AP Literature and Composition

To what does vulgate refer?

The vulgate refers to the lowest level of diction. This is the unschooled language of the common people.

To what does anapest refer?

Anapest is a form of poetical meter consisting of three syllables: two unstressed and a final stressed syllable. For example, "understand".

What is anaphora?

Anaphora is the repetition of words, phrases, and/or clauses at the beginning of successive lines or sentences.

What is third-person point of view?

Third-person point of view refers to a narrative being told by someone other than a character in the story. This other may ne omniscient, or all-knowing, or limited.

In The Awakening, why does Robert leave for Mexico?

Although he claims he has a business opportunity, Robert clearly is running away from Grand Isle and Edna. he must abide by the rules of Creole world, where social order is more important than love.

What is "She walks in beauty, like the night"?

"She walks in beauty, like the night" is the opening simile of Lord George Gordon Byron's (a.k.a. Lord Byron) poem " She Walks in Beauty," where he describes both the external, visible beauty and the inernal, spiritual aspect of the lady.

To whom does the term Amazon refer?

Amazon refers to a nation of women warriors. According to legend, they cut off one of their breasts in order to more efficiently to use a bow and arrow in battle. Today, any large, athletic woman is often called an Amazon.

What is ambiguity?

Ambiguity is a sense of uncertainty that leaves he text open to interpretation.

What is the significance of "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may"?

"Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,"the first line of Robert Herrick's "To the Virgins to Make Much of Time," expresses the carpe diem attitude of enjoying the sensual pleasures of life while you can.

What is the significance of "Give me your tired, your poor"?

"Give me your tired, your poor,"- a line from the sonnet "The New Colossus," by Emma Lazarus - describes the state of the immigrating masses, and is inscribed on a plaque on the base of the Statue of Liberty.

What is "Kubla Khan"?

"Kubla Kahn" is Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem that allegedly was the result of a drug induced euphoria. Many critics contend that this poem captures the essence of the Romantic era, with its emphasis on emotion and feeling. Rather than focusing on thematic development, critics focus on word play and imagery and the celebration of the creative process.

What is ambrosia?

Ambrosia is the food of the gods. Today the term refers to any outstanding cuisine.

Who were Abraham and Isaac?

Abraham and Isaac were father and son. God tested Abraham's faith by asking him to kill his son Isaac, which Abraham was willing to do. Both Jews and Arabs trace their lineage to "Father Abraham": Jews descend from Isaac, Arabs from Abraham's other son Ishmael.

What is abstract diction?

Abstract diction is the use of language in general terms, such as "the little dog versus "the 5 pound dachshund."

To what does accent refer?

Accent is the emphasis placed on a syllable. There are three types of accents: word accent, rhetorical accent, and metrical accent. Word accent refers to the standard pronunciation of a word; rhetorical depends on the syntax (where the word is placed in a sentence). Metrical accent, also known as stress, is the emphasis placed on a word due to its poetic meter.

What is anastrophe?

Anastrophe, also known as hyperbaton, is the name for the rhetorical figure (or scheme) of reversing word order to make a point. For example, "This is the sort of English up with which I will not put."

What is authorial intention?

Authorial intention refers to the motivations a writer had in a text. Critics debate the weight, if any, that authorial intention should bear when analyzing and interpreting a text.

Identify important symbols in Crime and Punsihment.

Axe; the city; clothes; the cross; dreams; earth; food; money; resurrection; smell of paint; and water.

Who was Hera?

Hera was Zeus's wife. Her Roman name was Juno. She was the goddess who protected marriage and was known for her jealousy.

To what does thirty pieces of silver refer?

Thirty pieces of silver refers to the prince paid Judas Iscariot for betraying Jesus. This is known as blood money and currently refers to any treacherous act.

Who was King Arthur?

King Arthur was the greatest of all British monarchs who ruled at his court in Camelot and presided over the round table. The round table represented equality among the knights, rather than having a head of the table.

What is an anticlimax?

An anticlimax is a reversal of expectations, a kind of disappointment. It's a descent from a higher to a lower emotional point.

What is an antihero of a literary text?

An antihero is a protagonist who does not exhibit the traditional, heroic qualities usually associtated witht the main character. An antihero may be dishonest or just plain ordinary. Willy Loman (Death of a Salesman) and Raskolnikov (Crime and Punishment) can be considered antiheroes.

What is an aphorism?

An aphorism is a concise, pointed statement that reveals a truth or principle. Aphorisms that have been around so long and are used mcuh that their authorship is lost are considered proverbs.

In The Great Gatsby, what is the billboard's role for Doctor T.J. Eckleburg?

The billboard acts as a parody deity watching over the wasteland. George mistakes it for the "eyes of God," and it can also represent the unfocused romanticism of Jay Gatsby.

What is an appositive?

An appositive is a word or group of words that equals or exends the noun or pronoun that precedes it. For example, "Shakespeare, the greatest Renaissance author, is credited with writing 37 plays"; the appositive is set off by commas because the information is not essential to the meaning of the sentence.

What is an aside?

An aside is a dramatic convention where a character onstage addresses the audience, presumanly not being heard by the other characters.

What is an autobiography?

An autobiography is the nonfictionized account of a person's life, told by that perosn.

What is an elegy?

An elegy is a reflective poem that laments the loss of someone, typically through death.

What is an end-stopped line?

An end-stoppped line in poetry occurs when the physical end of the ine of verse corresponds with a grammaticla pause, as indicated by some form of punctuation.

What is an epic?

An epic is a long narrative poem about a legendary hero. Epics may be folk (Beowulf) or literary (Milton's Paradise Lost).

What is an epigram?

An epigram is a short poem with a brief, witty ending. Often, any terse or witty statement is considered an epigram. A couplet that states the theme of a Shakespearean sonnet is also considered an epigram.

What is an epigraph?

An epigraph refers to the writing at the beginning of a narrative (or beginning of each section of a narrative) that tends to establish either tone or theme. An epigraph is typically a single passage or qupotation whereas a prologue is a monologue (at the beginning of a play) or a comlpete scene or introduction to a novel.

In Wuthering Heights, how do the two main houses contrast?

The wild, windy moors of Withering Heights contrast with the calm, orderly parks of Thrushcross Grange. The contrast in settng contrasts with the characters from each estate.

What is an epilogue?

An epilogue os the final section of a text that occurs after the conclusion of the main plot. In a play, the epilogue is typically a final solilioquy (as the one Prospero speaks at the end of The Tempest). Sometimes authors use an epilogue to tie up lose ends or flesh out the future lives of the characters.

What is an epiphany?

An epiphany is a sudden insight or understanding. The narrator of James Joyce's "Araby" has an epiphany at the bazaar when he suddenly realizes Araby is not what he envisioned it to be.

What is an epithet?

An epithet is an adjective or phrase used to emphasize certain characteristics.

What is an exclamatory sentence?

An exclamatory sentence expressesemotion and provides emphasis. It is often followed by an exclamation point.

What is a Byronic Hero?

A Byronic hero is the type of man - either real or imaginary - that encompasses the traits of several characters of George Gordon Byron, or Lord Byron. A Byronic hero tends to be moody, melancholic, and rebellious while simultaneously being extremely attractive and appealling.

What is a Cyclops?

A Cyclops is a one-eyed giant. The Cyclops Polyphemus imprisoned Odysseus and his men. When Polyphemus asked Odysseus his name, Odysseus replied "Nobody." After Odysseus stabbed the Cyclops in the eye, Polyphemus screamed, "Nobody is hurting me." No one came to help Polyphemus, and Odysseus and his men were able to escape the Cyclops's cave while hiding under sheep.

What is A Farewell to Arms?

A Farewell to Arms is Ernest Hemingway's novel about an American soldier, Frederic Henry, and the English nurse, Catherine Barkely, with whom he falls in love and deserts his post in the Italian army to be with.Catherine dies in childbirth, and Frederic ends up alone.

What is "A Modest Proposal"?

A Modest Proposal is Jonathan Swift's satire on solving both overpopulation and the hunger problem in Ireland; he proposes to eat the children.

What is A Portrait of the Artist as a Young man?

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is James Joyce's bildungsroman about Stephen Dedalus. Portrait is considered autobiographical and represents Joyce's own nuturing and development of his artistic expression.

What is a balanced sentence?

A balanced sentence is a sentence that contains two or more clauses that are parallel in structure.

What is a ballard?

A ballard is any poem that tells a story. Traditionally, ballards were stories that were composed to be sung; however, contemporary poems that were written in verse without accompanying music are still considered ballards.

What is a bildungsroman?

A bildungsroman is a coming-of-age novel. It's a narrative that traces the physical, emotional, and /or spiritual development of the protagonist. Examples include Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon, Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man.

What is a biography?

A biography is the nonfictionalized account of a person's life, told by another person.

What is an explication?

An explication is a detailed explanation of a literary text. An explication should be the starting point for literary analysis; it is not considered to be the final word in analysis of a work.

What is a caesura?

A caesura is a break or pause in a line of poetry. This break is the result of natural speaking rhythm and not the meter. Often, nut not always, a caesura coincides with a mark of punctuation.

What is a centaur?

A centaur is a mythological creature embodied as half- man and half- horse.

What is a circular narrative?`

A circular narrative is a technique where an author gradually reveals information as the narrative is repeated-- sometimes from the different points of view, sometimes from a single point of view that is expanded. Novels with circular narrratives include William Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury, Toni Morrison's Beloved, and David Guterson's Snow Falling on Ceders.

What is a close reading?

A close reading, also known as an explication, is a thorough analysis of a literary text, paying particular attention to its elements.

What is a closed couplet?

A closed couplet refers to two successive lines of rhymed verse whose meaning is complete.

What is a complex sentence?

A complex sentence is a sentence that contains one main clause and at least one dependent clause.

What is a compound-complex sentence?

A compound complex sentence is a sentence that contains two or more main clauses and at least one dependent clause.

What is a compound sentence?

A compound sentence is a sentence that contains two or more main clauses.

What is a conceit?

A conceit is an elaborate, extended metaphor or simile.

What is a couplet?

A couplet refers to two successive lines of rhyming verse.

What is a covenant?

A covenant is an agreement, or contract, between God and his people.

What is digression?

A digression is a temporary departure from one topic to another related topic. Writers use digression to build suspense.

What is a dynamic character?

A dynamic character is one who goes through a change during the course of the text.

What is dystopia?

A dystopia is the opposite of utopia. It's the creation of a world in which we would not want to live.

What is a eulogy?

A eulogy is a formal statement of praise.

What is a euphemism?

A euphemism is the substitution of a softer, gentler word or expression for something painful or unpleasant.

What is flash-forward?

A flash-forward is a scene that interrupts the present actin of a narritve in order to preview future events. Flash-forward isa form of prolepsis.

What is a flashback?

A flashback is a scene that interupts the present action of the narrative on order to depict an earlier event. Flashback is a form of analepsis.

What is a flat character?

A flat character is one that is not fully developed, one that is defined by singular qualities. Flat characters tend to be sterotypes.

What is foil?

A foil is a character who serves as a contrast to another character. Madame Defarge is a foil for Lucy in Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities.

What is foot?

A foot is the subdivision of a line of metrical verse. Typically, a foot has one stressed syllable and one unstressed syllables.

What is a genre?

A genre is a type of literature , such as a novel, play, or poem; or it is one of the categories within those types such as a fiction being divided into Westerns, young adult, and mysteries.

What is a heroic couplet?

A heroic couplet is a pair of rhymed lines written in iambic pentameter.

What is an extended metaphor?

An extended metaphor is a comparison that is maintained and further developed throughpout the text.

To does an eye for an eye refer?

An eye for an eye refers to an Old Testament principle of justice, where punishment was equal to the crimes committed. The New Testament teaches of Jesus countering this, "Turn the other cheek."

What is a limited narrator?

A limited narrator is one whose point of view is not all-knowing. Thus, the readers are limited to the thoughts and impressions of only a single or small group of characters.

What is a loose sentence?

A loose sentence, also known as a cumulative or strung-along sentence, follows the customary word order of an English sentence-- subject, verb, object. Modifiers come after the main statement. Typically, writers use this construction for explaing, listing, and describing.

What is a lyric?

A lyric is a short poem that expresses the thoughts of a singular speaker.

What is a malapropism?

A malapropism is the confused, usually comic, misuse of a word or words.

What is a metephor?

A metaphor is comparing two objects by referring to one thing as if it were another. For example: "Erik is a fish in the pool" is a metaphor; this is different than "Erik swims like a fish," which is a simile.

What is a metrical foot?

A metrical foot is the rhythmic unit in which a line of verse is divided. The most common metrical feet in English verse are iamb, trochee, anapest, dactyl, and spondee.

What is a monologue?

A monologue is an extended narrative delivered by a single speaker, though it may be heard or witnessed by other characters.

What is a motif?

A motif is a recurring element of literary text that serves as a unifying element. An action, character type, detail, idea, image, situation, subject, symbol, and/or theme may serve as a motif.

What is a myth?

A myth is a story about the origin if a belief held by a particular culture. Myths are usually derived from the oral tradition and are set in an earlier, imagined supernatural past.

What is a parable?

A parable is a short, realistic story that teaches a moral lesson.

What is a paradox?

A paradox is a statement that initially seems contradictory and nonsensical but upon further examination, makes sense.

What is parody?

A parody is a humorous imitation of either the style of a particular genre or the imitation of a specific literary text.

What is pastiche?

A pastiche is any text that imitates the style of an earlier text, or any text that contains numerous elements from different sources as a means of mockery or satire.

What is a periodic sentence?

A periodic sentence expresses the main idea a the end, slowing the pace of reading and placing emphasis at the end.

What is a phoenix?

A phoenix is a bird that, at the end of its life, builds a nest and sets the nest and itself on fire. It burns to death and then rises from its own ashes; some myths claim that is comes back as a fledgling and others claim it comes back as a worm that grows into the adult bird.

What is a picaresque novel?

A picaresque novel is a realistic novel that recounts the adventures of a rogue. Cervante's Don Quixote. Henry Fielding's Tom Jones, and Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are often cited as examples of picaresque novels, though some critics claim the the character Huck Finn isn't truly a rogue.

To what does iamb refer?

An iamb is a form of poetical meter consisting of one unstressed and one stressed syllable. For example, "rehearse".

What is a pun?

A pun is a play on words that capitalizes on the similarity of spelling or pronunciation, usually for comic effect.

What is a quatrain?

A quatrain is a stanza consisting of four lines.

What is a revenge tragedy?

A revenge tragedy was populat play form in the English Renaissance, loosely based on the work of Seneca, an ancient Roman playwright. Shakespeare's Hamlet is a revenge tragedy.

What is rhetorical question?

