FOLK TALES AND MYTHS. Folk Tales and Myths

Literature

FOLK TALES AND MYTHS Folk Tales and Myths There are many different forms of folk tales. Some forms include myths, legends, folk tales, fables, and tall tales. Some tales explain acts of nature others explain values or lessons that are important to society. All of these forms include basic elements.

All folk tales have a moral. Morals are lessons that are lesson about life. Folk tales also include a theme/universal theme. These themes are main ideas or values that are important to the culture. These themes could include kindness, honesty, hard work or bravery. These tales use heroes or heroines to show characteristics that the culture values. Another element that these tales possess is that they are very easily retold. Folk tales were passed down by something called the oral tradition. Oral tradition is the way the story tellers and people passed stories down before people began using written language. Folk tales, myths and legends can be broken down into two groups: Folk tales and Myths. Folk Tales Folk tales are about ordinary people. They show the traditions and values of a culture and teach a lesson (moral) about life. Tall tales are folk tales that use exaggeration, or hyperbole. Examples of a tall tales would be John Henry and Pecos Bill. Fables are short animal stories that have animals act like humans. This use of personification, giving human qualities to nonhuman things, is a trademark of fables. Fables often end with a moral or lesson. One of the most famous tales today came from Aesop. Aesop s Fables are read and told throughout the world and it contains many of the above elements. For example let s examine the fable of the Tortoise and the Hare. The story tells of a Hare that challenges a slow Tortoise to a race. The confident Hare stops and takes a nap during the race, believing that his speed will always win. Meanwhile, the Tortoise keeps going and never stops. He wins the race because the Hare was overconfident and wasted time. ii

Theme: To never give up and persevere Moral: Slow and steady wins the race Personified Character: The Tortoise and Hare Oral Tradition: this story has been passed down through many cultures from Ancient Greece. Myths and Legends Myths and legends are different types of folk tales and they contain epic conventions. Myths are ancient tales that describe the actions of gods, goddesses, and the heroes who interact with them. Legends, on the other hand, are traditional stories about the past. They are based on real-life events or people, but they are more fiction than fact. A legend generally starts out as a story based on fact something that can be proved true. Over the course of many generations, however, the story is retold and transformed into fiction. It becomes a legend. Myths and legends include a larger-than-life hero, a quest, fantastic events, a moral or theme, actions or events that show the values of the culture. They also connect to historical or scientific events that actually happened in the past. Every culture has its own myths and legends to immortalize real people who were famous in their time. Let s examine the story when Zeus and Hermes visited earth. Zeus and Hermes came to earth dressed as poor men looking for a place to stay. They went to several homes looking for food and shelter and were turned away. The two finally came to the home of a poor elderly couple. The couple, even though they had very little, welcomed the two travelers. They treated them kindly, fed them, and gave them shelter for the night. To reward the couple Zeus and Hermes left a fortune in gold for them to find in the morning. There are many versions of this story, but in all the versions they have the same elements. Moral: Kindness will be rewarded Actions that shows value of culture: the kindness shown to a stranger is valued Hero: Zeus and Hermes Fantastic event: the gold given to the couple When comparing the different types of folk tales, look at the different elements within the tale. Each type of tale has different types of elements. Also looking for these elements will help in the comprehension of the selection. It is necessary to understand the cultural from which the work originated. iii

Don t forget to look for details that suggest how the people lived and what they found important. These cultural clues will help understand the purpose, moral, and theme of the work. Finally identify the author s purpose. People used these stories to pass down their beliefs and explain their world. Try to identify the original storyteller s audience. Knowing that a legend was told by the elders in the culture to their children, for example, will help you determine that its purpose was to teach cultural values. iv

MYSTERIES Mysteries What is a mystery? A mystery is a work of literature that deals with a puzzling crime or event. Mysteries can be fiction or nonfiction.

