Literary Devices

Question 1

Figurative Language

Answer 1

Whenever you describe something by comparing it with something else, you are using figurative language. It’s language that uses words in ways that deviate from their literal interpretation to achieve a more complex or powerful effect. This view of figurative language focuses on the use of figures of speech that play with the meaning of words.

Question 2

Figurative Language: FIGURES OF SPEECH

Answer 2

Figurative language refers to language that contains figures of speech, while figures of speech are the particular techniques. If figurative language is like a dance routine, figures of speech are like the various moves that make up the routine.

Question 3

Diction
First, take note of the specific words that most resonate with you as the reader.
What sorts of words does the speaker use? Are the words informal or formal? Do
the words deal with a specific subject, issue, or area of study? Do some words
have multiple meanings? Are the words used offensive or euphemistic?
*Explain why the speaker uses the words he/she uses. Explain the effects of
these words on the reader and note any patterns or changes in the kinds of
words used throughout the speech or poem.

Answer 3

(The author’s choice of words) are figures of speech/figurative language with an unexpected twist in the meaning of words. When using this device, you intend for the word or words to have a meaning that is different than the literal meaning.

Question 4

SYNTAX
*First, map out each individual sentence, noting whether the sentences are long
or short, simple, complex, or compound. You may also want to consider looking
at verb tenses and whether the author speaks in the active or passive voice.
*Then, consider and explain what the effects are of the syntactical structure of
the excerpt. For instance, a short sentence amid several long, convoluted
sentences will often be emphasized. Therefore, the speaker is trying to
emphasize the content of that sentence to his audience.

Answer 4

are figures of speech that deal with word order, syntax, letters, and sounds, rather than the meaning of words? They become rhetorical devices, too, when they are used to persuade, inform, inspire, or entertain target audiences.

Question 5

Irony

Answer 5

What appears, on the surface, to be the case, differs radically from what is actually the case

Question 6

Irony: SITUATIONAL IRONY

Answer 6

Involves a situation in which actions have an effect that is opposite from what was intended, so that the outcome is contrary to what was expected.

Question 7

Irony: VERBAL IRONY

Question 8

Irony: DRAMATIC IRONY

Answer 8

Is when words express something contrary to truth or someone says the opposite of what they really feel or mean. It is often sarcastic

Question 9

Alliteration (Diction) (Figurative Language

Answer 9

Words used in quick succession that begin with the same sound group. Whether it is the consonant sound (consonance) or a specific vowel group (assonance), the alliteration involves creating a repetition of similar sounds in the sentence.

Question 10

Anaphora (diction or syntax) (Figurative Language) (Card #10)

Answer 10

The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses. Repetitions at the end of successive clauses is called Epiphora.

Question 11

Connotation (Diction or Syntax)

Answer 11

A feeling or idea that a word has, in addition to its literal meaning (called denotation). Often, a series of words can have the same basic definitions, but completely different connotations—these are the emotions or meanings implied by a word, phrase, or thing.

Question 12

Hyperbole (Diction or Syntax) (Figurative Language)
*Establish that it is indeed a hyperbole by clarifying what is being exaggerated.
Show that the exaggeration is not meant to be taken literally.
*Explain the significance of the hyperbole – what idea does it reinforce or
illuminate?

Answer 12

A completely over-the-top exaggeration or overstatement. Can be humorous or serious.

Question 13

Euphemism (Diction or Syntax) (Figurative Language)

Answer 13

A nice way of saying something not so nice. We see euphemisms all the time, especially when talking about things that are, um, kind of hard to talk about, like sex, death, and race.

Question 14

Imagery (Diction or Syntax)
*It can be helpful to identify what type of image you are observing: visual,
auditory, olfactory, gustatory, tactile, kinetic, etc.
*Don’t just say the image creates a strong picture in the reader’s mind (in fact,
don’t discuss the reader’s mind at all)
*Instead, analyze why the author uses that image, what effect it creates, why
creating an image (showing vs. telling) is effective.

Answer 14

Imagery is all of the pictures and sensations a piece of writing conjures up in your noggin. Imagery is the key to literature—especially poetry. If you’re reading a description that engages any one of your five senses, you’re reading imagery, folks. Writers can use figurative language as one tool to help create imagery, but imagery does not have to use figurative language

Question 15

Imagery: Allusion (Diction) (a type of imagery) (Figurative Language)

Answer 15

You’ll find allusions (think of them as shout-outs) when the book you’re reading makes a reference to something outside of itself, whether another work of literature, something from pop culture, a song, myth, history, or even the visual arts.

