First Quarter Review

My focus this quarter was scholarships. I thought turning in applications were done after I turned in my last college application but apparently not. I have been searching and completing scholarship applications during most of my time. I have turned in quite a few scholarships and feel good about it. Since scholarships have been by focal point I may have fallen behind on few things here and there.

Next quarter I hope to catch up, you know school wise. I also need to prepare for AP tests and what not.  I also very hope to start my senior project. Every year and every project I have for the most part done it at the last minute. I will make this senior project my exception before I go off to college.

My suggestion for this course is it needs a little more structure. But that may be on purpose because there is no structure when it comes to life and we may have to find our own way.

Final Lit Terms

Rising Action:  plot build up, caused by conflict and complications, advancement towards climax


Romanticism:  movement in western culture beginning in the eighteenth and peaking in the nineteenth century as a revolt against Classicism; imagination was valued over reason and fact


Satire:  ridicules or condemns the weakness and wrong doings of individuals, groups, institutions, or humanity in general


Scansion:  the analysis of verse in terms of meter


Setting:  the time and place in which events in a short story, novel, play, or narrative poem occur

Simile: a figure of speech comparing two essentially unlike things through the use of a specific word of comparison


Soliloquy: an extended speech, usually in a drama, delivered by a character alone on stage


Spiritual:  a folk song, usually religious theme


Speaker:  a narrator, the one speaking


Stereotype:  cliche, a simplified, standardized conception with a special meaning and appeal for members of a group; a formula story


Stream of Consciousness: the style of writing that attempts to imitate the natural flow of a character's thoughts, feelings, reflections, memories, and mental images, as the character experiences them


Structure: the planned framework of a literary selection; its apparent organization


Style: the manner of putting thoughts into words; a characteristic way of writing or speaking


Subordination: the couching of less important ideas in less important structures of language


Surrealism: a style of literature and painting that stresses the subconscious or the non-rational aspects of man's existence characterized by the juxtaposition of the bizarre and banal


Suspension of Disbelief: suspend not believing in order to enjoy it


Symbol: something which stands for something else, yet has a meaning of its own


Synesthesia: the use of one sense to convey the experience of another sense

Synecdoche: another form of name changing, in which a part stands for the whole


Syntax: the arrangement and grammatical relations of words in a sentence


Theme: main idea of the story; its message(s)


Thesis: a proposition for consideration, especially one to be discussed and proved or disproved; the main idea


Tone: the devices used to create the mood and atmosphere of a literary work; the author's perceived point of view


Tongue in Cheek: a type of humor in which the speaker feigns seriousness; aka "dry" or "dead pan"


Tragedy: in literature any composition with a somber theme carried to a disastrous conclusion; a fatal event; protagonist usually is heroic but tragically (fatally) flawed


Understatement: opposite of hyperbole; saying less than you mean for emphasis

Vernacular: everyday speech


Voice: the textual features, such as diction and sentence structures, that convey the writer's or speaker's persona

Zeitgeist: the feeling of a particular era in history

I AM HERE

At a gradual pace I am making my way towards my SMART goal. I have only gotten about 3 scholarships but have applied for many more and am still applying. It seems most of my time goes into applying for scholarships these days. I would say I have made progress but not tremendous progress as during this first grading period I am not really notified if I got a scholarship or not.

The senior project my group has merely discussed on what we should do but have not actually begun. I think this isn't a problem as this senior project needs planning and time. It wouldn't do us any good to rush the senior project but it also wont benefit us to procrastinate either.

Literary Analysis: Of Mice and Men

General

1. George and Lennie are on the road looking for work. They end up working at a ranch and that is the story begins. George is normal man and Lennie is a mentally unstable individual. They both dream of one day owning their own farm. This is why they work so they will save up money to buy their own land. Due to Lennie's mental instability they have a hard time finding a permanent and steady job. A man named Candy joins them in their dream to own their own farm. George starts to gamble and use his money on prostitutes. Their dreams eventually come to an end when Lennie kills a woman and George kills Lennie.
2. The novel's theme focuses on how fragile dreams are. Dreams can easily be destroyed. Both George and Lennie dream of owning their own farm but as time progresses on the ranch those hopes dwindle away. It dwindles away especially for George when he uses his money to pay fo prostitutes and alcohol. They strive for something better, but all there plans get ruined when Lennie kills a woman.
3. The tone throughout the novel is hopeful. Despite unfortunate events it seems there is still a slight glimmer of hope.

