Literary Devices and Rhetorical Strategies for Analyzing Texts

Apostrophe

spoken to a person who is absent or imaginary, or to an object or abstract idea.

Anaphora

the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses. // Ex: "We shall fight on the beaches, We shall fight on the landing grounds, We shall fight in the fields ..."

Figurative Language

words or phrases that are not intended to be interpreted literally.

Hyperbole

a deliberate and purposeful exaggeration.

Metaphor

a comparison of two seemingly unlike things that does not use comparative words.

Metonymy

one word is substituted for another with which it is closely associated. For example, in the expression The pen is mightier than the sword, the word pen is used for "the written word," and sword is used for "military power."

Mixed Metaphor

when two or more incongruous vehicles are used to describe the same tenor.

Oxymoron

a kind of paradox that links seemingly contradictory elements that turn out to make sense together.

Paradox

a statement that appears contradictory or impossible/absurd, but turns out to express a striking truth. Ex: less is more / "I must be cruel, only to be kind" (Shakespeare) / "All animals are created equal, but some animals are more equal than others" (Animal Farm, George Orwell).

Parallelism

repetition of the syntactical structure of a line or phrase.

Pathetic Fallacy

a type of personification in which inanimate aspects of nature (weather, landscape) are given human qualities or feelings. Usually reflects or foreshadows events and contributes to tone.

Personification

non-human things or abstract ideas are given human attributes.

Rhetorical Question

a question is asked not to get answered but to emphasize an already implied conclusion.

Simile

a comparison of two seemingly unlike things that uses comparative words (such, like, as, etc.).

Synecdoche

a part is used to designate the whole or the whole is used to designate a part. For example, the phrase "all hands on deck" means all humans must support (or literally be on deck) not just their hands.

Tenor

the aspect of a comparison (metaphor/simile/etc.) that is the literal subject; the thing that is being described. Ex: "I wandered lonely as a cloud." (The literal subject is the speaker's lonely wanderings).

Vehicle

the aspect of a comparison (metaphor/simile/etc.) that conveys ("drives") intended understanding of the subject; the thing being used to describe the subject. Ex: "I wandered lonely as a cloud." (The comparison is to clouds, which suggests that like clouds, the speaker's wanderings are aimless, maybe without intent).

Understatement

a form of irony in which a point is expressed as lesser in some way than it really is. Ex: A character states, "that's not ideal" after a major, life-altering catastrophe.

Allusion

a passing reference to another work, an historical or mythical event, person, etc. Ex: She met her Waterloo. (This statement alludes to the Battle of Waterloo, where Napoleon was defeated - implies a decisive defeat).

Analogy

comparison of a subject to something that is similar in order to clarify the nature of the subject (ex. The smell of durian fruit is just like the smell of rotten meat).

Atmosphere

vibe/mood established through setting, imagery, diction (overall feeling/environment created by an author).

Diction

word choice.

Dramatic Irony

the audience knows something that one or more of the characters do not know.

Situational Irony

what is expected is not what occurs (not necessarily the opposite of what's expected).

Verbal Irony

implying a different meaning from, and often opposite of, what is actually stated. Can be misconstrued as sincere, possibly impersonal.

Formal Diction

use of sophisticated, and/or esoteric vocabulary; can include complex sentence structures and a tone that is more elevated.

Informal Diction

use of more casual, conversational language (mimics everyday speech, often uses colloquialisms, contractions, slang).

Imagery

descriptive language that relies on at least one of the five senses.

Inversion

a change in what would be considered 'normal' syntax; AKA 'Yoda-Speak.' For example: 'Happy I am that you came here today.'

Rhetorical Strategies

techniques that help shape or enhance a literary work (meant to persuade, inform, engage).

Sarcasm

the use of irony to mock or convey contempt (more crude than verbal irony).

Symbol

anything (word, phrase, person, action, etc.) that represents itself but also stands for a more abstract idea.

Syntax

the order/arrangement of words in a line of poetry (or in a sentence).

Verisimilitude

the appearance of being true or real qualities that make the story believable - not necessarily aligned with our true reality, but believable in terms of authenticity.

Theme

the central idea that a work conveys; that which the author intended the reader to understand, think about, or know as a result of having read the work (what you interpret the work to mean, based on literary elements) - your claim is your opinion!

Bildungsroman

a story in which a character goes from immaturity to maturity; childhood to adulthood, naïveté to awareness, etc.

Intrusive Narration

the narrator steps outside of the story to directly address the reader/audience in a clear effort to offer opinion or explain meaning.

Mood

how the reader feels based on the writer's ability to provide tone, atmosphere, etc. (Note: atmosphere is more directly related to setting, whereas mood is more of the reader's emotional response).

Motif

a recurring idea/symbol/image found in a work. Established through plot and symbols. Contributes largely to theme.

First-Person POV

indicated by the pronouns I, me, we, etc. - Narrator/speaker tells a story in which they are a character.

Second-Person POV

indicated by pronoun 'you' - Narrator tells a story in which the reader is a character.

Third-Person Limited-Omniscient POV

indicated by pronouns they, he, she, it, etc. Narrator is not a character in the story but knows the thoughts and feelings of only one or a select/limited set of characters.

Third-Person Objective POV

indicated by pronouns they, he, she, it, etc. Narrator is not a character in the story and knows only what is visible; does not know the thoughts or feelings of any characters. Like a fly on the wall.

Third-Person Omniscient POV

indicated by pronouns they, he, she, it, etc. Narrator is not a character in the story but knows everything about all the characters and events including inner thoughts, full backgrounds, etc.

Unreliable Narration

the narrator interprets events and intentions in their narration and thus influences (intentionally or unintentionally) the perceptions and attitudes of the audience. First-person narrators are more likely to be unreliable. Tone is meant to be seen as exaggerated or misleading.

Tone

the attitude that a character or narrator or author takes toward a given subject.