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. Analogy A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them Conceit unusual and elaborate comparison between two very different things Allegory a prolonged metaphor, a narrative in which characters, objects, and events have underlaying political, religious, moral, or social meanings Metonymy the use of the name of one thing for that of another associated or suggested by it. Synecdoche a part of something stands for the whole. Anaphora the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses Epistrophe Repetition of the same word or group of words at the ends of successive clauses Eponym a person whose name is, or is thought to be, the source of the name of something Epiphany a sudden insight or understanding. An intuitive grasp of reality achieved in a quick flash of recognition in which something, usually simple and commonplace, is seen in a new light Stream of consciousness a style of writing that portrays the inner and often chaotic workings of a speaker's mind through interior monologue Antithesis the direct opposite, a sharp contrast Chiasmus a pattern in which the second part is balanced against the first, but with the parts reversed. Asyndeton the practice of leaving out the usual conjunctions between coordinate sentence elements. Polysyndeton the use of more conjunctions than is normal.