Study Guide for "Billy Budd" by Herman Melville

1. Using Billy Budd as an example, define the following literary terms: point of view, irony, paradox, dilemma, symbol, tragic flaw, and theme.
-Point of view- The point of view is that of omniscient narration.
-Irony-
Irony is defined as "the use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning". In the beginning of the story Billy is described as an innocent, likeable, and sweet man. Towards the end of the story he is described as a murderer. This is ironic because his deathly action was unanticipated by the reader. The irony continues throughout the story as Billy Budd dies. The…