Literary Devices

Allegory
Definition: A story that has a much deeper
underlying meaning

In C.S. Lewiss novel The Lion, The Witch, and

the Wardrobe, he tells the story of a family of four
children who are transported into a magical world.
While there the King Lion (Aslan) sacrifices his life
for one of the children. But because of his
innocence he comes back to life
This story can be interpreted as a retelling of the
Christian story of Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified and
came back to life three days later.

Allusion
Definition: a reference to another person,
character, idea or work of literature.
Who is the new Einstein?
Okay Romeo, enough with the pick up
lines.
Wowslow down Speedy Gonzalez!

Analogy
Definition: A comparison between
two unlike things in order to explain a
thought, concept or idea.
The atom can be compared to the
solar system. The Sun is the nucleus
and the planets are like the electrons
that circle around the nucleus

Anecdote
Definition: a short amusing story
(usually true)
When I was in High School ,we
didnt have the internet. We had a go
to the library and do research the old
fashion way. One book at a time
One time I climbed on the shelves to
reach a book on the top shelf and I
pulled the entire shelf down on top of

Archtype
Definition: The outline of a character type
that can be found again and again in
stories

Wicked Step Mother

Hero
Sidekick
Magical Sword
Warrior princess

Foreshadowing
Definition: When the author give the reader a
hint of what is going to happen next.
As she watched her son, dressed in his Go
Army T-Shirt, pull out of the drive way, she
had a feeling that she would never see him
again.
As the men boarded the plane, little did they
know of the challenges they would soon face.

Hyperbole
Definition: An extreme exaggeration
You are as big as an ox
Your suitcase weights a ton.
I am going to die I am so tired.
My legs feel like they are going to fall off.

Imagery
Definition: when the author uses
descriptive language in order to give
the reader a visual picture.
The leaves were turning red, orange
and brown and falling from the tree.
As I looked out over the rolling hills I
could see that winter was coming.

Irony
Definition: when one thing is said or thought
but the opposite happens.
A police officer was arrested for speeding
A firehouse caught on fire
The titanic was called the unsinkable ship.
But 4 days into its maiden voyage it hit an
iceberg and sunk.

Metaphor
Definition: A comparison between two
unlike things without using like or as
(A is B)
She is a beast
My teacher threw me a curve ball
You are a star

Motif
Definition: A common feature, idea, concept,
subject, or topic that occurs again and again in
a story or in many stories.
Examples:
A recurring symbol (such as a rose)
Time travel
Prince who must rescue a damsel in distress
Poor girl who later finds out she comes from
royalty

Personification
Definition: to give human qualities to a nonhuman thing.
The Sun smiled on us
The flowers danced in the wind
The trees whispered
The wind ran through the trees

Simile
Definition: a comparison between two
unlike things using like or as.
My love is like a red, red rose
You eat like a pig
You are as pretty as a peach

Symbolism
Definition: an object that has a
deeper meaning associated with it
The 50 stars on the flag represent
the 50 states
The olive branch represents peace
The color red usually represents
danger or anger

Theme
Definition: The Main Idea of a story

One of the main ideas in the Pixar

movie Wall-E is the importance of
protecting the environment.

Literary Devices
(#16-30)

Tone
Definition: an attitude of a writer
towards a subject or an audience.
Tone is usually conveyed through the
choice of words or the viewpoint of a
writer.
Example: Can someone tell me what
the hell is going on!!??

Anthropomorphism
Definition: the act of lending a human quality, emotion or
ambition to a non human object in order to make that thing seem
human like

Example: My father was a St. Bernard, my mother was a collie, but

I am a Presbyterian. This is what my mother told me, I do not know
these nice distinctions myself. To me they are only fine large words
meaning nothing. My mother had a fondness for such; she liked to
say them, and see other dogs look surprised and envious, as
wondering how she got so much education. When I was well
grown, at last, I was sold and taken away, and I never saw her
again. She was broken-hearted, and so was I, and we cried; but she
comforted me as well as she could.
(A Dogs Taleby Mark Twain)

Antithesis:
Definition: a rhetorical device in
which two opposite ideas are put
together in a sentence to achieve a
contrasting effect.
Example: Setting a foot on the moon
may be a small step for a man but a
giant step for mankind.

Connotation
Definition: a meaning that is implied
by a word apart from the thing which
it describes.

Example: Wall Street literally means

a street in New York, but it
connotatively refers to wealth and
power

Denotation
Definition: a literal or dictionary
meaning of a word.

Example: I work on Wall Streetthis

literally means that you work on a
specific street in New York City

Inversion
Definition: a literary technique in which
the normal order of words is reversed in
order to achieve a particular effect or
emphasis
placing adj before noun
placing verb before subject
placing noun before preposition

Example: The soldier, strong and brave,

returned home to his family after the war.

Kenning:
Definition: from Norse and AngloSaxon poetry, it is a stylistic device
where a two-word phrase describes
an object through metaphor.
Example: whale-road (sea)
breast-hoard (heart)
.pedal-fall (autumn)

Metonomy
Definition: a figure of speech that
replaces the name of a thing with
something else that is closely
associated.

Example: Washington decided on a

new immigration policy yesterday

Synecdoche
Definition: a part of something
represents the whole or a whole may
represent a part

Example: President Obama assured

the public that there would be no
boots on the ground

Superlative:
Definition: a literary device which is
usually an adjective or adverb used to
distinguish an object from three or
more objects of its type. It is usually
formed by adding the suffix est or
most to adjectives and adverbs.

Example: Marks dog is big, Maggys

dog is the biggest dog at the park.

Onomatopoeia
Definition: a word which imitates the
natural sound of a thing
Example: boom went the sound of
thunder

Soliloquy
Definition: often used in drama to
reveal the innermost thoughts of a
character to the reader or audience
(no one else is present to hear the
character speak)
Example:
O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name;
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And Ill no longer be a Capulet.

Puns
Definition: a play on words in which
humorous effect is produced by using
a word that suggest more than one
meaning or by using similar sounds
of words to produce meaning
Example:
I am glad I know sign language, it is
pretty handy

Alliteration
Definition: a number of words,
having the same first consonant
sound, occur close together in a
series
Example: But a better butter makes
a batter better

Juxtaposition
Definition: two or more ideas, places characters and their
actions are placed side by side in a narrative or poem for
the purpose of developing comparisons and contrasts
Example: O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!
It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night
Like a rich jewel in an Ethiopes ear;
Here, the radiant face of Juliet is juxtaposed with a black
Africans dark skin. Romeo admires Juliet by saying that
her face seems brighter than brightly lit torches in the hall.
He says that at night her face glows like a bright jewel that
shines against the dark skin of an African.