Question 16

Symbol (Diction and Syntax) (a type of imagery) (Figurative Language)

Answer 16

A word, an image, or anything that somehow represents a larger idea. In other words, what you see is not just what you get. In America, eagles are a symbol of freedom. In punk rock, the safety pin is a symbol of rebellion. In Western literature, the apple is often a symbol for sin. But when talking about symbols, it’s also important to remember that the symbol is still itself, in addition to what it symbolizes

Question 17

Onomatopoeia (Diction or Syntax) (Figurative Language)

Answer 17

Bam! Pow! Biff! Vronk! Sploosh!
Oh excuse me. I was just reenacting some of my favorite scenes from Batman. You know, the old school version.
But we were also getting our onomatopoetic juices flowing. See, Batman was chock full of onomatopoeias—those words that resemble the sound that they represent.

Question 18

Metaphor (Diction) (Figurative Language)
Analyzing Metaphors
*Identify the two unlike things being compared
*Explain the significance of the comparison; how does this comparison of two
things that aren’t typically compared elucidate some idea? How does it make the
idea of the line clearer?

Answer 18

A metaphor is a kind of word magic that changes black hats into rabbits and scarves into doves. Metaphors compare two different things; metaphors describe one object as another. It’s almost as if the object becomes what it is being compared to. “You’re a toad!” is a metaphor. So is “you’re a star!”
A metaphor has two parts: a tenor and a vehicle. The tenor is the subject of the metaphor (you). That is, what you’re trying to describe as something else. The vehicle is what you use to transform the subject into something else (toad).

Question 19

. Metaphor: Simile (Diction) (Figurative Language)

Answer 19

Uses the adverbs “like” or “as” to make a comparison or analogy

Question 20

Metaphor: Synecdoche (Syntax) (Figurative Lg)

Answer 20

sin-EK-duh-KEY. A part of something represents the whole. So the next time someone says to you, “All hands on deck,” tell them thanks for the synecdoche, but you think it’s best that your whole body goes on deck, too.

Question 21

Metaphor: Metonymy (Diction) (Figurative Lg)

Answer 21

An object is used to describe something that’s closely related to it. So, for example, when you’re talking about the power of a king, you might say “the crown,” instead. The crown is the physical object that is usually associated with royalty and power.

Question 22

Metaphor: Personification (Diction) (Figurative Lg)
*First identify what inanimate object or abstract idea is being personified. Explain the human qualities it has been given.
*Analyze how giving that object human qualities is meaningful. What does it add to the overall meaning of the piece?

Answer 22

Gives human traits (qualities, feelings, action, or characteristics) to animals, non-living objects, or ideas (like things, colors, qualities, even abstract ideals).

Question 23

Metaphor: Allegory (Diction)

Answer 23

It’s a story with two levels of meaning. First, there’s the surface of the story. You know, the characters and plot and all that obvious stuff. Then there’s the symbolic level, that can be political or religious, historical or philosophical, the deeper meaning that all the jazz on the surface represents. Allegories are kind of like massive metaphors, but they usually come in narrative form—that is, they’re told through stories.

Question 24

Metaphor: Analogy

Answer 24

A story, play, poem, picture, or other work in which the
characters and events represent particular moral, religious, or political qualities or ideas used to make connections between familiar and unfamiliar things, suggest a deeper significance, or create imagery in the reader’s mind. Analogies allow writers to say something in an abstract way, encouraging deeper thought.

Question 25

Paradox
*When you identify a paradox, clarify what about it is paradoxical. What makes it
seem contradictory on the surface?
*Then, even though it seems contradictory, explain how it reveals some truth.

Answer 25

A statement or situation that may be true but seems impossible or difficult to understand because it contains two opposite facts or characteristics:

Question 26

Allusion
*First clarify what the reference is (who or what is being referred to; what do we
need to know about this reference to understand it?)
*Explain why the author alludes to that person or thing; what is the significance of
the allusion in creating the broader message or meaning.

Answer 26

When the author refers to famous or infamous subject matter such as a place, event, or literary work in order to make a connection to the subject being mentioned/discussed.

Question 27

Proverb

Answer 27

A short saying that espouses some truth or advice.
“Two wrongs don’t make a right.”
When someone has done something bad to you, trying to get revenge will only make things worse.

Question 28

Parable

Answer 28

A more expansive cousin to the proverb. A simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson.

Question 29

Fable

Answer 29

A short story in which animals or objects speaks a story, to teach a moral or religious lesson.
The Ants and the Grasshopper - In this fable, the ants saved food for the winter and the grasshopper did not. The moral is “It is best to prepare for the days of necessity.”

Question 30

Aphorism

Answer 30

A pithy observation that contains a general truth.

Question 31

Character: HAMARTIA/HYBRIS

Answer 31

A personal flaw, mistake in judgment, or misstep that leads to the tragic hero’s change in fortune.

Question 32

Character: HUBRIS

Answer 32

An example of hamartia, hubris refers to the excessive pride of tragic heroes. It may lead them to break a moral law, ignore warnings, or aim beyond their station—all with disastrous results.