Vocabulary and Literary Terms

The structure of a story; the sequence in which the author arranges events in a story; the structure of a five-act play often includes the rising action, the climax, the falling action, and the resolution.

• Loss of Innocence

• Plot

• Rite of Passage

• Theme

General idea or message about life or human nature that is developed and communicated through text.

• Metaphor

• Theme

• Symbol

• Plot

A person, place, or thing that represents something else or an abstract idea.

• Rite of Passage

• Plot

• Theme

• Symbol

Someone who contrasts the main character to highlight their qualities

• Main Character

• Protagonist

• Foil Character

• Inference

A ceremony or event marking an important stage in someone's life, especially birth, marriage, and death.

• Rite of Passage

• Loss of Innocence

• Inference

• Symbol

One that contends with or opposes another (i.e., adversary, opponent)

• Protagonist

• Antagonist

• Main Character

• Plot

A scene in a movie or novel that is set in an earlier time than the main story.

• Rite of Passage

• Flashback

• Symbol

• Foreshadowing

Intended to be a warning or indication of a future event.

• Flashback

• Symbol

• Foreshadowing

• Antagonist

An adolescent character who experiences an event that leads to a greater awareness of pain and suffering which profoundly reshapes their life.

• Rite of Passage

• Flashback

• Loss of Innocence

• Foreshadowing

A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.

• Allusion

• Symbol

• Simile

• Metaphor