Literary Devices Flashcards
6C. Evaluate how different literary elements shape the author's meaning. 7B. Analyze relationships among characteristics of poetry, including stanzas, line breaks, speaker, and sound devices in poems across a variety of poetic forms. 7C. Analyze the function of dramatic conventions. 7D. Analyze characteristics and structural elements of varying texts. 8E. Analyze the use of literary devices such as irony, sarcasm, and motif to achieve specific purposes.
Allegory
a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one
Animal Farm by George Orwell (1945)
“All that year the animals worked like slaves. But they were happy in their work; they grudged no effort or sacrifice, well aware that everything they did was for the benefit of themselves and those of their kind who would come after them, and not for a pack of idle, thieving human beings.”
Analysis: In George Orwell’s allegorical novel Animal Farm, overworked farm animals rise up against their owner and subscribe to the concepts of Animalism, which proclaims that “all men are enemies” and “all animals are comrades.” The animals, who now work “like slaves” for the “benefit of themselves and those of that their kind,” run a society that mirrors that of the Russian Revolution. Orwell’s use of animals to describe contemporary political events creates distance between his novel and his potentially incendiary critique of the rise of Communism, which makes the topic more approachable.
Alliteration
the repetition of the same sound at the beginning of successive words
Ronald Reagan’s Address at the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial (1988)
Our liberties, our values — all for which America stands — is safe today because brave men and women have been ready to face the fire at freedom’s front. And we thank God for them.
Analysis: Reagan acknowledges that the veterans of the Vietnam War were prepared to “face the fire at freedom’s front.” Through his use of alliteration, Reagan emphasizes the soldiers’ willingness to sacrifice themselves for freedom, focusing the audience’s attention on the value of the veterans’ deeds.
Allusion
a reference, explicit or implicit, to something outside the text
“I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King, Jr. (1963)
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.
Analysis: King begins his speech with both an indirect and direct allusion to Abraham Lincoln’s “Emancipation Proclamation.” The first phrase of King’s speech, “Five score years ago,” directly mirrors Lincoln’s historic speech, which opens with “four score and seven years ago.” By associating himself with a prominent figure in the fight against injustice, King implies that he shares Lincoln’s values and establishes a sympathetic relationship with his audience.
Analogy
an extended comparison between two things/instances/people etc. that share some similarity to make a point
“What True Education Should Do” by Sydney J. Harris (1994)
Pupils are more like oysters than sausages. The job of teaching is not to stuff them and then seal them up, but to help them open and reveal the riches within. There are pearls in each of us, if only we knew how to cultivate them with ardor and persistence.
Analysis: Harris compares students to oysters whom we should help “open and reveal the riches within.” Through her analogy, Harris establishes a basis on which readers can shift their perspective. Rather than simply listing specific traits of students, Harris helps her readers change their perception of how students should be treated, and gives readers a concrete and memorable lense through which readers should view the classroom.
Antithesis
the rhetorical contrast of ideas by means of parallel arrangements of words, clauses, or sentence
“That’s one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind”
Analysis: Armstrong’s antithesis serves to highlight the monumental impact that the moon landing will have on the human race. By contrasting his “small step” with the “giant” effect that this step will have, he emphasizes its significance.
Assonance
the repetition of vowel sounds but not consonant sounds
The Color Purple by Alice Walker (1982)
She got sicker an sicker.
Finally, she ast Where it is?
I say God took it.
He took it. He took it while I was sleeping. Kilt it out there in the woods. Kill this one too, if he can.
Analysis: In her second letter to God, Celie describes her mother getting “sicker an sicker” and the way God “kilt” her first child in the woods. The assonance of the “i” sound creates a staccato and rhythmic quality to the letter while still creating a thin, ill-sounding intonation.
Note: assonance is often associated with euphony: soothing and pleasant sounds.
Anaphora
the repetition of the same word or group of words at the beginning of successive clauses, sentences, or lines
“I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King, Jr. (1963)
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today.
Analysis: King repeats the phrase, “I have a dream” to emphasize his vision for racial equality in the United States. By employing anaphora to underscore his beliefs, King connects his ideas with a common motif, helping his audience follow his speech and make it more memorable. King thus invites his audience to share in his “dream,” as he reminds them that it is their dreams for a more equal future that unite their movement.
Anecdote
the reference to a usually short narrative of an interesting, amusing, or biographical incident
“Gender Equality is Your Issue Too” by Emma Watson (2014)
I started questioning gender-based assumptions when at eight I was confused at being called “bossy,” because I wanted to direct the plays we would put on for our parents—but the boys were not. When at 14 I started being sexualized by certain elements of the press. When at 15 my girlfriends started dropping out of their sports teams because they didn’t want to appear “muscly.” When at 18 my male friends were unable to express their feelings. I decided I was a feminist and this seemed uncomplicated to me.
Analysis: By sharing a short anecdote about being “sexualized” and called “bossy,” while acknowledging her male friends being “unable to express their feelings,” Watson establishes her authority to speak on gender-related issues, and she appeals to her audience’s sense of emotion and empathy as she aims to establish a common experience between both men and women in the United Nations.
Asyndeton
the omission of conjunctions within a list to produce the effect of speed and imply further multitudes
“Duty, Honor, Country” by General Douglas MacArthur (1962)
Duty, Honor, Country: Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be. They are your rallying points: to build courage when courage seems to fail; to regain faith when there seems to be little cause for faith; to create hope when hope becomes forlorn.
