Literary devices

Connotation

the feelings or ideas that a word suggests; the concepts and feelings we associate with the word

Ex.The dog is a mutt (meaning messy, inferior, not well-cared for).

Charged diction

words that carry a significant emotional weight; using the connotations of words to play on the audience’s emotions

Ex.I vowed to never let my daughter dress in DIsney merchandise as the franchise exemplifies capitalist conspiracy to brainwash innocents into overconsumption and economic entitlement.

Sibilance

the repetition of the "s" sound; the creation of a hissing sound or rhythm in written and spoken language developed through the repetition of the "s" sound

NOTE: Sibilance often suggest symbolism.

We associate the "hiss" sound with snakes.

We also associate it with "waves," etc. It is usually euphonious, but can also be cacophonous - depending on the choice of diction

Ex.Professor Severus Snape from Slytherin House

End rhyme

when the last syllables in words rhyme; when the words at the end of lines of poetry rhyme

EX: I have a cat. Its name is Rat.

Internal rhyme

when syllables other than the last syllables of words rhyme; rhyme that occurs in the middle of lines of poetry, rather than at the end

EX: My cat's name is Rat.

It stays at home and uses a comb.

Analogy

a comparison created for impact or meaning; a literary device that uses a familiar concept to explain a more complicated or remote subject by way of comparison.You can write a simile or metaphor and it’s also an analogy

Her face opened to the sky like a sunflower ready to face the heat and the glow and the breeze.

Symbolism

the use of words or images to represent specific concepts, people, objects, or events; figurative or implied representations;indirect representation

Ex."there was a butterfly on his chin"

Conventional symbolism

symbols/representations that are well-known or universal; indirect representations that are easily recognized due to common knowledge

Ex."O my Luve is like a red, red rose"

Robert Burns

Hyperbole

Used to be ironic, call attention to an idea, or to emphasize something through exaggeration

Ex.That helmet is bigger than the bike she’s about to get on.

Sensory imagery

Sensory imagery is a literary device that writers employ to engage a reader's mind on multiple levels. Sensory imagery explores human senses: sight (visual), sound (auditory), taste (gustatory), touch (tactile), and smell (olfactory), as well as the sensory experiences of movement (kinetic/kinesthetic) and temperature (thermal)

Juxtaposition

The deliberate placing of contrasting things side-by-side for comparative purposes. Juxtaposition highlights differences and each thing’s unique qualities

Ex.The juxtaposition of our faces compared to Dylan’s ensured we would buy this photo from the booth.

She is brave enough to be fresh, while we were all scared and screaming.

Catalog

A catalog is the literary term for a LIST

Anaphora/ epistrophe

the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses, phrases, or sentences

Ex. I am meeting Buddy the Elf and the Grinch, I am trying my best to be good, I am really hoping for a hamster this year.

Epistrophe is repetition at the end

Antithesis

Using strongly contrasting words, images, or ideas— typically expressed through parallelism

Ex. It was the WORST if times.

Oxymoron

a self-contradicting word or group of words

Ex."Why, then, O brawling love, O loving hate!" (Shakespeare

1.1.174).