David V.

Gamboa
Mylen B. Torion
BTLED -3

Literary Devices

Alliteration
Alliteration is a figure of speech in which the same sound repeats in a group of words,
such as the “b” sound in: “Bob brought the box of bricks to the basement.” The
repeating sound must occur either in the first letter of each word, or in the stressed
syllables of those words. Alliteration is found often in poetry and prose, as well as in
commercial writing like brand names and marketing taglines.
Example of Alliteration
Alliteration in the Prologue to Romeo and Juliet
This example from lines 5-6 of the Prologue of Romeo and Juliet has two sets of
alliteration, one with “f” sounds and one with “l” sounds.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;
Assonance
Assonance is a figure of speech in which the same vowel sound repeats within a group
of words. Assonance does not require that words with the same vowel sounds be
directly next to each other. Assonance occurs so long as identical vowel-sounds are
relatively close together. An example of assonance is: “Who gave Newt and Scooter the
blue tuna? It was too soon!”
Example of Assonance
Assonance in The Iliad
In these lines from Book XII of Lattimore's translation of Homer's Iliad the assonance
helps reinforce the lulling effect of the winds' sleep:
"When Zeus ...
stills the winds asleep in the solid drift ..."
Apostrophe
Apostrophe is a figure of speech in which a speaker directly addresses someone (or
something) that is not present or cannot respond in reality. The entity being addressed
can be an absent, dead, or imaginary person, but it can also be an inanimate object
(like stars or the ocean), an abstract idea (like love or fate), or a being (such as a Muse
or god).
Example of Apostrophe
Apostrophe in The Odyssey
One of the earliest and most famous examples of apostrophe in literature comes from
Homer, who begins both The Iliad and The Odyssey with an invocation of the Muse.The
Odyssey begins with the following lines, which ask the Muse, a goddess of the arts, to
help the author in his work:
Sing in me, Muse, and through me tell the story
of that man skilled in all ways of contending,
the wanderer, harried for years on end,
after he plundered the stronghold
on the proud height of Troy.
Antithesis
Antithesis is a figure of speech that juxtaposes two contrasting or opposing ideas,
usually within parallel grammatical structures. Antithesis works best when it is used in
conjunction with parallelism (successive phrases that use the same grammatical
structure), since the repetition of structure makes the contrast of the content of the
phrases as clear as possible.
Example of Antithesis
Antithesis in Green Lantern's Oath
Comic book writers know the power of antithesis too! In this catchy oath, Green Lantern
uses antithesis to emphasize that his mission to defeat evil will endure no matter the
conditions.
In brightest day, in blackest night,
No evil shall escape my sight.
Let those who worship evil's might
Beware my power—Green lantern's light!
Lorenz, Ben. "Antithesis." LitCharts. LitCharts LLC, 5 May 2017. Web. 27 Sep 2023.
Allusion
In literature, an allusion is an unexplained reference to someone or something outside
of the text. Writers commonly allude to other literary works, famous individuals,
historical events, or philosophical ideas, and they do so in order to layer associations
and meanings from these sources onto their own work. Allusions can also occur in
media other than literature, such as film, visual arts, or even casual conversation. If
you've ever responded to betrayal with a dramatic cry of "Et tu, Brute?" ("You too,
Brutus?"), then you've made an allusion—to a famous line from Shakespeare's Julius
Caesar.
Example of Allusion
Allusion in Shakespeare's Hamlet
In this example from Act 3, Scene 4 of Shakespeare's Hamlet, Prince Hamlet alludes to
several of the Greek and Roman gods while describing a portrait of his late father.
See what a grade was seated on this brow,
Hyperion's curls, the front of Jove himself,
An eye like Mars' to threaten and command ...
Hyperbaton
Hyperbaton is a figure of speech in which the typical, natural order of words is changed
as certain words are moved out of order. The word hyperbaton (pronounced hahy-pur-
buh-ton) is derived from the Greek phrase hyperbatos meaning “transposed” or
“inverted.”
Example of Hyperbaton
Excerpts from “Anyone lived in a pretty how town” by E.E. Cummings:
anyone lived in a pretty how town
(with up so floating many bells down)
spring summer autumn winter
he sang his didn’t he danced his did.
Women and men(both little and small)
cared for anyone not at all
they sowed their isn’t they reaped their same
sun moon stars rain
Litoles
Litotes is an understatement in which a positive statement is expressed by negating its
opposite. This sounds like a strange definition, but a few examples will make the
meaning clear.
Example of Litoles
I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will make them honored, and they shall
not be small. (Jeremiah 30:19)
In this line, God is saying that he will restore the tribe of Jacob to greatness, using
litotes to understate the effect of his divine intervention.
Meiosis
The word meiosis originated from the Greek word meioo, which means “to diminish,” or
“to make smaller.” Meiosis can be defined as a witty understatement that belittles or
dismisses something or somebody; particularly by making use of terms that give an
impression that something is less important than it is or it should be. Meiosis examples
are sometimes used in the sense of a synonym of litotes.
Example of Meiosis
King Lear (By William Shakespeare)
“I am a very foolish fond old man,
Fourscore and upward, not an hour more or less;
And, to deal plainly,
I fear I am not in my perfect mind…”
Shakespeare has used meiosis in these lines to create humor. Although it is
undoubtedly clear that the king has gone mad, his reaction that “I fear I am not in my
perfect mind” is an example of an understatement.
Periphrasis
Periphrasis originates from the Greek word periphrazein, which means “talking around.”
It is a stylistic device that can be defined as the use of excessive and longer words to
convey a meaning which could have been conveyed with a shorter expression, or in a
few words. It is an indirect or roundabout way of writing about something. For example,
using the phrase “I am going to” instead of “I will” is periphrasis. This is also called
“circumlocution,” but there is a slight difference between circumlocution and periphrasis.
Example of Periphrasis
Sonnet 74 (By William Shakespeare)
“When that fell arrest
Without all bail shall carry me away.”
In this extract, Shakespeare is explaining death and its consequences. He has used an
indirect way of illustrating death as “when that fell.” Here it means, when death comes,
no one would be able to save him.