SECTION 1 Mystery though mysteries still contain these elements they include much more. A mystery is a work of literature that deals with a puzzling crime or event. Mysteries can be fiction or nonfiction. For example, Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys are well known fictional mystery series for teens. Mysteries that are nonfiction are often considered true-crime stories which tell about crimes that actually occurred and deal with how they are solved. Other mysteries which still fascinate people today are historical mysteries like the disappearance of Roanoke Colony off the North Carolina coast. Many fictional stories have been written based on historical mysteries. Whether the mystery is fiction or nonfiction all have common elements which identify them as mysteries. Plot The plot structure within a mystery often follows a pattern. Most people are familiar with the parts of plot: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and conclusion) and even The exposition of the plot includes the setting, the characters and the conflict, but the conflict in a mystery story is the puzzle or crime which needs to be solved. During the rising action, clues are introduced. Clues are hints that help the reader and the characters within the story solve the mystery. These clues can include: what characters say and do or items that are found. Often the sleuth or detective gathers information by interviewing suspects and collecting evidence. The climax or breakthrough comes when the sleuth had discovered the so- 6

lution to the mystery. This is not where the story ends but where the solution is realized. Next is the falling action. During this time, the explanation of how the solution was reached is explained. Finally the conclusion often provides the wrapup or sum up of the mystery. It ties all loose ends and answers all unanswered questions. Elements of Mysteries Mysteries contain have elements that often add suspense and surprises. Suspense is a feeling of curiosity that keeps the reader interested. For example, mysteries contain red herrings or false clues. These distractions lead the reader and the detective to reach the wrong conclusion and cause confusion. This confusion adds to the suspense of the story. is a technique used by authors during the rising action to hint at events that could happen later in the story. Have you ever watched a movie or television show and somehow you knew before the main character what was about to happen, that is foreshadowing. Characters There are many types of characters in a mystery. The most important and dynamic character of a mystery would be the investigator. The investigator also known as a sleuth or detective can be a professional or a regular person who has something to do with the crime. Another character that is included in a mystery is a suspect. A suspect is a person who may have committed or been involved with the crime. Witnesses are also a necessary character in this genre. These characters provide information about the crime. Some clues are directly stated by the author during the rising action. These clues are clear and don t require the reader to infer any information. Sometimes writers use foreshadowing 7

Skills There are certain skills a reader needs when reading a mystery. Drawing a conclusion is a skill which requires the reader to take clues and make guesses about what is going to happen or what the solution of the crime might be. An easy way to do this is to follow this formula: Clues 3. What does the character think about? 4. What do others say about the character? 5. What does the character look like? If the reader can answer these questions then they can analyze the character and decide their motives. For example: Malik and his mom had borrowed a truck to help his sister move into her college dorm. They just arrived at her dorm when, he heard a clap of thunder. 1. Clues from the story: Malik was moving his sisters stuff in a truck. They had just arrived. It was thundering. 2. What you already know: thunder means it is going to rain. 3. Conclusion: Her stuff is going to get wet. Analyzing Characters is another necessary skill. When looking at a mystery knowing the motive for a crime often helps to solve it. Most motives include love, greed, jealousy, hate, justice, and protection. However to decide the motive, the reader has to analyze the character. The easiest way to do this is to answer several questions about the character. 1. What important statements does the character make? 2. How does the character act? 8

Short Stories Short stories are works of fiction. They are shorter than novels but contain the same elements.

Genres There are several different genres in fiction. 1. Realistic fiction is fiction which takes place in a real setting. This type of fiction has believable characters and the events that occur could really happen. An example of realistic fiction is Harriet The Spy. 2. Historical fiction also has real setting, but the key difference is that the setting occurs during real events in history. The stories include characters that were important during that time period. For example, the novel Johnny Tremaine was set during the time of the American Revolution and many of the characters were important people from that time period. 3. Fantasy is a type of fiction that is magical when it comes to setting and characters. Peter Pan is an excellent example of fantasy. It contains magical lands with pirates, fairies, and flying children who never have to grow up. 4. Science fiction is unique because it has much of it foundation in science. Many of the stories deal with technology, future worlds, aliens, and how the future could be either perfect or a failure. Some examples of scifi are The Hunger Games or Journey to the Center of the Earth. Even though there are many more types of fiction, these sum up the basics. Elements of Fiction The setting of a story is the time and location a story takes place. Identifying the setting often allows the reader to identify the type of fiction being read. When trying to determine setting, look for these elements: - location or place - weather - time: this can be time of day, year, or even history - mood: how the place feels; is it happy, sad, spooky. - social cues: dialect, daily life, the way people dress and act. For example, in Bud, Not Buddy some places were referred to as "Hoovervilles." This statement immediately places the setting as the Great Depression Era in the United States. Point of view is an important aspect to a story. Point of view is how the story is being told. First person is a story written using the pronouns I, me, and my. First person is in the story and telling it while they are in the story. Third person limited uses the pronouns he, she, and they. This type of view is like the reader is watching a TV show and watching what is happening. The final type of point of view is omniscient. This point of view lets the reader know everything that is happening and everything the characters are thinking. x

