literary terms i miss mrs kim

1. Metaphor - a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable/ a comparison between two objects or concepts that aren’t alike but have something in common. Ex. “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players…” -William Shakespeare; “All religions, arts, and sciences are branches of the same tree.” -Albert Einstein 

2. Simile - a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid. Uses “like” or “as”. Ex. “As brave as a lion”; “As busy as a bee” 

3. Personification - the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form. Ex. “The flowers danced to the wind.”; “I felt like the food kept calling me.” 

4. Symbolism - the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities. Ex. Red roses represent romance.; A dove represents peace. 

5. Verbal Irony - irony in which a person says or writes one thing and means another, or uses words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of the literal meaning. Ex. When someone spills coffee just before an important meeting and they say, “Just what I needed.”; A student can’t seem to find where his laptop went, and he is on the verge of being late. He remarks, “This is great.” 

6. Situational Irony - a literary device that occurs when the outcome of a situation is different from what was expected, often creating a surprising twist. Ex.  A police station being robbed.; A goalie accidentally kicks the ball into his own goal. 

7. Dramatic Irony - the situation in which the audience of a play knows something that the characters do not know. Ex. Romeo thinks that Juliet is dead and commits suicide before her grave with poison, oblivious that she is still alive. Meanwhile, the all-knowing audience watches the scene unfold, powerless.; A Titanic character leaning on the balcony right before the ship hits the iceberg says, "It's so beautiful I could just die," 

8. Sarcasm - the use of irony to mock or convey contempt. Ex. “You have been soooo helpful.” (spoken to someone who hasn’t helped out at all); “My goodness, Captain Obvious.” (spoken to someone who pointed out the obvious) 

9. Hyperbole - exaggerated claims or statements that are not meant to be taken literally. Ex. “I haven’t seen you in ages!”; “That class was an eternity long.” 

10. Alliteration - the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words. Ex.“Peter Piper picked a peck of peppers.”; “She sells seashells by the seashore” 

11. Onomatopoeia - the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named. “The fireworks boomed in the night sky”; “The door banged open” 

12. Allegory - a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one. Ex. Animal Farm by George Orwell; biblical allegories 

13. Allusion - an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference.   

13A. “That’s my Achilles’ Heel!” 

13B. “Your nose is progressively growing.”   

14. Ambiguity -  the quality of being open to more than one interpretation; inexactness. Ex. “I’m going to run the program to see if it works.”; “The system is down.” 

15. Connotation - an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning. Ex. Peace: Has a positive connotation.; Lithe: Has a connotation of attractiveness and elegance 

16. Denotation - the literal or primary meaning of a word, in contrast to the feelings or ideas that the word suggests. Ex. The blueberry was blue.; The girl was cold. 

17. Character Foil - a literary device that contrasts with another character, usually the protagonist, to highlight certain aspects of the protagonist. Ex. George and Lennie from the novella Of Mice and Men are examples of character foils. George is small and clever, while Lennie is big and unintelligent. Napoleon and Snowball from the novella Animal Farm are examples of character foils. Napoleon resembles Joseph Stalin, while Snowball represents Leon Trotsky. 

18. Foreshadowing - be a warning or indication of (a future event). Ex. "Jack saw the empty bottle of medicine and told himself to remember to refill his prescription."; The menacing music in Jaws is an example of foreshadowing, because it always plays just before the shark arrives on the scene. 

19. Imagery - visually descriptive or figurative language, especially in a literary work. 

“There was sweet sea salt toffee, boxed sticky buns that dripped with thick syrup and golden walnuts, tiny pastries that oozed plum jelly, and so much more” (Grace 38); “Sylas faced the window next to him, where distant paved streets gave way to a glistening ocean” (Grace 37). 

20. Motif - a repeated pattern, such as an image, sound, word, or symbol, that appears throughout a story and has symbolic significance. Ex. The conch shell in the Lord of the Flies represents order and communication between the boys on the island; Roses represent love in Romeo and Juliet. 

21. Parody - an imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect. Ex. Nightlight: A Parody (Twilight parody); "Saturday Night Live" and "The Daily Show" are parodies of actual news broadcasts. 

22. Point of View -  the perspective from which a story is told 

23. Static Character - a literary or dramatic character that doesn't change much or at all throughout a story 

24. Dynamic Character -  a character who undergoes a significant internal change over the course of a story