Title: Literary Devices
1Literary Devices
2What are literary devices?Literary devices are
techniques writers use to engage their readers
beyond the literal meaning of the text.
3Alliteration Repetition of the same beginning
sound in a sequence. Examples Drew drew
Drew Reshetar rides rollercoasters drowning in
debt a sea of sea shells
4Example 1 From the time I was really
little-maybe just few months old-words were like
sweet, liquid gifts, and I drank them
like emonade. Out of My Mind by Sharon
Draper Example 2 Tongue Twisters are great
examples of alliteration Three grey geese in a
green field grazing, Grey were the geese and
green was the grazing.
ALLITERATION
5Hyperbole A figure of speech in which
exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect. An
extravagant statement or figure of speech not
intended to be taken literally. Examples I
waited an eternity for summer to get here! He
could have slept for a year. This book weighs a
ton. Listen to the hyperbole of the next poem
by Jack Prelutsky.
6 I am making a pizza the size of the sun, a pizza
thats sure to weigh more than a ton, a pizza too
massive to pick up and toss, a pizza resplendent
with oceans of sauce. Im topping my pizza with
mountains of cheese, with acres of peppers,
pimentos, and peas, with mushrooms, tomatoes, and
sausage galore, with every last olive they had at
the store. My pizza is sure to be one of a
kind, my pizza will leave other pizzas behind, my
pizza will be a delectable treat that all who
love pizza are welcome to eat. The oven is hot,
I believe it will take a year and a half for my
pizza to bake. I hardly can wait till my pizza
is done, my wonderful pizza the size of the sun.
Hyperbole
Jack Prelutsky
7Imagery Descriptive words or phrases that
appeal to the 5 senses sight, sound, touch,
taste, and smell- creating a picture in the
readers mind. What is the mental picture or
image you are left with after reading the
passage from The Most Dangerous Game
8He leaped upon the rail and balanced himself
there, to get greater elevation his pipe,
striking a rope, was knocked from his mouth. He
lunged for it a short, hoarse cry came from his
lips as he realized he had reached too far and
had lost his balance. The cry was pinched off
short as the blood-warm waters of the Caribbean
Sea closed over his head.He struggle up to
the surface and tried to cry out, but the wash
from the speeding yacht slapped him in the face
and the salt water in his open mouth made him
gag.The Most Dangerous Game by Richard
Connell
Imagery
9Metaphor A figure of speech in which two
things are compared, usually by saying one thing
is another, or by substituting a more descriptive
word for the more common or usual word that would
be expected. Examples the world's a
stage he was a lion in battle drowning in debt a
sea of troubles.
10 God looked around His garden And saw an empty
space He then looked down upon this Earth And
saw your tired face He knew that you were
suffering He knew you were in pain He knew that
you would never Get well on Earth again He knew
the roads were getting rough The mountains hard
to climb So he puts his arms around you and
Whispered Peace be Thine He closed your weary
eyelids And lifted you for rest This garden must
be beautiful He only takes the best Written by an
anonymous teenager.
metaphor
11Onomatopoeia A figure of speech in which words
are used to imitate sounds. Examples
crash buzz quack zoom
12 ONOMATOTODAY In the morning yawn, stretch to
the bathroom scratch, blink in the
shower scrub, splash to the closet whisk,
rustle down the hall thump, creak in the
kitchen clank, clink to the car click, slam on
the road honk, screech at the office tick,
ring out to lunch munch, slurp return
home thug, moan on to bed shuffle, snore Cathy
Christensen
Onomatopoeia
13Personification A figure of speech in which
things or ideas are given human attributes.
Examples Dead leaves dance in the wind Blind
justice Winter wrapped her cold fingers around
me
14The high mountain wind coasted sighing through
the pass and whistled on the edges big block of
broken granite A scar of green grass cut
across the flat. And behind the flat another
mountain rose, desolate with dead rocks and
starving little black bushes Flight by John
Steinbeck
Personification
15Repetition A word or line that is repeated,
usually to evoke an emotion or create a rhythm.
16There were so many important moments. If Id
missed the ticket, I wouldnt be here. If I
hadnt gone to the show, I wouldnt be here. If I
hadnt stuck around to see what Steve was up to,
I wouldnt be here. If I hadnt stolen Madam
Octa, I wouldnt be here. If Id said no to Mr.
Crepsleys offer, I wouldnt be here. A world
of ifs, but it made no difference. What was
done was done. If I could go back in time
Cirque Du Freak by Darren Shan
Repetition
17Rhyme The occurrence of the same sound at the
end of two or more words. Examples cat /
hat desire / fire steak / fake
18English is a Pain! (Pane) Rain, Reign,
rein, English is a pain. Although the words
Sound just alike The spellings not the
same! Bee, Be, B Id rather climb a tree Than
learn to spell The same old word, Not just one
way, but three! Sight, Site, Cite I try with all
my might. No matter which I finally choose, Its
not the one thats right! There, Their,
Theyre, Enough to make you swear. Too many
ways To write one sound, I just dont think its
fair! To, Two, Too So whats a kid to do? I
think Ill do To live on Mars And leave this mess
with ewe! (you?) By Shirlee Curlee Bingham
Rhyme
19Simile A figure of speech in which two things
are compared using the word like or as.
Examples She felt like a wilted flower. The
boy charged in the room like a bull! This class
is like a 3 ring circus!
20The aliens have landed! Its distressing, but
theyre here. They piloted their flying
saucer Through our atmosphere. They landed like
a meteor Engulfed in smoke and flame. Then out
they climbed immersed in slime And burbled as
they came. Their hands are greasy
tentacles. Their heads are weird machines. Their
bodies look like cauliflower And smell like dead
sardines. Their blood is liquid helium. Their
eyes are made of granite. Their breath exudes the
stench of foods From some unearthly planet. And
if you want to see these Sickly, unattractive
creatures, Youll find them working in your
school They all got jobs as teachers!
