English Exam Review

internal rhyme

rhyme that occurs within a line, rather than at the end

Elizabeth Frankenstein

"cousin" of Victor, marries him near the end but is killed by the monster on their wedding night

Types of Medieval romance

-Castle life -Chivalry -adventure -damsel + distress -supernatural

Victor's father

Alphonse Frankenstein

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Plot

During a New Year's Eve feast at King Arthur's court, a strange figure, referred to only as the Green Knight, pays the court an unexpected visit. He challenges the group's leader or any other brave representative to a game. The Green Knight says that he will allow whomever accepts the challenge to strike him with his own axe, on the condition that the challenger find him in exactly one year to receive a blow in return. Stunned, Arthur hesitates to respond, but when the Green Knight mocks Arthur's silence, the king steps forward to take the challenge. As soon as Arthur grips the Green Knight's axe, Sir Gawain leaps up and asks to take the challenge himself. He takes hold of the axe and, in one deadly blow, cuts off the knight's head. To the amazement of the court, the now-headless Green Knight picks up his severed head. Before riding away, the head reiterates the terms of the pact, reminding the young Gawain to seek him in a year and a day at the Green Chapel. After the Green Knight leaves, the company goes back to its festival, but Gawain is uneasy. Time passes, and autumn arrives. On the Day of All Saints, Gawain prepares to leave Camelot and find the Green Knight. He puts on his best armor, mounts his horse, Gringolet, and starts off toward North Wales, traveling through the wilderness of northwest Britain. Gawain encounters all sorts of beasts, suffers from hunger and cold, and grows more desperate as the days pass. On Christmas Day, he prays to find a place to hear Mass, then looks up to see a castle shimmering in the distance. The lord of the castle welcomes Gawain warmly, introducing him to his lady and to the old woman who sits beside her. For sport, the host (whose name is later revealed to be Bertilak) strikes a deal with Gawain: the host will go out hunting with his men every day, and when he returns in the evening, he will exchange his winnings for anything Gawain has managed to acquire by staying behind at the castle. Gawain happily agrees to the pact, and goes to bed. The first day, the lord hunts a herd of does, while Gawain sleeps late in his bedchambers. On the morning of the first day, the lord's wife sneaks into Gawain's chambers and attempts to seduce him. Gawain puts her off, but before she leaves she steals one kiss from him. That evening, when the host gives Gawain the venison he has captured, Gawain kisses him, since he has won one kiss from the lady. The second day, the lord hunts a wild boar. The lady again enters Gawain's chambers, and this time she kisses Gawain twice. That evening Gawain gives the host the two kisses in exchange for the boar's head. The third day, the lord hunts a fox, and the lady kisses Gawain three times. She also asks him for a love token, such as a ring or a glove. Gawain refuses to give her anything and refuses to take anything from her, until the lady mentions her girdle. The green silk girdle she wears around her waist is no ordinary piece of cloth, the lady claims, but possesses the magical ability to protect the person who wears it from death. Intrigued, Gawain accepts the cloth, but when it comes time to exchange his winnings with the host, Gawain gives the three kisses but does not mention the lady's green girdle. The host gives Gawain the fox skin he won that day, and they all go to bed happy, but weighed down with the fact that Gawain must leave for the Green Chapel the following morning to find the Green Knight. New Year's Day arrives, and Gawain dons his armor, including the girdle, then sets off with Gringolet to seek the Green Knight. A guide accompanies him out of the estate grounds. When they reach the border of the forest, the guide promises not to tell anyone if Gawain decides to give up the quest. Gawain refuses, determined to meet his fate head-on. Eventually, he comes to a kind of crevice in a rock, visible through the tall grasses. He hears the whirring of a grindstone, confirming his suspicion that this strange cavern is in fact the Green Chapel. Gawain calls out, and the Green Knight emerges to greet him. Intent on fulfilling the terms of the contract, Gawain presents his neck to the Green Knight, who proceeds to feign two blows. On the third feint, the Green Knight nicks Gawain's neck, barely drawing blood. Angered, Gawain shouts that their contract has been met, but the Green Knight merely laughs. The Green Knight reveals his name, Bertilak, and explains that he is the lord of the castle where Gawain recently stayed. Because Gawain did not honestly exchange all of his winnings on the third day, Bertilak drew blood on his third blow. Nevertheless, Gawain has proven himself a worthy knight, without equal in all the land. When Gawain questions Bertilak further, Bertilak explains that the old woman at the castle is really Morgan le Faye, Gawain's aunt and King Arthur's half sister. She sent the Green Knight on his original errand and used her magic to change Bertilak's appearance. Relieved to be alive but extremely guilty about his sinful failure to tell the whole truth, Gawain wears the girdle on his arm as a reminder of his own failure. He returns to Arthur's court, where all the knights join Gawain, wearing girdles on their arms to show their support.