• "An' live off the fatta the lan'," Lennie shouted. "An' have rabbits. Go on, George! Tell about what we're gonna have in the garden, and about the rabbits in the cages and about the rain in the winter and the stove, and how thick the cream is on the milk like you can barely cut it. Tell about that, George."

"Whatta ya think I am, a kid? I tell ya, I could of went with shows. Not jus' one, neither. An' a guy tol' me he could put me in pitchers..."

• “George raised the gun and steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie's head. The hand shook violently, but his face set and his hand steadied. He pulled the trigger. The crash of the shot rolled up the hills and rolled down again.”
  
  
  4.Personification: Much of Steinbeck's description is direct and literal, but occasionally some more figurative description such as personification provides variety.

The silence fell on the room again. It came out of the night and invaded the room. (pg 48)

• Foreshadowing:There are hints dropped throughout the book as to where the plot is headed. However, like George and Lennie, the reader naturally clings to the hope that their dream is still possible.

"Well, he better watch out for Lennie. Lennie ain't no fighter, but Lennie's strong and quick and Lennie don't know no rules." (pg 27)

• Colloquialism: Literally every piece of dialogue in Of Mice and Menuses colloquialism. Steinbeck attempted to capture the environment in its entirety, down to the laborer's unique slang and inflections.

"You ain't wanted here. We told you you ain't. An' I tell ya, you got floozy idears about what us guys amounts to. You ain't got sense enough in that chicken head to even see that we ain't stiffs. S'pose you get us canned. S'pose you do. You think we'll hit the highway an' look for another lousy two-bit job like this." (pg 79)

• Foil:  George and Lennie's characters are created specifically to contrast each other.  George is small but quick-witted, while Lennie is large but dull.

...behind him walked his opposite... (pg 2)

• Flashback:  George makes references early on to fleeing the town of Weed with Lennie, but does not reveal the circumstances until considerably later while talking with Slim.

"An' you ain't gonna do no bad things like you done in Weed, neither." (pg 7)
"Well, that girl rabbits in an' tells the law she been raped.  The guys in Weed start a party out to lynch Lennie.  So we sit in an irrigation ditch under water all the rest of that day." (pg 42)

• Inference:  At the story's end, George shoots Lennie with Carlson's Luger.  The reader is never explicitly told when George steals the gun (he later says Lennie stole it and he took it back) but it can be inferred that George took the gun for the purpose of killing Lennie.

"How'd you do it?"
"I just done it."
"Did he have my gun?"
"Yeah.  He had your gun."
"An' you got it away from him and you took it an' you killed him?"
"Yeah.  Tha's how." (pg 107)

• Juxtaposition:  Throughout most of the story, George's description of their future home is a source of hope and delight.  More than anything else, it is the promise of this land that makes Lennie (and consequently, the reader) happy.  However, at the end of the novel, George describes the dream one last time as he prepares to kill Lennie.  In this context, it becomes the most heartbreaking moment in the book.

George raised the gun and his hand shook, and he dropped his hand to the ground again.
"Go on," said Lennie.  "How's it gonna be.  We gonna get a little place."
"We'll have a cow," said George.  "An' we'll have maybe a pig an' chickens...an' down the flat we'll have a...little piece alfalfa--"
"For the rabbits," Lennie shouted.
"For the rabbits," George repeated. (pg 105)

• Repetition:  In order for that last scene, to be effective, Steinbeck has essentially the same wording of the dream repeated throughout the entire novel.

"Why'n't you do it yourself?  You know all of it."
"No...you tell it. It ain't the same if I tell it. Go on...George. How I get to tend the rabbits." (pg 14)

• Motif: Lennie's unintentional harming of those around him is huge motif (and the reasons for the book's title). It starts with him accidentally killing a mouse, then a puppy, then a women.

"I'd pet 'em, and pretty soon they bit my fingers and I pinched their heads a little and then they was dead--because they was so little." (pg 10)

• Zeitgeist:As with Steinbeck's other works, a major focus is on capturing the fell of the era in setting, speech, and situation.

