Literary Devices Flashcards
(32 cards)
simile
a comparison between two unlike things, using like, as as, or than in the comparison
ex: the leaf spun to the ground like a descending helicopter
metaphor
a suggested comparison between two unlike things in order to point out a similarity; a metaphor DOES NOT use the word like, as as, or than
ex: Hot orange coals burned at the edge of the woods as the wolves watched and waited with hungry eagerness
personification
the attribution of a personal nature or human characters to something unhuman, abstract quality in human form
ex: the stars danced playfully in the moonlight
imagery
visually descriptive or figurative language
ex: the fresh and juicy watermelon is very cold and sweet
characterization
The process by which the writer reveals the personality of a character
ex: the mental, emotional, physical and
intellectual characteristics of your favorite book character
voice
mixture of vocabulary, tone, point of view, phrases, sentences, and paragraphs flow in a particular manner
ex: I am cooking a meal
alliteration
the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words
ex: Gary’s giraffe gobbled gooseberries
onomatopoeia
the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named
ex: the book fell on the ground with a loud THUMP
point of view
first person: using “speaker voice”- I, me, mine, my, myself, we, ours
ex: my name is Dahlia
second person: you, yours, yourself, yourselves,
ex: you are walking through a dark alley
third person: he, she, it, her, him, his, hers, himself, herself, itself, they, them, theirs, etc
ex: the little pig was theirs
rhyme
two words that sound similar usually because of the last letters
ex: cat-hat, rotten-forgotten, heard-bird
rhyme scheme
a larger pattern of the rhyme
ex: “Fire and Ice” by Robert Frost
foreshadowing
a warning of a future event
ex: The evening was still. Suddenly, a cool breeze started blowing and made a windy night.
flashback
a scene in a story set in a time earlier than the main story
ex: The Finest Hours brought back memories of a crew member on the boat back then
prologue
the preface or introduction to a literary work
ex: The opening of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
epilogue
a concluding section that rounds out the design of a literary work
ex: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
epigraph
a quotation set at the beginning of a literary work or one of its divisions to suggest its theme
ex: In the Finest Hours there are epigraphs at the beginning of every chapter
theme
a main idea or underlying meaning of a literary work that may be stated directly or indirectly throughout a text
ex: The heartbreak of betrayal
symbolism
the practice of using symbols by investing things with a symbolic meaning or by expressing the invisible by means of visible representations: such as
ex: a heart symbols love
motif
a repeated element that has significance work of literature
ex: a rose
allusion
An indirect or passing reference of another person or work in literature
ex: “Hey! Guess who the new Newton of our school is?”
irony
dramatic- the reader knows something that the characters don’t
situational- the outcome is incompatible with what’s expected
ex: Tiny Myers- very large
satire
the use of humor, exaggeration, or ridicule to criticize something or someone
ex: A magazine article exaggerating the public’s extreme reaction to a celebrity
mood and tone
m: synonymous with “atmosphere”- it describes HOW the reader is feeling
ex: mean, moody
t: synonymous with “attitude”- it describes HOW the reader is feeling
ex: sad, mad, happy, calm
rhetorical analysis
a critical examination of how a text uses language and other rhetorical strategies to influence an audience
ex: ethos, pathos, logos
