Unit 1: Literary Elements Notes (Page 1)

Imagery

• Definition: Imagery is language that appeals to the five senses (sight, taste, sound, touch, smell).
• Purpose: Writers use imagery to describe things they’ve seen or imagined; it helps create images in the reader’s mind.
• Sensory details: The five senses: sight, taste, sound, touch, smell.
• Example: "The big red apple was deliciously juicy."
• How imagery supports writing: Enhances setting, mood, and reader engagement by making experiences tangible.

Sound Devices

• Overview: Sound devices give a piece of writing a particular "sound" or auditory effect.
• Alliteration
  • Definition: Repetition of initial consonant sounds in words that are close together.
  • Example: "Garrison’s giraffe gobbled a lot of green grass."
• Onomatopoeia
  • Definition: Use of words that imitate their sounds.
  • Example: "The cash register popped open with a bang!"
• Rhyme
  • Definition: Repetition of end sounds, typically used in poetry.
  • Note: Creates rhythm and musicality in lines.
• Repetition
  • Definition: Repetition of a word or phrase to emphasize a word, phrase, theme, or rhythm.
  • Example: (as a device to emphasize a point or motif; exact text not repeated here)
• Assonance
  • Definition: The repetition of accented vowel sounds.
  • Example: "What a fine day to go out and play, what do you say?"
• Distinctions: Repetition emphasizes a point or theme; alliteration, assonance, and rhyme contribute to sound-patterning and mood.

Tone vs Mood

• Tone
  • Definition: The author’s attitude or feelings toward the subject.
• Mood
  • Definition: The reader’s emotional response or feeling.
• Relationship: Tone helps shape mood; a serious tone can create a concerned or worried mood in the reader.
• Example: The author may write with a serious tone creating a concerned mood in the reader.

Figurative Language

• Definition: Figurative language uses imaginative comparisons to help you see the world in new ways; it conveys meaning beyond literal interpretation.
• Idiom
  • Definition: An expression whose meaning is different from the literal words used.
  • Examples: "a piece of cake"; "at the drop of a hat"
• Simile
  • Definition: A comparison between unlike things that includes the word like or as.
  • Example: "It was as cold as an ice cube."
• Metaphor
  • Definition: A comparison between two unlike things that does not include the words like or as; uses linking verbs to connect.
  • Example: "Life is a highway."
  • Note: Linking verbs are often used in metaphors (e.g., Life is a highway).
• Personification
  • Definition: A description of an object, animal, or idea as if it were human or had human qualities.
  • Example: "My flowers were thirsty for water."
• Hyperbole
  • Definition: A figure of speech that uses exaggeration to create a special effect.
  • Example: "That language arts book weighs a ton!"