Analysis: In his speech, MacArthur rallies the United States army with three simple words: “duty, honor, country.” MacArthur’s asyndeton creates a powerful and concise phrase that galvanizes his men through its simplicity. Because the conjunctions have been omitted, MacArthur’s phrase reads like a chant in which each word is emphasized equally. This rhythmic phrase is thus very easy to remember and to repeat, which allows MacArthur to invigorate and prepare his army.
Chiasmus
the repetition of ideas in inverted order
John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address (1971)
The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it — and the glow from that fire can truly light the world. And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.
Analysis: In his 1971 Inaugural Address, Kennedy encourages his audience to have faith in their generation and in their country in the midst of a trying Cold War. Kennedy attempts to unite the audience under a national identity and purpose, inviting them to consider not what their “country can do for” them, but what they “can do for” their country. By employing chiasmus, Kennedy highlights the difference between an archaic mentality and the attitude that he wants the country to adopt moving forward. Because Kennedy repeats the same simple ideas, he also creates a memorable phrase that allows his message to spread easily among the American people.
Colloquial
the characteristics of spoken or written communication (diction) that seeks to imitate informal speech
Barack Obama’s message about political ‘wokeness’ (2019)
This idea of purity and you’re never compromised and you’re always politically woke and all that stuff; you should get over that quickly. The world is messy. There are ambiguities.
Analysis: In his commentary regarding the call-out culture on the current socio-political stage, Obama uses the term “woke” to describe those who believe they are more aware of social injustices. By adopting a colloquial expression, Obama molds his message to resonate with young Americans. Obama is thus able to connect with his audience by mimicking their language.
Connotation
the set of associations implied by a word in addition to its literal meaning; secondary meanings
“Black Men in Public Space” by Brent Staples (1986)
My first victim was a white woman, well dressed, probably in her early twenties. I came upon her late one evening on a deserted street in Hyde Park, a relatively affluent neighborhood in an otherwise mean, impoverished section of Chicago. As I swung onto the avenue behind her, there seemed to be a discreet, noninflammatory distance between us. Not so. She cast back a worried glance. To her, the youngish black man – a broad six feet two inches with a beard and billowing hair, both hands shoved into the pockets of a bulky military jacket – seemed menacingly close.
Analysis: In his essay “Black Men in Public Space,” Brent Staples refers to the woman who runs away from him as his “victim” to whom he is “menacingly close,” which connotes violence and criminal activity. However, the actions that ensue do not match such connotations; rather than attacking the woman, Staples simply walks down the avenue. By breaking the audience’s expectations, Staples highlights the misleading dialogue surrounding African-American men and forces his readers to confront their own racial biases.
Note: connotation and tone are very closely related. Often, an author will use words that carry certain connotations to establish a tone. You can use this idea in your essays to demonstrate tone by citing the connotative words the author uses to establish such a tone.
Consonance
the repetition of consonant sounds, but not vowels, as in assonance
Jabberwocky” by Lewis Caroll (1871)
“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”
Analysis: In Lewis Carol’s poem “Jabberwocky,” he warns against the Jabberwock’s “jaws” and the “Jubjub bird,” repeating the “j” sound. Carol uses consonance to create dissonant and almost disorienting sounds through harsh, hard tones, which emphasize the obnoxious nature of the Jabberwocky. Because of the abundance of consonants, the poem reads similar to a tongue-twister, which further serves to disorient the reader and make them feel as if they are in a completely different world.
Note: consonance can be associated with cacophony, or harsh, discordant sounds, if it uses “explosive consonants” such as B, C, CH, D, G, J, K, P, Q, T, X.
Diction
a writer’s choice of words, phrases, sentence structures, and figurative language, which combine to help create meaning
“On Dumpster Diving” by Lars Eighner (1992)
Canned goods are among the safest foods to be found in Dumpsters but are not utterly foolproof. Although very rare with modern canning methods, botulism is a possibility. Most other forms of food poisoning seldom do lasting harm to a healthy person, but botulism is almost certainly fatal and often the first symptom is death. Except for carbonated beverages, all canned goods should contain a slight vacuum and suck air when first punctured. Bulging, rusty, and dented cans and cans that spew when punctured should be avoided, especially when the contents are not very
acidic or syrupy.
Analysis: Eighner employs empirical diction to describe the process of dumpster diving, which is generally considered a dishonorable and crude practice. Eighner details the “fatal” effects of “botulism,” and provides a practical assessment of “modern canning methods,” instructing readers to avoid “bulging, rusty, and dented cans” and to look for a “slight vacuum” in canned goods. By analyzing the process of dumpster diving through a scientific lens, Eighner emphasizes that those who dumpster dive are not inferior to their store going counterparts, and he suggests that dumpster diving can be a practical hobby for anyone, even if it is not done out of necessity.
Elegy
a text involving mourning or expressing sorrow for that which is irrecoverably past
Ronald Reagan’s address following the explosion of the Challenger Space Shuttle (1986)
Today is a day for mourning and remembering. Nancy and I are pained to the core by the tragedy of the shuttle Challenger. We know we share this pain with all of the people of our country. This is truly a national loss. For the families of the seven, we cannot bear, as you do, the full impact of this tragedy. But we feel the loss, and we’re thinking about you so very much.
Analysis: At the beginning of his address, Reagan adopts an elegiac tone, declaring that “today is a day for mourning and remembering.” He describes the deaths of the astronauts as a “national loss” that pains “all of the people” in the United States. By taking the time to recognize the tragic loss of the astronauts and by empathizing with the American people’s shock at the explosion, Reagan appeals to his audience’s grief and establishes an emotional connection with them before he begins speaking about the future of the United States space exploration program.