A rhetorical question is a question asked for effect rather than to elicit an answer.

What is a round character?

A round character is a fully is a fully developed multifaceted character that exhibits teh complexity of a real person.

What is a run-on line?

A run-on line is the common name for enjambment, when the main idea extends over more than one line of poetry.

What is a scene?

A scene is the subdivision of an act in drama. Many contemporary plays are not divided into acts, but instead are a series of scenes.

What is a sentence fragment?

A sentence fragmetn is an incomplete sentence--containing a subject or predicate only--that is punctuated as if it were a complete sentence.

What is a simile?

A simile is a figure of speech in which an explicit comparison is made between two things essentially unalike. The comparison is made by using the word "like," "as," or "than."

What is a simple sentence?

A simple sentence is a sentence that contains only one main clause.

Who were Scylla and Charybdis?

A six-headed sea monster and a monstrous whirlpool, respectively, that Odysseus and his men needed to pass through. If Odysseus sailed too close to one to avoid the other, he would meet his doom. It is said that Scylla and Charybdis were sources of the saying, "caught between a rock and a hard place".

What is a sonnet?

A sonnet is a 14-line lyric poem that typically follows a conventional rhyme scheme.

What is an imperative sentence?

An imperative sentence gives a command and is often followed by an exclamation point.

What is a sphinx?

A sphinx, in Greek mythology was a winged monster with the head of a woman and the body of a lion, who stood guard before Thebes. The sphinx's riddle - the answer to which granted one passage to Thebes - was solved by Oedipus. In Egyptian mythology the head was of a man.

What is a stanza?

A stanza refers to a group of lines in a poem, usually set off from others by a blank line.

What is a static character?

A static character ia character that stays the same during the course of a literary text.

What is a stock character?

A stock character is a type of flat character that embodies sterotypical qualities and becomes a type rather than a real person. Although these characters are sometimes caricatures or sterotypes, they may also be characters that are dynamic archetypes, such as the "hooker with the heart of gold."

What is a telegraphic sentence?

A telegraphic sentence contains fewer than five words.

What is a thesis?

A thesis is the statement of the main idea of an essay. A thesis is a precise opinion about a limited topic; it is also a debatable claim. Typically, critics asset that a literary text has a theme, or main idea, and an essay about that text has a thesis, which may or may not articulate that theme, depending on the nature of the essay.

What is a tragedy?

A tragedy is a serious drama that typically ends in disaster.

What is a tragic flaw?

A tragic flaw is the protagonist's shortcoming that brings about his or her downfall. The most common tragic flaw is hubris, but many critics consider Hamlet's tragic flaw to be procrastination, and others claim Othello's tragic flaw is either his insecurity or his jealousy.

What is an interior monologue?

An interior monologue is a stream-of-consciousness technique in which the subjective thoughts of a character are revealed to the reader. This technique exists in both novels and poems.

Who was Achilles?

Achilles was the greatest Grecian warrior who fought in the Trojan War. In an attempt to make him immortal, his mother dipped him in the river Styx; however, the location of his hell where she held him remained vulnerable. He was eventually wounded in his heel, which led to his death. A person's weakness is considered his Achilles heel.

What is active voice?

Active voice is when the subject of the sentence is doing something, as opposed to being acted upon. For example: "Krista closed the door" (active) instead of "The door was closed by Krista" (passive).

Who were Adam and Eve?

Adam and Eve were the first man and woman. God drove them from the Garden of Eden after they tasted the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam and Eve are the parents of mankind.

Who was Adonis?

Adonis was a beautiful boy in Greek mythology, loved by Aphrodite. The term today is now used to refer to any handsome young man.

Who was Aeneas?

Aeneas was a great Trojan warrior. After the fall of Troy, Aeneas traveled to Carthage, where Dido fell in love with him. Eventually, he arrived in Italy. Aeneas is the hero of Virgil's the Aeneid.

What was the Biblical significance of an olive branch?

After 40 days of rain, Noah sent a dove from the ark to search for dry land, and it came back with an olive branch in its beak. Both the dove and the olive branch are considered signs of peace.

What is an inverted sentence?

An inverted sentence digresses from the normal English pattern of subject, verb, object; typically, the subject appears arer the verb.

Who was Agamemnon?

Agamemnon was the Greek leader in the Trojan War. He was murdered by his wife, Clytemnestra, and her lover when he returned from war.

What are some of the motifs developed throughout The Great Gatsby?

Alcohol/imbibing; childishness; confidence; eys/sight/seeing; family; moral wasteland; weather; and the colors green, white, and yellow.

What is an ode?

An ode is an elaborate, formal lyric poem.

What are some of the thematic topics developed throughout Wuthering Heights?

Alienation (isolation, imprisonment); childhood; class issues; enduring loss; forgiveness; friendship; inevitability; jealousy; mlove; manipulation; nature; obsession; role of religion; and revenge.

List the thematic topics developed in Crime and Punsihment.

Alienation, ambivalence; atonement; class; coincidence; compassion; cruelt; death; deception; despair; effet of poverty on the individual; emotional isolation; existenialism; fate versus free will; guilt; healthy mind/body; human nature; logic versus emotion; moral ambiguity; pride; redemtion; role of religion; suffering; and weakness of will.

What is alliteration?

Alliteration is repetition of the initial sound. Traditionally, alliteration reffered only to initial consonant sound, but modern critics tend to consider the repetition of initial vowel sounds as alliterative as well.

To what do the alpha and the omega refer?

Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek Alphabet; used in conjunction, they represent God, who is the beginning and the end.

What are some of the tematic topics developed througout The Great Gatsby?

American dream; appearace versus reality; corruption; deception; fidelity; friendship; honesty; love; materialism; old versus new money; power; power of art; relationships; romanticism; social class; and spiritual decline.

What is an oxymoron?

An oxymoron is the pairing of two opposites to create a compressed, emphatic paradox.

Analyzing Voice

Analyzing Voice

To what does amphibrach refer?

Amphibrac is a form of accentual poetical meter, consisting first of one unstressed, then one stressed syllable, an a final unstressed syllable. Limericks use this meter: There was a / young man fron / Nantucket.

To what does amphimacer refer?

Amphimacer is a form of accentual poetical meter consisting first of one stressed, then one unstressed syllable, amd then another stressed syllable. This form of meter may also be called cretic. For example "Deaf and dumb".

What is an Italian Sonnet?

An Italian, or Petrarchan, SOnnet is a two part sonnet that consists of an octave (eight lines) and a sestet (six lines).

What is an act?

An act is a major division of a play or drama.

How is Heart of Darkness classified?

An adventure story; an attack on imperialism; a bildungsroman; a political novel; and a psychological novel.

What is an allusion?

An allusion is an indirect reference to something. Allusions typically refer to a literary text, work of art, the Bible, historical event, or person.

What is an anachronism?

An anachronism is something that exists out of place and time.

What is an analogy?

An analogy is the use of something mre familiar to explain something new and/or complex. The point of comparison is used to demonstrate th similarities between the two entities.

What is an anecdote?

An anecdote is a brief story.

What are angels?

Angels are beings hat live both heaven and hell. Angels residing in hell rebelled against God and were subsequently banished. Sometimes angels are sent from God to deliver messages.

What is Animal Farm?

Animal Farm is George Orwell's satiric novel about pigs taking over a farm with the intent ot make things better for all the animals; but the pigs end up treating the other animals worse than the humans ever did.

What are some of the motifs developed throughout Wuthering Heights?

Animal images; civilized versus wild; classes and race; death; desires; diabolical violence; doors; doubling; dreams; education; emotional intensity; fears; ghosts, imprisonment money; passion; rebellion; religous imagery; repetition; revenge; storms; violence; and windows.

What was Anna Karenina?

Anna Karenina is the title character in a novel of the same name, written by Leo Tolstoy. She has an adulterous affair and ends up killing herself by throwing herself under a train. The opening line is "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."

What is anthropomorphism?

Anthropomorphism is the giving of a human form to anything not human (e.g., the Greek gods). Sometimes anthropomorphism is wrongly called by the Greek term prosopopoeia, which means ti voice to a character who is absent or imaginary. Do not confuse anthropomorphism with personification, where human characteristics are given to things.

Who was Antigone?

Antigone was one of the daughters of Oedipus. She was torn between following the laws of the gods or the laws of men with regard to whether or not she should bury her brother.

What is antimetabole?

Antimetabole is the pairing of two mirrored phrases or clauses, usually used for the effect. Antimetabole is a form of chiasmus.

What is antithesis?

Antithesis is the placement of a sentence or one of its parts agaisnt another to which it is opposed, forming a balanced contrast of ideas. For example, "Give me liberty or give me death."

Who was Aphrodite?

Aphrodite was the goddess of love and beauty. Her roman equivalent was Venus. Aphrodite was Eros's and Aeneas's mother. She won the golden apple in the Judgment of Paris because her bribe to Paris, the judge, was deemed superior to those of Athena and Hera who only offered political and military power.

Who was Apollo?

Apollo was the Greek and Roman name for the god of light, poetry, and prophecy. Apollo's driving his chariot across the sky was the Greek explanation for the movement of the sun.

What is apostrophe?

Apostrophe is the direct address to an inanimate, missing, or dead person or object.

Identify some thematic topics from Heart of Darkness.

Appearance versus reality; hypocrisy; idealism; imperialism; jealousy; madness; nature of evil; and self realization.

What are some of the most inportant thematic topics developed in The Awakening?

Appearence versus reality; civilization versus nature; emotions versus logic; freedom; ignorance; independence; individual versus society; infidelity; isolation; justice; morality; motherhood; possessions; resposibilty; self expression; self realization; societal expectations; and solitude.

To whom does Doubting Thomas refer?

Doubting Thomas refers to the apostle Thomas, who was not present with the others when they saw the risen Jesus Christ. He demanded to see for himself and tough Jesus' wounds before he would believe that Christ had risen from the dead. Those with little faith are often referred to as doubting Thomas's.

What is Archetypal criticism?

Archetypal criticism is a form of criticism focusing on patterns that exist across cultures and time periods. Literary figures and story patterns tend to repeat across diverse and seperate cultures. For example, Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces makes connections between the story of Christ, The Wizard of Oz's Dorothy, and Luke Skywalker of Star Wars.

Who was Ares?

Ares was the Greek and Roman god of war (Roman name Mars). He was the son of Zeus and Hera.

Who was Argus?

Argus was a mythological creature with a hundred eyes. After Argus was lulled to sleep an subsequently killed by Hermes, Hera put the eyes on the peacock.

What is Armageddon?

Armageddon is the name given to the final battle between God and the Devil at the end of the world, as described in the book of Revelation. Any major, climatic battle is sometimes considered Armageddon- the final battle between good and evil.

In Wuthering Heights, what are Heathcliffs characteristics that show him to be an example of a Byronic hero?

Arrogant; defiant; disdainful; gloomy; handsome; haunted, moody, mysterious, passionate; remores-torn but unrepentant; self-reliant; and theatrical.

What are some of the motifs developed throughtout The Awakening?

Art; birds; cages; children; clothes; fairy tales; fidelity/infidelity; food; houses/porches; letters; the moon; mothers; music; mythpology; sea/ocea; swimming; and virginity.

Identify the quotation, "As flies to wanton boys, are we to the gods; / They kill us for their sport."

The blinded and despairing Gloucester states this philosophy in King Lear. He no longer values life and wants to throw himself from the cliffs of Dover.

What is assonance?

Assonance is the repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds, often in stressed syllables followed by different consonant sounds. The vowel sounds in "sweet dreams" demonstrate assonance.

What is asyndeton?

Asyndeton is the deliberate omission of conjunctions.

Who was Athena?

Athena was the Greek and roman goddess of wisdom and arts and crafts (Roman name Minerva). Athena was born fully grown from Zeus's head (Zeus had swallowed her mother in an attempt to avoid the prophecy that she should have a child more powerful than her father). She was Odysseus's protector on the way home from the Trojan War.

What was Atlantis?

Atlantis was the city swallowed up in an earthquake and is now believed to exist under the sea.

Who was Atlas?

Atlas was the son of a Titan known for his strength. After his defeat by Zeus, his punishment was to carry the world and sky on his shoulders. Some stories have Atlas standing at the western edge of the world, holding the sky on his shoulders in order to prevent the two (earth and sky) from ever kissing again.

What are the characteristics of a gothic roomance present in Wuthering Heights?

Atmosphere of dread and suspense; cemeteries; entrapment, the devil, isolated setting; revenge; ghosts; unreliable narrator; childhood; innocence; effects of death on children; emotion favored over reason, imagination favored over logic; individual favored over societal norms; and love of nature.

What is atmosphere?

Atmosphere, or mood, is the general feeling created by a text.

Who is Bacchus?

Bacchus was the Greek and Roman god of wine, who was sometimes known as Dionysus in Greek legends. His name is the source for "Bacchanalia," a feast marked by unrestrained drunkenness, and "Bacchanaliak," a Roman festival.

To what does dues ex machina refer?

Dues ex machina is a greek phrase for "God from a machine" and refers to a contrivance used to solve the problem of a narrative. the term is now used negatively. For example, at the end of Euripides's play Medea, Medea is able to escape in the chariot of Helios, the sun god, after killing Jason's children.

What is bathos?

Bathos is the unintended result of a writer's attempt at pathos, or emotional appeal. Often bathos is considered overly sentimental. because bathos is unintended, it is anticlimactic.

What is 1984?

George Orwell's novel 1984 depicts a futuristic, totalitarian society called Oceania where people's thoughts and actions are controlled. The novel 1984 introduced the terms "thought police" and "doublespeak" into our language.

Who is Beelzebub?

Beelzebub is another name for the devil. In Milton's Paradise Lost, Beelzebub is second in command to Lucifer.

Who was Beowulf?

Beowulf is the first epic poem, and surviving piece of literature, in British literary history. It recounts the tale of a hero Beowulf who defeats the monster Grendel and his mother.

What is Bethlehem?

Bethlehem is the birthplace of Jesus; it's a village near Jerusalem.

Biblical Allusions

Biblical Allusions

Who is Big Brother?

Big Brother is the watch group from George Orwell's 1984. The term is used today to refer to those who invade the privacy of others.

What are some of the most important symbols in The Awakening?

Birds; clothes; colors; food; Grand Isle; nudity; the ocean; playing the piano; sleep; and swimming.

Who is Blanche Dubois?

Blanche Dubois is a character from Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire. After Stanly, her sister's husband, rapes her, Blanche descends into madness.

What is blank verse?

Blank verse is unrhymed iambic pentametr and is the preffered English verse form.

Character

Character

What is the burning bush?

The burning bush is the method by which God revealed himself to Moses. Although the bush was on fire, it did not burn.

What is Utopia?

