AP Litty devices

Tone

A writer's attitude toward his or her subject matter revealed through diction, figurative language, and organization on the sentence and global levels.

Mood

How the reader feels about the text while reading.

Point of View

the perspective from which a story is told- three types: 1st person ( I, Me), 2nd person (You) and 3rd person (he, she, they).

Polysyndeton

The deliberate use of a series of conjunctions. (and, and, and)

Asyndeton

A construction in which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions (I came, I saw, I conquered)

Enjambment

A run-on line of poetry in which logical and grammatical sense carries over from one line into the next.

end stop

the ending of a line in poetry with punctuation

Diction

A writer's choice of words

Syntax

Sentence structure

Shift

occurs when there is a change in the speaker's attitude(mood and tone)

Contrasts

Highlight differences and identify differences between two subjects, places, persons, things, or ideas.

Juxtaposition

Placement of two things closely together to emphasize comparisons or contrasts

Oxymoron

A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase (organized chaos)

Paradox

a statement that seems self-contradictory but reveals a deeper meaning or the truth

Repetition

Repeated use of sounds, words, or ideas for effect and emphasis

Anadiplosis

repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the next clause (fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering)

Alliteration

the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds

Consonance

Repetition of consonant sounds (mike likes his new bike)

Anaphora

the repetition of words or phrases in a group of sentences, clauses, or poetic lines at the BEGINNING

Hyperbole

extreme exaggeration

Understatement

the opposite of exaggeration. It is a technique for developing irony and/or humor where one writes or says less than intended.

Euphemism

An indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant

Allegory

a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning- typically political or moral

Imagery

visual description or figurative language used to help envision a work

Simile

A comparison using "like" or "as"

Metaphor

A comparison without using like or as in a way that isn't literally true, but helps explain an idea or make a comparison. usually says something IS something else

Irony

the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning

Conceit

an often unconventional, logically complex, or surprising metaphor whose delights are more intellectual than sensual. a far fetched simile or metaphor

Apostrophe

calling out to an imaginary, dead, or absent person, or to a place or thing, or a personified abstract idea.

Symbols

an object, person, situation, or action that has literal meaning in a story but suggests or represents other meanings

Metonymy

A figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it (we swear loyalty to the crown)

Synecdoche

A figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole (do you like my new wheels- refers to a car)

Allusion

A reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art

Parrallelism

the repetition of words or phrases that have similar grammatical structures.

cacophony

A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds

euphony

pleasant, harmonious sound

Onomatopoeia

the use of words that imitate sounds

Personification

the giving of human qualities to an animal, object, or idea