A few miles south of Soledad, the Salinas River drops in close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green. The water is warm too, for it has slipped twinkling over the yellow sands in the sunlight before reaching the narrow pool. On one side of the river the golden foothill slopes curve up to the strong and rocky Cabilan mountains, but on the valley side the water is lined with trees--willows fresh and green with every spring, carrying in their lower leaf junctions the debris of the winter's flooding.

Characterization

1. Direct Characterization: This is mainly used to describe physical appearances.

• “Every part of him was defined: small, strong hands, slender arms, a thin and bony nose.”

Indirect Characterization: This is used to explain the moral concept throughout the novel

• “Slowly, like a terrier who doesn't want to bring a ball to its master, Lennie approached, drew back, approached again.”  
  2. The syntax and diction change when focusing on describing a character. When a character is being described the diction and syntax becomes very literal and detailed using descriptive words.

3. George is a round dynamic character.  At times, he can seem strict and controlling over Lennie, but it is quickly revealed that he does everything out of love.  He begins the story doubting that their fairy-tale land is unreachable.  Part way through, he begins to think that it might be possible after all.  The unfortunate turn of events leads to his disillusionment, leaving him more drained and cynical than he began.  Lennie is a round static character.  It is easy to shoehorn him into the role of a stereotypical "gentle giant", but his character has much more depth than that.  He is very much like a child who constantly breaks his toys.  In his mind, there is very little difference between killing a mouse and killing a woman; the important part to him is that George will be upset.  From beginning to bitter end, his his character does not change.
4. After reading the novel I cam away feeling like I melt a person. The character's problems, hopes, dreams, and situations made them seem more real and human. As I read through the novel I began to understand them and the problems they faced. I felt like I could relate to them on some levels.

Lit Terms 83-108

Onomatopoeia: use of a word whose sound in some degree imitates or suggests its meaning.
BOOM!

Oxymoron: a figure of speech in which two contradicting words or phrases are combined to produce a rhetorical effect by means of a concise paradox


Pacing: rate of movement; tempo


Parable: a story designed to convey some religious principle, moral lesson, or general truth


Paradox: a statement apparently self-contradictory or absurd but really containing a possible truth; an opinion contrary to generally accepted ideas.


Parallelism: the principle in sentence structure that states elements of equal function should have equal form.


Parody: an imitation of mimicking of a composition or of the style of a well-known artist


Pathos: the ability in literature to call forth feelings of pity, compassion, and/or sadness


Pedantry: a display of learning for its own sake


Personification: a figure of speech attributing human qualities to inanimate objects or abstract ideas


Plot: a plan or scheme to accomplish a purpose


Poignant: eliciting sorrow or sentiment


Point of View: the attitude unifying any oral or written argumentation; in description, the physical point from which the observer views what he is describing


Postmodernism:  literature characterized by experimentation, irony, nontraditional forms, multiple meanings, playfulness, and a blurred boundary between real and imaginary


Prose:  the ordinary from of spoken and written language; language that does not have a regular rhyme pattern


Protagonist:  the central character in a work of fiction; opposes antagonist.


Pun: play on words; the humorous use of a word emphasizing different meanings or applications


Purpose:  the intended result wished by an author


Realism:  writing about the ordinary aspects of life in a straightforward manner to reflect life as it actually is


Refrain:  a phrase or verse recurring at intervals in a poem or song; chorus


Requiem:  any chant, dirge, hymn, or musical service for the dead


Resolution:  a point in a literary work at which the chief dramatic complication is worked out; denouement


Restatement: idea repeated for emphasis


Rhetoric:  use of language, both written and verbal in order to persuade


Rhetorical Question:  question suggesting its own answer, or not requiring an answer; used in argument or persuasion

Lit Terms 56-81

Genre:  a category or class of artistic endeavor having a particular form, technique, or content

Gothic Tale:  a style in literature characterized by gloomy settings, violent grotesque action, and a mood of decay, degeneration, and decadence

Hyperbole:  an exaggerate statement often used as a figure of speech or to prove a point

Imagery:  figure of speech or vivid description, conveying images through any of the sense

Implication:  a meaning or understanding that is to be arrived at by the reader but that is not fully and explicitly stated by the author

Incongruity:  the deliberate joining of opposites or of elements that are not appropriate to each other

Inference:  a judgement or conclusion based on evidence presented; the forming of an opinion which possesses some degree of probability according to the facts already available