Utopia is Sir Thomas Moore's novel of his vision for the future. In his book, he describes a society that is free of pain and suffering. Today, any ideal state is considered utopian.

In The Great Gatsby, what do George Wilson and Jay Gatsby have in common?

Both men are wrong in their ideals and ultimately both are betrayed by their ideals. Neither has an honest understanding or appreciation of the most important woman in their lives.

What is "Civil Disobedience"?

Civil Disobedience os an essay by Henry David Thoreau in which he advocates the need for people to be true to their own consciences before obeying their government. To wit, as long as people are prepared to pay the penalty that society imposes upon them, they should follow their consciences.

What is Brave New World?

Brave New World is Aldous Huxley's novel about a carefree, technologically-advanced future society that is devoid of art, literature, and any sense of family. The title is taken from a line in Shakespeare's The Tempest. Brave New World is often paired with 1984 and Fahrenheit 451 as visions of less-than-ideal futuristic societies.

Identify the quotation, "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears."

In Julius Caesar, this is part of the start of Marc Antony's funeral oration for Julius Caesar. This is a classic example of rhetoric, where Marc Antony is following the letter of Brutus's commands, yet ends up turning the crowd against the conspirators.

Who is Brutus?

Brutus is the noble conspirator of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, who eventually partook in the murder of Caesar for the good of Rome. On his deathbed Caesar says,"Et tu, Brute?" - meaning, "Even you, Brutus?" - which is a statement still used today by those betrayed by a close friend.

Identify the quotation, "If we shadows have offended, / Think but this, and all is mended, / That you have but slumber'd here / While these visions did appear....."

Puck speaks these lines at the end of A Midsummer Night's Dream (epilogue), reminding audience members that everything they just witnessed was fiction.

What is cacophony?

Cacophony refers to harsh sounds.

Who is Caddy Compson?

Caddy Compson is sister to Benjamin, Quentin, and Jason Compson in William Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury. She is the central character, though she does not narrate any of the four sections. Her influence on her brothers' lives, especially the image of Caddy climbing a tree in her muddy drawers, is paramount to Faulkner's treatise on the fall of the Old South.

Who were Cain and Abel?

Cain and Abel were Adam's and Eve's first sons. Cain murdered his brother, and as a result, was exiled by God. God marked Cain to protect him during his wandering; this mark of Cain is still considered a sign of mankind's sinful nature.

What is rhyme?

Rhyme is the repetition of identical vowel sounds.

What is Calvary?

Calvary is the site of Jesus' Crucifixion; it's a hill near Jerusalem.

What was Camelot?

Camelot was the name of King Arthur's castle and court. It was home to the best and brightest knights. The presidency of JFK was called an American Camelot because of the idealism associated with the myth of King Arthur and his "perfect" kingdom, one where truth, goodness, and beauty ruled.

Who is Candide?

Candide is the main character in Voltaire's novel of the same name. Candide, a naïve optimist, searches for the "best in all possible worlds."

Who is Captain Ahab?

Captain Ahab is the captain of the ship, the Pequod, in Herman Melville's novel Moby-Dick. Captain Ahab is obsessed with capturing the great white whale.

What is rhythm?

Rhythm refers to the varying rate, intensity, oicth, and volume of speech.

What is carpe diem?

Carpe diem is Latin for "seize the day." The idea of living for the moment is a popular literary theme.

Identify the quotation, "Men at some time are masters of their fates: / The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, / But in ourselves, that we are underlings."

Cassius says this to Bruus. in Julius Caesar, as he tries to convince Brutus to join the conspiracy against Julius Caesar.

What is Catch-22?

Catch-22, by Joseph heller, spawned the term now used for impossible situations, such as not getting a job without experience and not getting experience without a job. Catch-22's paradox: those mentally unfit could be relieved of wartime duties; but those who recognized and wished to avoid the dangers of war were considered mentally sound and could not be dismissed.

What is catharsis?

Catharsis refers to the emotional release an audience feels at the end of a tragedy.

Explain the significance of, "I am Heathcliff" in Wuthering Heights.

Catherine says this to Nelly Dean as she discusses her connection with Heathcliff. Heathcliff does not overhear this line, and thus, he leaves to seek his fortune and make himself worthy for Catherine. She marries Edgar and bears him a chuild, but Heathcliff is the only one for her. Her ghost returns to haunt Heathcliff after her death.

What role does social class play in Wuthering Heights?

Catherine, being a member of the lower class, uses social status as major criteria for establishing a marrige, which is why she refuses to marry Heathcliff. Isabella is just the opposite. She is drawn to the wild, mysterious Heathcliff, even though he is beneath her social class.

Who are the main characters in Wuthering Heights?

Catherine; Heathcliff; Edgar; Hindley; young Cathy; Linton; Hareton; and Nelly Dean.

Who was Cerberus?

Cerberus was the three headed dog who guarded the entrance to Hades.

Who was Ceres?

Ceres was the goddess of agriculture. Her Roman name was Demeter.

Who is Charles Marlow?

Charles Marlow is the sailor whose story is told by the unnamed narrator in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. Marlow, employed as a ferryboat captain to transport ivory, travels up the Congo River and is shocked by what he encounters along the way.

Who was Charon?

Charon was the boatman who channeled the dead souls across the River Styx into Hades.

What are cherubim?

Cherubim are heavenly angels. A single angel is a cherub. The Cherubim are second only to seraphim in the hierarchy of angels and are usually represented as rosy cheeked children with wings.

What is chiasmus?

Chiasmus is achieving contrast through reverse parallelism. For example, "They fall successive and successive rise."

To what does choriambus refer?

Choriambus is a form of accentual poetical meter consisting of one stressed syllable, then two unstressed syllables, and then one stressed syllable. For example, "go to the play".

Who was Christ?

Christ was another title for Jesus, meaning the "Chosen One." in literature, characters who sacrifice themselves for others are often called Christ figures.

Who is Cinderella?

Cinderella is the main character in the fairy tale of the same name. Cinderella, a beautiful girl, has two ugly step sisters and a wicked stepmother. Cinderella's fairy godmother magically enables her to attend the prince's ball until midnight. Today Cinderella refers to any surprising transformation, such as an underdog sports team making a run through the playoffs.

Who was Circe?

Circe is a powerful sorceress from The Odyssey who turned some of Odysseus's men into swine.

What is colloquial diction?

Colloquial diction refers to teh word choie of everyday usage. It's also known as informal diction.

What is Comedy?

Comedy can be broadly defined as any amusing and entertaining literary text. More narrowly, it refers to a specific type of drama, which contrasts with tragedy.

What is concrete diction?

Concrete diction refers to language that is marked by extensive details, creating clear images.

To what does connotation refer?

Connotation refers to the association people have with words beyond the dictionary definition. For example, the word "dove" refersw to a specific bird, though many people consider it the symbol of peace.

How would you describe Conrad's narrative technique in Heart of Darkness?

Conrad uses the framing technique -- a story within a story -- in Heart of Darkness.

What is consonance?

Consonance is the repetition of constant sounds, following different vowel sounds. For example, "pitter patter" and "stroke of luck."

What are conventions?

Conventions are widely used literary devices, styles, or forms.

Who was Cordelia?

Cordelia was King Lear's youngest daughter. She spoke honeslty of her duty, love, and affection for her father; but when he ordered his three daughters to expound upon their love for him, and she did not resort to flattery, she was disinherited. She is considered the true daughter, but some critics now consider her guilty of hubris for not indulging an old man.

Identify the quotation, "I am sure my love's / More ponderous than my tongue."

Cordelia, in King Lear, is unwilling to flatter her father like her sisters did. She speaks openly and honeslty, and as a result, is disinherited.

What is cosmic irony?

Cosmic irony is irony of fate. It's the contrast between a character's desires and the way he or she is treated by fate.

Who is Count Dracula?

Count Dracula is a literary figure, originally created by Bram Stoker, from the novel Dracula, about a vampire.

Crime and Punishment

Crime and Punishment

What is the setting of Crime and Punishment?

Crime and Punishment is set during the 1860'a in St. Petersburg and in a prison in Siberia.

What is Crime and Punishment?

Crime and Punishment is the classic psychological novel by Fyodor Dostoyevsky about the student, Raskolnikov, who kills a woman in order to determine if he is the kind of man who is able to transgress the normal bounds of good and evil.

In Wuthering Heights, how would you characterize Heathcliff?

Critics are divided in theory regarding the focus of Heathcliff's revenge: lost position at Wuthering Heights; loss of Catherine to Edgar; or assertion of dignity as a human being. Curiously, his commitment to higher love and passion for Catherine does not include forgiveness. Heathcliff hates and loves equally; therefore, he is equally despised and pitied.

Who was Cupid?

Cupid was the god of love (Roman name Eros). He was the son of Venus, usually depicted as a chubby child with wings, carrying a bow and arrow.

Identify the quotation, "He does me double wrong / That wounds me with the flatteries of his tongue."

Richard II speaks these lines in Richard II about flattery and the harm and danger of words.

To what does dactyl refer?

Dactyl is a form of accentual poetical meter consisting of a beginning stressed syllable followed by two unstressed syllables. For example, "merrily".

Who was Daedalus?

Daedalus was an inventor who designed both the labyrinth and wings for human flight.

What is Damascus?

Damascus was an ancient city in Syria. The road to Damascus was the site of Saul's conversion to Paul and is used now to describe an sudden turning point in an individual's life.

Identify recurring motifs in Heart of Darkness.

Darkness; fog; interior versus exterior; light; listening; and obscurity.

Who was David?

David was a great King of Israelites. As a boy, he fought against and defeated the giant Goliath. David is the father of Solomon and is an ancestor of Jesus.

To what does denotation refer?

Denotation is the dictionary form of a word.

Who was Descartes?

Descartes was a famous Frech philosopher and writer, known for his statement, "I think, therefore I am."

What is dialogue?

Dialogue is the conversation between two or more characters in a literary text.

Who was Diana?

Diana was the goddess of the hunt and moon. Her Roman name was Artemis.

Identify the quotation, "The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers."

Dick, the butcher, from 2 Henry VI, states this oft-quoted line about the distrust the lower class has for lawyers.

In literary analysis, what is diction?

Diction refers to word choice. It can be described as abstract or concrete and formal or informal.

Who was Dido?

Dido was the queen and founder of Carthage, who killed herself in grief after being left by her lover, Aeneas. Today Dido represents the image of any unrequited lover.

What are disciples?

Disciples are followers. Originally, they were the followers of Jesus, but now the term is used to describe anyone follows a leader.

What is dissonance?

Dissonance refers to the use of harsh, discordant sounds in writing. Although often used interchangedly with cacophany, cacophany refers to the souds themselves, whereas dissonance refers to the resulting use fo cacophany for a desired effect.

What are some of the most important symbols in The Great Gatsby?

Doctor Eckleburg's eyes; the colors green; white; yellow; mansions/parties; money; and valley of ashes.

Who are the significant minor characters in The Awakening?

Doctor Mandelet; Madame Ratignolle; and Leonce Pontellier.

Who are the important minor characters in Crime and Punishment?

Dounia; Razumihin; Katerina Ivanova Marmeladov; Pulcheria Alexandrovna Raskolnikov; Alyona Ivanova; Lizaveta Ivanova; and Luzhin (Pyotr Petrovitch).

What is drama?

Drama is a literary form intended for performance before an audience.

What is dramatic irony?

Dramatic irony is the contrast between what a reader (or audience) knows and what a character knows.

Where does The Great Gatsby take place?

East Egg; West egg; the valley of ashes; and New York City.

Who are the main characters in The Awakening?

Edna Pontellier; Alcee Arobin; Robert Lebrun; and Mademmoiselle Reisz.

In The Awakening, what types of awakenings does Edna undergo?

Edna becomes creative, emotional, intellectual, and sexual.

In The Awakening, why does Edna commit suicide?

Edna feels that this is the only way she can escape her children. Taking her own life is an easier sacrifice to make than the alternative sacrifice of her soul.

In The Awakening, whatis the nature of the relationship between Edna and the rest of her family?

Edna was initially the property of her father, the Colonel, adn then became the possession of her husbadn. She seems to be fond of her husband, but nothing suggests that they have a loving relationship.

In The Awakeing what is the significance of the midnight swim?

Edna's midnigt swim is the first itme thats he has been successful in her attempts at swimming alone, and she experiences feelings of reckelessness and daring. She wants to swim farther than any woman ever has, and she enjoys being alone. This event also forehadows Edna's suicide.

Who is Edward Rochester?

Edward Rochester is the Byronic hero of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, Rochester's secret marriage to the insane Bertha Mason is partially responsible for his moodiness, loneliness, and arrogance. Only after the death of Bertha and his loss of sight is Jane Eyre able to consider spending her life with him.

What is an ellipsis?

Ellipsis refer to one of the three types of narrarive anachronism. Ellipses refers to a narrative that contains a gap in its chronology.

What is enjambment?

Enjambment occurs when a complete thought extends over two or more lines of poetry.

What is an epissodic structure?

Episodic structure is a narrative technique in which an author creates a series of narratives that are loosely connected by a larger thematic significance. Ralph Ellison's Invisile Man and Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried are example os novels with episodoc structures.

What is epistrophe?

Epistrophe is the repetition of final words, phrases, and/or clauses in successive lines or sentences; it is the opposite of anaphora.

Who was Eros?

Eros (Greek name, Cupid) is the god of love and the son of Aphrodite.

Who was Hercules?

Hercules (also known as Heracles), a son of Zeus, was the strongest man on earth. Hera was jealous of his happiness and Hercules temporarily insane, and in this state he killed his wife and children. As a part of his atonement for his actions he was forced to complete 12 almost impossible tasks called the Labors of Hercules.

Who was Hermes?

Hermes (Roman name Mercury) was the messenger god. Hermes was Zeus's son and Pan's father.

To what does euphony refer?

Euphony refers to pleasing, harmonious sounds.

Who were the Sirens?

Evil creatures who lived on a rocky island, tempting sailors with their music, and causing them to become shipwrecked and, eventually, to die. Often sirens were considered to be mermaids. Odysseus had his men plug their ears with wax to avoid hearing their song. Today, a siren is a beautiful and tempting woman, a siren song an irresistible distraction.

What was Excalibur?

Excalibur was the name of the sword that Arthur pulled from the stone, indicating that he was to be the ruler of Britain.

What is existentialism?

Existentialism is a modern philosophy that maintains that existence precedes essence, and everyone is responsible for his or her own actions.

What is exodus?

Exodus is the second book of the Bible. It recounts the journey of Moses and the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. The word exodus comes from the Greek, meaning departure.

What was The Glass Menagerie?

