Literary Devices ELA 10H

Allegory

A story or poem which relies upon symbols to teach a lesson (eg: all of the Parables are allegories).

Anachronism

Something taken/used out of its place and time; often seen in Shakespeare’s writings.

Antithesis

Contrasting ideas expressed in a balanced grammatical structure – matching phrases separated by a comma.

Apostrophe

To address a person or thing not present as if it were present.

Archetype

A pattern or concept common to people of different times and cultures (eg: good, evil, hero, villain etc.)

Aside

Comments meant for only the audience to hear. Usually for ironic effect.

Assonance

Repetition of the same vowel sound in a line of poetry.

Connotation

The field of associations which surround a word (eg: black connoted evil, death, darkness, danger).

Consonance

The repetition of identical consonant sounds.

Denotation

The exact dictionary definition of a word.

Diction

The use and type of words in a literary work. It may be described as formal, informal, colloquial, or slang.

Didactic Poem

A poem which is intended primarily to teach a lesson.

Enjambment

The syntax or cadence in a line of poetry carries the reader into the next line.

Euphemism

The use of a pleasant-sounding word or phrase to avoid talking about the unpleasant reality.

Extended metaphor

An implied analogy, or comparison, which is carried throughout a stanza or an entire poem

Internal Rhyme

Rhyme that occurs within a line, rather than at the end.

Lyric Poem

Any short poem that presents a single speaker who expresses thoughts and feelings. Sonnets and odes are this type of poem.

Meter

This emphasizes the musical quality of the language. Each unit is known as a foot.

Metonymy

An object / institution / person is given the name of something else with which it is associated.

Oxymoron

An expression that combines opposite or contradictory ideas in two words (eg: jumbo shrimp).

Paradox

An apparently contradictory statement, with an element of truth in it.

Pathetic fallacy

Nature reflects the feelings of the characters and the mood of the events in the story

Poetic Justice

Justice as it should be – the good are rewarded and the evil punished.

Rhythm

The recurrence of stressed and unstressed syllables – often to mimic speech patterns.

Satire

Literature exposing the follies or weaknesses of a person or institution – think Saturday Night Live

Soliloquy

A character, alone on stage, reveals their innermost thoughts / desires.

Synecdoche

A part of something signifies the whole (eg: “All hands on deck.”).

litotes / understatement

Saying less about something than is true. A statement that minimizes the importance of what is meant.