Irony:  a contrast or incongruity between what is said and what is meant, or what is expected to happen and what actually happens, or what is thought to be happening and what is actually happening

Interior Monologue:  a form of writing which represents the inner thoughts of a character; the recording of the internal, emotional experiences of an individual; generally the reader is given the impression of overhearing the interior monologue

Inversion: words out of order for emphasis

Juxtaposition:  the intentional placement of a words, phrase, sentence or paragraph to contrast with another nearby

Lyric:  a poem having musical form and quality; a short outburst of the author's innermost thoughts and feelings

Magical Realism:  a genre developed in Latin America which juxtaposes the everday with the marvelous or magical

Metaphor:  an analogy comparing two different things imaginatively; can be  extended, controlling, or mixed

Metonymy:  literally "name changing" a device of figurative language in which the name of an attribute or associated thing is substituted for the usual name of the thing

Mode of Discourse:  argument, narration, description, and exposition

Modernism:  literary movement characterized by stylistic experimentation, rejection of tradition, interest in symbolism and psychology

Monologue:  an extended speech by a character in a play, short story, novel, or narrative poem

Mood:  the predominating atmosphere evoked by a literary piece

Motif:  a recurring feature (name, image, or phrase) in a piece of literature

Myth:  a story, often about immortals, and sometimes connected with religious rituals, that attempts to give meaning to the mysteries of the world

