8th Grade Literary Terms

“And the trees all died. They were orange trees. I don’t know why they died, they just died. Something wrong with the soil possibly or maybe the stuff we got from the nursery wasn’t the best. We complained about it. So we’ve got thirty kids there, each kid had his or her own little tree to plant and we’ve got these thirty dead trees. All these kids looking at these little brown sticks, it was depressing

Devices

Language

Arts

Simile

Dialogue

Conversation between people in a literary work

The Artist's Tools

Literary Terms

Starter Kit

Louis asks, "How would you like me to make your life a living heck?" Ace Ventura calmly explains, "Well, I'm not really ready for a relationship, Lois, but thank you for asking. Hey, maybe I'll give you a call sometime. Is your Your number's still 911? All righty then!" Louis screams, "You Make me Sick!"

Symbol

Objects used to represent an Idea

Metaphor

a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable

Has anyone every stabbed you in the back?

The basic tools for building an understanding of literary terms.

I’ve got to get this spreadsheet done by the meeting. I hope Miller likes it better than last time. I can’t believe he liked Joe’s work better. What a brown-noser. And he’s wearing the stupidest suit today. Oh shoot, I’ve got a mustard stain on my sleeve.

a judgment based on a personal point of view or opinion

Let’s see, what else do I need to buy? I’ve got chips, chocolate…oh, and I need to get that awful prune juice for Harold. I can’t believe he actually thinks this cleanse thing is gonna work. And to think he wanted me to do it with him. As if I need to lose weight. Hmm, I wonder how late the gym is open tonight.

Author's Purpose

Voice

Pseudonym

Diction

Style

Fiction

Theme

Personality

Fluency + rhythm

What is the difference between these two examples?

What would your pseudonym be?

Allusion

Editorial

Word Choice

How the Author writes

Main Idea of a work

What

Melodrama

Characterization

A reference to something else in literature

Fiction or Non-Fiction

Formal Informal

- the method an author uses to reveal characters and their various personalities

Nepal earthquake of 2015, also called Gorkha earthquake, struck near the city of Kathmandu in central Nepal on April 25, 2015. Several thousand people were killed; many thousands more were injured; and more than a half million structures in Kathmandu and other nearby towns were either damaged or destroyed. The earthquake was felt throughout central and eastern Nepal, much of the Ganges River plain in northern India.

stream of consciousness

Fiction or Non-Fiction

Aunt Petunia was just passing around a box of after-dinner mints when a huge barn owl swooped through the dining room window, dropped a letter on Mrs. Mason’s head, and swooped out again. Mrs. Mason screamed like a banshee and ran from the house shouting about lunatics.

A story about a family trying to stick together and survive through the Great Depression in the Midwest in the 1930s

depict the thoughts and feelings as they pass through the mind.

•Joe Klein (Anonymous)

•Nora Roberts (J.D. Robb)

•Ruth Rendell (Barbara Vine)

•Anne Rice (Anne Rampling, A.N. Roquelaure)

•Jayne Anne Krentz (Amanda Quick, Jayne Castle)

•Stephen King (Richard Bachman)

Which passage has a more formal style?

literature in the form of prose, especially short stories and novels, that describes imaginary events and people.

CHARACTERize this character.

A section in a history book describing the conditions and causes of the Great Depression in the Midwest in the 1930s

Think about it , man. Air pollution is a big deal. Pollution increases every time start your car. Cars are are the biggest contributor to air pollution besides cow farts. Do you know how many cows are on earth? 1.5 billion! You can bet your bottom dollar the increasing number of cows is related to the fast food industry.

Al Capone (Alphonse Gabriel Capone)

Do not trust strangers

Arguably the principal source of air pollutants worldwide is motor vehicle emissions, although many other sources have been found to contribute to the ever growing problem. In a 2006 United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organization report, it claims that the livestock sector, most of which are cows, “generates more greenhouse gas emissions as measured in CO2 equivalent – 18 percent – than transport.”

a newspaper article written by or on behalf of an editor that gives an opinion on a topical issue.

Theme of the poem: Perseverance

Picasso (Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso)

Summarize

Analogy

Diction

a comparison between two things, typically for the purpose of explanation or clarification:

give a brief statement of the main points of (something).

Types of Non-Fiction

Yins watch the game Sunday?

Why Yins call rubbish garbage?

When did Yins learn ta' read?

Point of View

What type of third person is this?

Refer to Literary Terms for Definitions

Jill was scared to admit that she liked Jack, but little did she know, he liked her too. In fact, as she spent her days trying to think up creative ways to avoid him, Jack was planning out creative ways to ask her to the school dance.

