Literary Devices Flashcards
Pathetic Fallacy
Weather/Nature reflects inner experience of a narrator or other characters
Calm peaceful wind
Sets mood, shows intensity of emotions
Anaphora
Repeating of words at beginning of clause, phrase or sentence
“I have a dream “ speech
Allusion
Unexplained reference to something like famous works/individuals
Chocolate was her Achilles heel
Anadiplosis
When a word at the end of clause is repeated near the beginning of the following clause
When you LOVE, LOVE with all your heart
Gives persuasive/urgent effect
Oxymoron
Two contradictory terms or ideas intentionally paired together
proud humility
Convey strong opposing emotions that often occur together
Dramatic irony
Audience has knowledge of critical information while characters are in the dark
Audience sees Mick sneaking up on Davies
Rhetorical Question
Question asked for another reason than to get an answer
What would you do?
Polysyndeton
Coordinating conjunctions such as ‘and’ are used several times in succession
we ate roast beef and squash and biscuits and potatoes and com and cheese
Emphasises each element hence more memorable, overwhelms, childlike exuberance
Internal Rhyme
Rhyme that occurs in the middle of lines in poetry
I drove myself to the lake
And dove into the water
Musical, Rhythm
Enjambment
Continuation of a sentence across a line break without terminating punctuation mark
I wonder, by my troth, what thou and I/Did, till we loved?
Hyperbole
Exaggerates for the sake of emphasis
My bag weighs a tonne
Asyndeton
Omitting words like ‘and’, ‘or’, ‘but’
I expect my dog to chew my pillows, my cat to claw my furniture
Makes elements the same level, taps on readers’ imagination to possibility of other elements. Prob used alongside caesurae
Onomatopoeia
Words evoke the actual sound of the thing they describe
Boom Ticktock Dingdong
Vivid imagery
Assonance
Same vowel sounds repeats within a group of words
I might like to take a flight to an island in the sKY
Repeated sound can resonate the meaning or evoke emotion (‘o’ sound as low and unnerving)
Situational Irony
Unexpected, paradoxical or perverse turn of events
wife cuts hair to buy chain for husband, husband buys sells watch to buy comb for wife
That people are always at mercy of unpredictable universe
Verbal irony
What they say is different from what they mean
“well that was pleasant’ after the dentist
shows wit or stupidity
Metaphor
Compares different things by saying that one thing is the other
Love is War
communicate personal or imaginary experiences
End rhyme
Rhymes that occur in the final words of lines of poetry
And having none, yet I keep
A heart to weep for thee
Epizeuxis
Words or phrase is repeated in immediate succession
Words, words, words
Forceful, vehement tone–>minor rallying cry/despair
Symbolism
Using one thing to represent something more abstract
Buddha represents patience
Alliteration
Some sound repeats in groups of words (either in the first letter or in the stressed syllables)
Eg. Bob brought box of bricks to the basement
Personification
Non human things described with human attributes
The clouds have given it all
Weather/Nature reflects inner experience of a narrator or other characters
Calm peaceful wind
Sets mood, shows intensity of emotions
Pathetic Fallacy
Repeating of words at beginning of clause, phrase or sentence
“I have a dream “ speech
Anaphora
Unexplained reference to something like famous works/individuals
Chocolate was her Achilles heel
Allusion
When a word at the end of clause is repeated near the beginning of the following clause
When you LOVE, LOVE with all your heart
Gives persuasive/urgent effect
Anadiplosis
Two contradictory terms or ideas intentionally paired together
proud humility
Convey strong opposing emotions that often occur together
Oxymoron
Audience has knowledge of critical information while characters are in the dark
Audience sees Mick sneaking up on Davies
Dramatic irony
Question asked for another reason than to get an answer
What would you do?
Rhetorical Question
Coordinating conjunctions such as ‘and’ are used several times in succession
we ate roast beef and squash and biscuits and potatoes and com and cheese
Emphasises each element hence more memorable, overwhelms, childlike exuberance
Polysyndeton
Rhyme that occurs in the middle of lines in poetry
I drove myself to the lake
And dove into the water
Musical, Rhythm
Internal Rhyme
Continuation of a sentence across a line break without terminating punctuation mark
I wonder, by my troth, what thou and I/Did, till we loved?
Enjambment
Exaggerates for the sake of emphasis
My bag weighs a tonne
Hyperbole
Omitting words like ‘and’, ‘or’, ‘but’
I expect my dog to chew my pillows, my cat to claw my furniture
Makes elements the same level, taps on readers’ imagination to possibility of other elements. Prob used alongside caesurae
Asyndeton
Words evoke the actual sound of the thing they describe
Boom Ticktock Dingdong
Vivid imagery
Onomatopoeia
Same vowel sounds repeats within a group of words
I might like to take a flight to an island in the sKY
Repeated sound can resonate the meaning or evoke emotion (‘o’ sound as low and unnerving)
Assonance
Unexpected, paradoxical or perverse turn of events
wife cuts hair to buy chain for husband, husband buys sells watch to buy comb for wife
That people are always at mercy of unpredictable universe
Situational Irony
What they say is different from what they mean
“well that was pleasant’ after the dentist
shows wit or stupidity
Verbal irony
Compares different things by saying that one thing is the other
Love is War
communicate personal or imaginary experiences
Metaphor
Rhymes that occur in the final words of lines of poetry
And having none, yet I keep
A heart to weep for thee
End rhyme
Words or phrase is repeated in immediate succession
Words, words, words
Forceful, vehement tone–>minor rallying cry/despair
Epizeuxis
Using one thing to represent something more abstract
Buddha represents patience
Symbolism
Some sound repeats in groups of words (either in the first letter or in the stressed syllables)
Eg. Bob brought box of bricks to the basement
Alliteration
Non human things described with human attributes
The clouds have given it all
Personification
