8th Grade Literature Final Study Guide
Poetry Unit:
Structure:
Stanza – A paragraph in a poem. Stanzas can be formed in many ways, but the main type of stanzas are called couplets (two lines), tercets (three lines), quatrains (four lines), cinquains (five lines), and sesets (6 lines).
Meter – The “rhythm” of a poem. The meter is the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in lines of poetry.
Foot – A poetic “foot” is the combination of one stressed syllable and one or two unstressed syllables.
Iambic Pentameter – This is a commonly used (specifically by William Shakespeare) meter that consists of five two syllable feet, with the stressed syllable being the second syllable in each foot.
Rhyme Scheme- The pattern of rhyming words in a stanza or entire poem.
Verse – The term “verse” has three possible meanings when it comes to poetry. It can refer to a single line of poetry, or a poem written in a specific meter. For example, “free verse” refers to poems that have no meter or rhyme scheme. Another example is “blank verse” which refers to poems written in iambic pentameter that do not rhyme.
Heroic Couplet- A two line stanza that rhymes.
Types of Poems
Sonnet – A 14 line poem written in iambic pentameter. Sonnets are traditionally written with a specific rhyme scheme (usually a,b,a,b), and end with a rhyming couplet.
Free Verse – Poems written with no rhyme scheme or meter.
Blank Verse- Poems written in iambic pentameter that do not rhyme.
Haiku – A three line poem with Japanese origins that follows a very specific syllable pattern. The first line contains 5 syllables, the second has 7 syllables, and then the third has 5 syllables.
Limerick – A short 5 line poem that is often silly or lighthearted. Traditionally, limericks follow a very specific rhyme scheme: A,A,B,B, A.
Acrostic poem – A poem that uses the letters in a topic word for the beginning of each line. Each line should relate to the topic.
Language
Simile – A comparison of two unlike things using “like” or “as”
Metaphor– A comparison of two unlike things using a “to be” verb
Alliteration – The repetition of consonant sounds in a line of poetry at least three times
Assonance- The repetition of vowel sounds in a line of poetry at least three times
Imagery- language that engages the five senses through detailed descriptions
Symbolism- when one thing represents another. For example, doves are often a symbol for peace.
Onomatopoeia – a word that sounds like the word it represents: “Pow, whap, bang” etc…)
Idiom- a phrase that has a completely different meaning than the literal meaning of the words: “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.”
Hyperbole- exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.
Maya Angelou Study Guide
Characters:
Marguerite “Maya” Johnson – Our author and narrator.
Bailey Johnson Jr. – Maya’s brother who was her only family to travel to stamps with her.
Momma – Maya and Bailey’s Grandmother who raised them from the ages of 3 and 4, to 13 and 14 respectively.
Bailey Johnson Sr. – Maya and Bailey’s father, who visits briefly and then takes them to live with their mother Vivian in St. Louis.
Uncle Willie – Bailey Sr.’s brother, who helps Momma look after Bailey and Maya when they are young. Willie also has a severe physical disability.
Bertha Flowers – Introduces Maya to literature, and helps Maya heal from her experience in St. Louis.
Mrs. Cullinan – The wealthy white woman who Maya works for briefly, and who gives Maya the nickname “Mary.”
Major Themes to know:
Racial tensions in the south during the Great Depression: The KKK, “them boys”, powhitetrash, Mrs. Cullinan etc.
The absence of Maya’s parents, and her relationship with Bailey.
The role literature plays in Maya’s life, and what poetry means to her. What happens when she meets Bertha Flowers, and what does Mrs. Flowers teach her.
The symbolism of the title: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
The importance of names and identity.
Short Stories
Plot – the general storyline or the framework for the progression of events.
Setting – When and where the story takes place.
Conflict – a disagreement or source of tension in the story. Includes man vs. man, man vs. nature, and man vs. him/herself. Man vs. himself/herself is an internal conflict, and the others are external conflicts.
Point of view – includes 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person. 1st person is told from the direct perspective using “I.” 3rd person is told from an objective observer perspective or “they.”
Introduction/Exposition – the beginning of the story where the setting and plot are introduced.
Rising Action – the plot events to move the plot towards the climax.
Climax – the “highest point” in the story, or the turning point in the plot.
Descending/Falling action – the events that move the plot to its resolution.
Conclusion/Resolution – The culmination of the plot and the resolution of the conflict.
Verbal Irony – When someone says the opposite of what they really mean.
Dramatic Irony – When the readers know something that the characters do not.
Situational Irony – When the opposite of what you expect to happen, happens.