1. LA8 "Thrill of Horror" Concepts Test
Take careful notes as these will be the study guide for your upcoming TEST.

2. CONCEPTS FOUND IN FICTION
The following concepts will be found in fiction pieces of writing. Please take notes on the words in bold and caps, along with their definitions.

3. Point of View, p.95
POINT OF VIEW is the method of narration used in a short story, novel, narrative, poem, or work of nonfiction.
In THIRD-PERSON POINT OF VIEW, the narrator, or the "voice" that tells the story, is an outside observer.
In FIRST-PERSON POINT OF VIEW, the narrator is a character in the story. This first-person narrator uses the pronouns I and me.

4. What type of narration was used in the fiction stories and poem we read?
Point of View
"The Tell-Tale Heart"
"The Outsider"
"Monkey's Paw"
"Frankenstein"
First-person
Third-person

5. Unreliable Narrator, p.95
Just as you can't believe everything everyone tells you, you can't always believe everything you learn from a first-person narrator.
An UNRELIABLE NARRATOR is a narrator whose assessment of events cannot be trusted for some reason – he or she might be purposefully lying, mentally unstable, or too young or unsophisticated to fully understand events.

6. Suspense, p. 95
SUSPENSE is the sense of growing tension, fear, and excitement felt by the reader.
When a story is suspenseful, the reader becomes increasingly curious about what will happen next.

7. Suspense techniques used in "The Tell-Tale Heart"
Example
Describing a character's anxiety
Using vivid words to describe dramatic sights, sounds, or feelings.
Repeating words, phrases, or characters' actions.
"groan of mortal terror...it was the low, stifled sound that arises from the bottom of the soul when overcharged with awe."
"He had the eye of a vulture – a pale blue eye with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold."
The actions the narrator repeated as he entered the old man's room each night

8. Theme, p. 117
THEMES are messages about life or human nature that writers share with readers.
In most cases, readers must INFER, or make an educated guess about, the theme based on clues in the text.
To determine the story's theme, ask, "What lesson does the main character learn that applies to real people's lives?"

9. Universal Themes, p. 117
Contemporary literature (or literature written recently) often draws on the themes and patterns of events that have been expressed in myths and traditional stories passed down through the centuries.
When the same message can be found in the literature of different cultures and in different time periods like this, it's called a UNIVERSAL THEME.

10. Foreshadowing, p. 117
FORESHADOWING occurs when a writer provides hints that suggest future events in a story.
Writers use it to create suspense and propel the action by making readers eager to find out what happens next.

11. Clues to future events in "Monkey's Paw"
Dialogue
(lines 97-98)
"I did have some idea of selling it, but I don't think I will.It has caused enough mischief already."
Event
(lines )
"He took the paw, and dangling it between his forefinger and thumb, suddenly threw it upon the fire."
Imagery
(lines )
"He sat... at the dying fire... seeing faces in it. The last face was so horrible... that he gazed at it in amazement. It got so vivid that, with a little uneasy laugh, he felt on the table for a glass containing a little water to throw over it. His hand grasped the monkey's paw and with a little shiver he wiped his hand on his coat and went to up to the bed."

12. CONCEPTS FOUND IN NON-FICTION
The following concepts will be found in nonfiction or true pieces of writing. Please take notes on the words in bold and caps, along with their definitions.

13. Author's Viewpoint, p. 102
An AUTHOR'S VIEWPOINT is the unique combination of ideas, values, feelings, and beliefs that influence the way the writer looks at a topic.
To determine an author's viewpoint, consider:
The opinions an author holds about a topic
The details that suggest why he or she thinks a certain way
The reasons offered in support of a certain view
The way the author's background might affect his or her outlook

14. Counterargument, p.102
A good writer anticipates and acknowledges opposing view and responds to them.
A COUNTERARGUMENT is an argument made to oppose an alternative view.
Example: In "Scary Tales," Jackie Torrence includes a counterargument in anticipation of the argument that it's not good for children to experience fear:
"It's an emotion that was given to all of us and it should be exercised."

15. Literary Criticism, p.129
LITERARY CRITICISM is a type of writing that examines, analyzes, and interprets a piece of literature or a general aspect of literature.
In literary criticism, the AUTHOR'S PURPOSE -- or reason he or she is writing – is often to inform or to persuade other readers to view a text in a certain way.

16. Reasons for writing a literary criticism:
Purpose
What the Author Does
To define a genre
Explains the characteristics of a type of writing using specific examples as evidence
To categorize works of literature
Defines and classifies works of literature based on certain criteria, or standards
To examine the structure of a work of literature
Analyzes the organization of a piece of literature
To analyze an author's technique
Explains and evaluates the effectiveness of literary techniques, such as using an unreliable narrator, recurring imagery, or flashbacks

17. Summarize Text, p. 129
When you SUMMARIZE, you briefly retell the central ideas and most important details of a piece of writing in your own words.  
You can summarize a section of a text or an entire work. Here are some steps: 
Begin with a clear, brief statement of the central idea of the section or work. 
Present the most important details that support the idea in the order in which they appear in the text.  
Write in your own words, but be careful not to change the author's meaning. 

18. CONCEPTS FOUND IN Fiction or Nonfiction
The following concept is used to describe both fiction and nonfiction writing.  This is a general WRITING concept.  

19. Style, p. 102
STYLE is a manner of writing. It involves how something is said rather than what is said. Writers show style through the choices they make about the following elements:
Elements of Style
Examples
WORD CHOICE and IMAGERY are the use of specific words. Writers might choose elegant, specialized words or vivid, blunt language.
"...there in Mr. Hall's hat was his scalp!"
SYNTAX refers to the way words are put together to form phrases and sentences. The length of a writer's sentences and the use of formal or informal grammar all contribute to style.
"And Grandma would say, 'Get up, get up! That ain't nice.'"
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE is language used imaginatively in way that go beyond literal definitions. The kinds and amount of images writers use can help define his or her style.
"My grandfather scared me to death."

20. Language Conventions
Grammar and Roots Concepts: Refer to text pages 98, 104, 119, 131, 132

21. Language Conventions
Subjunctive Mood, p. 120
Active Passive Voice, p. 70, 246
Thesaurus: Synonyms, p. 97