Paper 1 Literary Devices

Metaphor

A direct comparison between two unlike things without using "like" or "as."

E.g., "Time is a thief."

Simile

A comparison using "like" or "as."

E.g., "Her smile was as bright as the sun."

Alliteration

The repetition of initial consonant sounds in nearby words.

E.g., "Her smile was as bright as the sun."

Assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words.

E.g., "The light of the fire is a sight to admire."

Onomatopoeia

A word that imitates the sound it represents.

E.g., "buzz," "crack," "sizzle."

Personification

Giving human traits to non-human things.

E.g., "The wind whispered through the trees."

Hyperbole

Deliberate exaggeration for emphasis.

E.g., "I've told you a million times!"

Imagery

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses.

E.g., "The golden leaves crunched beneath her boots."

Symbolism

When an object, person, or event represents a deeper meaning.

E.g., A dove symbolizing peace.

Irony

A contrast between expectation and reality.

Verbal: Saying the opposite of what is meant.

Situational: When the opposite of what is expected happens.

Dramatic: When the audience knows something the characters don’t.

Juxtaposition

Placing two elements side by side for contrast or comparison.

E.g., A scene of joy next to a scene of tragedy.

Oxymoron

Two opposite ideas joined together for effect.

E.g., "Bittersweet," "Deafening silence."

Paradox

A self-contradictory statement that reveals a deeper truth.

E.g., "Less is more."

Enjambment

In poetry, the continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line.

E.g., Used to create suspense or a flowing rhythm.

Caesura

A deliberate pause or break in a line of poetry.

E.g., "To be, or not to be – that is the question."

Motif

A recurring element that has symbolic significance in a story.

E.g., Repeated references to darkness in a novel about depression.

Anaphora

The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses.

E.g., "We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds..."

Euphemism

A polite or mild word substituted for one considered too harsh or blunt.

E.g., "Passed away" instead of "died."

Allusion

An indirect reference to a person, event, place, or literary work.

E.g., "He was a real Romeo with the ladies."

Foreshadowing

A hint or clue about what will happen later in the story.

E.g., Storm clouds gathering before a tragic event.

Chiasmus

A rhetorical device where words are repeated in reverse order.

E.g., "Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country."

Synecdoche

A figure of speech where a part represents the whole or vice versa.

E.g., "All hands on deck" (hands = sailors).

Metonymy

Replacing the name of something with something closely associated.

E.g., "The crown" to refer to royalty.

Apostrophe

Directly addressing an absent or imaginary person or abstraction.

E.g., "O Death, where is thy sting?"

Antithesis

Contrasting ideas presented in a balanced structure.

E.g., "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."

Litotes

An understatement using a negative to affirm a positive.

E.g., "Not bad" meaning "very good."

Polysyndeton

The use of many conjunctions to slow the rhythm or add emphasis.

E.g., "He ran and jumped and laughed and played."

Asyndeton

The omission of conjunctions for a faster, punchier effect.

E.g., "I came, I saw, I conquered."

Anacoluthon

A sudden break in a sentence's grammatical structure for dramatic or emotional effect.

E.g., "I will have such revenges on you both, that all the world shall—I will do such things—What they are, yet I know not..."

Hamartia

A tragic flaw or error in judgment that leads to the downfall of a tragic hero, often rooted in a character trait like pride, ambition, or impulsiveness.

E.g., In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus’s hamartia is his determination to defy fate, which ironically leads him right into it.

Tone

The author’s attitude toward the subject, audience, or characters, conveyed through word choice and style.

E.g., Sarcastic, melancholic, hopeful, bitter.

Mood

The emotional atmosphere created for the reader.

E.g., A horror story might evoke fear or suspense.

Diction

The author’s choice of words.

Formal, informal, poetic, harsh, euphemistic, etc.

Syntax

The arrangement of words and sentence structure.

E.g., Short, choppy sentences can create tension.

Repetition

Repeating words or phrases for emphasis or effect.

E.g., "Never again. Never again shall we allow this."

Narrative Voice / Point of View

The perspective from which a story is told.

First-person, third-person limited, third-person omniscient, etc.

Characterization

How an author presents and develops characters.

Direct: Telling the reader directly.

Indirect: Showing through actions, dialogue, or thoughts.

Flashback

A scene that interrupts the chronological flow to depict an earlier event.

Useful for adding background or context.

Conflict

The central struggle in a narrative.

Internal (character vs. self) or external (character vs. character/society/nature/etc.).

Theme

The underlying message or central idea of a text.

E.g., Identity, freedom, isolation, corruption, love, mortality.