Origin Myths
•	Origin Myths explain how things came to be
•	Most origin myths have similar or reoccurring story features called motifs
•	Examples of motifs are:  the earth diver, a great flood, a golden age, the birth of the world from an egg, the creation of the world from the words of a god
Literary terms
•	Repetition-  a phrase repeated for emphasis
•	Imagery-  vivid mental pictures that appeal to the senses
•	Personification-  giving nonhuman things human qualities
•	Similes- using “like” or “as” to make a comparison
Literary ELEMENTS
•	Plot- the series of connected events that make up the story 
•	Theme-  the author’s central message/insight
•	Climax-  the point of most suspense in a literary work;  affects the characters and the outcome of the story   
•	    -the climax changes the characters and resolves the central conflict