Gothic Literature Elements

-gloomy, decaying setting -Supernatural being or monsters -Curses or prophecies -Damsels in Distress -Heroes -Romance -Intense emotions

characteristics of a epic hero

1) Noble Birth 2)Superhuman Capabilities 3) Vast Traveler 4) Unmatched Warrior 5) Cultural Legend 6) Humility 7) Battles Superhuman Foes

Inference

A conclusion one can draw from the presented details.

DeLacy Family

A family from Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. This is the family that the creature learns what true love and family looks like. The creature's rejection from this family and eventual life of violence showcases theme of the necessity community and the consequences of isolation.

verbal irony

A figure of speech in which what is said is the opposite of what is meant

Allegory

A literary work in which characters, objects, or actions represent abstractions

epic hero

A main character in an epic whose legendary or heroic actions are central to his/her culture, race, or nation.

Kenning

A metaphoric compound word or phrase used as a synonym for a common noun

Medieval Romance

An adventure story with knights, themes, & distress.

indirect characterization

Author subtly reveals the character through actions and interactions.

Frankenstein plot

Dr. Victor Frankenstein creates life in an inanimate being. After abandoning his creation, Victor lives in constant fear of its reappearance. Eventually the monster finds him and tells him the story of his life so far during which he watched a family in their home. Victor's failure to take responsibility for the creature results in the deaths of six people. During a chase through the Arctic both the monster and Frankenstein die.

Characteristics of frame stories

Frame story is a story set within a story, narrative, or movie, told by the main or the supporting character. A character starts telling a story to other characters, or he sits down to write a story, telling the details to the audience.

Pardoner's Allegory

Giving the moral that greed is the root of all evil

Theme of Beowulf

Good always triumphs in the end

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner plot

Introduction -The Wedding Guest is stopped by an old sailor. Rising Action -The Mariner and his crew set out on a sea voyage. -The ship and crew are trapped in ice at the South Pole. -An Albatross appears and the ice breaks, freeing the ship. -The Mariner kills the Albatross. -The ship is calmed, and the crew begins to die of thirst. -Life-in-Death wins the Mariner's soul. -The Mariner is surrounded by the dead for seven days. -He blesses the sea snakes that allow him to pray. -Voices speak about his penance for killing the Albatross. Climax -The dead sailors help sail him home. Falling Action -A whirlpool sinks the ship. -The Mariner tells his story to the Hermit. -The Mariner delivers his moral to the Wedding Guest. Resolution -The Wedding Guest thinks on what the Mariner told him

Theme of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Love all creation

Alliteration

Repetition of consonant sounds

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds

Robert Frankenstein writes the opening letters in Shelley's novel

Robert

direct characterization

The author directly states a character's traits

Victor Frankenstein

The doomed protagonist and narrator of the main portion of the story. Studying in Ingolstadt, Victor discovers the secret of life and creates an intelligent but grotesque monster, from whom he recoils in horror. Victor keeps his creation of the monster a secret, feeling increasingly guilty and ashamed as he realizes how helpless he is to prevent the monster from ruining his life and the lives of others.

The Creature (Frankenstein)

The work of Frankenstein's hands, he is his double, his persecutor, and his victim. The lives of him and his creator are inextricably entwined.

Justine (Frankenstein)

Though a servant in the Frankenstein household, she is more like a sister to Victor and Elizabeth. She is executed for William's murder, and thus becomes yet another martyr to lost virtue and innocence.

Henry Clerval (Frankenstein)

Victor's best friend since childhood. Fascinated with the history of mankind, he is Victor's intellectual opposite. He, too, will be murdered by the monster; he is perhaps a symbol of the destruction of Victor's own goodness and potential.

William Frankenstein

Victor's youngest brother and the darling of the Frankenstein family. The monster strangles William in the woods outside Geneva in order to hurt Victor for abandoning him. William's death deeply saddens Victor and burdens him with tremendous guilt about having created the monster.

Oxymoron

a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction

Gothic Literature

a form of literature used by Romantics to emphasize the bizarre and unusual, especially evident in horror stories

Parody

a humorous imitation of a serious work

legendary hero

a larger than life character whose accomplishments are celebrated in traditional tales

epic poem

a long, narrative poem that is usually about heroic deeds and events that are significant to the culture of the poet

Paradox

a situation, person, or thing that combines contradictory features or qualities

Legend

anonymous traditional stories in the past about people

situational irony

events turn out the opposite of what was expected

Hyperbole

exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

Irony

the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect.

Pardoner's Irony

the three rioters make a pledge to kill death and they say that because they're drunk

dramatic irony

when the words or actions of a character carry a meaning on perceived by the character l, but understood by the audience