Conflict is another element that is necessary for a successful story. Conflict is the problem which needs to be solved in the story. There are many types of conflict includes internal (problems that deal with a characters own emotions) or external (the character struggles with something outside himself). Conflicts can include problems with others, with society, with nature, or with ones self. Without a conflict stories would not be able to follow plot. Plot The plot of a story is usually arranged having a beginning, middle, and end. It usually contains the five parts of plot. 1. The exposition, also called the introduction to the story, is where the characters and setting are revealed. 2. The rising action is when the story becomes complicated and the conflict is revealed. The details to the climax of the story are provided. 3. The climax is the highest point of interest and the turning point of the story. During this time the readers want to know what will happen next. 4. The falling action is where the reader discovers what does happen next and how the conflict is resolved. 5. The resolution, also called the conclusion, is the finale of the story. It is when everything is explained and all issues are wrapped up. Two other important elements are plot include, flashback and foreshadowing. Flashback is when a scene from an earlier time is put into the plot. Have you ever seen a television show that flashes back to something in the past? That scene provided some information that was important to the plot. Where flashback goes back in time, foreshadowing hints to the future. Author s use foreshadowing to give the reader clues of things that might happen in the story. Let s examine a popular children story to analyze plot. Once upon a time there were three little pigs. The first pig built his house of straw. The second pig built his house with sticks. They built their houses very quickly and then sang and danced all day because they didn t want to work. The third little pig worked hard and built his house with bricks. A big bad wolf saw the two little pigs as they sang and danced and decided they would be a perfect dinner. He chased the two pigs and who ran and hid in their houses. The wolf went to the first little pig s house and huffed and puffed and blew the house down. The little pig ran to the second pig s house which was made of sticks. The big bad wolf came to the stick house and huffed and puffed and blew the house down. The two little pigs, who were scared, ran to the third little pig s house. The big bad wolf tried to huff and puff and blow the brick house down, but he couldn t. He tried and tried but the house xi

would not blow down. The big bad wolf tried to get in through the chimney but the third little pig boiled a big pot of water in the fireplace. The wolf fell into it and died. The two lazy little pigs built their houses with bricks and all three lived happily ever after. Look at the flow map below and see how the story follows the plot line. Theme The theme of the story is the central idea or what the author wants the reader to feel or learn through the selection. When looking for theme, look at important ideas that the author points out in the text. For example, look at the two lazy little pigs in the story above. The story makes a point to say that the third little pig was hard working and that the two other pigs learned their lesson. The theme of that story was that to be safe and happy a person should work hard. Character Characters are the people, animals, or things that provide the action in the story. Most of the time characters are people, but when personification is used animals or even things like trees can become characters too. For example in the story, The Little Engine That Could, the engine was the main character. There are different types of characters. The two major types of characters are the protagonist and antagonist. The protagonist is the main character who is central and needed in the story. The antagonist is the opposer of the main character. Think of Spiderman as the protagonist and the Green Goblin is the antagonist. If stories only had two types of characters, then stories wouldn t be very good. The most developed or dynamic characters change over the course of the story. They are fully developed and seem real. Round characters, which may not xii

When analyzing characters use quotes, statements and details to make inferences. A good way is to fill out the graphic organizer below. change during the story, are real and necessary to the development of the story. Flat or static characters are only in the story to provide information important to the story. These characters are just there with no development at all. Author s provide information about characters in two different ways. They either make a direct statement, Jack is tall, or they make an indirect statement, Jack had to duck to go through the door. Both statements say that Jack is tall, but the indirect statement makes the reader infer the detail. Analyzing characters can be done by asking several questions. 1. What does the character think or say? 2. How does the character act? 3. How does the character look? 4. What do others think or say about the character? xiii

POETRY Poetry Poetry is a type of literature that tells about ideas, feelings and paints a picture or image in the readers mind. Poems are written to be read aloud. They do not have to rhyme but they do have to have some type of form. The form of a poem is the way that it looks on the page. There are certain elements that are always in a poem.

