Voyager
ELA
Miss Brown
Literary Elements
Flashback is a section of a literary work that interrupts the sequence of a literary work that interrupts
the sequence of events to relate an event from an earlier time.
Foreshadowing is the use of clues that suggest events that have yet to occur; it may build expectations
of reader and create suspense and tension.
Imagery is when a word or phrase appeals to one or more of the five senses (sight, sound, touch, taste,
smell).
Irony may be surprising, unusual, or amusing contradictions. Dramatic irony is when the audience
knows something that the character does not. Irony of situation occurs when the outcome of a story is
the opposite of what the character expected.
Metaphor is a figure of speech in which something is described as though it were something else. It
compares two things NOT using the words “like” or “as.”
Mood, or atmosphere, is the feeling created in the reader by a literary work of passage. Images,
dialogue, and setting can all be used to create mood.
Onomatopoeia is the use of words that imitate sounds, such as crash, buzz, hiss, jingle, cluck, etc.
Personification is a type of figurative language in which a nonhuman subject is given human
characteristics.
The protagonist is the main character in a literary work; he/she is the “good guy”.
The antagonist an opponent to the protagonist; he/she is the “bad guy”.
Simile is a figure of speech comparing two unlike things using the words “like” or “as.”
A symbol is anything that stands for or represents something else.
Theme is a central message, concern, or purpose in a literary work. It can be expressed as a general
statement about human beings or life. It is the central idea that the writer communicates.
Static character: does not change throughout the story
Dynamic character: changes throughout the story
*****SEE ER DOCUMENT FOR PLOT ELEMENT DEFINITIONS.*****