FIGURES OF RELATIONSHIP (SIMILE, METAPHOR, PERSONIFICATION)

Metonymy refers to using a thing or idea that is not referred to by its own
name but by a different one, a name of something with which it is closely
associated.
Example:
“White House declared….”
(Rather than “the president declared”)

Synecdoche uses a part of something to represent the whole or the whole to

represent a part.
Example:
Ask for a hand.
(refers to asking for a woman to marry)

FIGURES OF EMPHASIS (HYPERBOLE, OXYMORON)

Paradox is a statement that appears to hold contradictory ideas but may
actually be true.
Example:
John is normally abnormal.

FIGURES OF SOUND (ALLITERATION, ONOMATOPOEIA)

What are literary techniques/ devices?

Literary techniques or devices refer to specific methods writers employ in

their works to convey messages. Readers, on the other hand, look for several literary
techniques when examining or analyzing a text or simply evaluating a text’s artistic
value.

Writers make use of literary techniques or devices to convey messages or to simply

add an artistic value to a text. Readers look for these techniques to help them
analyze or interpret a specific body of work.

Literary Techniques

1. Anaphora is sometimes called epanaphora, refers to the repetition of a

word or phrase at the beginning of a sentence to create an artistic or
heightened effect. It adds rhythm to a particular line or paragraph,
making it easier to memorize or remember. Anaphora is also used for
emphasis or to stir emotions among the audience.

Examples:
1.“Every day, every night, in every way, I am getting better and better”
2. “My life is my purpose. My life is my goal. My life is my inspiration”.

3. Cliff-hanger is a literary technique used by the author to arouse curiosity

among readers by ending a chapter or story abruptly. Most of the time, the
characters are confronted with a difficult or an unsettling situation. Instead of
providing a resolution, the author would end it. Furthermore, this technique is
often found in serialized works. Writers utilize cliff-hangers in their works to
keep the readers focused and interested as to what will happen next.

Example:
“It was a first truly successful primetime, use of a cliffhanger to keep fans talking
all summer…”
4. Juxtaposition is a technique authors use in their works to compare two
different things, or two contrasting ideas to be able to emphasize their
differences, such as good and evil, life and death, truth and lies, among
others. This technique is also used to develop a character, resolve a conflict,
or clarify various concepts.

Example:
“All’s fair in love and war”.

5. Foreshadowing refers to lines or dialogues in a story which give the reader

an idea of what is about to happen without spoiling or explicitly stating the
plot’s entirety. When writers use this technique, especially in mystery or thriller
novels, they provide “red herrings” (misleading or false clues) to divert the
readers’ expectations.

Example:
In Western movie, the good guy enters a bar, has a drink, and leaves. The
bad guy scowls and spits on the floor and you know there is definitely more to come
between them.

6. Catharsis is derived from the Greek word katharsis, which means

“purification” or “purgation.” It refers to the emotional release or cleansing of
the characters, or audience or readers, from strong emotions usually brought
by learning of the truth or when confronted with difficult situations. This
technique is commonly found in tragedies, such as Shakespeare’s Romeo
and Juliet and Sophocles’ Oedipus the King.

Example:
Playing the piano is a catharsis for a tired, busy mother after a long
day of work.

7. Stream of Consciousness is sometimes referred to as interior monologue,

is a literary technique that is usually associated with Modern writers. The plot
is developed based on the characters’ reminiscence or recollection of events
and thought fragments. Instead of using dialogues to show the characters’
reaction or emotion, writers make use of stream of consciousness to show
each character’s complex nature. More so, readers are taken into the depths
of the characters’ mind and witness how these characters process their
thoughts when faced with a particular situation or emotion.
Example:

Excerpt from James Joyce Novel Ulysses

“He is young Leopold, as in a retrospective arrangement, a mirror
within a mirror (hey, presto!), he beholdeth himself. That young figure of then
is seen, precious manly, walking on a nipping morning from the old house in
Clambrassil to the high school, his book satchel on him bandolier wise, and in
it a goodly hunk of wheaten loaf, a mother’s thought.”

8. Hamartia or tragic flaw, is a technique commonly found in Greek tragedies. It

refers to the tragic hero’s error in judgment, which leads to his or her downfall.
Most of the time, this error is committed unknowingly, such in the case of
Oedipus when he killed his father Laius and married his mother Jocasta.
Hamartia is used to have the audience identify themselves with the
protagonist (that he or she has weaknesses too) and to provoke pity because
of the miserable turn of events he or she went through. Additionally, it is used
to impart a moral objective among readers or audience to improve or change
for the better so as to avoid the tragedy that has befallen the protagonist.
Example:
One of the countless politicians to be involved in an extra- marital affair
and in subsequent scandal, Bill Clinton’s impeachment was one of the most
public scandals to date. Again, relation of power and the abuse of power is
perhaps unsurprising, though tragic. The notable aspect of Bill Clinton’s story
is that he has been able to move beyond the scandal; it was not, ultimately,
his downfall.