Literary Terminology

SynecdocheSynecdoche is a literary device in which a

part of something represents the whole or it may use a whole to represent a part.

Synecdoche may also use larger groups to refer to smaller groups or vice versa. It may also call a thing by the name of the material it is made of or it may refer to a thing in a container or packing by the name of that container or packing.

Synecdoche ExamplesThe word “Coke” can mean

-Coca Cola Pepsi (Basically any carbonated

drink) Dr. Pepper

The word “Kleenex” is the universal word for anything you blow your nose on.

Continued…Look how Shelly uses synecdoche in his

poem Ozymandias:“Tell that its sculptor well those

passions readWhich yet survive, stamped on these

lifeless things,The hand that mocked them.”

“The hand” in the above lines refers to the sculptor who carved the “lifeless things” into a grand statue.

MetonymyWhere the word we use to describe another

thing is closely linked to that particular thing, but is not a part of it.

Metonymy Examples“Crown” which means power or authority is a

metonymy.

The suits were at meeting. (The suits stand for business people.)

Let me give you a hand. (Hand means help.)

Tonean attitude of a writer toward a subject or an

audience. Tone is generally conveyed through the choice of words or the viewpoint of a writer on a particular subject.

The tone can be formal, informal, serious, comic, sarcastic, sad, and cheerful, etc.

What is the tone of this paragraph?“The place seemed fitted for quiet study and

profound meditation. It was buried deep among the massive walls of the abbey and shut up from the tumult of the world.”

What is the son’s tone? Father: “We can’t go on vacation this

summer.”Son: “Ok. Great! That’s exactly what I expected.”

Symbolismthe use of symbols to signify ideas and

qualities by giving them symbolic meanings that are different from their literal sense.The dove is a symbol of peace.Black is a symbol that represents evil or death.

IdiomA common figure of speech whose meaning is

different from the literal meaning of the word.

He kicked the bucket= the man diedLet’s hit the road!= let’s leave nowIt’s raining cats and dogs= it’s pouring outside

ParadoxA statement that seems to contradict itself

but may nevertheless suggest an important truth.

In Walden, Henry David Thoreau writes the

paradox, “I am not as wise as the day I was born.”

The statement suggests that civilization erases a child’s innate wisdom and spiritual awareness.

Another example“What a pity that youth must be wasted on

the young.” – George Bernard Shaw

Puna play on words in which a humorous effect is

produced by using a word that suggests two or more meanings or by exploiting similar sounding words having different meanings.

Why do we still have troops in Germany? To keep the Russians in Czech.

I had a pet leech one time. It was pretty attached to me.

ImageryThe descriptive words and phrases that a

writer uses to re-create sensory experiences.

(think 5 senses)