Narrative:  a story or description of events

Narrator:  one who narrates or tells a story

Naturalism:  extreme form of realism

Novelette/Novella:  short story; short prose narrative, often satirical

Omniscient Point of View:  knowing all things, usually the third person

lit term 2

Abstract	refers to language that describes concepts rather than concrete images.
Ad Hominem	In an argument, this is an attack on the person rather than on the opponent's ideas. It comes from the Latin meaning "against the man."
Allegory	a work that functions on a symbolic level.
Alliteration	- the repetition of initial consonant sounds, such as "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers."
Allusion	a reference contained in a work.
Ambiguity	the multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage.
Amplification	involves repeating a word or expression while adding more detail to it, in order to emphasize what otherwise might be passed over.
Analogy	a literary device employed to serve as a basis for comparison. It is assumed that what applies to the parallel situation also applies to the original circumstance. In other words, it is the comparison between two different items.
Anaphora	the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or lines.
Anastrophe	transposition of normal word order; most often found in Latin in the case of prepositions and the words they control. (a form of hyperbaton)
Anecdote	a story or brief episode told by the writer or a character to illustrate to a point.
Antanagoge	placing a good point or benefit next to a fault criticism, or problem in order to reduce the impact or significance of the negative point.
Antimetabole	reversing the order of repeated words or phrases (a loosely chiastic structure, AB-BA) to intensify the final formulation, to present alternatives, or to show contrast.
Antiphrasis	one word irony, established by context.
Antistrophe	repetition of the same word or phrase at the end of successive clauses.
Antithesis	the presentation of two contrasting images. The ideas are balanced by word, phrase, clause, or paragraphs. "To be or not to be..." "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country..."
Aphorism	a terse statement of known authorship which expresses a general truth or moral principle. (If the authorship is unknown, the statement is generally considered to be a folk proverb.) An aphorism can be a memorable summation of the author's point.
Apophasis	(also called praeteritio or occupatio) asserts or emphasizes something by pointedly seeming to pass over, ignore, or deny it.
Aporia	expression of doubt (often feigned) by which a speaker appears uncertain as to what he should think, say, or do.
Aposiopesis	a form of ellipse by which a speaker comes to an abrupt halt, seemingly overcome by passion (fear, excitement, etc.) or modesty.
Apostrophe	a figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or personified abstraction, such as liberty or love. The effect may add familiarity or emotional intensity. William Wordsworth addresses John Milton as he writes, "Milton, thou shouldst be living at this hour: England hath need of thee."
Appositive	a noun or noun substitute placed next to (in apposition to) another noun to be described or defined by the appositive.
Archaism	use of an older or obsolete form.
Argument	a single assertion or a series of assertions presented and defended by the writer
Assonance	repetition of the same sound in words close together.
Asyndeton	lack of conjunctions between coordinate phrases, clauses, or words.
Atmosphere	the emotional mood created by the entirety of a literary work, established partly by the setting and partly by the author's choice of objects that are described. Even such elements as a description of the weather can contribute to the atmosphere. Frequently, atmosphere foreshadows events.
Attitude	the relationship an author has toward his or her subject, and/or his or her audience.
Brachylogy	a general term for abbreviated or condensed expression, of which asyndeton and zeugma are types.
Cacophony	harsh and discordant sounds in a line or passage in a literary work.
Cause and effect	analyses explain why something happened or what the consequences are or will be from a particular occurrence
Chiasmus	two corresponding pairs arranged not in parallels (a-b-a-b) but in inverted order (a-b-b-a)
Classification	a form of division, but instead of starting with a single subject as a division does, classification starts with many items, and groups or sorts them into categories.
Cliché	an overused common expression. The term is derived from a French word for a stereotype printing block. Just as many identical copies can be made from such a block, so clichés are typically words and phrases used so frequently that they become stale and ineffective. Everyone uses clichés in speech: "in less than no time" they "spring to mind," but "in the last analysis," a writer ought to "avoid them like the plague," even though they always seem "to hit the nail on the head."
Climax	arrangement of words, phrases, or clauses in an order of ascending power.
Colloquial	the use of slang in writing, often to create local color and to provide an informal tone. Huckleberry Finn is written in a colloquial style.
Comic Relief	the inclusion of a humorous character or scene to contrast with the tragic elements of a work, thereby intensifying the next tragic event.
Conceit	a fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects. A conceit displays intellectual cleverness due to the unusual comparison being made.
Concrete	words describe things that exist and can be experienced through the senses. Abstractions are rendered understandable and specific through concrete examples.
Connotation	the interpretive level of a word based on its associated images rather than its literal meaning.
Deduction	the process of moving from a general rule to a specific example.
Definition	involves placing a word first in a general class and then adding distinguishing features that set it apart from other members of that class: "A Dalmatian is a breed of dog (general class) with a white, short-haired coat and dark spots (distinguishing feature)." Most college writing assignments in definition require extended definitions in which a subject is analyzed with appropriate examples and details.
Denotation	the literal or dictionary meaning of a word.
Diacope	repetition of a word or phrase after an intervening word or phrase
Dialect	the recreation of regional spoken language, such as a Southern dialect. Zora Neale Hurston uses this in such works as Their Eyes Were Watching God.
