Terms (Short_Story_Terms) Literature - Assignment Example

Full Definition of Terms Tone- attitude toward the material and/or reader. Describing the old woman in The Worn Path, Eudora Welty sets a formal and serious tone that keeps readers bound to imagine a pitiful old woman. The tone of the author draws the readers to ‘feel’ how the speaker feels about the character.2. Connotation- emotions, values or images associated with a word. “Well, Mr. Hale, tell just what happened when you came here yesterday morning” were the words of the county attorney in Susan Glaspell’s Trifles in response to the sheriff’s explanations.

This was a connotation of the attorney’s impatience to the long and defensive explanations of the sheriff’s work.3. Denotation- literal meaning of a word. Glaspell’s definition of the old woman that “She wore a dark striped dress reaching down to her shoe tops” is simply just that. The words are a denotation of a picture of an old woman wearing a long dark striped dress.4. Characterization- the way an author presents characters. The protagonist in The Worn Path is an old woman battling against dementia.

Her characterization was a direct presentation from the author, describing her and narrating what she does and says.5. Ambiguity- a statement which has two or more meanings, a statement whose meaning is unclear. Considering the statement of Glaspell’s county attorney mentioned above, the attorney asks the sheriff to just tell about what happened in the case they are investigating and nothing more. It could also mean that the attorney was not interested with the sheriff’s explanations about his whereabouts. 6. Hyperbole- exaggeration used for serious or comic effect.

In Pirates of the Caribbean, Jack Sparrow has long unkempt hair adorned with a few beads like any pirate may be like. His acting like he is always drunk is a hyperbole of his character because he is made to look, speak and act funny.7. Metaphor- a comparison of two dissimilar things. In Glaspell’s Trifles, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters found a dead bird inside Mrs. Wright’s box, its neck wringed, showing similarities to how Mr. Wright died. The two women interpreted this to be a metaphor of the case being investigated which was also an incriminating evidence against the accused.8. Understatement- deliberate making of a situation seem less important or serious than it is.

In Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Jack always acted funny and unmindful of the dangers they encounter. For instance, when his fellow captives suddenly decide to fight against Blackbeard, he dismissed them matter-of-factly and went to lie down beside his former lover who proves to be a dangerous character.9. Stock character- a character who is a common stereotype. Trifles presents the stereotype of women particularly, housewives, before the years of feminism. Mrs. Wright worrying over her preserves, perceived by the men as worrying over trifles, shows the stereotype of women being able to do nothing more but worry about unimportant things.10. Foreshadowing- presentation of hints or clues that tip the reader off as to what is to come later in the story.

In Trifles, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters find a quilt Mrs. Wright was working on and find that some have not been sewn well. Their conversation about it is a foreshadowing of what they were to confirm, that there have been some strain in Mrs. Wright’s marriage and that she might have killed her husband in defense for herself.