Literary Devices

Literary Devices Notes for the entire Year

MOOD • DEFINITION: the general sense or feeling a reader is supposed to get from a text • EXAMPLE(S): nostalgic, somber, sad, elated, happy

IMAGERY • DEFINITION: Descriptive language that uses sensory details (sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste) • EXAMPLE(S): The winter evening settles down With smell of steaks in passageways. Six o'clock. The burnt-out ends of smoky days.

hyperbole • DEFINITION: an extreme exaggeration to emphasize an idea • EXAMPLE(S): This book weighs a ton!

personification • DEFINITION: Giving human traits, qualities, or characteristics to non-human objects • EXAMPLE(S): The stars danced playfully in the moonlit sky.

pun • DEFINITION: A form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. • EXAMPLE(S): I took up teaching fencing as I wanted my students to get the point.

Metaphor • DEFINITION: Comparing two unlike things without using “like” or “as.” • EXAMPLE(S): The assignment was a breeze.

SIMILE • DEFINITION: Comparing two unlike things mandatorily using the words “like” or “as.” • EXAMPLE(S): The student ran through the room like a tornado.

PLOT • DEFINITION: the series of events and actions that takes place in a story

exposition • DEFINITION: the beginning of the story, establishment of setting and characters

Rising action • DEFINITION: the problem faced by the characters is introduced and it also includes the events in the story leading up to the climax

climax • DEFINITION: conflict is solved; point of highest reader interest and tension

Falling action • DEFINITION: the action that follows the climax and reveals its results

resolution • DEFINITION: how it all turns out

foreshadowing • DEFINITION: the author provides hints or clues to help the reader predict future events • EXAMPLE(S): When Ruth Jones’s alarm clock woke her at seven o’clock that morning, she had no idea that today would be the longest day of her life.

irony • DEFINITION: a mismatch between what is said and what is meant (verbal irony), what a character knows and what the audience knows (dramatic irony), or what is expected and what actually happens (situational irony) • EXAMPLE(S): • Verbal Irony: I love being grounded! • Dramatic Irony: We know Romeo & Juliet will die before they do. • Situational Irony: The firefighter was an arsonist.

theme • DEFINITION: A single sentence that conveys the universal message or lesson from the story or text. • EXAMPLE(S): In order to have a successful future, we should work hard now.

conflict • DEFINITION: external conflict exists when a character struggles against some outside force, such as another character, nature, or society; internal conflict exists within the mind of a character who is torn between different courses of action. • EXAMPLE(S): External Conflict: A man is wrestling a bear. Internal Conflict: A man is battling an addiction.

summary • DEFINITION: a brief statement or account of the main or essential points of something. • EXAMPLE(S): Batman, Gordon and Harvey Dent are forced to deal with the chaos unleashed by a terrorist mastermind known only as the Joker, as he drives each of them to their limits.

Order of importance • DEFINITION: Items are arranged from least important to most important (or vice versa) • EXAMPLE(S): To prepare for a test, (1) pay attention in class, (2) sleep well, and (3) eat breakfast.

Chronological order • DEFINITION: items, events, or even ideas are arranged in the order in which they occur. • EXAMPLE(S): I woke up this morning, went out to lunch at noon, and fell asleep at night.

Problem and solution • DEFINITION: divides information into two main sections, one that describes a problem and one that describes a solution • EXAMPLE(S): If living in a dangerous neighborhood, one might recommend locks, surveillance cameras, or even moving.

Cause and effect • DEFINITION: used to show the different causes and effects of various conditions • EXAMPLE(S): By smoking for decades, she eventually developed lung cancer.

alliteration • DEFINITION: the repetition of consonant sounds at the start of neighboring words • EXAMPLE(S): Tim used his tools to make toys for tots.

Point of view • DEFINITION: the perspective from which a story is told • EXAMPLE(S): You provide the perspective for a personal narrative.

1st-Person point of view • DEFINITION: The story is narrated by a character in the plot, so he or she will use pronouns like “I,” “me,” “we,” or “us.” • EXAMPLE(S): I told him, “You better get out of here!”

2nd-person point of view • DEFINITION: story is told through the use of “you”; may be for instructional purposes • EXAMPLE(S): To bake the pizza, you first need to preheat the oven.

3rd-person point of view • DEFINITION: The story is narrated by a person not involved in the plot, and all of the information provided is only gained by the 5 senses (no one’s thoughts or feelings are revealed, but they might be inferred) • EXAMPLE(S): Tom and Jeff both shrugged their shoulders when Rick asked where his pencil was.

3rd-person omniscient point of view • DEFINITION: The narrator is not a person in the plot, but the thoughts and feelings of two or more characters are revealed • EXAMPLE(S): They are happy.

3rd-person limited point of view • DEFINITION: The narrator is not a person in the plot, but the thoughts and feelings of only one character are revealed. • EXAMPLE(S): Sally smiled when she entered the room. Mike was excited to see her.

flashback • DEFINITION: a scene or moment that takes the story back in time from the current point. • EXAMPLE(S): A woman walks by with a particular perfume; when you smell it, you immediately relive a memory from when you were 5, fell off your bike, and were helped by a woman wearing that same fragrance.

