Literary Devices

Ms. Larrison English II Fall 2011

Literary Devices: Why?

y I know, I know youve learned them

a billion times. y Lets refresh! We need to KNOW these so we can analyze literature and use the correct terminology
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Literary Devices
y Imagery: Words or phrases that appeal to any sense or any

combination of senses.
y Simile: Comparison using like or as y The dancer was as graceful as a swan. y Metaphor: Compares one thing to another by saying

something IS something else y He is a pig!

y Personification: Giving a nonhuman thing human

characteristics
y The sun yawned as it slid down the mountainside.
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More literary Devices

y Alliteration: The repetition of initial consonant sounds.
y Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

y Assonance: The repetition of vowel sounds in a sentence.

y The bird will fly high in the sky.

y Onomatopoeia: The use of words which imitate sound.

y I cringed as he crunched and munched on his peanuts.

y Repetition: the repeating of words, phrases, lines, or

stanzas.
y Shake that laffy taffy. That laffy taffy. That laffy taffy

y Rhyme: The similarity of ending sounds existing between

two words.
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Even MORE literary devices

y Oxymoron: the setting together , for effect,

two words with opposite meaning

y jumbo shrimp bittersweet act naturally

y Pun: clever play on words; word is used which

has two meanings at the same time, which results in humor

y Hyperbole: using exaggeration to make a point
y I could eat a horse!
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Literary Devices
y Antagonist- the character who opposes the central

character, using conflict y Protagonist- the main character around which a literary work usually revolves. y Conflict- the struggle in a literary work.
y Man v. man y Man v. nature y Man v. himself

y Climax- the place in a literary work that is the most

significant to the main character and/or plot.

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Literary Devices
y Dialogue- conversation in a literary work he said, hey y Diction- style of speaking or writing and is dependent upon

choice of words, enunciation (spoken clarity- no mumbling, slurring, or lisping) and pronunciation (how a dictionary tells you to pronounce a word
y Foreshadowing- to indicate or suggest something- usually

unpleasant, that is going to happen. y Mood the readers attitude toward the text. y Tone- the authors attitude toward the text.
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Literary Devices
y Setting-time and place in which a story takes place y Style- the combined elements of how language is used

within a literary work

y Symbol- using an object or action that means something

more than its literal meaning

y Theme- general idea or insight about life that a writer

wishes to express (example: The them of greed in The Pearl.)

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Literary Devices- last one! For now.

y Point of view- the viewpoint of the narrator in the story:
y First-person- story told by a character involved in the story.

(I) y Second-person- the reader is directly spoken to (you) y Third-person- the narrator is not involved in the story. (He, she, etc.)
y Third-person omniscient- the narrator knows the thoughts and

feelings of all characters in the story. y Third-person limited- the narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of only a single character in the story.

Study these terms!

y y y y y y y y y y y y y y
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Antagonist Protagonist Conflict Point of View (all types) Climax Dialogue Diction Foreshadowing Mood Tone Setting Style Symbol Theme

y y y y y y y y y y y y

Imagery Simile Metaphor Personification Alliteration Assonance Onomatopoeia Repetition Rhyme Oxymoron Pun Hyperbole