Literary Devices

Question 1

adage

Answer 1

a brief piece of wisdom in the form of short philosophical & memorable sayings

Question 2

allegory

Answer 2

a story w/i a story - a ‘surface’ story & another hidden underneath (e.g. hamlet shows the universal problems a man faces on earth)

Question 3

anaphora

Answer 3

repetition of a word/phrase at the beginning of sentences that follow each other

Question 4

antagonist

Answer 4

the opponent of the main character

Question 5

anthropomorphism

Answer 5

giving human attributes to animals or inanimate objects

Question 6

aphorism

Answer 6

short statement of a general truth or good advice (often use metaphors/creative imagery)

Question 7

aposiopesis

Answer 7

when a sentence is purposefully left incomplete or cut off - caused by an inability/unwillingness to continue speaking

Question 8

assonance

Answer 8

repetition of the same/similar vowel sounds w/i sentences (e.g. “for in that sleep of death, what dreams may come”) - emphasis

Question 9

asyndeton

Answer 9

skipping one or more conjunctions (e.g. and, but…) usually used in a series of phrases - builds pace, creates a sense of breathlessness?

Question 10

caesura

Answer 10

a break/pause in the middle of a line

Question 11

circumlocution

Answer 11

‘talking around’ or ‘talking in circles’ - unnecessarily long & complicated statements

Question 12

epiphany

Answer 12

an enlightening realisation that changes a character’s perspective for the rest of the story

Question 13

epistrophe

Answer 13

when a word/phrase is repeated at the end of sentences that follow each other

Question 14

equivocation

Answer 14

the use of vague language to hide one’s meaning - avoid committing to a pov

Question 15

hamartia

Answer 15

a tragic flaw that reverses a protagonist’s fortune from good to bad

Question 16

homophone

Answer 16

when two or more words have the same sound but different meanings

Question 17

invective

Answer 17

the use of abusive language and tone to attacking/insult another character

Question 18

motif

Answer 18

a symbolic image/idea that appears frequently

Question 19

peripeteia

Answer 19

a sudden change in a story that results in a negative reversal of circumstances - turning point

Question 20

pleonasm

Answer 20

when one uses too many words to express a message

Question 21

tautology

Answer 21

defining/explaining something by saying exactly the same thing in different words

Question 22

verisimilitude

Answer 22

‘the quality of resembling reality’ - encourages readers to reflect on their own current societies