Key terms

• What is alliteration?


  Repetition of the same sound, usually letters in close succession.
• What is an allusion?

  An indirect reference to a concept or theme without explicit mention.
• How does Scrooge use Biblical allusion in "A Christmas Carol"?

  He believes the Ghost of Christmas Present is God or related to Him.
• What is anaphora?

  A word which refers to a previously used word.
• What is antithesis?

  A rhetorical device where contrasting concepts are placed together in a text.
• How is antithesis demonstrated in "A Christmas Carol"?

  When Fred is introduced with a “cheerful voice” after Scrooge’s wickedness is described.
• What is asyndetic listing?

  A list broken up by commas rather than conjunctions like ‘and’.
• What is auditory imagery?

  Language which appeals to the reader’s hearing.
• What does the term 'Biblical' refer to?

  Relating to the Bible; religious connotations.
• What is a catalyst in literature?

  A dramatic tool which is used to speed up the plot.
• What is a colloquialism?

  An informal phrase common at its time of utterance.
• What is connotation?

  Using text to create implied meaning without explicitly referring to said meaning.
• What does didactic mean?

  A moral message, meaning to give instructions.
• What is dramatic irony?

  When the audience knows information which the character does not know.
• What does epitome mean?

  The perfect/ultimate embodiment of quality.
• What is foreboding?

  Apprehension that a bad event will occur.
• What is foreshadowing?

  An indication that an event will occur later in the narrative.
• How is foreshadowing demonstrated in "A Christmas Carol"?

  Fan says that her father is much “kinder” than before, indicating Scrooge’s change.
• What is hyperbole?

  Use of exaggerated statements.
• What is an interjection?

  A sudden remark, used often as an interruption or aside in the text.
• How is the interjection “Bah Humbug!” used in "A Christmas Carol"?

  It expresses Scrooge's distaste for Christmas.
• What is irony?

  Embedding a meaning by using language typically implying the opposite of what the writer is intending to express.
• What is juxtaposition?

  Comparing two concepts, characters, or clauses, in close proximity in a passage for the effect of contrast.
• What is a moral imperative?

  An instruction on what is right and wrong.
• What is olfactory imagery?


  Imagery that appeals to the reader’s sense of smell.
• What is an oxymoron?

  Two opposing terms are placed next to each other.
• What is pathetic fallacy?

  A kind of personification in which human emotions are projected onto nature.
• How is pathetic fallacy demonstrated in "A Christmas Carol"?

  By attributing emotions to weather to contrast with Scrooge's character.
• What is personification?

  Attributing human qualities to nonhuman things.
• How is personification used in "A Christmas Carol"?

  In Stave One, the church tower is described as having a "gruff old bell" which indicates Scrooge's attitude towards religion.
• What is poetic justice?

  When characters get what they deserve, often accompanied by irony.
• How is poetic justice demonstrated in "A Christmas Carol"?

  Scrooge was “neglected” as a child and then his gravestone is also “neglected.”
• What is polysyndetic listing?

  Listing using conjunctions such as ‘and’.
• What is prolepsis?

  A flash forward in the narrative.
• How is prolepsis used in "A Christmas Carol"?

  In the scenes that the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come shows Scrooge.
• What is a semantic field?

  A writer uses words which are linked by a theme or topic throughout a text or passage.
• What is satire?

  Criticizing people through the use of humour or irony.
• How is satire demonstrated in "A Christmas Carol"?

  Scrooge says “every idiot who goes about with ‘Merry Christmas’ on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding.”
• What is sibilance?

  Repetition of ‘s’ sounds.
• What is a stave in musical notation?

  A set of five horizontal lines where music is written.