SimiLe
Kenn Nesbitt
21Stanza Two or more lines of poetry that
together form one of the divisions of a poem.
poem stanza as story __________? Stanza
paragraph of the poem Read the following poem-
how many stanzas are there?
This drawing represents a poem with 2 stanzas
with 4 lines each.
22-
- They are aggressive and bossy,Also timid
and shy.They know all the answers,But still
will ask why?They are awkward and
clumsy,Sometimes graceful and poised.They are
ever changing,But do not be annoyed.What is a
Middle Schooler?I was asked one day.They are
the future unfolding,So do not stand in their
way!Written by an anonymous teenager
- What is a Middle Schooler?What is a middle
schoolerI was asked one day.I knew what they
wereBut what should I say?They are noise and
confusion They are silent that is deepAlso
sunshine and laughter,Or a cloud that will
weep. - They are swift as an arrow.They are
wasters of time.They want to be rich, But
cannot save a dime!They are rude and
nasty.They are as polite as can be.They want
parental guidance,But fight to be free.
Stanza
23PunThe use of a word in a way that plays on
its different meanings. ExampleNoticing the
bunch of bananas, the hungry gorilla went ape.I
recently spent money on detergent to unclog my
kitchen sink. It was money down the drain.
24Symbolism The use of one thing to represent
another. ExampleA dove is a symbol of
peace.
The donkey symbolizes The elephant symbolize
The flag the Democratic Party. the
Republican Party. represents
freedom.
25Idiom
Idioms are phrases or expressions that have
hidden meanings. The expressions don't mean
exactly what the words say. NOT LITERAL The
language peculiar to a people or to a district,
community, or class dialect Example Its
raining cats and dogs. Things got a little out of
hand. Does the cat have your tongue.
26Irony
- Language that conveys a certain idea by saying
just the opposite. - Examples
- The Titanic was promoted as being 100
unsinkable but, in 1912 the ship sank on its
maiden voyage. - You beg your parents to let you have a kitten,
then you discover youre deathly allergic
to them.
27Analogy
- A comparison made between two things that may
initially seem to have little in common - Used for illustration and/or argument.
- Example
- Hand is to glove Foot is to sock
- Happy is to sad Hot is to cold
28BONUS Words
29Allusion
- Reference to a statement, person, place, event,
or thing that is known from literature, history,
religion, myth, politics, sports, science, or the
arts - Examples
- "Christy didn't like to spend money. She was no
Scrooge, but she seldom purchased anything except
the bare necessities".
30- Allusion
- Ex The students were sure that their teacher had
drunk from the river Styx because of her complete
inattention to their pranks. - Your examplethink of a recent example youve
heard or seen in which someone references a
well-known work
31Euphemism
- to speak well in the place of the blunt,
disagreeable, terrifying or offensive term. - Example
- death becomes to pass away
- Victorians first used limb for leg
- Letting someone go instead of firing someone
- Use the rest room instead of go to the bathroom
32Extension Terms
33AssonanceThe repetition of vowel sounds.
Example Days wane away Each beach beast thinks
he's the best beast The only other sound's the
sweep
34Assonance
- Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert
Frost - He gives his harness bells a shake
- To ask if there is some mistake.
- The only other sound's the sweep
- Of easy wind and downy flake.
-
- The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
- But I have promises to keep,
- And miles to go before I sleep,
- And miles to go before I sleep.
35Didactic
- Fiction or nonfiction that teaches a specific
lesson or moral or provides a model of correct
behavior or thinking. - Examples
- Aesops Fables-The Tortoise and the Hare
(Plodding wins the race.) - The Lion and the Mouse-(Little friends may
prove great friends)
36DIDACTIC
- The Ant and the Grasshopper ?An Aesop's Fable
- In a field one summer's day a Grasshopper was
hopping about, chirping and singing to its
heart's content. An Ant passed by, bearing along
with great toil an ear of corn he was taking to
the nest.??"Why not come and chat with me," said
the Grasshopper, "instead of toiling and moiling
in that way?"??"I am helping to lay up food for
the winter," said the Ant, "and recommend you to
do the same."??"Why bother about winter?" said
the Grasshopper we have got plenty of food at
present." But the Ant went on its way and
continued its toil. When the winter came the
Grasshopper had no food and found itself dying of
hunger, while it saw the ants?distributing every
day corn and grain from the stores they had
collected in the summer. Then the Grasshopper
knew - Moral of Aesops Fable It is best to prepare for
the days of necessity
37Paradox
- A seeming contradiction.
- Examples
- It was the best of times. It was the worst of
times. - You shouldn't go in the water until you know how
to swim. - Be cruel to be kind.-from Hamlet by
Shakespeare - "Some day you will be old enough to start reading
fairy tales again."?(C.S. Lewis to his godchild,
Lucy Barfield, to whom he dedicated The Lion, the
Witch and the Wardrobe)
38Satire
- A work that makes fun of something or someone.
- Examples
- Weekend Update from Saturday Night Live
- Most political cartoons in newspapers and
magazines
39Satire
- The Gift of the Magi, by O. Henry is a story of
two people, much in love, who are very poor and
want to give a Christmas gift to one another. She
is very proud of her long, beautiful hair and he
is equally proud of his pocket watch. The irony
comes in to play when she cuts and sells her hair
to buy him a chain for his watch, and he sells
the watch to buy her combs for her hair.
40Soliloquy
- A monologue in which a character expresses his or
her thoughts to the audience and does not intend
the other characters to hear them. - Examples
- To be or not to be, that is the question. from
Hamlet written by Shakespeare