Diction	is the choice of words used in speaking or writing. It is frequently divided into four levels: formal, informal, colloquial, and slang. Formal diction is found in traditional academic writing, such as books and scholarly articles; informal diction, generally characterized by words common in conversation contexts, by contractions, and by the use of the first person (I), is found in articles in popular magazines. Bernard R. Berelson's essay "The Value of Children" (p.231) uses formal diction; Judy Brady's "I Want a Wife" (p.441) is informal.
Didactic	From the Greek, didactic literally means "teaching." Didactic works have the primary aim of teaching or instructing, especially the teaching of moral or ethical principles.
Dirimens Copulatio	mentioning a balancing or opposing fact to prevent the argument from being one-sided or unqualified.
Distinctio	is an explicit reference to a particular meaning or to the various meanings of a word, in order to remove or prevent ambiguity.
Ellipsis	indicated by a series of three periods, the ellipsis indicates that some material has been omitted from a given text. It could be a word, a phrase, a sentence, a paragraph, or a whole section. Be wary of the ellipsis; it could obscure the real meaning of the piece of writing.
Enthymeme	is an informally-stated syllogism which omits either one of the premises or the conclusion. The omitted part must be clearly understood by the reader.
Enumeratio	etailing parts, causes, effects, or consequences to make a point more forcibly.
Epanalepsis	repeats the beginning word of a clause or sentence at the end.
Epigraph	the use of a quotation at the beginning of a work that hints at its theme. Hemingway begins The Sun Also Rises with two epigraphs. One of them is "You are all a lost generation" by Gertrude Stein.
Epithet	is an adjective or adjective phrase appropriately qualifying a subject (noun) by naming a key or important characteristic of the subject.
Epizeuxis	repetition of one word (for emphasis).
Eponym	substitutes for a particular attribute the name of a famous person recognized for that attribute.
Euphemism	a more acceptable and usually more pleasant way of saying something that might be inappropriate or uncomfortable. "He went to his final reward" is a common euphemism for "he died." Euphemisms are also often used to obscure the reality of a situation. The military uses "collateral damage" to indicate civilian deaths in a military operation.
Euphony	the pleasant, mellifluous presentation of sounds in a literary work.
Exemplum	citing an example; using an illustrative story, either true or fictitious.
Exposition	background information presented in a literary work.
Extended Metaphor	a sustained comparison, often referred to as a conceit. The extended metaphor is developed throughout a piece of writing
Figurative Language	the body of devices that enables the writer to operate on levels other than the literal one. It includes metaphor, simile, symbol, motif, and hyperbole, etc.
Figures of speech	e deliberate departures from the ordinary and literal meanings of words in order to provide fresh, insightful perspectives or emphasis. Figures of speech are most commonly used in descriptive passages and include the following: Simile, Metaphor, Personification, Hyperbole, Etc...
Form	the shape or structure of a literary work.
Generalizations	are assertions or conclusions based on some specific instances. The value of a generalization is determined by the quality and quantity of examples on which it is based. Bob Greene in "Cut" (p.57) formulates ma generalization--being cut from and athletic team makes men super achievers later in life--on the basis of fiver examples. For such a generalization to have validity, however, a proper statistical sample would be essential.
Hendiadys	use of two words connected by a conjunction, instead of subordinating one to the other, to express a single complex idea.
Homily	this term literally means "sermon," but more informally, it can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice.
Hypallage	("exchanging") transferred epithet; grammatical agreement of a word with another word which it does not logically qualify. More common in poetry.
Hyperbaton	separation of words which belong together, often to emphasize the first of the separated words or to create a certain image.
Hyperbole	extreme exaggeration, often humorous, it can also be ironic; the opposite of understatement.
Hypophora	onsists of raising one or more questions and then proceeding to answer them, usually at some length.
Hypotaxis	using subordination to show the relationship between clauses or phrases (and hence the opposite of parataxis).
Hysteron Proteron ("later-earlier")-	inversion of the natural sequence of events, often meant to stress the event which, though later in time, is considered the more important.
Image	a verbal approximation of a sensory impression, concept, or emotion.
Imagery	the total effect of related sensory images in a work of literature.
Induction	the process that moves from a given series of specifics to a generalization.
Inference	a conclusion one can draw from the presented details.
Invective	a verbally abusive attack.
Irony	an unexpected twist or contrast between what happens and what was intended or expected to happen. It involves dialog and situation, and can be intentional or unplanned. Dramatic irony centers around the ignorance of those involved; whereas, the audience is aware of the circumstance.
Litotes	understatement, for intensification, by denying the contrary of the thing being affirmed. (Sometimes used synonymously with meiosis.)
Logic	the process of reasoning
Logical Fallacy	a mistake in reasoning
Metabasis	consists of a brief statement of what has been said and what will follow.
Metanoia	qualifies a statement by recalling it (or part of it) and expressing it in a better, milder, or stronger way.
Metaphor	a direct comparison between dissimilar things. "Your eyes are stars" is an example.
Metonymy	a figure of speech in which a representative term is used for a larger idea (The pen is mightier than the sword).
Loose sentence	A type of sentence in which the main idea (independent clause) comes first, followed by dependent grammatical units such as phrases and clauses. If a period were placed at the end of the independent clause, the clause would be a complete sentence. A work containing many loose sentences often seems informal, relaxed, and conversational.
Monologue	a speech given by one character (Hamlet's "To be or not to be...").