Novel

Setting

How does Atticus Finch's diction change when he is talking to his daughter?

What point of view?

Time and place of a story

Compare

Characters

How would a story change if the setting changes?

Alliteration

Diary/Memoir

state the similarities between two or more ideas or passages

Genre

Dynamic

Static

Jill was scared to admit she liked Jack, and feared his reaction more than anything. She spent her days avoiding him, too embarrassed to even speak with him. What if he hated her?

Satire

Figurative Language

the repetition of initial consonant sounds in neighboring words

Example: dewdrops dripped down daisies

Characters that stay the same.

The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience

Character that undergoes change and growth

You just hold your head high and keep those fists down. No matter what anybody says to you, don’t you let ’em get your goat. Try fighting with your head for a change.

the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices,

Who is speaking figuratively?

Would The Retrieved Reformation be a novel?

Auto-biography

What would be the setting of a story in the picture above?

Essay

Letters

What else would you consider non-fiction?

Mike: We are in similar situations

Samantha: We are in the same boat.

Scar

Scrooge

The Joker

Jimmy Valentine

What is similar in the picture? What is different?

Prose

Argument

Soliloquy

Monologue

Any Writing that is not poetry

Persuasive writing used convince the reader by stating a claim and providing evidence.

Personification

Let's Compare

Example from "The Great Gatsby"

Myth

Fable

two opposite ideas are joined to create an effect.

A story with a moral or common theme.

A story that gives an explanation for historical event or belief.

Argument: Death Penalty should be abolished

Narrator

imagery

• Alone on Stage

The attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman

Narrator: The speaker that tells the story.

• Alone on Stage

Tone

Lets practice a serious example.

Author: Wrote the story

descriptive or figurative language that applies to the senses

Describe the Authors Tone in this passage.

In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since.

“Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,” he told me, “just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.”

The Attitude of The Author

• Talking to audience

What words lead you to this conclusion?

Evidence: Since 1973, more than 150 people have been released from death row with evidence of their innocence. These people were almost murdered.

• Talking to his or herself

Examples: Dreary, Elated, Childish, Accusing,

African Myth: It rains because God is crying.

King Midas Moral: Be Careful what you wish for!

Who is the narrator?

Who is the author?

Poetry

Prose

• Giving a Speech

• Thinking out loud.

A Poem is a story so good it does not need complete sentence!

My father opened the door and yelled, “We are going on a vacation.” I exclaimed “That’s great!!!”

Tone: Cheerful

Excerpt

Who is your favorite narrator?

A short passage or segment taken from a longer work

My Father opened the door and murmured, " I lost everything gambling and sold the house." I exclaimed " Not again, Dad!"

Narrative

Expository

Puns....a joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word

Tone: Disappointed, Angry

Drama

A Story with dialogue

Text that conveys information about a specific topic

Direct/ Indirect Characterization

A play. The text for the play is called a script.

Plot

Mood

Paradox

Indirect: After dinner, he washed the dishes and thanked his mother for making his favorite dish.

Contradictory Phrase with a basic truth

TEACHER: Maria, go to the map and find North America.

MARIA: Here it is!

TEACHER : Correct. Now class, who discovered America?

CLASS : Maria!

Hyperbole

Soliloquy

Conflict

“I can resist anything but temptation.” – Oscar Wilde

Review Poetry at this link:

a struggle of clash between opposing characters, forces, or emotions

exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally

Example: Fictional Novel

My Language Arts teacher taught me how to steal!

Example Article about Psychology

Let's Make up a story!

Indirect Characterization

Exposition

Protagonist

Antagonist

Who are the characters?

TEACHER : Why are you late, Shamon?

Shamon: Because of the sign.

TEACHER : What sign?

Shamon: The one that says, "School Ahead, Go Slow."

Mood: ___________

"The river, reflecting the clear blue of the sky, glistened and sparkled as it flowed noiselessly on.”

What is the setting?

The bad guy? Duh!

Direct: He is responsible and listens to his mother.

central character or leading figure in poetry, narrative, novel or any other story

Rising Action

https://prezi.com/_kjceym9_fy7/untitled-prezi/

What type of conflicts arise for the characters?

Climax

In what way will everything change for the protagonist?

Mood: _______________

There was no moon, and everything beneath lay in misty darkness: not a light gleamed from any house, far or near all had been extinguished long ago

Falling Action

How does the conflict unravel?

Real Example: You’re in line for a promotion. A friend of yours gets the job instead.

Resolution

What are things like for the character now that the conflict is solved?

What did they learn?

Warning: This kit will only teach you what the tools are. Learning how to use these tools

will take time and effort. We will apply these understandings in more depth in our reading activities.