Unit 6: Part 3 Literary Terms

An essay is a brief nonfiction work about a specific subject.

Formal essays are serious explorations of important public topics, such as political, social, or cultural issues.

Informal essays, also called personal essays, explore everyday topics in a conversational style.

Informal essays, also called personal essays, explore everyday topics in a conversational style.

Within these two broad categories, essays can be further classified according to the author's purpose: to inform, to persuade, to tell a story, to convey a sense of place, or to analyze an idea.

In a persuasive essay, the writer tries to convince readers to accept his or her opinion or to take a course of action.

In a descriptive essay, the writer uses sensory details to present a portrait of a person, a place, or an object.

In an expository essay, the writer explains an issue or process.

Thesis/Central Idea: the author's main idea or essential point Example: "Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string." (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Evidence: facts, quotations, data, personal observations, anecdotes, and other details that help to develop and support the author's thesis

Diction and Syntax: the types of words (diction) and sentence structures (syntax) an author favors

Diction and Syntax: the types of words (diction) and sentence structures (syntax) an author favors

Tone: the writer's attitude toward the topic or audience

Idioms are common expressions that have acquired figurative and connotative meanings that differ from their literal meanings...

A parody is a comic piece of writing that mocks the characteristics of a literary form, a specific work, or the style of a certain writer.

The purpose of this parody is to create satire, writing that ridicules the faults of individuals, groups, institutions, or humanity in general.

In a reflective essay, the writer describes a personal experience, condition, or event and reflects on its larger meanings.

These two writers address the same central idea, or theme: the struggle to create a true sense of identity.

Memoirs are nonfiction narratives that recount events in which the writer was a participant or eyewitness.

In addition, Momaday relates his experiences from the first-person point of view.

Kingston, however, uses the limited third-person point of view, referring to both herself and her own mother, Brave Orchid, as she.

Kingston, however, uses the limited third-person point of view, referring to both herself and her own mother, Brave Orchid, as she.

In a strong argumentative essay, the writer states a position and supports it with evidence.

In an informative essay, explain your research.

An oral history is a spoken account of an event by an eyewitness.

This creates parallel structure, the use of similar patterns of words to show that two or more ideas have a close relationship and level of importance.

A technical report is a document that provides an in-depth explanation of a topic or process related to science or technology.

Author's Perspective: News articles are meant to be objective. Sometimes, however, a writer may omit certain facts or emphasize others that implicitly express an opinion or shape a particular perception.

Audience: Some publications target specific populations and cater to the interests, needs, or even the biases of those groups. Understanding the target audience can help you identify possible slants in the presentation of a news story.

The people or groups mentioned in a headline and the use of active or passive voice can affect the meaning.

Duration of Coverage: The length of time a story is covered—a day, a week, a month—also indicates an assessment of its importance.

Cognates are words that are essentially the same in different languages.