Mood	this term has two distinct technical meanings in English writing. The first meaning is grammatical and deals with verbal units and a speaker's attitude. The indicative mood is used for only factual sentences. For example, "Joe eats too quickly." The subjunctive mood is used for a doubtful or conditional attitude. For example, "If I were you, I'd get another job." The imperative mood is used for commands. For example, "Shut the door!" the second meaning of mood is literary, meaning the prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a work. Setting, tone, and events can affect the mood. In this usage, mood is similar to tone and atmosphere.
Motif	the repetition or variations of an image or idea in a work used to develop theme or characters.
Oxymoron	an image of contradictory term (bittersweet, pretty ugly, jumbo shrimp).
Parable	a story that operates on more than one level and usually teaches a moral lesson. (The Pearl by John Steinbeck is a fine example.).
Paradox	A statement that appears to be self-contradictory or opposed to common sense, but upon closer inspection contains some degree of truth or validity. The first scene of Macbeth, for example, closes with the witches' cryptic remark "Fair is foul, and foul is fair...."
Parallelism	also referred to as parallel construction or parallel structure, this term comes from Greek roots meaning "beside one another." It refers to the grammatical or rhetorical framing of words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity. This can involve, but is not limited to, repetition of a grammatical element such as a preposition or verbal phrase. A famous example of parallelism begins Charles Dickens's novel A Tale of Two Cities: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity..." The effects of parallelism are numerous, but frequently, they act as an organizing force to attract the reader's attention, add emphasis and organization, or simply provide a musical rhythm.
Paraprosdokian	surprise or unexpected ending of a phrase or series.
Parataxis	writing successive independent clauses, with coordinating conjunctions, or no conjunctions.
Parenthesis	a final form of hyperbaton, consists of a word, phrase, or whole sentence inserted as an aside in the middle of another sentence.
Parody	a comic imitation of a work that ridicules the original. It can be utterly mocking or gently humorous. It depends on allusion and exaggerates and distorts the original style and content.
Paronomasia	use of similar sounding words; often etymological word-play.
Pathos	the aspects of a literary work that elicit pity from the audience. An appeal to emotion that can be used as a means to persuade.
Pedantic	a term used to describe writing that borders on lecturing. It is scholarly and academic and often overly difficult and distant.
Periodic Sentence	a sentence that places the main idea or central complete thought at the end of the sentence, after all introductory elements. The effect of the periodic sentence is to add emphasis and structural variety.
Pleonasm	use of superfluous or redundant words, often enriching the thought.
Polysyndeton	the repetition of conjunctions in a series of coordinate words, phrases, or clauses.
Praeteritio	pretended omission for rhetorical effect.
Premise	in logic is a proposition-a statement of a truth-that is used to support or help support a conclusion.
Procatalepsis	by anticipating an objection and answering it, permits an argument to continue moving forward while taking into account points or reasons opposing either the train of thought or its final conclusions.
Prolepsis	the anticipation, in adjectives or nouns, of the result of the action of a verb; also, the positioning of a relative clause before its antecedent.
Reduction ad Absurdum	The Latin for "to reduce to the absurd." This is a technique useful in creating a comic effect and is also an argumentative technique. It is considered a rhetoric fallacy, because it reduces an argument to an either/or choice.
Satire	a mode of writing based on ridicule, that criticizes the foibles and follies of society without necessarily offering a solution.
Sentence structure	when an essay question asks you to analyze sentence structure, look at the type of sentences the author uses. Remember that the basic sentence structures are simple, compound, and complex, and variations created with sentence combining. Also consider variation or lack of it in sentence length, any unusual devices in sentence construction, such as repetition or inverted word order, and any unusual word or phrase placement. As with all devices, be prepared to discuss the effect of the sentence structure. For example, a series of short, simple sentences or phrases can produce a feeling of speed and choppiness, which may suit the author's purpose.
Sententia	quoting a maxim or wise saying to apply a general truth to the situation; concluding or summing foregoing material by offering a single, pithy statement of general wisdom.
Simile	an indirect comparison that uses the words like or as to link the differing items in the comparison. ("Your eyes are like the stars.")
Subjective writing	expresses an author's feelings or opinions about a particular subject. Editorials or columns in newspapers and personal essays tend to rely on subjective judgments.
Syllogism	the format of a formal argument that consists of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion.
Symploce	combining anaphora and epistrophe, so that one word or phrase is repeated at the beginning and another word or phrase is repeated at the end of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences.
Synecdoche	a figure of speech that utilizes a part as representative of the whole. ("All hands on deck" is an example.)
Syntax	the grammatical structure of prose and poetry.
Tautology	repetition of an idea in a different word, phrase, or sentence.
Thesis	simply, the main idea of a piece of writing. It presents the author's assertion or claim. The effectiveness of a presentation is often based on how well the writer presents, develops, and supports the thesis.
Tone	the author's attitude toward his subject.
Transition	a word or phrase that links one idea to the next and carries the reader from sentence to sentence, paragraph to paragraph.
Voice	can refer to two different areas of writing. One refers to the relationship between a sentence's subject and verb (active voice and passive voice). The second refers to the total "sound" of a writer's style.
Zeugma	two different words linked to a verb or an adjective which is strictly appropriate to only one of them.