The Glass Menagerie is Tennessee Williams' highly symbolic modern drama about Amanda Wingfield and her children, Laura and Tom. The Glass Menagerie was Williams' first success. The structure enables Tom be both a character and narrator in the play, and critics still debate which of the Wingfields should be considered the protagonist of the play.

What is eye rhyme?

Eye rhyme is when two words have similar spellings but different pronunciations, such as "love" and "prove," or "what" and "that."

Who is Fagin?

Fagin is the unscrupulous villain in the novel Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens. Fagin runs a band of child pick-pockets and thieves.

Who is Falstaff?

Falstaff is a character featured most prominently in parts of King Henry IV. He is the rogue companion to Prince Hal. Falstaff is second only to Hamlet as the character with the most lines. He is often considered the quintessential comedic character who is unusually rounded and developed and is not merely a source of humor.

Identify the quotation, "The better part of the valour is discretion."

Falstaff states this justification of cowardice in Henry IV, Part One, on one of Shakespeare's most-often misquoted lines. Typicaly, people begin the line with the word "discretion."

What is feminie rhyme?

Feminine rhyme, also known as double rhyme, is a rhyme on a pair of syllables , when the first one is stresed and the second is unstressed.

What is feminism?

Feminism is the type of literary criticism that focuses on the role of women.

What is figurative language?

Figurative language is the modification of literal language in order to achieve an intended effect. Figures of speech are used to connote meaning.

Figures of Speech

Figures of Speech

What is first-person point of view?

First-person point of view refers to a narrative being told from the perspective of a character who uses the word "I".

What is the ultiamte irony in The Great Gatsby?

Fitzgerald uses bright colors to paint a bleak outlook on American society and, in particular, the American dream.

In The Great Gatsby, how does Fitzgerald's style mirror the development of his title character?

Fitzgerald withholds information about Gatsby until late in the novel. This parallels his way of life, where reputation is more important than substance.

What is foreshadowing?

Foreshadowing is a technique of inserting material into a narrative that provides the reader with clues of future events.

What is Frankenstein?

Frankenstein is Mary Shelley's gothic novel about Dr. Frankenstein and the monster he creates. Today, most people think Frankenstein refers to the monster rather than his creator.

What is free verse?

Free verse refers to poetry that does not conform to any regular meter and does not rhyme.

Free-Response Terminology

Free-Response Terminology

Who was Gabriel?

Gabriel was God's Messenger Angel. Christians cite Gabriel as the Annunciation Angel, and Muslims believe Gabriel appeared to Muhammad to reveal the sacred laws of the Koran.

What is general diction?

General diciton refers to the speech of educated native speakers. General diction is more formal than colloquial English but not as elevated as formal English.

What is Genesis?

Genesis is the first book of the Bible and now refers to any beginning.

Genres

Genres

Who was Hades?

Hades (Roman name, Pluto) was the god of the underworld, which is also known as Hades. Currently Hades is often equated with the Christian notion of Hell, although originally, Hades was a place where all the dead lived.

What are gold, frankincense, and myrrh?

Gold, frankincense, and myrrh are the gifts the three wise men gave to baby Jesus on the day of his birth.

What is Golgotha?

Golgotha, which means skull place, is other name fro Calvary.

Who are Goneril and Regan?

Goneril and Regan are the two older sisters in King Lear who flatter their father with false praise in order to receive their division of his kingdom.

Who was the Good Shepherd?

Good Shepherd was another name for Jesus Christ. He took care of his chosen people as a shepherd tending his flock.

How is Wuthering Heights classified?

Gothic romance; love story; poetry masquerading as prose; psyychological, realistic and social novel.

What is Gulliver's Travels?

Gulliver's Travels is the satire by Jonathan Swift. Lemual Gulliver is the protagonist who travels to manu different lands and his observations about similarities and differences between people account for the social commentary in the novel.

What is half rhyme?

Half rhyme, also known as imperfect rhyme, approoximating rhyme and slant rhyme, is a form of consonance in which the final consonants of stressed syllables agree but the vowel sounds do not match. For example, "hearse/horse" and "worm/warm."

Who is Hamlet?

Hamlet, the title character of Shakespeare's play of the same name, is often considered one of Shakespeare's greatest tragic creations. Hamlet is the Prince of Denmark, who finds out that his uncle murdered his father, thus the must decide whether or not to avenge his father's death.

What were harpies?

Harpies were mythological birds with women's faces who stole food from Phineas before he could eat.

Heart of Darkness

Heart of Darkness

Who is Heathcliff?

Heathcliff is the Byronic hero of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. He and his true love, Catherine, roam the moors during their youth and haunt each other's lives both before and after their deaths.

Who was Helen of Troy?

Helen of Troy was the most beautiful woman in the world. The daughter of Zeus and Leda (whom Zeus ravished while disguised as a swan), her face was said to have "launched a thousand ships." This saying came about due to the Greeks setting sail toward Troy to save a kidnapped Helen from Paris.

What is hell?

Hell is a place of evil and darkness, the opposite of heaven, the realm of Satan. The wicked who do not atone for their sins spend all eternity in hell.

Who was Hephaestus?

Hephaestus (Roman name Vulcan) was the god of fire and metalworking.

What is hexameter?

Hexameter is a line of verse consising of six metrical feet.

To what does the Golden Fleece refer?

The Golden Fleece refers to the fleece of a flying ram. The fleece was the object of Jason's quest with the Argonauts, which, after capturing, would place Jason in his rightful throne in Thessaly.

What is hubris?

Hubris, from the Greek, is the name given the tragic flaw of excessive pride, which generally leads to the character's downfall.

Who is Huck Finn?

Huck Finn is Tom Sawyer's friend. He is the protagonist of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a bildungsroman, written by Mark Twain. The story deals with issues of slavery and racism, as readers follow Huck and Jim through their adventures while rafting down the Mississippi River. Many critics consider Huck Finn one of the best American novels.

What is hyperbole?

Hyperbole is an over-exaggeration used to make a point.

Who is Iago?

Iago, from Shakespeare's Othello, is often considered Shakespeare's greatest villain; he is the character who convinces Othello to kill his wife Desdemona. Some scholars consider Iago incarnate evil; others attempt to provide a rationale for his deviousness. Whether Iago has a true motivation is a topic critics have been debating for centuries.

Identify the quotation, "We cannot all be masters, nor all masers / can be truly followed."

Iago, in Othello, is admitting to Roderigo and the audience that he cares only for himself. Iago is considered on of Skakespeare's greatest villains.

What is iambic pentameter?

Iambic pentameter is the most common kind of English metrical verse, consisting of 10 syllables of alternating unstressed and stressed syllables.

Who was Icarus?

Icarus was Daedalus' son. Daedalus created wings of wax for Icarus to use to escape the Labyrinth. Icarus died when his wings melted while flying too close to the sun.

Identify the quotation, "The time is out of joint. O cursed spite / That ever I was born to set it right!"

In Hamlet, Hamlet ends act ine with this comment, as he now believes that his father was murdered; he is telling the ghost that he will avenge his father's death.

Identify the quotation, ".... frailty thy name is woman!"

In Hamlet, Hamlet says this reference to his mother, when considering her hasty remarrige after his father's death.

Identify the quotation, "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark."

In Hamlet, Marcellus syays this after he and Horatio watch hamelt follow the ghost; they then debate upon whether they have an obligation to follow the prince.

Identify the quotation, "Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind."

In Hamlet, Ophelia says this to Prince Hamlet when she is unsure of his feelings for her.

Identify the quotation, "Though this be madness, yet there is method in 't."

In Hamlet, Polonius says his is an aside as he attempts to find out a reason for Hamlet's unexpected actions. It's the source of the popular phrase "there's a method to his madness," based on a misquoted passage.

Identify the quotation, "A little more than kin and less than kind."

In Hamlet, this famous pun of Hamlet's, spoken as an aside, reveals to the audience that he is not happy wtih his uncle becoming his stepfather.

Identify the quotation, "The lady doth protest too much, methinks."

In Hamlet, this is Queen Gertrude's response to Hamlet when he asks his mother how she likes the play. Hamlet instructed the players to reenact his father's murder; and Hamlet is attempting to prove foul play because the extent of Gertrude's involvement is unknown. Hamlet has determined that "the play's the thing / Wherein I'll cach the conscience of the King."

Identify the quotation, "To die, to sleep / To sleep, perchance to dream, ay there's the rub, / For in that sleep of death what dreams may come true."

In Hamlet, this part of Hamlet's famous "To be or not to be soliloquy. Death is the great sleep but is also unknown, which is why we endure hardships in this world for so long.

Identify the quotation, "O, reason not the need!'

In King Lear, King Lear yells his in frustration when his two daughters question his desire to keep knights after he has divided his kingdom between them.

Identify the quotaion, "When our actions do not, / Our fears do make us traitors."

In Macbeth, Lady Macduff states this upon incorrectly assuming her husband to be a coward when he went ot England o seek help against Macbeth.

Identify the quotation "Lay on, MacDuff."

In Macbeth, this is the point where Macbeth realizes he has been duped and nobly vows to fight until his death.

Identify the quotation, "O, beware, my lord, of jealousy! / It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock / The meat it feeds on."

In Othello, Iago speaks these lines to Othello as he manipulates him into thinking Desdemona, Othello's wife, has been unfaithful.

Identify the quotation, "He that is robb'd not wanting what is stol'n, Let him not know't and he's not robb'd a all."

In Othello, Othello speaks these lines to lago as he contemplates Desdemona's alleged unfaithfulness. He concludes that he would rather not have known that she had been unfaithful.

Identify the quotation, "One that loved not wisely but too well."

In Othello, Othello speaks this line, referring to himself, after he realizes his wife was not unfaithful to him and right before he kills himself. He learns too late what it really means to love someone.

Identify the quotation, "Reputation is an idle and most false imposition, oft got without merit and lost without deserving."

In Othello, lago says this to Cassio, after he compels Cassio to get drunk, get invovled in a brawl, and lose his position as Othello's right-hand man. Later, Iago th master manipulator, contradicts this sentiment to Othello.

Identify the quotation, "He jests at scars that never felt a wound."

In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo is referring to Mercutio as he climbs the wall to Juliet's yard. Juliet then appears on the balcony and delivers the famous, "But soft! What light through yonder window breaks" speech.

Identify the quotation, "The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose. / An evil soul producing holy witness / Is like a villian with a smiling cheek, / A goodly apple rotten at the heart."

In The Merchant of Venice, Antonio says this of Shylock the moneylender. Shylock wants to be able to procure a pound of Antonio's flesh if Antonio is unable to repay the loan of 3,000 ducats within three months.

Identifiy the qoutation, "Asses are made to bear, and so are you."

In The Taming of the Shrew, Petruchio demands that katherine sit on his lap when he first meets her. This is her haughty reply.

Identify the quotation, "This is a way to kill a wife with kindness."

In The Taming of the Shrew, this is how Petruchio plans on breaking Katherine's spirit, and thus "tame the shrew." The line is the genesis of the idea "killing them with kindness."

Identify the quotation, "We are such stuff, as dreams are made of, / And our little life is rounded, / With a sleep."

In The Tempest, Prospero speaks these lines to Ferdinand as Prospero releases him from forced servitude and allows Ferdinand to marry his daughter, Miranda. Ferdinand and Miranda had been enjoying an elaborate masque in anticipation of their wedding, and Prospero is reminding them that life is short and all too soon they will be experiencing the "sleep" of death.

What was the Gordian knot?

The Gordian knot was a complex knot that Alexander the Great cut with his sword. Currently, cutting the Gordian knot refers to the quick solution to a difficult problem.

What is The Grapes of Wrath?

The Grapes of Wrath is John Steinbeck's novel about the Joad family, who, after losing everything in the Dust Bowl, decide to migrate to California in search of a better life. This story chronicles their journey and their experiences upon their arrival in California.

The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby

What are the Elysian Fields?

In classical mythology, Elysian Fields is the name of the place where good souls went after their time in Earth. The Elysian Fields were a pastoral paradise and are now used to refer to any place of extreme happiness and bliss.

To what does in medias res refer?

In medias res means "in the middle of the action." Writers often use this technique to capture their reader's attention, and hen they use flashbacks to fill in the gaps itnt he narrative.

What is the canon?

The canon refers to the literary texts that are commponly considered central to the understanding and appreciation of the literary tradition. Initialy, the canon was primarily made up of texts by Euopean male writers such as Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, and Dickens; lately he canon has expanded to include women as well as writers of other cultures.

Who is Jay Gatsby?

Jay Gatsby is the title character of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, a novel about the American dream, old versus new money, and the effect of love - particularly Gatsby's love for Daisy - on life.

Who are the main character in The Great Gatsby?

Jay Gatsby; Nick Carraway; Daisy Buchanan; and Tom Buchanan.

Identify the quotation, "Et tu, Brute!"

In this famous line about betrayal, from Julius Caesar, Julius Caesar speaks his shock and dismay that even his close friend Brutus was involved in the conspiracy to kill him.

What is the story of Jonah and the whale?

Jonah and the whale is the story of a prophet who fled to sea rather than answer God's call to prophesy in the city of Ninevah. God created a storm, causing other sailors to throw Jonah overboard. Jonah, swallowed by a large fish, spends three days in the fish's belly, praying for forgiveness. The fish spits out Jonah. In gratitude Jonah prophesies to people in Ninevah.

In The Awakening what roels does Mademoiselle Reisz play in Edna's awakening?

Initially, Mademoiselle reisz plays an indirect role and unintentional role-- her music on Grand Isle stirred in Edna an awakening to the missing passions in her life. In New Orleans, she shares Robert's letters and encourages Edna's infatuation.

What is interbal rhyme?

Internal rhyme refers to rhyme that occurs within a line of verse.

What is intertextuality?

Intertextuality refers to the interconnectedness of various literary texts. Allusions and direct references are the mose obvious form sof intertextuality. Many people know the phrase "of mice and men" from the Steinbeck novel but are unaware of the poem by Robert Burns.

Who are the most important minor characters in The Great Gatsby?

Jordan Baker; Myrtle Wilson; George Wilson; and Meyer Wolfsheim.

What is Invisible Man?

Invisible Man is Ralph Ellison's bildungsroman of an unnamed black narrator who struggles with the death of his identity as ge moves from the South to the North, experiencing racism along the way. Invisible Man is an episodic novel.

What is irony?

Irony is the contrast between appearance and reality. Types of irony include cosmic, dramatic, situational, and verbal.

Who are the important minor characters in Wuthering Heights?

Isabella; Lockwood; Joseph; Zillah; Mr. and Mrs. Earnshaw; and Mr. and Mrs. Linton.

Who was Isaiah?

Isaiah was an Old Testament prophet who foretold the coming of the Messiah, or Savior.