Lines are the way that poets arrange words into lines on the page. The lines do not need to complete sentences, but the formation of the line can affect how the poem is read. Stanzas are like the paragraphs of a poem; they are the groups of lines in traditional poetry. There are different types of poetry. Free Verse poems do not rhyme and have they have no fixed rhythm or pattern. Haiku is a type of poem does not rhyme but has a strict format; it has 3 lines, with syllables measuring 5 syllables the first line, 7 syllables the second line, and 5 syllables the third line. This poem is usually about nature. There is lyric poetry. This type of poem has a song-like quality. It has definite rhyme and rhythm. Many songs that are heard on the radio fall into the lyric poetry category. Poetry is something people see everyday. Whether is rhymes or has rhythm, it could be on a greeting card or a jingle on a commercial, they are all poetry. Sound devices are elements of poetry that use one type of sound device. For example meter is the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a poem. Meter happens when the unstressed and unstressed syllables of the words in a poem are arranged in a repeating pattern. When poets use meter in poetry, they count out the number of stressed (strong) syllables and unstressed (weak) syllables for each line. The poets repeat the stressed and unstressed pattern throughout the poem. Rhyme is the most familiar sound device. Rhyme is where sounds of the words are alike at the end of words like blue and too. There are different types of rhyme. End rhyme is where a poem rhymes at the end of the line. For example, Hickory, dickory dock The mouse runs up the clock. Dock and clock are examples of end rhyme. Internal rhyme such as: Jack and Jill went up a hill. These two words rhyme inside one line. xv

Near Rhyme are words that do not exactly rhyme such as rose and close. Even thought the words are not exact, they are similar enough to match. To find rhyme scheme, look at the end rhyme of each line. Start with the letter a and match each line. She sells seashells by the sea shore Onomatopoeia are words that make the sound they are naming like BOOM and BUZZ Sample Rhyme scheme Little Boy Blue, a Come blow your horn, b The sheep's in the meadow, c The cow's in the corn; b Where is that boy d Who looks after the sheep? e Under the haystack f Fast asleep. e Look at the end of each line in the stanza. Start with blue and put a beside it. Horn comes at the end of the next line and it doesn t rhyme with blue, so put a b beside it. Line four ends with corn which rhymes with horn, so b is put beside corn. Follow the pattern of the end line and that is how rhyme scheme is written. Alliteration is another sound device that is used frequently by poets. Alliteration is also a tongue twister. Consonant sounds repeated at the beginnings of words. How many times have you listened to a song and tapped your foot or snapped your fingers? If you have then what you have been feeling is rhythm. Rhythm is the beat of the poem. These beats are made up patterns of strong and weak syllables in the words. Rhythm is one thing that makes poetry and music easy to remember. Also poetry uses repetition. Repetition is when sounds, words, phrases, or lines in a poem repeat. A special type of repetition is a refrain. A refrain is the repeating of a group of lines in a poem. Refrains are like the chorus of a song. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers xvi

Figurative Language are words and phrases that the poet uses to create pictures in a reader s mind. Imagery are words or phrases that appeal to the five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. These words that what helps you paint a picture or imagine what is happening or what the poet is feeling. Two special ways to make comparisons are similes and metaphors. Similes are a comparison of two things using the words like or as. Her smile was like the sun! My sister is as mean as a snake. Metaphor make a comparison of two things without using like or as. Metaphors ofter use is, was or were. His face is a wrinkled map. The moon is white cheese. Personification is when an animal or an object is given human qualities. The wind whistled through the trees. The sun smiled down on the park. xvii

NONFICTION Nonfiction Nonfiction is literature that is true. It can include articles, autobiographies, directions, arguments, and commercials.

