 Objective:
By the time this lesson is finished, you'll
have tools to analyze how literary elements are used to add
meaning to a piece of writing. In this lesson you will:
-
Review the meaning a long list of literary
elements, such as plot, conflict, setting, theme, and more,
-
Review examples of figurative language,
such as simile, metaphor, personification and more,
- Review stylistic devices such as exaggeration, irony, humor,
and dialogue,
-
Practice using (applying)
your understanding of all three: literary elements, figurative
language, and stylistic devices,
-
Score and evaluate
your answers.
The three best ways to understand how these terms and
devices work in literature are:
- review definitions and examples (you will do that
here)
- practice identifying elements as you read (lots
of examples and practice follow the definition review)
- ask questions while you read. Be active in your reading
and wonder why the author wrote the story or poem in
a
certain way.
- What is the setting? Would the story stay the same
if the setting changed, or is the setting very important
to
the story?
- Who is telling the story? What point of view is used?
Why?
- Be aware as you move through the different parts
of a plot in a story. Think about why the author chose the
setting,
the characters, the conflicts, and the resolution?
Were you able to predict the resolution?
- When you meet up with a simile, or metaphor, stop
and think about what two things are being compared
and
what the similarities are? Why would the author use the
object
as a comparison?
- What is the conflict in the story? How do the characters'
actions contribute to the conflict?
- How are the conflicts resolved? How have the
characters changed?
- What is the theme or message of the story? What
does the title tell me? Does a character make a statement
about life or people from what they learn?
- Why did the author use dialogue in that situation? What affect does it have on the story?
- Watch for the delightful sounds created with alliteration
and onomatopoeia. Think about what they add to the
poem or story.
- When you find an object talking or acting like a
human being, ask how that makes the story or poem stronger? What is the effect on you as a reader?
|
Vocabulary
Review:
The list is long, but most of the terms are already familiar
to you. This will be a short refresher before the practice!
Just click on each element, word, or use the arrow buttons
for a quick definition and example. As you need
review
later
in
the
lesson,
you will also find definitions under the Helpful Tools
tab, then open Vocabulary.
In the next section, you'll see some examples of how a reader
can apply what they know about Literary Elements, Figurative
Language, and Stylistic Devices to understand a
reading passage.
Examples
>>
|