Who was Israel?

Israel was the new name given to Jacob after he wrestled with God; the name means "one who has been strong against God."

Who are Jacob and Esau?

Jacob and Esau were Isaac's sons. Esau traded his inheritance to Jacob for food, and then Jacob stole their father's deathbed blessing- usually reserved for the first-born son - by disguising himself as his brother.

What was Jacob's Ladder?

Jacob's Ladder was the ladder Jacob saw in a dream. The ladder from the earth up to heaven and symbolized God's promise to bless Jacob and his descendants.

Identify the quotation, "All the world's a stage, / And all the men and women merely players."

Jacques states these lines in a famous soliloquy in As You Like It. This speech describes the seven stages of man, from infancy to old age.

What is Jane Eyre?

Jane Eyre is a novel by Charlotte Bronte. Jane Eyre is employed as the governess at Thornfield manor, caring for the ward of the mysterious Edward Rochester.

Who was Janus?

Janus is the Roman god of doors and gateways, beginnings and endings. He had two faces, each facing an opposite direction, representing both the past and the future.

What is jargon?

Jargon refers to the specialized and often technical language and vocabulary of a particular group.

Who was Jason?

Jason was the hero who led the Argonauts on the quest for the Golden Fleece. He eventually married Medea, but his desire to leave her years later resulted in the death of his children by Medea's hand. Jason was killed by his ship falling on him.

Why is The Great Gatsby considered a dual-hero text?

Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway can both be considered the protagonist. Jay is the title character, and Nick is the narrator. Both characters are essential to the appreciation and understanding of Fitzgeralds novel.

In The Great Gatsby, what makes Gatsby great?

Jay Gatsby is the prototype of the dreamers who are the embodiement of the American dream. He is the quintessential self-made man and represents what nay of us can be.

To what does turn the other cheek refer?

Jesus commanded his disciples to turn the other cheek rather than demand Old Testament justice, which called for an eye for an eye. This command came from the Sermon on the Mount.

Who was Jesus?

Jesus, to Christians, was the son of God, a person was both God and man. He died to atone for mankind's sins and rose from the dead.

Who was Jezebel?

Jezebel was an immoral queen of Israel who tried to kill the prophet Elijah.

Who was Job?

Job was an Old Testament man whose faith was severely tested by Satan (with God's approval). Job endured so much that people who endure long suffering are said to have the patience of Job.

Who is Joe Christmas?

Joe Christmas is the central character in William Faulkner's Light in August. He is considered a "white negro" because his family line contains a drop of negro blood.

Who was John the Baptist?

John the Baptist was the cousin to Jesus and was the "voice in the wilderness" that cried out to prepare people for the way of the lord.

Who was Judas Iscariot?

Judas Iscariot was one of the original twelve Apostles. He was the one who betrayed Jesus. Judas, like Benedict Arnold, is a name used for who betrays another.

What is Judgment Day?

Judgment Day occurs at the End of Time, during the Second Coming, when Jesus will judge the living and the dead.

Identify the quotation, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet."

Juliet unknowingly speaks these words to an unseen Romeo, in Romeo and Juliet, as she contemplates why they should be considered enemies. This is a part of her famous "O, Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?" speech. She's asking "why" and not "where."

Identify the quotation, "Cowards die many times before their deaths; / The valiant never taste of death but once."

Julius Caeser makes this comment to his wife, Calphurnia, explaining whu he must go to the Senate -- ironically on the day of his murder.

Who was Jupiter?

Jupiter (Greek name, Zeus) was the king of the gods.

What is juxtaposition?

Juxtaposition refers to the positioning of things close together or side by side.

Who is King Lear?

King Lear is a tragic figure who foolishly decides to abdicate his throne and divide it between his three daughters. This causes his relationship between him and his daughters, and among the daughters themselves, to disastrously deteriorate over the course of the story.

Who was Lady Godiva?

Lady Godiva pitied the people of Coventry, and repeatedly asked her husband o repeal his heavy taxes. He finally said he would if she would ride naked through town. She took him at his word and rode naked on horseback through the streets of Coventry, covered by nothing but her long hair.

Who is Lady Macbeth?

Lady Macbeth, wife of Macbeth, spurs her husband on toward the murder of King Duncan so that he might himself become king. Initially, Lady Macbeth is more daring and diabolical than her husband, but, after a while, she succumbs to her guilt and ends up going crazy.

What is verse?

The word verse has a variety of meanings. It can refer to a line of poetry, while others may use the term to differentiate between poetry and other less serious forms of metrical writing. Verse also is used to refer to poetry in general and specific forms.

Who was Laocoon?

Laocoon was he priest who warned the Trojans against accepting the giant wooden horse (thenceforth known as the Trojan Horse) and is credited with the saying, "Beware Greeks bearing gifts."

Who was Lazarus?

Lazarus was a man who Jesus raised from the dead.

What is Le Morte d'Arthur?

Le Morte d'Arthur is Sir Thomas Malory's romance about the rise and fall of the Knights of the Round Table, led by King Arthur. The title is French for, "The Death of Arthur."

What is light verse?

Light verse refers to poetry that has niether a serious purpose nor a solemn tone.

What is literal language?

Literal language refers to the denotative meaning of words. Literal language is typically informative and straightfoward.

Literary Allusions

Literary Allusions

Literary Criticism

Literary Criticism

Literary techniques

Literary Techniques

What are literary devices?

Literary devices refers to the specific aspects of literary texts that can be recognized, interpreted, and analyzed.

What is litotes?

Litotes is a form of understatement typically achieved by negating an affirmation. For example, "A fact of no small importance."

What is the narrative structure of Wuthering Heights?

Lockwood's narrative frames the initial history, telling the beginning and the end. Nelly then relates the majority of the action from her outsider's point of view. In essence, readers are eavesdropping rather than experiencing the action.

What is Lord of the Flies?

Lord of the Flies is William Golding's allegory about a group of boys stranded on an island. The novel explores Golding's beliefs about the savagery tha underlies evend the most civilized society. It is his commentary on the idea that all men are inherently evil, and on what does nad does not work as mankind attempts to combat that evil nature.

Who was Lot's wife?

Lot's wife was a disobedient woman who was punished by God. When she turned back to look at the city that was to be destroyed- in direct violation of God's command- she was turned into a pillar of salt.

Who was Lucifer?

Lucifer was the Angel of Light, who led the rebellion against God and was tossed out of heaven, becoming the devil.

What is Lysistrata?

Lysistrata is a Greek comedy by Aristophanes about women of Sparta and Athens - led by the title character Lysistrata - who encouraged women to withhold sex from the men in order to enforce peace and keep them from fighting the Peloponnesian War. This resulted in tension between the sexes - another type of war.

Identify "Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, / Creeps in the petty pace from day to day / To the last syllable of recorded time; / And all our yesterdays have lighted fools / The way to dusty death."

Macbeth is despairing near the end of the tragedy, after he learns of his wife's death. He now not only considers himself foolish but all of humanity as well.

Who is Macbeth?

Macbeth is the title character of Shakespeare's tragedy of the same name; it's about a warrior and his wife, Lady Macbeth, who are lured by the promise of being king and end up killing the reigning king in order to achieve the throne of Scotland.

Identify "Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player / That struts and frets his hour upon the stage / And then is heard no more: it is a tale / Told by an idiot, full sound and fury, / Signifying nothing."

Macbeth states these lines in a soliloquy about the meaninglessness of life. He realizes he was duped and that his desire for power caused him to be deceived by he prophecies. Macbeth nelieved he was invincible, yet realizes that the prophecies were purposefully misleading. This passage serves as an intertext for Faulkners novel The Sound and the Fury.

Identify the quotation, "False face must hide what the false heart doth know."

Macbeth uses this line to convince his wife and himself that he has the resolve to kill King Duncan, who is a guest of Macbeth's castle in the tragedy Macbeth.

What is the climax?

The climax is the point of the plot that achieves the greatest emotional intensity. In a traditional five-act-drama, the climax is the name of the third act, in which the crisis occurs. The climax may also refer to the final and most term in a list of items in a series arranged in emphatic order.

What is Madame Bovary?

Madame Bovary is Gustave Flaubert's romantic novel about his title character, Emma Bovary, who exists in an unhappy marriage, has an affair, and eventually kills herself.

Who is Madame Defarge?

Madame Defarge is the knitting villainess of A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. Madame Defarge is bent on revenge because the French nobility destroyed her family. In the novel, her knitting represents both her patience and her urge for retaliation.

As a character how does mademoiselle Reisz function in the Awakening?

Madamoiselle Reisz is the most influential charcter on Edna's awakening. She counsels Edna on what it takes to be an artist, and she serves as a foil fo Adele Ratignolle.

What was the coat of many colors?

The coat of many colors was the coat Jacob gave to his son, Joseph. His brothers became jealous, coveting Joseph's gift, and sold Joseph into slavery.

To what does conclusion refer?

The conclusion, or denouement, is the part of the plot in which the conflict is resolved.

Identify the quotation, "In my stars I am above thee; but be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achive greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them."

Malvolio, from Twelfth Night, reads these words in a letter, where he is tricked into believing he is the object of his lady's affections.

Who is Marc Antony?

Marc Antony is an important character in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra. His funeral oration in Julius Caesar is a famous example of rhetoric, through which Antony turns public opinion away from those who killed Caesar. That speech begins with the famous line "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears. I come to bury Caesar, not praise him."

What is the significance of "the reports of my death are greatly exaggerated"?

Mark Twain sent a cable with these words to the United States from London after his obituary had been published in the New York Journal.

As a character in Heart of Darkness, what is Marlow's function in the novella?

Marlow serves both as the narrator of the main storyline and as the symbolic physical representation of a man on a voyage of self discovery.

What is Marxism?

Marxism is the type of literary criticism that focuses on the struggle for power and its effect on social class. Marxism uses characters, plotlines, and themes found in a literary text to illustrate the struggles people go through in order to gain and maintain power.

Who was Mary Magdalene?

Mary Magdalene was the repentant prostitute who anointed the feet of Jesus. She was one of the women who remained with Jesus, during and after his crucifixion, and discovered the empty tomb, which indicated Jesus' resurrection.

What is masculine rhyme?

Masculine rhyme refers to rhyming lines of verse that end with single-syllable words.

Who is Medea?

Medea was the sorceress who helped Jason achieve The Golden Fleece. She married Jason and bore him sons, but when he wanted to leave her for another, she killed their children.

Who was Medusa?

Medusa was a Gorgon who, when looked upon, turned the viewer into stone. Perseus was able to kill Medusa by looking at her reflection in his shield.

What is meiosis?

Meiosis is a form of understatement usually achived by referring to something in terms of less importance than it actually deserves. For example: Mercutio refers to his fatal wound as a "scratch."

What is melodrama?

Melodrama is a form of narration that emphasizes plot or action at the expense of developing character.

Who is Merlin?

Merlin was the advisor to King Arthur. He was responsible for Arthur's conception as he conjured a sell that disguised Uther Pendragon (Arthur's Father) as Gorlois---Lady Igraine's (Arthur's mother) first husband.

What were Mermaids?

Mermaids are mythological creatures with the head of a woman and the body and tail of a fish. The Sirens were a group of mermaids that tempted Odysseus and his men.

To what does theme refer?

Theme refers to the main idea of a literary text.

What is meter?

Meter, also spelled metre, refers to the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in poetry.

What are the methods of characterization?

Methods of characterization are the techniques a writer uses to develop a character. Characters are developed throguh their words, thoughts, actions, and physical descriptions, as well as by what the writer states directly and what other characters say about the character.

Who was Methuselah?

Methuselah was the oldest person mentioned in the Bible. He was the grandfather of Noah; he lived for 969 years.

What is metonymy?

Metonymy, a specific type of metaphor, is replacing the name of something with something closely related to it.

Who was Michael?

Michael was the archangel, or angel of highest rank, and is often considered to be the angel who will lead the army of angels on Judgment Day.

Who was Midas?

Midas was a king who wished that everything he touched would turn to gold. Unfortunately, his food, water, and daughter turned to gold, so he regretted his wish. A person who is very successful or acquires riches easily is said to have the Midas touch.

How is The Great Gatsby classified?

Modern-day fairy tale; modern novel; novel of manners; realistic fiction; and thwarted love story.

Who was Morpheus?

Morpheus was the Roman and Greek god of sleep and dreams. In the movie The Matrix Morpheus is a character who awakens Neo from his metamorphic sleep.

Who was Moses?

Moses was the Old Testament prophet who led the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses received the Ten Commandments from God and led God's chosen people to the Promised Land.

What is the conflict?

The conflict is the source of tension. It's the struggle between characters and/or forces. The main types of conflict are character vs. character (social conflict), character vs. nature (physical conlfict), and character vs. self (internal conflict).

Myths, Legends and Folklore

Myths, Legends and Folklore

Who was Narcissus?

Narcissus was a handsome man who fell in love with his own reflection. Being unable to tear himself away, he did not eat or drink and eventually wasted away. People who are self-absorbed are said to be narcissists.

Narrative

Narrative

What is narrative poetry?

Narrative poetry refers to types of poems that tell a story, such as a ballards and epics.

What is Nazareth?

Nazareth is the hometown of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus, thus the name "Jesus of Nazareth."

Identify the quotation, "A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!"

Near the end of Richard III, Richard cries out this line twice as he is battling his enemies. He is nearly defeated with or without his lost horse.

Who is Nemesis?

Nemesis is the Greek goddess of vengeance, divine retribution. Your nemesis is one who will bring forth your destruction or downfall.

Who was Neptune?

Neptune (Greek name, Poseidon) was the god of the sea. He is usually portrayed as a merman-head and torso of a man, with a fish's body and tail-holding a trident.

What is New Criticism?

New Criticism is the name given to the type of literary criticism that focuses on a close reading of a text, examining such aspects as structure, setting, symbols, and irony.

What is New Historicism?

New Historicism focuses on when a text wsa created as well as the situation in which the text is currently being read. In addition to the text's language, critics try to discover political, social, and economic onditions that affected the author and the subsequent creation of the text; these critics realize that these same creations apply to and affect the readers.

Who was Noah?

Noah was a man in the Old Testament who obeyed God's command to build n ark; he loaded two of each kind of animal on the ark to save them from the flood that God sent to destroy the world.

What is nostalgia?

Nostalgia is a desire for the past, usually a conditionthat cannot be duplicated.

What is the significance of "The horror! The horror!"?

These words are spoken by Kurtz as he is dying in Conrad's Heart of Darkness.

Who was Odysseus?

Odysseus was a hero of the Trojan War who took 10 years to return home after the war. Odysseus had the idea of the Trojan horse. Any long or transforming journey that we take can be called an odyssey.

Who was Oedipus?

