literary devices Flashcards
allusion
referencing well-known people, events, / works of literature
allusion effects
effects:
- enriches text
- adds depth, cultural / historical context
- invites audience to make connections & interpretations
antithesis
expressing an opposition / contrast of ideas
antithesis effects
effects:
- creates a sense of balance / tension
- highlight diff. between concepts
- emphasises key pts
- creates a memorable contrast
caesura
a break / pause between words within a metrical foot / near the middle of a line
→ usually marked by punctuation
caesura effects
effects:
- breaks regular flow of rhythm & metre
→ creating a momentary interruption
- emphasises words / ideas before & after the pause
- builds tension / drama
- may symbolise a turning pt. / moment of reflection ( at critical moment )
diction
choice & arrangement of words
diction effects
effects:
- helps to establish tone & atmosphere
- conveys characters’ personalities & social status
- enhances overall meaning & impact
ecphonesis
emotional exclamation
ecphonesis effects
effects:
- conveys strong emotions
- adds emphasis / urgency
- enhances dramatic effect of a particular moment
enjambment
continuation of a sentence / thought w/o a pause beyond the end of a line
enjambment effects
effects:
- creates a sense of flow & rhythm
- adds momentum to language
- creates unexpected / dramatic effects
- creates a sense of urgency / continuity ( context dependent )
foreshadowing
( dramatic device * )
warning / indication / hinting of a future event
foreshadowing effects
effects:
- builds suspense & anticipation
- prepares audience for significant plot developments
- creates a sense of inevitability & fate
hyperbole
exaggeration
hyperbole effects
effects:
- emphasis / dramatic effect
- heightens intensity of emotions, actions, / descriptions
→ creating vivid & memorable imagery
→ engaging audience’s attention
imagery
using sensory details to create vivid mental pictures
imagery types
types:
1. visual ( sight )
2. auditory ( sound )
3. olfactory ( smell )
4. gustatory ( taste )
5. tactile ( touch )
6. kinesthetic ( movement )
7. organic ( related to sensations within the body, e.g. hunger, thirst, fear, fatigue … )
synaesthesia: mix of senses
imagery effects
effects:
- generates a vibrant & graphic presentation of a scene
→ appealing to audience’s senses
→ more immersive & impactful text
- evokes emotions
- helps to establish settings, convey moods / atmospheres
irony
a mode of expression, through words ( verbal irony ) / events ( situational irony ), converting a reality diff. from & usually opposite of appearances / expectations
irony types
- verbal irony
- situational irony
- dramatic irony
irony effects
effects:
- generates humour
- creates suspense & tension
- foreshadowing
- critical / social commentary
→ highlighting inconsistencies encourages audience to reflect on societal norms & values
juxtaposition
places 2 contrasting ideas, characters, / situations side by side
juxtaposition effects
effects:
- highlights diff. / similarities
- creates tension & emphasis
malapropism
the mistaken use of a word in place of a similar-sounding one, often w/ an amusing effect
malapropism effects
effects:
- involves wordplay & puns
- injects humour & comic relief
- creates contrast between intended meaning & actual word used
→ possibly serving as satire / social commentary
→ dramatic irony through miscommunication
- portraying characters as eccentric, unaware, / uneducated
- influences overall mood & atmosphere
→ light-heartedness in comedic contexts
→ levity in serious contexts
metaphor
vivid comparison of describing 1 thing in terms of another; a thing regarded as representative / symbolic of s/t else
metaphor effects
effects:
- evokes imagery
- stimulates imagination
- offers new insights into familiar concepts / emotions
- more intense than simile
→ shifting from similes to metaphors creates intensification effect
motif
recurring element, e.g. image, symbol, / theme, that contributes to the overall meaning & structure of the text
motif effects
- adds depth, coherence, & unity to the text
oxymoron
combines 2 contradictory terms / ideas
oxymoron effects
effects:
- creates a sense of paradox
- adds complexity & depth
- prompts audience to think critically about the apparent contradiction
personification
attributes human qualities / characteristics to non-human entities
personification effects
effects:
- brings inanimate objects / abstract concepts to life
→ relatability
pun
play on words that exploits multiple meanings / similar sounds of words
pun effects
effects:
- adds humour, wit, & verbal agility
→ showcasing writer’s linguistic prowess
→ engaging audience’s attention
repetition
involves the deliberate use of words, phrases, / sounds
repetition types
types:
1. anaphora
2. epistrophe
3. chiasmus
4. antimetabole ( type of chiasmus )
5. parallelism
repetition effects
effects:
- reinforces & emphasise key ideas / themes
→ sense of importance / significance
- creates rhythm & musicality / lyrical qlty. to language
- juxtapose contrasting ideas / elements
→ sense of irony
- balanced structure creates a pleasing symmetry ( chiasmus, antimetabole, epistrophe, parallelism )
→ sense of order
anaphora
rhetorical device involving a repetition of a word / grp of words in successive clauses
epistrophe
each sentence / clause ends w/ the same work
chiasmus
repetition of similar concepts within a repeated grammatical structure, in a reversed order
→ inversion
antimetabole ( type of chiasmus )
pair of words repeated in reverse order
parallelism
repetition of similarly constructed lines w/ some key diff. for emphasis / impact
simile
compare 2 unlike things using “like” / “as” / “than”
simile effects
effects:
- paints a vivid picture
- creates associations
- evokes specific emotions / moods
sound devices types
- assonance
- consonance
- alliteration
- sibilance
sound devices effects
effects:
- creates a musical & rhythmic qlty. in language
- emphasises specific words / phrases
- makes language more memorable
- achieves a particular effect of euphony ( assonance )
- adds a soft, flowing, hissing qlty. to language ( sibilance )
→ creating a specific auditory effect
assonance
repetition of similar vowel sounds, usually close together
consonance
close repetition of identical consonant sounds within / at the end of words
alliteration ( type of consonance )
repetition of consonants, usually initial sounds / stressed syllables, in close proximity
sibilance
recurrence of ‘s’ sounds
( ‘s’, ‘sh’ )
symbolism
uses specific & concrete objects, characters, / actions to represent deeper meanings / concepts & abstract ideas
symbolism effects
effects:
- adds layers of meaning
→ allowing for exploration of themes, motifs, etc
tone effects
effects:
- establishes emotional atmosphere
- evokes audience’s emotional responses
- reveals playwright’s / poet’s perspective & stance
( dramatic device* )
