HOW LITERARY DEVICES

ENHANCE TEXT
M I S S R U S S E L L S 9 TH G R A D E E N G L I S H C L A S S

LESSON OBJECTIVE
THE STUDENT WILL BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY
LITERARY DEVICES ACCURATELY, AND
ANALYZE HOW THEY ENHANCE THE TONE OF
A LITERARY TEXT

GEORGIA CCGPS STANDARD

ELACC9-10RL4 (ELA CCGPS): DETERMINE THE
MEANING OF WORDS AND PHRASES AS THEY ARE
USED IN THE TEXT, INCLUDING FIGURATIVE AND
CONNOTATIVE MEANINGS; ANALYZE THE
CUMULATIVE IMPACT OF SPECIFIC WORD
CHOICES ON MEANING AND TONE (EG.,HOW THE
LANGUAGE EVOKES A SENSE OF TIME AND PLACE;
HOW IT SETS A FORMAL OR INFORMAL TONE)

WHAT ARE LITERARY

DEVICES?

ALSO KNOWN AS FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE,

LITERARY DEVICES ARE RHETORICAL
TOOLS USED BY AUTHORS TO ENHANCE
THEIR ULTIMATE MESSAGE

EXAMPLES OF LITERARY
DEVICES

SIMILE: A COMPARRISON USING LIKE OR AS

EXAMPLE: SHE IS AS BUSY AS A BEE.

EXAMPLES OF LITERARY
DEVICES

METAPHOR: A COMPARISON NOT USING LIKE OR AS

EXAMPLES: AMERICA IS A MELTING POT.

EXAMPLES OF LITERARY
DEVICES

ONOMATOPOEIA: THE FORMATION OF A WORD FROM A

SOUND ASSOCIATED WITH WHAT IT IS NAMED

EXAMPLE: SPLASH, BLOOP, DRIZZLE

EXAMPLES OF LITERARY
DEVICES

ALLITERATION: SEEN WHEN A SERIES OF WORDS IN A

ROW ALL CONSIST OF WORDS THAT START WITH THE
SAME LETTER; USED FOR EMPHASIS

EXAMPLE: SHE SELLS SEA SHELLS BY THE SEA SHORE.

EXAMPLES OF LITERARY
DEVICES

HYPERBOLE: AN EXAGGERATION USED FOR EMPHASIS

OR HUMOR

EXAMPLE: I HAVE A TON OF CHORES TO DO!

EXAMPLES OF LITERARY
DEVICES

PERSONIFICATION: ASSIGNING THE QUALITIES OF A

HUMAN TO SOMETHING THAT IS NOT HUMAN

EXAMPLE: THE STARS DANCED PLAYFULLY IN THE

MOONLIT SKY

APPLICATION
OKAY, NOW THAT WE HAVE A SENSE OF WHAT LITERARY
DEVICES CAN DO, LETS SEE IF WE CAN FIND SOME IN
SOME TEXTS!

IN CLASS: WRITE A ONE-PAGE ANALYSIS OF THE

LITERARY DEVICES YOU FIND IN THE HANDOUT I WILL
GIVE YOU

HOMEWORK: READ CHAPTER ONE IN THE OLD MAN AND

THE SEA. LOOK FOR LITERARY DEVICES, AND COME
TOMORROW TO CLASS PREPARED TO SHARE WHAT YOUVE
FOUND