Oedipus was a king who, according to prophesy, would kill his father and marry his mother. In an effort to stop this, Oedipus was given away, and later adopted. As an adult Oedipus, unbeknownst to him, quarreled with his true father, King Laius, and ended up killing him. He later married the widowed Queen Jocasta, his real mother, and fulfilled the prophesy.

What is the crisis?

The crisis, also known as the turning point, is the part of the plot where the conflict has intensified to a point where the fortunes of the protagonist begin to change, for better or worse.

In The Awakening, how does the way Chopin refers to Leonce demonstrate the nature of the realtionship between Edna and Leonce?

Once Leonce leaves for New York, he loses both his name and any semblance of meaning for Edna. For a while, he is referred to as Mr. Pontellier, but with his last letter he is just mentioned as Edna's husband. Each move away from his first name leaves him a little less real to Edna.

What was the crown of thorns?

The crown of thorns was a mock crown, woven out of thorny branches, that Jesus was forced to wear by Roman soldiers. Anything that causes immense pain and suffering can be called a crown of thorns.

What is the exposition?

The exposition is the part of the narrative in whcih backround information is revealed.

To what does the eye of a needle refer?

The eye of a needle refers to the difficulty the rich have for gaining access into heaven. Speaking metaphorically, Jesus said that it's easier to pass through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to attain the Kingdom of God.

Who was Psyche?

Psyche was a beautiful girl who was in love with Cupid. After performing a number of tasks set forth by Cupid's mother, Venus, she was made immortal by Jupiter and married Cupid.

What is onomatopoeia?

Onomotopoeia is the creation and use of words that sound like what they mean.

Who is Ophelia?

Ophelia is the daughter of Polonius - advisor to King Claudius - and the object of Prince Hamlet's affections. Hamlet and Ophelia experience unrequited love, and after the tragic death of her father , Ophelia goes mad and eventually dies by drowning; many critics consider her death to be suicide because she was pregnant with Hamlet's child.

Identify the quotation, "If music be the food of love, play on; / Give me excess of it, that, surfeiting, / The appetite may sicken, and so die."

Orsino's opening speech in Twelfth Night sets the tone for this famous comedy about misunderstanding and miscommunication.

Who is Othello?

Othello, the Moor of Venice, was a general who fell in love with and married the lovely Desdemona. But his insecurities about his age, race, and cultural status allowed for his manipulation, which eventually caused him to kill his wife.

Who was Pan?

Pan was the Greek god of the forest, meadows and shepherds. He was usually pictured with his reed pipes.

What was Pandora's Box?

Pandora's Box was the gift that Zeus gave to Pandora. He instructed her not to open the box, but she couldn't resist, and when she did, misery and evil entered the world. The last item in the box was hope.

What is parrallelism?

Parallelism is the repetition of similar grammatical terms or syntactical patterns.

What is psychological criticism?

Psychological criticism analyzes literature in terms of mental processes. The most popular form of psychological criticism is psychoanalytic criticism.

What is passiv voice?

Passsive voice is when the subject of a sentence is acted upon instead of committing an action. For example: "The snowball was thrown by Erik," is passive, whereas "Erik threw the snowball," uses the active voice.

What is a pastoral?

Pastoral refers broadly to any text witha rural setting; traditionally, it refers to the mode of poems about shepherds and the country living.

What is pathos?

Pathos is the effect of feeling pity or sorrow based on a passage or a text as a whole.`

Who was Paul?

Paul, formerly Saul, was one of the primary leaders of the early Christians church. The New Testament is filled with his letters, or epistles, to many different Christians communities.

Who was Pegasus?

Pegasus was the muses' winged horse, who was tamed by the hero Bellerophon.

What is personification?

Personification is the giving of human characteristics to something nonhuman. For example, "Love is blind' gives a feeling a human characteristic (personification), but the aquatic animals in Finding Nemo all behave as though they were human, which is an example of anathropomorphism.

Who is Peter?

Peter, originally called Simon, was one of the Twelve Apostles. He was the one who denied Jesus three times and upon whom Jesus built his church; that is, Peter became the leader of Christ's new church. It was said that Peter was entrusted with the keys to heaven.

What is the falling action?

The falling action refers to the plot after the crisis that lead to the catastrophe. In traditional five-act tragedies, it is the fourth act.

Who is Pip?

Pip is the protagonist of Charles Dickens's bildungsroman Great Expectations. Pip does not realize that the source of his expectations was a thief that he encountered in a graveyard. Pip's own great expectations - his ambitions and desire for success - cause him to abandon his friends and simple way of life in search of something more.

To what do verse paragraphs refer?

Poems that are divided irregularly, such as those written in blank verse or free verse, have sections called verse paragraphs.

What is poetic license?

Poetic license is the liberty a writre sometimes takes with the typical ules of grammar, punctuation, and/or syntax in order to fulfill his or creative process.

What is point of view?

Point of view refers to the angle from which a story is told. The vantage point is typically first or third person.

Identify the quotation, "Niether a borrower nor a lender be; / For loan oft loses both itself and friend....."

Polonius speaks these words to his son Laertes, as Laeres prepares to leave Denmark adn return to school, in Hamlet.

What is polysyndeton?

Polysyndeton is the deliberate use of a series of conjunctions, usually for emphasis. For example, "Lions and tigers and bears, oh my," and "nor sun nor moon nor wind nor rain."

As a character in Crime and Punishment, what is Porfiry Petrovithc's function in the novel?

Porfiry Petrovitch serves as a foil for Raskolnikov. He represents law and order. Many critics consider him to be the thematic voice of Dostoevsky.

Identify the quotation, "The quality of mercy is not strain'd, / It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven."

Portia, from The Merchant of Venice, states this to Shylock in her famous speech about forgiveness, mercy, and the spirit of the law versus the letter of the law.

Who is Puck?

Puck is the sprite from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Puck mistakenly makes the wrong couple fall in love and enjoys the misadventures, but by the end of the play he rectifies his mistake; and in the closing line of the drama emphasizes that the entire incident was just a dream.

What is prolepsis?

Prolepsis is anticipation. It's the calling forth of incidences or events that take place later in the story. Flash-forward is the most common form of prolepsis, but images and figures of speech may likewise anticipate future events.

Who was Prometheus?

Prometheus stole fire from the gods to give to mankind.

Prosody

Prosody

Who is Prospero?

Prospero is the protagonist of Shakespeare's The Tempest. He and his daughter, Miranda, were exiled to an island by his brother Antonio, who wished to take the throne from Prospero. Prospero uses his knowledge of magic sorcery and human nature to avenge the earlier wrongs and prepare the world for justice.

Who was Pygmalion?

Pygmalion was a sculptor who fell in love with a statue of his own creation. Venus made his statue come to life; and Pygmalion and his statue eventually married and had a son. George Bernard Shaw wrote a play, Pygmalion, where a young girl from the streets was transformed into a lady by learning to speak proper English.

To what does pyrrhic refer?

Pyrrhic is a form of poetical meter consisting of two unstressed syllables. This form of meter may also be referred to as dibrach and is not used exclusively in any poem. For example, "when the blood creeps and the nerves prick".

Who are the main characters in Crime and Punishment?

Radion Romanovitch Raskolnikov (Rodya; Rodenka; Rodka;); Sonia Marmeladov (Sofya); Svidrigailov (Arkady Ivanovitch); and Porfiry Petrovitch.

In Crime and Punishment, how is the complex character of Raskolnikov characterized?

Raskolnikov is melancholy, indecisivce, and seperate from society (like Hamlet); he's cynical about life (like Macbeth); he's concerned about his sister and is a student who contemplates murder/suicide (like Quentin, from The Sound and the Fury); and he's full of guilt, preoccupied with time, and alienated from his family and homeland (like Stephan Dedalus, in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man).

Who was Raskolnikov?

Raskolnikov is the antihero of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment. Raskolnikov is a student who commits murder. Most of the novel centers on Raskolnikov's theory of the Ubermensch and how murder affects a man's psyche.

In Crime and Punishment, why might Raskolnikov want to be caught?

Raskolnikov might want to his theory disproved; he might be seeking punishment; he may desire a return to humanity; or he may need a chance to truly understand the importance and significance of life.

In Crime and Punishment, what are the functions of Raskolnikov's dreams?

Raskolnikov's dreams represent both a cartharsis for the terrible deed he has done and an attempt to shift responsibility for these actions away from Raskolnikov himself.

What is reader-response criticism?

Reader-response criticism focuses on the transaction that takes place between the reader and the text; meaning is negotiated, thus texts are open to multiple interpretations.

What is realism?

Realism refers to any text that attempts to accurately portray life, in direct opposition of sensationalism or melodrama. The era of realism began in the 19th century, when writers began to write detailed accounts of ordinary life.

To what does reliability refer?

Reliability refers to the trustworthiness (or lack thereof) of a narrator. Typically narrators are considered reliable, unless their accounts prove to be faulty or misleading; then they are deemed unreliable. Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby and Huck Finn in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are reliable narrators.

What are resources of language?

Resources of language are another way to refer to literary devices.

What are rhetorical figures?

Rhetorical figures (also known as schemes) are changes in standard word order or patterns. Rhetorical figures are usually associated with syntax and are one of the two major divisions of figures of speech.

What are rhetorical strategies?

Rhetorical strategies are the organizational strategies that a writer uses in a text. For example: Essays are typically organized with specific patterns such as narration, definition, examplification. Narratives can be organized linearly or circularly or by shifts in the points of view.

Who was Robin Hood?

Robin Hood and his band of merry men robbed from the rich and gave to the poor. He lived in Sherwood Forest with Friar Tuck, Little John, and maid Marian, his nemesis was the Sheriff of Nottingham.

What is Romanticism?

Romanticism was a literary movement that stressed emotion and imagination in artistic expression as opposed to logic and rigid rules to form.

Who are Romeo and Juliet?

Romeo and Juliet are the star-crossed lovers from Shakespeare's tragedy of the same name. They are either in love with each other or in love with love. Their untimely, and ultimately unintentional, deaths unite preciously feuding families.

Who were the Titans?

Rulers of the world until they were overthrown by the gods

Who was Salome?

Salome was the step-daughter of Herod, who demanded the head of John the Baptist on the platter.

Who was Samson?

Samson was a man of the Old Testament who had incredible strength. Samson was betrayed by his lover, Delilah, who found out that his hair was the source of his strength and cut it.

What is sarcasm?

Sarcasm, is the lowest form of verbal irony, is intentional derision usually used with intent to harm.

Who is Satan?

Satan is another name for the devil. The devil is considered to be the fallen angel Lucifer.

What is satire?

Satire is a form of writing that has a moral purpose-- it wants to both criticize and correct the shortcomings that the author witnesses in his or her world. Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal, Anthony Burgess's A Clockwork Orange, and G. B. Trudeau's comic strip "Doonesbury" are all examples of satire.

Sentence Structure and Types

Sentence Structure and Types

To what does setting refer?

Setting refers to the time and place in which a narrative takes place.

Shakespearean Quotations

Shakespearean Quoatations

What is Shangri-La?

Shangri-La, from James Hilton's Lost Horizon, is a fictional location of peace and everlasting youth. Today, any refuge from the troubles of the world is called a Shangri-La.

In Wuthering Heights, why is Catherien Earnshaw considered a femme fatale?

She is a beautiful woman who uses her looks for her own advantage, or, in other words, she uses sex as a weapon. She resists the male-doninated aspects of her life and society as well as the traditional expected role of and forms of behavior.

To what does the fatted calf refer?

The fatted calf refers to the parable of the Prodigal Son. The fatted calf was sacrificed to celebrate the return of the wayward son.

Who is Shylock?

Shylock is the complex villain of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. Some critics contend that Shylock is a creation of the anti-Semitic attitude of the times; others consider Shylock an attack on anti-Semitism. Clearly, Shylock is the villain in the romantic comedy, as he impedes the lovers, but audiences tend to sympathize with him as well as loathe him.

Identify the quotation, "If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh?"

Shylock, from The Merchant of Venice, speaks these lines about the humanity of those who are not in the dominant culture. But, instead of rising above the Venetians, he sinks to their level and plans his revenge.

To what does sibilance refer?

Sibilance is a type of alliteration that involves the repetition of a soft, hissing sound. For example, "She sells sea shells down by the seashore".

Who was Sir Galahad?

Sir Galahad was the son of Lancelot. He possessed exceptional virtue and achieved the quest of the Holy Grail.

Who was Sir Gawain?

Sir Gawain, a cousin of King Arthur, was known for his integrity.

Who was Sir Lancelot?

Sir Lancelot was King Arthur's best friend and Sir Galahad's father. Sir Lancelot was in love with Arthur's wife Guinevere.

Who was Sir Mordred?

Sir Mordred was the illegitimate son of King Arthur and his sister Morgause. Mordred was responsible for inflicting the death blow on King Arthur during the battle if Camlaan.

Who was Sisyphus?

Sisyphus was a king who offended Zeus and forced to push a boulder to the top of a hill, only to have if roll back down again when he reached the top. Sisyphus had to push the boulder for all eternity. Any trying or repetitive difficulty can be referred to as a "labor of Sisyphus" or a "Sisyphean task."

To what does Sodom and Gomorrah refer?

Sodom and Gomorrah were two cities that God destroy of the illicit sexual practices of their people, including sodomy and bestiality. The names are associated with perversity.

Who was Solomon?

Solomon, the son of David, was the wisest of all Old Testament Israelites kings. Solomon also built the Temple of Jerusalem.

What is ambiguous abou the ending of The Awakening?

Some consider Edna's suicide to be a cowardly way out, while others consider it a triumph of liberty and slef expression.

What is the Song of Solomon?

Song of Solomon, also known as Song of Songs, is a collection of poems about God's love that is often considered an allegory for God's love His children, as well as an allegory for Jesus' love for His people, the Church, and the love between a husband and wife. The poems alternate between a narrator and a lover.

As a character in Crime and Punishment, what is Sonia's fucntion in the novel?

Sonia is one apsect of Raskolikov's character and is also a passive redemptive figure. though suffering, she becomes a symbol of all humanity's suffering.

As a character in Crime and Punishment, what is Svidrigailov's function in the novel?

Svidrigailov exist sto satisfy his sensual desores. He is the opposite of Sonia d represents a type of ubermensch that Raskolnikov desires to be.

What is spondee?

Spondee is a form of poetical mete consisting of two stresses syllables. For example, true blue.

Who was St. George?

St George was a legendary dragon slayer. The legend tells of a dragon that made its bed at a spring in the city of Silene. To lure the dragon away a daily human sacrifice was chosen by lottery. One day the princess was chosen and while the monarch begged the townspeople for her life they refused to spare her. St George rescues the princess by slaying the dragon.

