Summer Literary devices Flashcards
polysyndeton
Alliteration (Asonance)
Definition: The repetition of the same initial consonant sound in a sequence of words. Example: “Veni, vidi, vici” (Julius Caesar) - Repetition of the “v” sound.
Anaphora
Definition: The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses. Example: “Quo usque tandem abutere, Catilina, patientia nostra?” (Cicero, In Catilinam) - The repetition of “Quo” at the beginning of the clause.
Antithesis
Definition: The juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in balanced phrases or clauses. Example: “Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori” (Horace) - The contrast between “sweet” and “decorous” with “death” and “homeland.”
Asyndeton
Definition: The omission of conjunctions between parts of a sentence. Example: “I came, I saw, I conquered” (Julius Caesar) - No conjunctions between the verbs.
Chiasmus
Definition: A rhetorical device in which words or concepts are repeated in reverse order. Example: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country” - Although this is more modern, the concept is present in Latin literature as well.
Ellipsis
Definition: The omission of words or phrases that are understood from the context. Example: “Fortes fortuna adiuvat” (Plautus) - Ellipsis of “est” (is), understood as “Fortune helps the brave.”
Hendiadys
Definition: The use of two nouns connected by a conjunction to express a single idea that is usually conveyed by an adjective and a noun. Example: “Vis et ira” (Cicero) - “Force and rage” to convey the idea of a single forceful emotion.