Nonfiction Narratives Nonfiction narratives tell a story of some sort. These are not always written to follow a plot map. They can be written in chronological order or could answer the 5 w s + h. The who, what, when, where, why and how. Biographies and autobiographies are a type of narrative. Both of these discuss the life of a person. An autobiography is written about by the person about themselves. Hellen Keller wrote her own life story in The Story of My Life. Biographies are written about a person by someone else. The author Walter Dean Myers wrote a biography about boxer Muhammad Ali. His book, The Greatest: Muhammad Ali, discussed how Ali became a famous boxer. Both of these types of nonfiction are supposed to contain fact, but they also may contain the author s opinion. When reading a biography or autobiography, remember to look for author s perspective. This is how an author s opinion is put in a piece of work. It can slant or bias the information on a topic for or against the topic. For example, when Hellen Keller wrote about her teacher Annie Sullivan it was with love and respect. Yes, she felt both of those emotion so it was true, but those emotions also made her biased towards Annie. The reader could feel the love Hellen felt for her teacher and that is how Hellen s perspective influenced the work. Information articles can also be narratives. Remember reading a news article about an event. It provided the 5 w s and h. The news article provided the reader with the events that occurred with facts to support the event. News articles are often written in a distinct way. They provide the facts in the first paragraph then go on to elaborate the story through the body of the piece. Another type of informational narrative are articles or books that tell the story of an event. The story of the Titanic is an example, and no not the movie. Consider newspaper articles and eyewitness accounts of the Titanic disaster. Author s have written many nonfiction selections of these events, but they all contain similar information. All the selections tell the about the Titanic disaster and they all offer a different perspective because of the author. Expository Articles Expository writing exposes a topic. Whether it is a news article providing information or a scientific article discussing a new breakthrough everyone provides details that expose and describe a topic. Expository writing can follow different patterns. Cause and effect writing discusses the cause of something and then provides the effects of what happened. When reading an article on global warming, the author will often discuss the causes of global warming. They will provide graphs and data to support their information. Then the author will provide the effects. The effects of what is happening due to global warming. The writer will give this information and again provide support for their conclusions xix

Compare and contrast selections do just what they say they do. They compare and contrast different subjects. In social studies, you may have read a compare and contrast about different civilizations. These selections discuss how two or more things are alike and different. Students often use Venn diagrams to do this skill. How-to selections are also expository. They explain how to do something. It could be something as simple as making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but it is still nonfiction. Argumentative writing Argumentative nonfiction is when a writer is presenting an argument or an opinion. They are discussing how they believe something should be handled. Many of these types of articles discuss problems or evaluate something. These articles use facts, data, examples, quotes and opinions to support their ideas so they are still considered nonfiction. Problem solution writing describes a problem then offers a solution. These articles give facts to support the author s opinion. The solution to the problem is given and the author tries to convince the reader that they are right. Evaluative writing does something similar. The author is trying to convince the reader that their judgment is correct. It could be an evaluation of a new restaurant that the author want the reader to try. Descriptive articles describe. Imagine reading an article discussing a painting. The author will describe the different aspects of the painting. Descriptive articles give a visual of something. These type include imagery to let the reader sense the topic. Opinion letters are also argumentative. Suppose a newspaper published an opinion letter about how student should be wearing uniforms at school. The letter included the author s opinxx

