AMERICAN LITERATURE END OF COURSE TEST Time Periods and Literary Terms

How to Succeed on the EOCT Read everything carefully (ALL PASSAGES!!!). There are no trick questions. Consider every choice. Guess intelligently. Spend time wisely (Do not get stuck on a hard question—move on). You have approximately 90 seconds per question. Check your answers (Make sure you are marking the correct question, etc.)

During the test . . . this works! this doesn’t work!

Read all passages Passages may be fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. Some students like to read the questions first to know what they are looking for. This is a good technique. However, I would recommend that you read the questions and NOT the answer choices. If questions refer to specific paragraphs or lines, then mark the paragraphs or lines in your test book with the question number. Read the passage and attack the questions one by one as you get to them. You will need to read the entire passage. Refer back to the passage as needed. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS WITHOUT READING THE PASSAGE!

Reading Comprehension You can write on your test booklet so as you read, circle vocabulary words and mark figurative language. The theme (main idea) of a non-fiction passage is usually found in the last two sentences of the first paragraph. BY THE WAY . . . Have I mentioned you need to READ ALL PASSAGES!

Time periods Early American (Colonial and Native American) Revolutionary Romanticism Realism and Naturalism Modernism Postmodernism Contemporary/Innovation and Experimentation

Early American (Colonial & Native American) 1492-1789 Genres: Sermons, diaries, personal narratives, histories, legends, myths, slave narratives Themes: Instructive, reinforcing authority of the Bible and church, work hard to gain heaven, Native American reverence for nature People were settling the country so they were more concerned about survival than about creating stories for entertainment. Examples: Bradford’s Of Plymouth Plantation, Edwards’ “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” Equiano’s Narrative

Revolutionary 1776-1820 What happened in 1776?? The American Revolution Genres: Political pamphlets, travel writing, very ornate, persuasive writing (persuading Americans to fight for freedom), beginning of novels of adventure Themes: Patriotism, freedom, satire, reason, common sense, the American character Examples: writings of Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, and Patrick Henry (“give me liberty, or give me death”), Irving’s “Rip Van Winkle,” Cooper’s tales of Natty Bumppo THINK: REASON, INTELLECT, INDEPENDENCE

Romanticism & Transcendentalism 1820-1860: Industrial Revolution was going on Finally, America is done with original settling issues and has achieved independence . . . Now it is time for some CREATIVITY! Genres: Slave narratives, essays, novels (word meant “new”, short stories, abolitionist writing (remember we are right before the Civil War), poetry Themes: Value feeling and intuition over reason, individualism, nature and freedom of the imagination, idea that self reliance brings happiness Edgar Allan Poe, Emerson’s “Self-Reliance,” Thoreau’s Walden THINK: EMOTIONS, BEAUTY AND POWER OF NATURE, GOING BEYOND THE LOGICAL

Realism and Naturalism 1860-1914 What happened here? Civil War, Reconstruction, beginning of World War I Attempt to present life as it really is (without the sugar coating) Genres: Novels, short stories, poetry, real life portrayal of characters and setting, dialect, local color Themes: limited freedom of people, good and evil in real people, success leads to greed, illusion versus reality, racism vs. social progress Naturalism took realism a step further and showed individuals at mercy of an uncaring and sometimes cruel universe The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Jack London, Mark Twain, Ambrose Bierce

Modernism 1900-1945 What happened here? World War I, Roaring 20s, Great Depression, World War II Genres: Novels, short stories, experimental styles such as stream of consciousness, poetry; influence of psychology Themes: Pursuit of American Dream, disillusionment, fragmentation, loss of identity, overcoming obstacles, racial inequality, social criticism. The Great Gatsby, A Raisin in the Sun, Of Mice and Men, short stories of Steinbeck, Hemingway, and Faulkner

Postmodernism/Contemporary 1945-present What has happened? World War II, Cold War, terrorism, growth of technology (fax machines, computers, internet, cell phones) Genres: Fantasy mixed with nonfiction, blurs lines of reality, social issues (feminist, ethnic groups), science fiction, demonstrates influence of technology Themes: brutality of war, struggle for equality, search for happiness, anxiety in modern life, love vs. loneliness

Match the time period to theme: Colonial/Early American Disillusionment; loss of identity Revolutionary Emotion; individualism; nature Romanticism Bible; work ethic; instructive Realism & Naturalism Freedom; reason; patriotism Modernism Real life; criticism; man’s limits

Must-know literary terms Alliteration Personification Assonance Point of view Allusion Rhyme (end rhyme, internal rhyme, slant rhyme) Flashback Foreshadowing Simile Irony (verbal, situational, dramatic) Symbol Theme Metaphor Onomatopoeia

Devices of Sound Alliteration: repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words (Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers—don’t you notice that “p” sound?) Assonance: repetition of vowel sounds followed by different end sounds (I like to drive my car at night—do you hear the long “i” sound?) Onomatopoeia: use of words whose sound suggests meaning (Boom boom pow) Rhyme: using words with the same end sound (can be at the end of the lines, within the lines of poetry; can also be close but not exact—approximate or slant rhyme)

Figurative Language Allusion: Reference in literature to an earlier person, piece of literature, historical event, etc. Metaphor: Comparison between two unlike things; often it is when you speak of one thing as another (Katy Perry says, “’Cause baby you’re a firework . . .”) Personification: Giving human characteristics to something that is not human ( Simile: Comparison between two things using like or as (also may use than or resembles) Symbol: Something concrete that represents something abstract

Other Literary Techniques Flashback: Technique where the narrator goes back in time to talk about an earlier event Foreshadowing: Hints or clues an author gives to suggest what is going to happen later Irony: Contrast between expectation and reality Verbal: Contrast between what is said and meant Situational: When you are led to expect one outcome and the opposite happens Dramatic: When the readers know what the characters do not

Other Literary Techniques Point of view: perspective from which a story is told 1st person: Narrator is a character in the story; uses the pronoun “I” frequently 3rd person limited: Narrator is an outside observer but gives the thoughts and feelings of one character; uses he/she/they 3rd person omniscient: Narrator is an outside observer, but is able to present thoughts and feelings of several different characters; uses he/she/they Theme: central unifying concept of a literary work