MOVIE: Shrek inoperable lung cancer at the beginning of the Shrek is an unconventional hero. series. He turns to a life Most of the other characters of crime, producing and find him ugly, rude, or selling drugs with a frightening, but he blurs the lines former student. between hero and villain with his irresistible humour. Anthropomorphism Anthropomorphism occurs when a human quality, emotion or ambition is given to a non- human object or being. The novel, Alice In Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll uses numerous examples of anthropomorphism! This novel was made into a Disney animated movie in 1951 and a film by Tim Burton in 2010. Click HERE to see an example from the ORIGINAL film http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLIqErnQCuw Click HERE to see an example from the NEW film http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ppsDNkBLGY Antithesis An antithesis is used when the writer puts two sentences of contrasting meanings close to one another. Consider Katy Perry's 'Cause you're hot then you're cold use of antithesis in her You're yes then you're no song Hot n Cold You're in then you're out You're up then you're down You're wrong when it's right It's black and it's white We fight, we break up We kiss, we make up. Apostrophe A figure of speech in which the speaker addresses an object, concept, or person (usually absent) that is unable to respond. Consider in the film I Am Legend. Will Smith, the last man on earth, seeks comfort in attempting to speak to a mannequin. Click HERE to see the scene. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEs1gi9Dmqc Archetype An archetype is a concept, a person or an object that has served as universally understood prototype of its kind. Archetypes are immediately identifiable and sometimes overused. The T V show Glee uses a number of high school archetypes! Click HERE to see some examples of the characters in the show. Can you think of the archetypes they represent? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sefQqCMusJI Archetype Check out some of these archetypes! Quinn Febray is an Puck is an archetype for Sue Sylvester is an archetype for a high a high school jock. He is archetype for the 'tough school cheerleader. good-looking, athletic, coach'. She is arrogant, She is blonde, skinny, and popular. strong, and bossy. and popular. Atmosphere Atmosphere is created when the setting or scene creates an emotional response in the reader/viewer. In the gloom the courtyard looked of considerable size, and as several dark ways led from it under great round arches... I have not yet been able to see it by daylight. - Bram Stoker's Dracula Atmosphere In the gloom the courtyard looked of considerable size, and as several dark ways led from it under great round arches... I have not yet been able to see it by daylight. What emotion does the reader feel when they read this description? Catharsis Catharsis is the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions. It is usually felt by the audience/ reader while exposed to a story that brings about great sorrow, pity, laughter etc. The novel and film The Notebook, by Nicholas Sparks uses catharsis. For those who have seen it, how do you think it does this? Catharsis For example, in The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks, the audience is able to cry when Ryan Gosling finally kisses Rachel McAdams in the rain. This display of emotion would be otherwise inappropriate or difficult to face, but watching the movie is a cathartic experience because the audience is able to let go of repressed feelings! Caricature A caricature is a simple image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way. In literature, a caricature is a description of a person using exaggeration of some characteristics and oversimplification of others. Cliche A cliché or cliche is an expression, idea, or element of work which has become overused to the point of losing its original meaning, even to the point of being trite or irritating. What are some sports cliches? Cliche Slam Dunk! Hole In Play Hard One! Ball Keep Your Eye Knock It Out On The Ball Of The Park Cliffhanger A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma, or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction. A cliffhanger is used to ensure the audience will return to see how the characters resolve the dilemma. Soap Operas are known for using the cliff hanger technique to hook their audience. Character (Dynamic or round) A dynamic or round character goes through change or growth in the story. Why would The Grinch be considered a dynamic character? Character (Dynamic or round) The Grinch starts out as a miserable Christmas hating character, but changes to be more caring and giving. This makes him a dynamic round character. Click HERE to see the Grinch as a dynamic character! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE3jShGPscQ Character (Static or flat) A static or flat character remains the same through the story - does not experience change. Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory would Big Bang be considered to be (for Theory the most part) a flat/static character.