Direct characterization • DEFINITION: When the narrator describes a character by directly stating that character’s personal traits • EXAMPLE(S): Curley was quick and mean.

Indirect characterization • DEFINITION: the reader must decide for themselves what the character is like through the character’s thoughts, actions, speech, looks, and interaction with other characters • EXAMPLE(S): When Mary entered the room, she gave us each $10 from her lottery winnings.

slang • DEFINITION: informal language • EXAMPLE(S): dude, cool, swag

jargon • DEFINITION: terminology that relates to a specific group or profession • EXAMPLE(S): AWOL, promissory estoppel, cash flow

foil • DEFINITION: a character who contrasts with another character (usually the protagonist) in order to highlight the personality of the other character; a foil either differs drastically or is extremely similar but with a key difference setting them apart • EXAMPLE(S): Joker is unethical and enjoys chaos and disorder; Batman is ethical and upholds justice and order

tone • DEFINITION: the apparent emotional state, or “attitude,” of the speaker/narrator/narrative voice, as conveyed through the language of the piece • EXAMPLE(S): critical, bitter, appreciative, hopeful

Main idea • DEFINITION: the most important or central thought of a paragraph or larger section of text, which tells the reader what the text is about • EXAMPLE(S): Our ozone layer protects us from ultraviolet rays.

IDIOM • DEFINITION: words, phrases, or expressions that cannot be taken literally; when used in everyday language, they have a meaning other than the basic one that you would find in the dictionary • EXAMPLE(S): He flew off the handle!

denotation • DEFINITION: a direct specific meaning as distinct from an implied or associated idea • EXAMPLE(S): The denotation of snake is “a scaly, legless, sometimes venomous reptile."

connotation • DEFINITION: The emotional suggestions and associations that a particular word evokes • EXAMPLE(S): skinny versus slender

Rhetorical question • DEFINITION: a question asked to emphasize an idea and often not requiring an answer • EXAMPLE(S): How dumb do you think I am?

DRAMATIC IRONY • DEFINITION: irony that is understood by the audience but not all of the characters in the story • EXAMPLE(S): “Let us suppose that there is a bomb underneath this table between us. Nothing happens, and then all of a sudden, ‘Boom!’ There is an explosion. The public is surprised, but prior to this surprise, it has seen an absolutely ordinary scene, of no special consequence. Now, let us take a suspense situation. The bomb is underneath the table and the audience knows it, probably because they have seen the anarchist place it there. The public is aware that the bomb is going to explode at one o’clock and there is a clock in the decor. The public can see that it is a quarter to one. In these conditions this same innocuous conversation becomes fascinating because the public is participating in the scene. The audience is longing to warn the characters on the screen: ‘You shouldn’t be talking about such trivial matters. There’s a bomb beneath you and it’s about to explode!’” -- Alfred Hitchcock

SITUATIONAL IRONY • DEFINITION: irony in which a situation surprises the audience and characters; the outcome is contrary to what was expected • EXAMPLE(S): When John Hinckley attempted to assassinate Ronald Reagan, all of his shots initially missed the President; however, a bullet ricocheted off the bullet-proof Presidential limousine and struck Reagan in the chest. Thus, a vehicle made to protect the President from gunfire instead directed gunfire to the president.

VERBAL IRONY • DEFINITION: irony in which a person says or writes one thing and means another, or uses words to convey a meaning that is opposite of the literal meaning. • EXAMPLE(S) ON THE NEXT SLIDE

EXTENDED METAPHOR • DEFINITION: a metaphor introduced and then further developed throughout all or part of a literary work • EXAMPLE(S): The cafeteria is a jungle. Wild animals scrambling for food. Grunting like wild boars Stampeding to the line Devouring their prey Cleaning their paws and then returning to their dens.

ANECDOTE • DEFINITION: short story used to help prove a larger point • EXAMPLE(S): Before giving a presentation on the dangers of drug abuse, the speaker tells the audience how he himself used to abuse drugs and explains the negative effects it had in his life.

PARALLEL STRUCTURE • DEFINITION: using the same pattern of words to show that two or more ideas have the same level of importance; sentence elements that are alike in function should also be alike in construction. • EXAMPLE(S): The teacher said that he was a poor student because he waited until the last minute to study for the exam, completed his lab problems in a careless manner, and lackedmotivation.

SYMBOLISM • DEFINITION: The use of one object or action to represent or suggest something else. • EXAMPLE(S): The serpent is one of the most widespread mythological symbols. In some instances, serpents serve as positive symbols with whom it is possible to sympathize; in other instances, serpents serve as negative symbols, representing opposites or antagonists.

ANALOGY • DEFINITION: a comparison between two things, typically on the basis of their structure and for the purpose of explanation or clarification • EXAMPLE(S): the analogy between a heart and a pump

Literary Devices