Q: Distinguish simile, metaphor, and personification — and explain extended metaphor.
A: Simile: comparison using LIKE or AS. 'Life is like a box of chocolates.' Metaphor: direct comparison stating something IS something else. 'Life is a journey.' More forceful than simile — no qualifier. Personification: giving human traits to non-human things. 'The wind whispered through the trees.' Extended metaphor (or conceit): a single metaphor developed at length throughout a passage or poem. John Donne's comparison of two lovers to a compass in 'A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning' is an extended metaphor — the compass legs are explored in multiple dimensions over several stanzas. Metaphors shape how we think — they are not merely decoration.
Q: What are the three types of irony? Give an example of each.
A: Verbal irony: saying the opposite of what you mean. 'Oh great, another Monday' (when you hate Mondays). Sarcasm is aggressive verbal irony. Situational irony: when what happens is the opposite of what is expected or appropriate. A fire station burns down. A police station gets robbed. A health magazine editor dies of a preventable disease. Dramatic irony: the audience knows something the character does not — creates suspense, tension, or tragic pathos. In Oedipus Rex, the audience knows Oedipus is the murderer he is hunting. In Romeo and Juliet, the audience knows Juliet is asleep not dead. Dramatic irony is one of the most powerful tools in tragedy.
Q: What is the difference between theme and topic? How do you identify theme?
A: Topic: the subject — what the text is about on the surface. War. Love. Identity. Betrayal. Theme: a complete insight or argument the text makes about its topic. Not 'war' but 'war dehumanizes those it is meant to protect.' Not 'love' but 'romantic love requires accepting vulnerability.' How to identify theme: look at what happens to characters as a result of their choices; what does the author seem to be arguing? Theme is never just one word — it is a claim. Themes recur across cultures because they address universal human experiences. A text can have multiple themes. Theme ≠ moral — a moral is a prescriptive lesson; a theme is an observation.
Q: Explain Freytag's Pyramid — give an example from a familiar text.
A: Freytag's Pyramid (Gustav Freytag, 1863) maps dramatic structure: Exposition: introduces characters, setting, and initial situation. Rising Action: series of events that build tension, introduce conflict. Climax: the turning point — the moment of highest tension where the outcome is decided. Falling Action: consequences of the climax unfold, tension decreases. Resolution (Denouement): loose ends tied up, new equilibrium established. Example (Romeo and Juliet): Exposition — Romeo meets Juliet at the party. Rising Action — secret marriage, Tybalt fight, Romeo banished. Climax — Juliet takes the potion. Falling Action — Romeo finds Juliet, believes she is dead. Resolution — both die, families reconcile. Not all modern texts follow this cleanly — some have multiple climaxes or anti-resolutions.
Q: What is point of view and what is the effect of each narrative perspective?
A: First person (I/we): narrator is a character in the story. Intimate, subjective, unreliable — we only know what the narrator knows and is willing to tell us. Example: The Great Gatsby (Nick Carraway). Second person (you): reader is addressed directly — rare, creates immediacy and implication. Example: Choose Your Own Adventure books, some experimental fiction. Third person limited: narrator outside the story but limited to one character's thoughts and perceptions. Common in literary fiction — allows intimacy without first-person unreliability. Third person omniscient: narrator knows all characters' thoughts and can move freely. God-like perspective — common in 19th century novels. Effect: point of view determines what information is available to the reader and shapes sympathy.