What is stanzaic form?

Stanzaic form poems are divided into regular stanzas, or sections of lines of verse.

To what does stichic refer?

Stichic refers to two different things: 1. Verse without discrete stanzas, and 2. poems containing lines of the same metrical form throughout.

What is the Emperor's New Clothes?

The Emperor's New Clothes is a story about two tailors who make a new suit-out of cloth invisible to stupid people-for the emperor. Not wanting to admit he couldn't see the suit, the emperor parades around. His subjects also pretend to see them, until a child points out the obvious. This illustrates how groups ignore facts to avoid stepping outside comfort zones.

What is stream of consciousness?

Stream of consciousness is a narrative technique in which an author attempts to capture a flow of thoughts to capture the flow of thoughts and sensory impressions of characters as they pass through a his or her mind. James Joyce, William Faulkner, and Virginia Woolf typically use stream of consciousness in their texts.

What is structuralism?

Structuralism is a form of literary criticism that analyzes texts from the perspective that all texts are the result of an elaborate system of signs.

To what does style refer?

Style refers to the way in which a text is written. An analysis of an author's style includes looking at all the devices the writer uses to express meaning. The message, the material, the medium---all are part of an author's style.

What is symbolism?

Symbolism refers to the use of objects that have meaning in and of themselves to stand for, or represent, something else.

What is a synecdoche?

Synecdoche, a specific type of metaphor, is the use of a part to represent a whole, or vice versa. For example, "Ten head of cattle" refers to ten complete animals and no just ten heads, and "the law" can refer to a particular law officer instead of the entire system of justice.

What is syntax?

Syntax refers to the manner in which a writer constructs a sentence and how it affects a reader's understanding.

Who were the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are signs from the Book of Revelation. Each rider represents a different form of evils; War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death.

What is the Garden of Eden?

The Garden of Eden was the site of Adam's and Eve's perfect existence, until their transgression and subsequent banishment. Any place of complete peace and happiness can be considered a Garden of Eden.

What is persona?

The persona is the speaker. Although the persona is known as the voice of the author, it is not necessarily the author.

Who is Tess?

Tess is the title character from Thomas Hardy's Tess and the d'Urbervilles. Tess struggles to find her place in the world, raped by Alec, abandoned by Angel, and ultimately put to death for committing murder.

What was the annunciation?

The Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and told her that she was going to bear a son. The visit and the pronouncement are together considered to be the annunciation.

Who is the Antichrist?

The Antichrist is the enemy of Jesus, who will appear on earth before the Second Coming of Christ. Often compared to a beast, may evil men- such as Nero, Stalin, Hitler, and Hussein- have called the Antichrist.

What is the Apocalypse?

The Apocalypse is another name for the Book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible. An apocalypse refers to a final battle or catastrophe; the Apocalypse is the end of time

What is the Apocrypha?

The Apocrypha refers to scriptural writings that are accepted and published by some Christian denominations but not others. For example, the Roman Catholic Bible includes Maccabees I and II and Sirach, whereas the King James Version does not.

The Awakening

The Awakening

What is the setting of The Awakening?

The Awakening takes place in the late 1800s on Grand Isle and in New Orleans.

Who is the Bard of Avon?

The Bard of Avon is another name for Shakespeare. The word bard refers to a poet, and Shakespeare is sometimes called, simply, the Bard. Shakespeare was born in and buried in Stratford-upon-Avon, England.

What is the most important allusion in Crime and Punishment?

The Biblical story of Lazarus is a story of both power and resurrection. The allusion to Lazarus is important for the development of Raskolnikov's character as well as the thematic developmebnt of the novel.

How does The Great Gatsby parody the American Dream?

The Buchanans represent impulse and appetite as opposed to any moral code or spiritual guidance, and they don't change. And Gatsby's romanticism and materialism is so unfocused that he doesn't realize that he isn't living the American dream, he is merely living in the past.

What are The Canterbury Tales?

The Canterbury Tales are Geoffrey Chaucer's poems about pilgrims on thier way to the shrine of Thomas a'Beckett. The Canterbury Tales are written in Middle English and Chaucer is often considered the father of British Poetry.

What is The Catcher in the Rye?

The Catcher in the Rye is J. D. Salinger's bildungsroman novel about Holden Caulfield, a boy who runs away from his boarding school. Its initial reception was mixed, due to language that was considered shocking and blasphemous and Holden's obsession with sex. The thematic topics of innocence, death, and the authentic versus the artificial make the novel a classic.

What was the Crucifixion?

The Crucifixion refers to the death of Jesus by hanging on a cross, bound by ropes or nailed through the hands and feet.

What was the Delphic oracle?

The Delphic oracle was the location of the temple of the god Apollo. Here his prophesies were made known. It was also known as the oracle at Delphi.

What is The Divine Comedy?

The Divine Comedy is Dante's epic poem describing his journey through the afterlife. The poem has three major parts: Inferno (Hell), describing the nine circle of Hell; Purgatorio (Purgatory) describing a terrace for each of the seven deadly sins; and Paradiso (Paradise of heaven), describing nine spheres of heaven.

What is the Holy Grail?

The Holy Grail was the cup (or bowl) that Jesus drank from at the Last Supper; it was the object of a quest by the Knights of the Round Table.

What is The Iliad?

The Iliad is the epic poem attributed to the blind poet Homer about the Trojan War.

What is the Inferno?

The Inferno is the first section of Dante's The Divine Comedy; this section is named for the Italian word for hell. Today, any hot or terrible place is considered an inferno.

As a character in Heart of Darkness, what function does the Intended have in the novella?

The Intended has absolute devotion to Kurtz; however this devotion is to an ideal image and not to the real man. She symbolizes Europeans who eagerly believe in the greatness and nobility of a cause without stopping to consider the dark or hidden sides that must be associated with the same cause (i.e., imperialism).

To what does the Judgment of Paris refer?

The Judgment of Paris refers to the decision he made in the question of the Golden Apple, which was addressed to the "fairest of all." He declared Aphrodite the fairest goddess, and in return she allowed him to take Helen, who was already married to Menelaus as his wife. This led to the Trojan War and ultimately the destruction of Troy.

What was the Labyrinth?

The Labyrinth was a vast maze on the island of Crete. Created by Daedalus and home to the Minotaur, the Labyrinth seldom allowed anyone to escape it.

Who is the Lady of the Lake?

The Lady of the Lake is the name of one or more females associated with mysterious island of Avalon, of the Arthurian legend. The Lady of the Lake provided Arthur with his sword Excalibur and took Arthur's body back to Avalon after his death. Some legends salami whoever was currently serving as the high priestess of Avalon is the Lady of the Lake.

To what does the Last Supper refer?

The Last Supper refers to the final meal that Jesus shared his disciples before being betrayed and sentenced to death.

What function do the Marmeladovs have in Crime and Punishment?

The Marmeladovs exist to demonstrate the effect poverty has on individuals. In addition to the loss of self-respect, people turn to alcohol or prostitution, ot else cling to the past in order to avoid the harsh realities of the present.

To whom does the Messiah refer?

The Messiah refers to the "anointed one," meaning one who is anointed with oil after reaching a high position among ancient Israelites- king, priest, or prophet. For Christians, this was Jesus Christ. For Jews, the Messiah has not yet come to the world.

What is The Metamorphosis?

The Metamorphosis is Franz Kafla's novella about Gregor Samsa, who wakes up and is inexplicably turned into a giant vermin, Gregor's family is unable to accept Gregor's new state, and Gregor is unable it communicate with his family. Many critics suggest the nature of Gregor's transformation is a significant commentary about beauty and outward apperances.

What was the Minotaur?

The Minotaur was a creature that was half man and half bull and was housed in the Labyrinth. Theseus killed the Minotaur.

What is The Prince?

The Prince, by Niccolo Machiavelli, is a text that advocates the need for a strong leader to be ruthless and duplicitous in order to attain and maintain power. Today, "Machiavellian" refers to an individual who abandons moral principles in order to achieve personal goals.

What is the Promised Land?

The Promised Land is the land of milk and honey, known as Canaan (or Palestine) that God initially promised to Abraham and his descendants. Moses eventually led the Israelites to the Promised Land, but he could not enter it. Any time something is earned or gained through patience and diligence, it is considered reaching the Promised Land.

In Heart of Darkness, explain the significance of "the horror! the horror!'

The ambiguous nature of Kurtz's last words matches the ambiguous thematic nature of the text. Within the novella, the words may refer to the evil that Kurtz had embraced, or to his inability to achieve his plans. Thematically, they may refer to the European notion of imerialism and sense of civilization that they thought they were bringing into the African continent.

What is the antagonist of a literary text?

The antagonist is the character who is in opposition to the main character, the protagonist. An evil antagonist is considered a villian.

What is the apple of discord?

The apple of discord, also known as the Golden apple, was thrown into a wedding banquet of gods and goddesses, addressed "to the fairest." Paris, Prince of Troy, selected Aphrodite over Hera and Athena.

Who was the Queen of Sheba?

The Queen of Sheba was the ruler of the kingdom of Sheba, who was famous for her beauty and riches.

What is The Republic?

The Republic is Plato's dialogue in which he describes an ideal state ruled by philosopher kings.

What is the Resurrection?

The Resurrection refers to Jesus' rising from the dead. Beliefs in the Resurrection is essential to Christian doctrine.

What was he River Styx?

The River Styx was one of the rivers of Hades. Dead souls had to cross the River Styx. To swear on the River Styx was to make an unbreakable oath.

Who was Ulysses?

The Roman name for a Greek hero Odysseus, king of Ithaca. A famous interior-monologue poem by Tennyson and a famous stream-of-consciousness novel by James Joyce both are entitled Ulysses.

What was the Round Table?

The Round Table was the meeting place in the court of Camelot for King Arthur and his knights. The Round Table was constructed in this manner so there would be no preferential seating for any knight, thus emphasizing their brotherhood.

What is The Scarlet Letter?

The Scarlet Letter, by Nathanial Hawthorne, is a story of love, lust, adultery, revenge, and forgiveness. Hester Prynne, while her husband is presumably lost at sea, bears a child and is forced to wear a letter "A", identifying her as an adulteress. Hester refuses to name her lover, and when her husband secretly surfaces, he seeks revenge against Hester and her lover.

What is the Second Coming?

The Second Coming refers to the time when Jesus is expected to return to the earth to judge the living and the dead.

What was the Sermon on the Mount?

The Sermon on the Mount was the first sermon of Jesus. Among he many teachings Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount contains he Beatitudes, the Lord's Prayer, and the Golden Rule.

What are the Ten Commandments?

The Ten Commandments are the rules God gave to Moses, written on stone tablets, for the Israelites to follow as they lived their lives.

What was the Tower of Babel?

The Tower of Babel, originally intended to reach into heaven, was built by the descendants of Noah, who were unified in speech in the city of Babel. Because of their arrogance, God confused their speech, making the people unable to understand one another, thus creating the different languages of Earth.

What was the Trojan Horse?

The Trojan Horse was an enormous wooden horse, designed by Odysseus, that secretly housed Greek soldiers, enabling them to enter into the walled city of Troy and defeat the Trojans. The Trojan Horse is the source of the saying, "Beware Greeks bearing gifts."

What was the Trojan War?

The Trojan War was the incredible 10 year war between the Greeks and Trojans. It began as a result of Paris's kidnapping of Helen, King Menelaus's wife; the Greeks sailed to Troy to save her.

Who were the Twelve Apostles?

The Twelve Apostles were the original disciples, or followers, of Jesus.

What is the Twenty-third Psalm?

The Twenty-third Psalm is the most famous psalm; it begins with "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." The psalm draws its imagery from Exodus and is popular with both Jews and Christians. It is often quoted at funerals because it is reassuring and comforting, stressing God's love and care for His people.

What is The Waste Land?

The Waste Land is T.S. Eliot's epic poem about the post-World War I world. The title is an allusion to the Arthurian legend, in which the knights encounter the Fisher King, who is the wounded keeper of the grail. Because he is lame, his lands mirror this injury and become a wasteland. The entire poem is often considered the epitome of modern poetry.

What are the beatitudes?

The beatitudes are the words of Jesus, spoken during the Sermon on the Mount. Each beatitude begin with, " Blesses are the..."

To what does the forbidden fruit refer?

The forbidden fruit refers to the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, which Adam and Eve were instructed not to eat. Traditionally, the forbidden fruit is an apple, though this has no Biblical origins. Contemporary forbidden fruits are things are off-limits. Often forbidden fruits are sexual in nature.

What was the fountain of youth?

The fountain of youth was a mythical spring whose waters kept those who drank them eternally young. Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon discovered current day Florida while searching for the fountain of youth.

What is the framing technique?

The framing technique refers to a narrative in which the main sotry is embedded (like a picture in a frame) in another story.

What was the golden calf?

The golden calf was an idol created for Israelites during the time they roamed the desert in search of the Promised Land. Fearing Moses would not return from Mt. Sinai and needing a god to lead them, they melted jewelry. When Moses returned with the Ten Commandments, he found the people worshipping this false god.

Who is the hero/heroine of a literary text?

The hero/heroine is the protagonist, or main character, of a literary text. The term also refers to the primary male or female character of a text, with the chief character the protagonist.

What is the intentional fallacy?

The intentional fallacy refers to the practice of basing interpretations on either the expressed or implied intentions of a writer. Critics who believe a text exists independent of its author consider this practice to be inappropiate.

Who is the Lady in the Attic?

The lady in the Attic is the secret wife that Rochester had living with him in Charlote Bronte's Jane Eyre. Her name is Bertha Mason and, unbeknownst to Rochester until after their marrige, madness runs in her family. During the course of the novel she escapes four times.

What are levels of diction?

The levels of diction refer to the formality of word choice. The most elevated language is formal diction, followed by general, colloquial, and vulgate.

What is the significance of "for whom the bell tolls"?

The line "for whom the bell tolls," is taken from a John Donne sermon. Ernest Hemmingway used this line for the title of one of his novels. The line is a call for people to recognize our common existence with our neighbors and to understand that we will all eventually die.

To what do the loaves and fish refer?

The loaves and the fish refer to the miracle that Jesus performed when he fed the masses with only five loaves of bread and 2 fish. After thousands ate their fill, the remainder filled 12 baskets.

What were the Muses?

The muses were nine goddesses who ruled the arts and were particularly associated with poetry. The muses were considered to be sources of artistic inspiration.

To what does the phrase wolf in sheep's clothing refer?

The phrase wolf in sheep's clothing refers to false prophets. The book of Matthew says that these prophets will come in sheep's clothing, but inwardly be ravenous wolves.

What were the plagues of Egypt?

