AP English Literature and Composition Flashcards: Character change and arc, including reversal and recognition
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Review key ideas with interactive flashcards. This set includes 11 cards to help you master important concepts.
How do a character's choices, actions, and speech reveal their development?
These elements demonstrate a character's changing perspectives, values, and motivations. A shift in what a character says or does in response to conflict signals their internal development.
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How do a character's choices, actions, and speech reveal their development?
These elements demonstrate a character's changing perspectives, values, and motivations. A shift in what a character says or does in response to conflict signals their internal development.
How do reversal and recognition often work together in a narrative?
Recognition (the discovery of a critical fact) often directly causes the reversal (the change in fortune). A character learns something that triggers their downfall or a dramatic shift in their circumstances.
Define a dynamic character.
A dynamic character is one who undergoes a significant internal change in personality, perspective, or attitude throughout the narrative. This change is often a central part of the story's development.
A wealthy CEO who valued only profit loses her company due to a subordinate's betrayal. This event forces her to re-evaluate her life and priorities. What term describes this drastic change in her fortune?
This event is a reversal (peripeteia), a sudden and significant change in the character's circumstances from good to bad. This reversal is the catalyst for her subsequent character arc.
What is recognition (anagnorisis) in a character's arc?
Recognition, or anagnorisis, is a moment of critical discovery when a character moves from ignorance to knowledge. This realization often concerns their own identity or the true nature of their situation.
What is a character arc?
A character arc is the transformation or inner journey of a character over the course of a story. It reflects the changes a character undergoes as they face challenges and conflicts.
What is a reversal (peripeteia) in a character's arc?
A reversal, or peripeteia, is a sudden and unexpected change in a character's circumstances or fortune. It marks a pivotal turning point in the plot, often from good to bad.
Contrast a dynamic character with a static character.
A dynamic character undergoes significant internal change, while a static character remains largely the same from the beginning of the story to the end. Static characters often serve to highlight the changes in dynamic characters.
What is an epiphany?
An epiphany is a moment of sudden and profound insight or revelation that alters a character's understanding of themselves or the world. It is a key driver of internal character change.
How does a character's development contribute to the meaning of the work as a whole?
A character's journey and transformation often embody and explore the central themes of a literary work. The changes they undergo can convey messages about human nature, society, or morality.
A proud general ignores a warning and leads his army into a trap. When he realizes his arrogance caused the defeat, what literary concept does this moment of realization represent?
This moment represents recognition (anagnorisis), as the general moves from ignorance (of his own flaw's consequences) to knowledge. This recognition is the critical point of his character's change.