LITERARY ANALYSIS VOCABULARY

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• Conveys transience expresses something fleeting. “The falling leaves convey the transience of life.”
• Embodies represents in concrete form. “The house embodies the family’s decline.”
• Symbolizes stands for something beyond the literal. “The journey symbolizes self-discovery.”
• Enacts performs or dramatizes. “The dialogue enacts the conflict between reason and emotion.”
• Invokes archetypes draws on universal symbols. “The hero invokes the archetype of the wanderer.”
• Resonates with connects with wider meanings. “The theme resonates with modern social issues.”
• Oscillates between moves back and forth. “The tone oscillates between comedy and tragedy.”
• Heightens tension increases suspense. “The fragmented sentences heighten tension.”
• Instills ambiguity creates uncertainty. “The ending instills ambiguity about the character’s fate.”
• Infuses with irony adds irony. “The narrator infuses the scene with irony.”
• Creates dissonance causes clashing or discomfort. “The cheerful music creates dissonance with the violent imagery.”
• Provokes catharsis triggers emotional release. “The climax provokes catharsis in the audience.”
• Defamiliarizes makes the familiar seem strange. “The narrator defamiliarizes daily life by describing it through a child’s perspective.”
• Foreshadows hints at future events. “The storm foreshadows the chaos to come.”
• Undermines weakens or questions an idea. “The ironic ending undermines the reader’s expectations.”
• Destabilizes disrupts assumptions or beliefs. “The shifting narrator destabilizes the idea of truth.”
• Frames sets context or perspective. “The opening letter frames the entire story as a confession.”
• Echoes repeats or recalls themes/phrases. “The final line echoes the title, reinforcing the theme of loss.”
• Evokes brings forth emotions or imagery. “The description evokes a sense of nostalgia.”
• Amplifies intensifies meaning. “Repetition amplifies the character’s desperation.”
• Contrasts sets ideas in opposition. “The dark setting contrasts with the hopeful dialogue.”
• Alludes to indirectly references another text/event. “The poem alludes to Greek mythology.”
• Satirizes mocks or criticizes. “The novel satirizes political corruption.”
• Elevates raises tone or importance. “The religious imagery elevates the ordinary scene.”
• Interrogates critically examines. “The novel interrogates traditional gender roles.”
• Challenges conventional notions of questions tradition. “The play challenges conventional notions of heroism.”
• Negotiates identity/power/agency explores how these are handled. “The character negotiates her identity in a hostile society.”
• Explores existential concerns deals with life’s big questions. “The story explores existential concerns about mortality.”
• Constructs/Deconstructs builds or dismantles ideas. “The poem deconstructs the idea of romantic love.”
• Suggests ambivalence shows mixed feelings. “The narrator’s tone suggests ambivalence towards tradition.”

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