Literary Devices Study Prep Flashcards
Literary Elements
5 elements NECESSARY for any story to run smoothly and they are 1) characters 2) plot 3) setting 4) theme (or central idea) 5) conflict
1st person point of view (POV)
a character in the story, dictating events from their perspective using “I” or “we.”
Plot
how the author chooses to structure that story.
Exposition
the very FIRST moment of the story
external conflict
problems caused by outside factors (weather, man vs man)
indirect characterization
-Reader has to use clues to figure out the traits
climax
the turning point
metaphor
Is a figure of speech that compares two things directly
Without using the words “Like” or “as”
syntax
the arrangement or organization of words
Onomatopoeia
Is when a word describes a sound and actually mimics the sound of the object or action
Examples: BAM!!! BOOM!! POW!!! SLAM!!!
BOO!!! AHHHHH!!! RAWR!!!
Assonance
is the repetition of similar vowel sounds, specially in a line of poetry
Example: The rain in Spain stayed mainly in the plain.
Anthrophorism
s the device in which it is used to assign FULL human characteristics to non-human things,
Example: cartoon characters, Mickey Mouse, SpongeBob
HYPERbole
a figure of speech that uses extreme exaggeration to make a point or show emphasis
DRAMATIC Irony
when the audience is aware of the situation, in other words it occurs when the audience knows the irony BUT the character(s) do not.
SITUATIONAL IRONY
Is where it takes place when the opposite of what is expected actually happens (ex: a fire station on fire)
