Literary Elements note cards

metaphor

a direct comparison between two unrelated things (ex: times a thief)

Simile

A comparison using like or as (ex: Her smile was like sunshine)

Alliteration

Repetition of initial consonant sounds (ex: She sells seashells)

assonance

repetition of vowel sounds within words (ex: The light of the fire is a sight)

Consaonance

Repetition of consonant sounds (ex: pitter patter, blank and think)

onomatopoeia

a word that imitates its sound (ex: buzz, clang, sizzle)

Emjambment

When a line of poetry runs into the next without punctuation

juxtaposition

Placing two contrasting elements side by side (ex: light vs dark, rich vs poor)

foreshadowing

hints of whats to come later in the story

irony

a contrast between expectation and reality

Motif

A recurring element or theme

Allegory

A story where characters/events represent broader concepts (to kill a mockingbird → racism and injustice)

paradox

a statement that seems contradictory but reveals a truth (ex: i must be cruel to be kind)

apostrophe

addressing someone absent or something non human as if it could respond (ex: o death, where is thy sting?)

anaphora

repetition of a word or phrase at the beginnings of lines

tone

the authors attitude towards the subject