ion but he included facts and examples to support his decision. Persuasive writing Persuasive nonfiction is written to persuade the reader to think or act a certain way. Where in argumentative writing the author argues an idea, persuasion uses different techniques to motivate the reader. People see persuasive literature all the time. When watching television nearly every commercial that is seen is a persuasive advertisement. Persuasive articles do the same things. They try to make the reader believe a certain thing. Persuasive writing uses specific techniques to motivate the reader and knowing these techniques will make the writing easier to understand. My opponent does not care about lowing taxes. This makes the viewer dislike and attack someone or something for no real reason. Facts and figures are used to make the reader belief that one product is better than another. One out of five doctors recommend this vitamin. This makes the viewer feel like the facts support what the ad is saying, but that is not necessarily true. Glittering generalities just give the viewer positive things about a subject. It makes the viewer belief that the product is perfect. The problem is that there is little or no evidence to support the generality. Plain folks appeal uses ordinary people to attract a person to a product. Imagine the cereal commercial that shows the happy family all eating the same cereal. Bandwagon is also a popular technique. It is the everyone else has is this so you should too technique. Snob appeals often try to make it seem that if you own something like this you will be special. If you have this product you will fit in with the rich and famous. Name calling is one technique used. Name calling uses negative words to turn you against someone else. They do not have evidence or any facts, its just a statement. Politics often use this technique against an opponent. For example, Hidden fears is the technique that promises to protect a reader from something bad. A good example is the home alarm commercial. These commercials show a home being broken into and the alarm saving the day. xxi

Loaded language is also used in persuasive writing. This technique employees words that appeal to a persons emotions. Testimonials use either a celebrity or a famous person to sell something. A famous athlete drinking a sports drink or a doctor stating that the new diet is safe and effective. All of these techniques are meant to sway the reader. They all focus on emotion rather than just fact. Analyzing Nonfiction When analyzing nonfiction follow these steps: Decide the purpose for reading. What is the author trying to do Decide who the author is trying to reach, which is also know a the audience. What is the context or form of writing? Is it an essay, a speech, a commercial, what? Preview the selection. Look for headings, subheadings, graphics or illustrations to aid in comprehension. Look for text patterns like cause and effect. Look for author s perspective, bias, and persuasive techniques. These questions should help you decipher what the author is trying to say. Look at the excerpt of the speech below. While reading use the above questions to analyze the except. Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama: Back to School Event Arlington, Virginia September 8, 2009 Every single one of you has something you re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That s the opportunity an education can provide. Maybe you could be a good writer maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor maybe even good enough to come up with the next iphone or a new medicine or vaccine but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team. And no matter what you want to do with your life I guarantee that you ll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a xxii

nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it. And this isn t just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future. Can you Identify the Purpose: Audience: Context: Tone: xxiii

Copyright Information Pics4learning.com http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/folktale.aspx http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/4081 Dictionary.com ReadWriteThink.org Wikipedia.com Britannica.com xxiv

Alliteration the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words. Chapter 4 - Poetry

Analyzing examine methodically and in detail the constitution or structure of (something, esp. information), typically for purposes of explanation and interpretation: Chapter 5 - Nonfiction

Antagonist a person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or something; an adversary: Chapter 3 - Short Stories

Argumentative 1 given to expressing divergent or opposite views: 2 using or characterized by systematic reasoning: Chapter 5 - Nonfiction

Audience 1 the assembled spectators or listeners at a public event, such as a play, movie, concert, or meeting: Chapter 5 - Nonfiction

Autobiography an account of a person's life written by that person: Chapter 5 - Nonfiction

Biography an account of someone's life written by someone else. Chapter 5 - Nonfiction

Cause 1 a person or thing that gives rise to an action, phenomenon, or condition: Chapter 5 - Nonfiction

Climax the most intense, exciting, or important point of something; a culmination or apex: Chapter 3 - Short Stories

Compare the likenesses Chapter 5 - Nonfiction

Conflict a problem Chapter 3 - Short Stories

Context the format which something is written Chapter 5 - Nonfiction

Contrast differences Chapter 5 - Nonfiction

Effect 1 a change that is a result or consequence of an action or other cause: Chapter 5 - Nonfiction

Elders a person of greater age than someone specified: Chapter 1 - Folk Tales and Myths

Exposition The exposition is the portion of a story that introduces important background information to the audience; for example, information about the setting, events occurring before the main plot, characters' back stories, etc. Chapter 2 - Mystery

Expository intended to explain or describe something: Chapter 5 - Nonfiction

Fables A short story, typically with animals as characters, conveying a moral. Chapter 1 - Folk Tales and Myths

Fact A fact is something that has really occurred or is actually the case. The usual test for a statement of fact is verifiability, that is whether it can be proven to correspond to experience. Chapter 5 - Nonfiction

Fantasy Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary plot element, theme, or setting. Chapter 3 - Short Stories

