antagonist
the character or force against which the main character struggles
protagonist
the main character in a story
characterization
the methods an author uses to develop a character, such as describing her appearance or how other people react to her
foreshadowing
hints an author provides about what might happen later in the story
setting
the time and place in which a story occurs
exposition
introduction to the characters, setting, and basic situation in a story
inciting incident
moment when the main conflict is introduced into the story
rising action
events that increase suspense and action in the story
climax
the highest moment of action or suspense in a story
falling action
events that follow the climax and lead to the resolution
resolution
moment in a story when the main conflict is resolved
theme
the overall message or insight about life a writer attempts to communicate in a work of literature
external conflict
when a character struggles against a force outside of himself (e.g. man vs. nature; man vs. man; man vs. society)
internal conflict
when a character struggles against her own mind (or fear, or something else within herself)
simile
comparison of two things that uses "like" or "as" to make the comparison
metaphor
a comparison between two things: "The baseball was a bullet speeding straight for me
personification
figure of speech in which human qualities are given to animals, objects, or nonhuman things: "the sun smiled warm upon my skin
hyperbole
an exaggeration: "It was so cold outside the POLAR BEARS were wearing coats!
alliteration
the repeated sound of the first letter in a series of words
speaker
the character or voice that narrates a poem