PT 1) Literary Devices and Rhetorical Techniques for Analyzing Texts

Metaphor

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

Simile

A comparison using 'like' or 'as.'

Personification

Giving human traits to nonhuman things.

Hyperbole

An extreme exaggeration.

Alliteration

Repetition of the same consonant sounds at the beginning of words.

Onomatopoeia

Words that imitate natural sounds (e.g., 'buzz,' 'bang').

Symbolism

Using symbols to represent ideas or qualities.

Irony

A contrast between appearance and reality.

Situational Irony

When the opposite of what is expected occurs.

Dramatic Irony

When the audience knows something the characters do not.

Verbal Irony

Saying the opposite of what is meant (often sarcastic).

Foreshadowing

Hints about what will happen later in the story.

Flashback

A scene set in a time earlier than the main story.

Imagery

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses.

Tone

The author's attitude toward the subject.

Mood

The feeling created in the reader by the text.

Motif

A recurring element, such as a symbol or idea, that has significance.

Juxtaposition

Placing two elements side by side to present a contrast.

Paradox

A statement that seems contradictory but reveals a truth.

Oxymoron

A combination of contradictory words (e.g., 'jumbo shrimp').