Literary Terms and Poetic Devices

allusion

a reference, explicit or implicit, to previous literature or history

characterization

the author's expression of a character's personality through the use of action, dialogue, thought, or commentary by the author or another character

conflict

the struggle within the story

diction

the author’s choice of words

imagery

the verbal representation of sensory experience

point of view

the vantage point from which the author presents action of the story

symbolism

related to imagery - something which is itself yet stands for or means something else

syntax

the way words are arranged within sentences

Theme

the statement about life a particular work is trying to get across to the reader; moral of the story

tone

the expression of attitude; the writer’s (or narrator’s) implied attitude toward his subject and audience

simile

A comparison of two or more unlike things using connective words such as “like” or “as“

Example: “My love is like a red rose.”

metaphor

a comparison of two or more unlike things

Example: “My love is a red rose.” (compares “love” to “rose”)

personification

giving inanimate or non-human objects human characteristics

Example: “On a clear day, the sun smiles on the earth below.”

apostrophe

addressing someone absent or something non-human as if it were alive and present and able to reply.

Example: “Roll on, thou deep and dark blue ocean—roll!”

metonymy

the use of something closely related for the thing actually meant.

Example: “The White House announced today . . . “

synecdoche

the use of the part for the whole

Example: “. . . if you read this line, remember not the hand that writ it”

alliteration

repetition of INITIAL consonant sounds

Example: Tried and True

assonance

repetition of vowel sounds

Example: the chAlk wAll fAlls to the foam

consonance

repetition of NON-INITIAL consonants

Example: noR the fuRious

onomatopeia

word imitates sound of object or action described

Example: it CRACKED, and GROWLED, and ROARED, and HOWLED. . .

cacophony

harsh or discordant sound pattern deliberately used

Example: “with throats unslaked with black lips baked...”

hyperbole

overstatement, exaggeration

understatement

saying less than one means

paradox

an apparent contradiction that is in fact true

oxymoron

a pairing of two contrasting words

irony

The use of words to express something different from and often opposite to their literal meaning

verbal irony

saying the opposite of what one means

dramatic irony

contrast between what the speaker says and what the author means; when the reader knows something the character does not know

situational irony

discrepancy between actual circumstances and those that would seem appropriate

expletive

a single word or short phrase, usually interrupting normal syntax, used to lend emphasis to the words

asyndeton

consists of omitting conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses. In a list of items, it gives the effect of unpremeditated multiplicity, of an extemporaneous rather than a labored account

polysyndeton

the use of a conjunction between each word, phrase, or clause

litotes

a particular form of understatement; generated by denying the opposite or contrary of the word which otherwise would be used. Depending on the tone and context of the usage, it either retains the effect of understatement, or becomes an intensifying expression.

Parallelism

recurrent syntactical similarity. Several parts of a sentence or several sentences are expressed similarly to show that the ideas in the parts or sentences are equal in importance. It also adds balance and rhythm and, most importantly, clarity to the sentence

Chiasmus

Opposite of Parallelism. If parallelism follows A, B structure, then this follows the B,A for the second half.

For example:

Original Sentence: "What is learned unwillingly is forgotten gladly"

After using this technique: “What is learned unwillingly is gladly forgotten."