Literary Terms List 1 + Recall + Symbolism Flashcards
Simile
a figure of speech comparing two unlike things that is often introduced by like or as
Onomatopoeia
the naming of a thing or action by a vocal imitation of the sound associated with it
Oxymoron
a combination of contradictory or incongruous words
Personification
attribution of personal qualities
Antecedent
a device within which a pronoun references a previous clause or noun
ex. “Dante just ran back home, because he forgot his baseball glove”
Metaphor
a figure of speech that implicitly compares two unrelated things, typically by stating that one thing is another
Symbol
an object, a person, a situation, or an action that has a literal meaning in a story but suggests or represents other meanings
Hyperbole
extravagant exaggeration
Alliteration
The repetition of the same sound at the start of a series of words in succession
Ethos
the writers attempt to persuade by appealing to the reader’s moral values
Parallelism
a literary device in which parts of the sentence are grammatically the same, or are similar in construction
Syntax
to create specific sentence structures that will have an effect on the reader
Allusion
object or circumstance from an unrelated context is referred to covertly or indirectly
Diction
the selection of words an author uses to create a specific impact or tone in their writing
Antithesis
a literary device that positions opposite ideas parallel to each other
ex. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness”
Juxtaposition
placing two things side by side so as to highlight their differences
(Like antithesis, but broader and not nessecarily a direct opposite)
Asyndeton
conjunctions—such as and, but, and or—between words, phrases, or clauses are intentionally omitted while maintaining proper grammar
ex. “We saw no houses, no smoke, no footprints, no boats, no people”
Polysyndeton
a literary and rhetorical device in which coordinating conjunctions are added for effect between words or phrases
ex. “The dog jumped and barked and frolicked in the field”
(and, and, and, and)
Anaphora
the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of each line of a poem, speech, or sermon
ex. “I have a dream”
Epistrophe
the repetition of the final element of a structure
ex. “Last week, he was just fine. Yesterday, he was just fine. And today, he was just fine.”
Gustatory
taste imagery
Auditory
sound imagery
Olfactory
Scent imagery
visual
sight imagery
tactile
feel imagery
