| Academic Vocabulary |
| Term |
Definition |
| Archetype |
a very old imaginative pattern that appears across cultures and is repeated through the ages An archetype can be a character, plot, image, theme, or setting. |
| Author’s Purpose |
the reason an author decided to write about a specific topic. Once a topic is selected, the author must decide whether his/her purpose for writing is to inform, persuade, entertain, or explain his/her ideas to the reader. |
| Culture |
the beliefs, perceptions, relationships, attitudes, and written and unwritten rules that shape and influence every aspect of how a community functions. |
| Genre |
a category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, characterized by similarities in form, style, or subject matter. |
| Inference |
a conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning. |
| Motif |
is any recurring element that has symbolic significance in an artistic or literary composition. Through its repetition, a motif can help reveal other narrative or literary aspects of a work such as theme or mood. |
| Theme |
the insight about human life that is revealed in literary work. |
| Tone |
the attitude a writer takes toward the subject of a work, the characters in it, or the audience. |
| Voice |
the author’s style, the quality that makes his or her writing unique, and which conveys the author’s attitude, personality, and character; the characteristic speech and thought patterns of the narrator of a work of fiction. |