The plagues of Egypt were 10 disasters that God sent to Egypt in order to convince the pharaoh to "let [His] people go." The plagues included such things as locusts, frogs, boils, and even death.

What is the plot of a text?

The plot is everything that happens in a narrative. It's the arrangement of and the relationship between events in a text.

What is the significance of "a man's reach should exceed his grasp"?

These words are taken from a Robert Browning poem, "Andrea del Sarto," and are interpreted to emphasize the importance of striving for things that might ultimately end up being unattainable.

Who of what is the narrator?

The narrator is the speakor that the author uses to present the story or, or narrative. The narrator may or may not be a character in the narrative.

What is the omniscient point of view?

The omniscient point of view refers to an all-knowing, third person narrator. An omniscient narraor may be detached or intrusive.

Who was the Good Samaritan?

The parable of the Good Samaritan tells about an enemy, a Samaritan, taking care of Jewish man who was beaten and robbed. People who perform random acts of kindness are often called Good Samaritans.

What is the Prodigal Son?

The parable of the Prodigal Son tells of a son who squandered his inheritance but eventually realized his errors and returned home to beg his father's forgiveness. His father welcomed his son back home with open arms.

To what does the parting of the Red Sea refer?

The parting of the Red Sea refers to an event during the exodus of God's chosen people, Israelites, from Egypt. According to the Bible, while fleeing Egyptian forces, Moses and the Israelites came upon the Red Sea; God parted the waters to enable the Israelites to pass and then closed them up again and drowned the Egyptians.

What is the protagonist of a literary text?

The protagonist is the main character. Usually the protagonist is considered teh hero/heroine.

What is the resolution?

The resolution is the final outcome of the plot in a literary text. It's also know as the denouement.

What is the rising action?

The rising action refers to the part of the narrative in which the plot becoms more complicated and the conflict intensifies. In a five-act play, it is act two.

What is the serpent?

The serpent is a symbol for the devil.

What are the seven deadly sins?

The seven deadly sins are the major sins that lead to damnation. They are pride, greed, lust, anger, gluttony, envy, and sloth.

What is the valley of the shadow of death?

The valley of the shadow of death is an image taken from the twenty-third Psalm. Figuratively, it now represents the perils in this life that God protects people from.

To what does Daniel in the lion's den refer?

The story of Daniel in the lion's den tells of the prophet Daniel, who was sent into a den of lions to be destroyed; but an angel of the lord protected him, and he was unhurt. Any character facing an immensely challenging situation is likened to Daniel in the lion's den.

To what does Leda and the Swan refer?

The story of Zeus ravishing Leda while in the guise of a swan. The offspring of this union was Helen of Troy, and the entire story is the source of a poem by W.B. Yeats entitled "Leda and the Swan".

To what does the sword of Damocles refer?

The sword of Damocles refers to the story of Damocles, who constantly flattered the king Dionysus. Dionysus offered to have Damocles sit in his place one evening. Once in the throne, Dionysus suspended a sharpened sword over the throne by single horsehair. When Damocles saw the sword, he no longer wanted the position of power.

To whom does Philistine refer?

The term Philistine refers to a person who is uncultured. It comes from the Old Testament enemies of the Israelites.

To what does thief in the night refer?

The thief in the night refers to the unexpected and quick arrival of someone. This is taken from 1st Thessalonians, which encourages Christians to be vigilant regarding the Second Coming.

What was the tree of knowledge of good and evil?

The tree of knowledge of good and evil contained the forbidden fruit, of which Adam and Eve were commanded by God not to eat. Adam's and Eve's disobedience led to the Fall of Man and was famously chronicled in Milton'a Paradise Lost.

What is imagery?

There are two types of imagery: literal and figurative. Literal imagery is descriptive, appealling to the senses and relating to concrete information. Figurative imagery is the use of figures of speech to describe abstract ideas, attempting to make the abstract more concrete. Successful imagery depends on the author's use of diction and the selection of details.

What characteristics does most everyone in The Great Gatsby share?

These are blind people behaving badly. The novel apperars to be an indictment of the Roaring-twenties lifestyle.

What is the significance of "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done"?

These are the closing lines of A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens. These lines demonstrate the redemptive nature of love and sacrifice of Sydney Carton, who gives his life so the woman he loves can be with her husband.

Identify the quotation, "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? / thou art more lovely and more temperate."

These are the first lines of "Sonnet 18," one of Shakespeare's most famous sonnets. The speaker claims his love is more beautiful than a summer day, and her love will be immortalized in this sonnet.

What is the significance of "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times"?

These are the opening lines of A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens. This Paradox describes the state of life in London and in Paris at the onset of the novel.

What is the significance of "Drink to me only with thine eyes"?

These are the opening lines of Ben Johnson's "Song: To Celia," a famous poem that on the surface appears to be a love poem, but, upon closer inspection, can more accurately be described as an obsession.

What is the significance of "Come live with me and be my love"?

These are the poems opening words in Christopher Marlowe's poem "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love." This pastoral poem describes an idealized world of living on love and being free in the country. This is one of the most famous Renaissance pastoral poems.

What is the significance of "O Captain, My Captain"?

These lines are from Walt Whitman's poem of the same name. In the poem, a captain dies just as his ship reaches shore after a stormy journey. The captain is said to be symbolic of President Abraham Lincoln. This famous apostrophe is often cited on times of loss, as mourners seek to deal with their loss as well as follow the examples set by their fallen leaders. This is also Whitman's only conventionally written poem.

What is the significance of "Do not go gentle into that good night"?

These lines are repeated throughout Dylan Thomas's villanelle of the same name. the speaker is imploring his father to "rage, rage against the dying of the light," or do not willingly accept death.

What is the significance of "Please, sir, I want some more"?

These lines are spoken by the title character in Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist. Oliver is an orphan boy who longs for more food. The lines function on both a literal and symbolic level, as the characters in the novel all yearn for "something more" than they have in their lives - companionship, lost loves, respect, and financial security, to name a few.

What is the significance of "justify the ways of God to man"?

These lines are the stated intentions of the speaker of John Milton's Paradise Lost. Paradise Lost is a literary epic that attempts to explain why God permitted the fall of mankind.

What is the significance of "and miles to go before I sleep"?

These lines, from Robert Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," metaphorically refer to the speaker's journey of life.

Identify the quotation, "By the pricking of my thumbs, / Something wicked this way comes."

These lines, spoken by the withces in Macbeth, announce the arrival of Macbeth as he returns to the withces for more prophecies. They also serve as the intertext for Ray Bradbury's novel Something Wicked This Way Comes.

What is the significance of "The world is too much with us"?

These opening lines to William Wordsworth's sonnet of the same name lament mankind's separateness from nature. The sonnet captures the ideals of the Romantic Movement.

What is the significance of"Had we but world enough, and time, / This coyness, Lady, were no crime"?

These opening lines, from Andrew Marvell. "To His Coy Mistress," capture the carpe diem attitude of the speaker. The poem is a logical argument for the need to seize the sensual opportunities in the world before the chance passes by.

Identify the quotation, "Love sought is good, but given unsought is better."

This conclusion is made by Olivia, in the Twelfth Night, as she discusses the selfless nature of true love, which is unconditional and does not require or expect reciprocation.

Identify the quotation, "Out, out brief candle! / Life's but a walkin shadow, a porr player / That struts and freys his hour upon the stage / And then is heard no more."

This is a contribution of Mavbeth's soliloquy, in Macbeth, after learning of his wife's death. He basically states that life is both brief and meaningless.

Identify the quotation, "Beauty doth of itself persuade / The eyes of men without an orator."

This is from Shakespeare's narrative poem "The Rape if Lucrece" and speaks of the power of beauty, a power that is not in need of words in order to be persuasive.

To what does" Am I my brother's keeper?" refer?

This is from the Bible story of Cain and Abel, Adam's and Eve's sons. Upon learning that God had accepted Abel's sacrifice and not his own, Cain killed Abel. When God asked where his brother was, Cain replied, "Am I my brother's keeper?"

Identify the quotation, " This above all: to thine own self be true, / And it must follow, as the night and day, / Thou canst not then be false to any man."

This is in Hamlet and is a part of Polonius's advice to his son, Laertes.

What is "Beauty is truth, truth beauty"?

This is the conclusion of the speaker in John Keats's "Ode on a Grecian Urn." the summation is "that is all ye know on earth. and all ye need to know."

What is the significance of "A thing of beauty is a joy forever"?

This is the first line of John Keats's poem "Endymion." This line states the theme of Keats's epic, which is based on the story of a shepherd who falls in love with the moon goddess. The simply stated insight of the opening line has become more famous than the poem itself.

Identify the quotation, "Love's fire heats water, water cools not love."

This is the last line of "Sonnet 154" - the last of Shakespeare's sonnets. Som eview it as a final statement on the nature of love, which summarizes not only this sonnet but Shakespeare's overall attitude toward love.

Identify the quotation, "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun."

This is the opening line of "Sonnet 130." Initially, it appears that Shakespeare is mocking or disparaging of his loved one; in fact he is doing the opposite, because the speaker states he does not need to make false comparisons -- he loves her and accepts her as she truly is. The final lines are "I think my love as rare / As any she belied with false compare."

What is the significance of the line "Death, be not proud"?

This is the opening line of John Donne's "Holy Sonnet 10," an example of metaphysical poetry. This term describes poetry concerned with wit, logical arguments, and the use of paradox and conceits. The speaker argues that death has no power for a man of faith, for the physical death of the body will result in the birth of eternal life; therefore, death will die.

Identify the quotation, "To be or not to be: that is the question."

This is the start of perhaps the most famous of all Shakespearean soliloquies, found in Hamlet, when Hamlet considers suicide.

What is the significance of "All animals are created equal but some are more equal than others"?:

This line is from George Orwell's Animal Farm. It illustrates the hypocrisy of governments that claim equality for all but, by behavior and attitudes, favoring the ruling elite.

Identify the quotation, "All that glisters is not gold; / Often have you heard that told."

This oft-misquoted line (usually "glisters" is changed to "glistens") is from The Merchant of Venice, when the Prince of Morocco chooses the wrong chest when attempting to win Portias hand in marrige.

Who was Tiresias?

Tiresias was the blind prophet who lived part of his life as a man and part as a woman. When Hera asked him who enjoyed sex more-men or women-he said women; this enraged Hera so much that she blinded him.

Who is Tom Sawyer?

Tom Sawyer is Mark Twain's ideal American boy. The Advenures of Tom Sawyer traces Tom's development from a fun-loving boy to a maturing young man. Most critics consider a Tom's inclusion of Huck Finn as a distraction to the development of Huck's character. One of Tom's most famous episodes invovles tricking boys into thinking painting a fence is an honor.

What is tone?

Tone refers to attitude and is revealed by word choice. The combination of diction, details, and imagery results in the tone. A character's tone may not be identical to the author's.

Who is Toni Morrison?

Toni Morrison is the Pulitzer-prize and Nobel-prize-winning author who writes chiefly about African American themes and issues.

Identify the quotation, "The fool doth think himself wise, but the wise man knows himself a fool."

Touchstone confuses William in As You Like It, yet this seemingly throwaway line states an important conclusion about humans and human nature.

Identify the quotation, "All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand."

Toward the end of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is overcome with grief and guilt about her role in the murder of King Duncan.

What is an epistolary novel?

Traditinally, an epistolary novel is a novel in which the plot is developed solely through letters. However. contemporary writers have used entires in diaries, journals, and blogs to create the same effect. The Color Purple and Ella Minnow Pea are two examples of epistolary novels.

What is transcendentalism?

Transcendentalism was a 19th-century movement championed by Emerson and Thoreau; it emphasized the importance of the individual and his need to trust his intuition instead of established religions to achieve the ideal spiritual state.

Identify the quotation, "Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows."

Trinculo states this in The Tempest, after he has escaped the sinking ship and finds Caliban hiding under a cloak. Trinculo joins him to get out of the storm.

What is trochee?

Trochee is a form of poetical meter consisting first of one stressed syllable, followed by one unstressed syllable. For example, barter.

What are tropes?

Tropes, along with schemes, are one of the two major divisions of figures of speech. Tropes twist, or turn, the meaning of a word. The principle tropes are irony, metaphor, metonymy, personification, simile, and synecdoche.

What was Troy?

Troy was the ancient city in what is now modern day Turkey

Who were Romulus and Remus?

Twins and the legendary founders of Rome. During the construction of the city and the debate as to who should be its ruler, Romulus killed his brother

What are the significant ordered pairs in Wuthering Heights?

Two houses (Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange); two generations; two pairs of children; and paired points of view in the narration (Lockwood and Nelly Dean).

Who were the Furies?

Ugly female monsters who pursued evildoers. They punished the guilty, especially those who violated natural order, such as abusing hospitality or killing family members.

What is versification?

Versification refers to both the art of composing verse as well as the form of verse used in particular poem. Sometimes versification is used to mean prosody, the study of rhythm, rhyme, meter, and form in poetry.

Who was Virginia Woolf?

Virginia Woolf was a modernist, female writer who experimented with the narrative stream-of-consiousness technique.

To what does voice refer?

Voice refers to a rather vague, metaphorical term used to refer to the distinctive features of a particular writer or text, even if the author is not the narrrator.

To what does walking on water refer?

Walking on water refers to one of the miracles performed by Jesus. Those who walk on water today are said to have completed almost miraculous, godlike acts.

Who is Walter Mitty?

Walter Mitty is James Thurber's henpecked husband, who escapes from reality into his own imagination and transcends the mundane to become a hero.

What is War and Peace?

War and Peace is Leo Tolstoy's epic novel that recounts the history of several Russian families during the Napoleonic Wars.

Who was Zephyr?

Was the god of the west wind, the best of all the winds in the world. The west wind was considered the fruitful and productive wind.

Who was William Butler Yeats?

William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet, often cosidered one of the great modernist.

Who is Willy Loman?

Willy Loman is the antihero if Arthur Miller's Death of Salesman. Like his name suggests Willy is a "low man," who is estranged from his older son and suffers guilt of an exramarital affair. Throughout the course of the play, Willy loses the ability to distinguish between reality and fantasy.

Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights

What are some of the most important symbols in Wuthering Heights?

Wuthering Heights (the farmhouse); Thrushcross Grange, the moors, Catherine throwin the key into the fire; Nelly intertwining Edgar's and Heathcliff's hair in the trinket around Catherine's neck; and starvation.

What is Wuthering Heights?

Wuthering Heights is Emily Bronte's gothic romance, telling of the unrequited love between Heathcliff and Catherine, and the love entanglement of their respective lives with their spouses and children.

Who is Yorick?

Yorick is Hamlet's former court jester. In the play, Hamlet discovers the skull of Yorick while he and Horatio are making their way back to the castle. The famous line is "Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio.