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Literary Terms LIT 105
Literary Terms LIT 105
Literary Terms LIT 105
Level: 100
Literary terms are the techniques or elements, for example, figures of speech, poetic
devices etc, that writers use for poems, narrative fiction and other forms of writing as well as
adding meaning to their works. It is also the use of various styles and formatting by writers or
clauses, usually creating a rhythmic effect. For example, Martin Luther King, Jr.
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of
its creed . . .
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and
the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of
brotherhood . . . ”
2) Antagonist: is the character in a story that opposes or works against the goals or aims of
the protagonist e.g. In Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’, Iago clearly sets out to destroy Othello’s
happy marriage with Desdemona because Othello promoted Cassio instead of him.
3) Apostrophe: is a rhetorical figure where speaker addresses either a dead, absent person or
an inanimate object. E.g. in the nursery rhyme, “Twinkle, twinkle little star”- ‘Twinkle,
twinkle little star/how I wonder what you are’. The speaker is addressing the star as if it is a
punctuation. E.g. in Percy Bysshe Shelley’s poem ‘Ozymandias’, he makes use of caesura to
create an aura of awe and suspense, “Who said-’Two vast and trunkless legs of stone”.
5) Climax: is the highest point of tension in the story or the central turning point of the story
where the protagonist confronts the antagonist. They usually face the main conflict.
6) Consonance: is the repetition of one or more consonant sounds within a group of words.
For example, ‘Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers..’. There is consonance of the /p/
sound.
7) Dramatic Irony: is when one or more of the characters in a story remain unaware of the
plot developments that have been revealed to the audience giving rise to humour and
suspense. For example, in Shakespeare’s ‘Othello’, the play’s antagonist frequently reveals
his diabolical schemes to the audience with the use of monologues and asides. Meanwhile,
the other characters in the play such as Othello, Desdemona, Cassio etc, trust him completely
and come to him for help or advice, they even refer to him as ‘honest Iago’ which is far from
substitution it with a polite phrase. E.g. ‘The old man kicked the bucket’- this means the old
man has died. ‘He put her in the family way’- this means he got her pregnant.
10) Hyperbole: is extreme exaggeration used to make a point, often humorously. For
11) Metaphor: is a figure of speech which involves the comparison of things without the use
of ‘as’ or ‘like’. E.g. ‘Exhaustion is a thin blanket tattered with bullet holes’.
12) Onomatopoeia: is a word that tries to imitate the sound it’s describing. E.g the ‘vroom’ of
13) Oxymoron: is a figure of speech that combines contradictory words with opposing
15) Plot: is the sequence of events of a narrative or dramatic work. It usually consists of 5
basic elements: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution.
16) Rhetorical Question: is a question asked by the speaker for effect, rather than because a
question, “What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?”
17) Setting: is the time or place where the plot or story unfold. For example, in the novel
‘Americanah’ by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the settings are Lagos and Nsukka, Nigeria,
18) Simile: is a figure of speech in which two objects are directly compared with the use of
19) Protagonist: is the main character in a narrative. The central plot of the story focuses on
the character. For example, in Chinua Achebe’s ‘Things Fall Apart’, Okonkwo was the
protagonist.
20) Parable: is a short story created to provide a moral or spiritual lesson, often using
symbolism and the likes to ensure easier understanding for the audience. For example, Jesus’
parable of ‘The Ten Virgins’ simply taught us the advantages and usefulness of being
steadfastness and prepared at all times. 5 of the virgins brought extra oil in case of any
circumstance that their lamps may go out, but the remaining 5 foolish ones assumed they
won’t need it. By the time their lamps went out and they went to buy some, they were locked