Literary Devices

Antithesis E

“To err is human; to forgive divine” - “An Essay on Criticism” by Alexander Pope

Antithesis D

Makes contrasts to examine pros and cons of a subject • Helps readers make judgments on a particular subject

Apostrophe D

Provides a way for the writer to change gears by adding personal commentary • Personifies or brings to life something not living so the poet is able to address it • Directs speech to an abstract concept or person not physically present • Highlights the importance of an idea or object

Apostrophe E

Juliet: Yea, noise? Then I’ll be brief. O happy dagger! / This is thy sheath; there rust, and let me die. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Epithet E

“Thou mad mustachio purple-hued maltworms” - Henry IV by William Shakespeare

Epithet D

Describes characters and settings more vividly • Broadens the description of someone or an object making it easier to understand - Develops vivid images with fewer words

Metonymy E

”I’m mighty glad Georgia waited till after Christmas before it secedes or it would have ruined the Christmas parties.” - Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Metonymy D

Develops literary symbolism by giving more profound meanings to common ideas and objects • Aids writers in developing texts that reveal deeper or hidden messages • Helps achieve conciseness • Adds poetic color to words where simple things are described in a more creative way

Synecdoche E

“His eyes met hers as she sat there paler and whiter than anyone in the vast ocean of anxious faces about her.” - “The Lady or the Tiger?” by Frank R. Stockton

Synecdoche D

Develops literary symbolism • Give common objects/ideas deeper meanings • Allows for more succinct writing • Makes words more vivid

Parenthesis D

Makes writing more convincing since the reader sees the explanation quickly • Gives more explanation • Adds emphasis • Offers insight into true opinions and feelings • Creates humor when combined with hyperbole and understatement

Parenthesis E

”[I]n Calormen, story-telling (whether the stories are true or made up) is a thing you’re taught, just as English boys and girls are taught essay-writing. The difference is that people want to hear the stories, whereas I never heard of anyone who wanted to read the essays.” - The Horse and His Boy by C. S. Lewis

Litotes D

Uses ironic understatement to emphasize an idea or situation • Minimizes the importance of an idea or situation • Provides a unique way to attract attention to an idea

Litotes E

“Indeed, it is not uncommon for slaves even to fall out and quarrel among themselves about the relative goodness of their masters, each contending for the superior goodness of his own over that of the others.” - Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave by Frederick Douglass