Lit Devices Pt 2: Figurative Language Flashcards
Allusion
Reference to someone or something that is known from history, literature, religion, politics, sports, science, or another branch of culture; an indirect reference to something usually from literature
Ambiguity
Deliberately suggesting two or more different, and sometimes conflicting, meanings in a work
Aphorism
Brief, cleverly worded statement that makes a wise observation about life, or of a principle or general truth, i.e. “the journey of 1000 miles begins with one step“ – Lao Tau; also known as a maxim or epigram
Conceit
An elaborate metaphor that compares two things that are startlingly different; often called an extended metaphor
Conflict
The struggle between opposing forces or characters in the story
External Conflict
Conflicts that can exist between two people or between a person and nature, machine, society, etc.
Internal Conflict
A conflict involving opposing forces within a person’s mind (man vs self)
Double Entendre
A word or phrase open to two interpretations, one of which is usually irony, risqué, or indecent
Hypophora
A figure of speech in which the speaker both asks a question and immediately answers it
Idiom
A saying, phrase, or fixed expression in a culture that has a figurative meaning different from its literal meaning, i.e. it’s raining cats and dogs
Irony
The discrepancy between appearances and reality
Verbal Irony
When someone says something but means something else
Situational Irony
A discrepancy between what is expected to occur and what actually occurs
Dramatic Irony
When the audience or reader knows the truth, but the character does not
Juxtaposition
Poetic and rhetorical device in which normally and associated ideas, words, or phrases our place next to one another, creating an effect of surprise and wit
Motif
A recurring image, word, phrase, action, idea, object, or situation used throughout a work (or in several works by the same author), unifying the work by tying the current situation to previous ones, or new ideas to the theme
Paradox
A statement that appears self-contradictory, but that reveals a kind of truth
Synesthesia
When a writer presents an idea in such a manner that it appeals to more than one sense simultaneously, thus creating additional layers of meaning, i.e. “back to the region where the sun is silent.“ -Dante’s Inferno
Theme
The insight about human life that is revealed in a literary work
Tone
The attitude a writer takes toward the subject of a work, the characters in it, or the audience, revealed through diction, figurative language, and organization
Zeugma
A figure of speech in which a word applies to two others in different senses (i.e. John and his license expired last week.) or to two others of which it semantically suits only one (i.e. with weeping eyes and hearts)
