Non-Fiction Literary Terms
IDEA
1. Objective
Example- "as happy as a clam"
2. subjective
based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or opinions
Example- Orange is the absolutely best color !
3. bias
prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another
Example- favoring one person (unfair)
4. Credible/Valid
believable/ having a sound basis in logic or fact
Examples- an argument or point of view
5. Counterargument
argument or reasoning put forward to oppose an idea or theory developed in another argument
Example- controversial topics
6. Fallacy
a mistaken belief, esp. one based on unsound argument
Examples- appeal to opinion (false)
7. Tone
The general attitude of a piece of writing
Example- could be both serious or humorous
8. Theme
An idea that pervades a work of literature
Examples- crime and mystery / love and friendship
9. Point of View
A particular attitude or way of considering a matter
Examples- "I felt like I was getting drowned with shame"
10. Emotional Appeal
attempt to persuade the reader through and appeal to emotions, morals, or values
Examples- errors in reasoning, suffering
11. Logical Appeal
attempt to persuade the reader based on statistics and facts; reasoning
Examples- encouraging someone to quit smoking because of the health risk with tobacco products.
12. Rhetorical Question
asked in order to produce an effect or to make a statement rather than to elicit information