Prolepsis (Procatalepsis)
Procatalepsis is a figure of speech that is also known as “prebuttal,” or a “prolepsis,” in
which the speaker or writer gives response to the objection of an opponent in his
speech by repeating his objection. It could also be that he responds to his own
objection, in order to strengthen his argument, by using counterarguments. Once the
speakers bring attention to a possible rebuttal, they immediately refute or discredit it, for
the fear that people may get confused.
Example of Prolepsis
The Captives (by Hugh Walpole)
” ‘I know what you’re going to say’ … ‘That if they look at it properly they’ll see that it
wasn’t our fault. But will they look at it properly? Of course they won’t. You know what
cats they are …’ “
This example is a perfect description of procatalepsis. First, the speaker says that, if the
reader looks at the matter carefully, he will realize and know the truth. Then he quickly
objects to his own argument and asks a question instead.

References
Kestler, Justin. (2017 May 4) "Alliteration." LitCharts. LitCharts LLC.
https://www.litcharts.com/literary-devices-and-terms/alliteration
Schlegel, Chris. (2017 May 5) “Assonance.” LitCharts. LitCharts LLC.
https://www.litcharts.com/literary-devices-and-terms/assonance
Tsykynovska, Lena. (2017 May 5) “Apostrophe.” LitCharts. LitCharts LLC.
https://www.litcharts.com/literary-devices-and-terms/apostrophe
Lorenz, Ben. (2017 May 5) “Antithesis.” LitCharts. LitCharts LLC.
https://www.litcharts.com/literary-devices-and-terms/antithesis
Mahler, Adam. (2017 May 5) “Allusion.” LitCharts. LitCharts LLC.
 https://www.litcharts.com/literary-devices-and-terms/allusion
Literary Terms. (2015, June 1). Retrieved November 3, 2015.
https://literaryterms.net/hyperbaton/
Literary Terms. (2015, June 1). Retrieved November 3, 2015.
https://literaryterms.net/cite-us/
LiteraryDevices Editors. (2013). Meiosis, Retrieved November 4, 2014.
https://literarydevices.net/meiosis/#
Admin. (2017). Periphrasis – Definition and examples of periphrasis. Literary Devices.
https://literarydevices.net/periphrasis/#
Admin. (2017a). Procatalepsis – Examples and definition of procatalepsis. Literary
Devices.
https://literarydevices.net/procatalepsis/#