Post on 08-Jul-2015
Literary DevicesLiterary Devices
• The following are artful additions to writing that author’s use to make their work more interesting and literary. These are just ten of >60
MetaphorMetaphor
• Compares two unlike things, implying shared characteristics, where one thing is said to be the other.• A book is a window to past and
future worlds.
SimileSimile
• Compares two unlike things using the words like or as.• Then join you with them, like a
rid of steel, to make strength stronger.
HyperboleHyperbole
•An exaggeration•This backpack weighs a ton!
PersonificationPersonification
• Giving human characteristics to nonhuman things or ideas.• The wind played with her hair as
she stood on the dock.
DenotationDenotation
• The dictionary definition of a word.• Pig: any of a family of stout
short legged hooved mammals with brisely skin and a long flexible snout.
ConnotationConnotation
• All the feelings and ideas associated with a word.• Pigs are smelly, dirty, greedy,
and poorly behaved animals.
SymbolismSymbolism
•When something you can sense takes the place of something you can’t.• The Statue of Liberty is a symbol
of freedom.
ImageryImagery
•When the author paints a mental picture.• The tree was a dried and
cracked mess against the sky, tearing the blue sky into blue strips.
ForeshadowingForeshadowing
• Provides a hint about future events in the story.• The men call the island
dangerous, a man eater. All those go there are doomed never to return.
IronyIrony
•When the opposite of what is expected is said or occurs.• Saying “We should go for a
walk!” on a rainy day.• Three Types: Verbal, Situational,
and Dramatic
IronyIrony
• Three Types:– Verbal- saying one thing and
meaning another; sarcasm is a form of verbal irony Situational, and Dramatic
IronyIrony
• Three Types:– Situational-When you expect one
thing to happen and the opposite occurs.–Dramatic- When the audience
knows something that the character does not know
IronyIrony
• Three Types:– Verbal- saying one thing and
meaning another; sarcasm is a form of verbal irony