Flashback an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point Chapter 3 - Short Stories

Folk tales story originating in popular culture, typically passed on by word of mouth. Chapter 1 - Folk Tales and Myths

Foreshadowing be a warning or indication of (a future event): Chapter 2 - Mystery

Genres a category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter. Chapter 3 - Short Stories

Historical fiction a story that is set in the past. Chapter 3 - Short Stories

Hyperbole exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally. Chapter 1 - Folk Tales and Myths

Imagery a category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter. Chapter 4 - Poetry

Legends 1 a traditional story sometimes popularly regarded as historical but unauthenticated: Chapter 1 - Folk Tales and Myths

Lyric 1 (of poetry) expressing the writer's emotions, usually briefly and in stanzas or recognized forms. Chapter 4 - Poetry

Metaphor a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable: Chapter 4 - Poetry

Moral 1 a lesson, esp. one concerning what is right or prudent, that can be derived from a story, a piece of information, or an experience: Chapter 1 - Folk Tales and Myths

Myths 1 a traditional story, one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events. Chapter 1 - Folk Tales and Myths

Nonfiction prose writing that is based on facts, real events, and real people, such as biography or history. Chapter 5 - Nonfiction

Omniscient all-knowing, all-wise, all-seeing. Chapter 3 - Short Stories

Onomatopoeia the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named (e.g., cuckoo, sizzle). Chapter 4 - Poetry

Opinion a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge: Chapter 5 - Nonfiction

Oral tradition Oral tradition and oral lore is cultural material and tradition transmitted orally from one generation to another. The messages or testimony are orally transmitted in speech or song and may take the form, for example, of folktales, sayings, ballads, songs, or chants. In this way, it is possible for a society to transmit oral history, oral literature, oral law and other knowledges across generations without a writing system. Chapter 1 - Folk Tales and Myths

Originated have a specified beginning: Chapter 1 - Folk Tales and Myths

Personification the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form. Chapter 1 - Folk Tales and Myths

Persuasive Persuasion can attempt to influence the beliefs, attitudes, intentions, motivations, or behaviors. Persuasion is a process aimed at changing a person's (or a group's) attitude or behavior toward some event, idea, object, or other person(s), by using written or spoken words to convey information, feelings, or reasoning, or a combination thereof. Chapter 5 - Nonfiction

Point of view viewpoint from which a story is being told Chapter 3 - Short Stories

Protagonist the leading character or one of the major characters in a drama, movie, novel, or other fictional text. Chapter 3 - Short Stories

Purpose the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists: Chapter 5 - Nonfiction

Quest a long or arduous search for something: Chapter 1 - Folk Tales and Myths

Repetition the action of repeating something that has already been said or written: Chapter 4 - Poetry

Rhyme correspondence of sound between words or the endings of words, esp. when these are used at the ends of lines of poetry. Chapter 4 - Poetry

Rhythm a strong, regular, repeated pattern of movement or sound: Chapter 4 - Poetry

Science fiction fiction based on imagined future scientific or technological advances and major social or environmental changes, frequently portraying space or time travel and life on other planets. Chapter 3 - Short Stories

Setting 1 the place or type of surroundings where something is positioned or where an event takes place: Chapter 3 - Short Stories

Similes a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid (e.g., as brave as a lion, crazy like a fox). Chapter 4 - Poetry

Sleuth a detective. Chapter 2 - Mystery

Stanzas a group of lines forming the basic recurring metrical unit in a poem; a verse. Chapter 4 - Poetry

Suspense 1 a state or feeling of excited or anxious uncertainty about what may happen: Chapter 2 - Mystery

Syllables a unit of pronunciation having one vowel sound, with or without surrounding consonants, forming the whole or a part of a word; e.g., there are two syllables in water and three in inferno. Chapter 4 - Poetry

Tall tales a story with unbelievable elements, related as if it were true and factual. Chapter 1 - Folk Tales and Myths

Theme 1 the subject of a talk, a piece of writing, a person's thoughts, or an exhibition; a topic: Chapter 1 - Folk Tales and Myths

Tone mood or feeling Chapter 5 - Nonfiction