Elijah of Buxton

Unit Review Sheet

Facts and Definitions

Lesson 1: Introduction to the Novel

• During the 1800s in the United States, the Underground Railroad was a network of people and safe places that helped slaves escape from slavery and reach freedom in the North.
• A flashback is a scene set earlier in time than the plot of the story.
• commence (verb): begin, start
• daft (adjective): silly, foolish, crazy
• truck patch (noun): a small area for growing vegetables
• vile (adjective): extremely unpleasant; wicked
• smarting (adjective): suffering from a sharp physical pain, such as a sting; hurt feelings
• brogans (noun): work boots
• flimflam (verb): to deceive or trick
• plaits (noun): braids

Lesson 2: The Preacher

• Frederick Douglass, once a slave, became a famous orator, writer, and abolitionist who used his writing to confront people's misconceptions about slavery.
• Strong, specific words, repetition, and personal examples can make writing persuasive to others.

Lesson 3: Creating a Character

• Understanding a character includes considering what the character looks like, says, acts like, and thinks, as well as how others relate to the character.
• An idiom or a proverb is a saying that expresses something that many people have found to be true over time.

Lesson 4: Tone and Mood

• The tone of a piece of literature is the author's or speaker's attitude toward the subject.
• The mood of the piece is the feeling a piece of literature arouses in the reader.

Lesson 5: Colorful Language

• Idiom: a group of words whose meaning is different from the literal meaning of the words
• Simile: a comparison of two unlike things that actually have something important in common; the comparison uses the words "like" or "as"
• Metaphor: a comparison of two unlike things that actually have something important in common; the comparison does not use "like" or "as"
• Personification: giving human qualities to an inanimate object
• Pun: a play on words
• Hyperbole: using exaggeration for emphasis

Lesson 6: Symbolism

• A symbol is a tangible or visible item used to represent, stand for, or suggest an intangible or invisible idea.
• Precise language refers to words chosen carefully to be as specific and descriptive as possible.

Lesson 7: The Importance of Education

• A missive is a letter.
• To endure is to suffer patiently.
• Something is tolerable if it's bearable or able to be endured.
• A buckboard is an open, four-wheeled, horse-drawn carriage with seating that is attached to a plank stretching between the front and rear axles.
• A calamity is an event causing sudden damage or distress; a disaster.
• A posse is a body of men who are typically armed.
• Flanks are the sides of a person or animal's body between the ribs and the hip.

Lesson 8: Transitions and Characters

• Transition words are used to connect ideas between sentences and paragraphs, to carry a thought from one sentence to the next, and to help a reader interpret the text.
• Characters can be compared and contrasted.

Lesson 9: Transitions and Humor

• Authors use several different categories of transition words and phrases to link ideas and sentences within their writing.
• Authors use various techniques to infuse even serious stories with humor.

Lesson 10: Allusions and Authors

• An allusion is a figure of speech that makes a reference to a place, person, or something that happened in the past.
• Authors often develop a deep personal connection to the places and characters they write about.

Lesson 11: Story Reflections

• A conflict is a struggle between two forces.
• The climax is the "high point" of a piece of literature, the moment in which the conflict reaches its greatest intensity, the turning point in the story.
• A theme is an idea or a central thought explored by a piece of literature.

Final Project: Personal Narrative

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