Literary Devices

Literary Devices Tools good writers use!

Hook

Varying Chapter Length

Figurative Speech • A figure of speech is a rhetorical device that achieves a special effect by using words in distinctive ways. • "falling in love," "racking our brains," "hitting a sales target," and "climbing the ladder of success" are all metaphors--the most pervasive figure of all. Likewise, we rely on similes when making explicit comparisons ("light as a feather")

Metaphor • An implied comparison between two unlike things that actually have something important in common. • "The rain came down in long knitting needles."(Enid Bagnold, National Velvet)

Simile • A figure of speech in which two fundamentally unlike things are explicitly compared, usually in a phrase introduced by like or as. • Aunt Dahlia's face grew darker. Hunting, if indulged in regularly over a period of years, is a pastime that seldom fails to lend a fairly deepish tinge to the patient's complexion, and her best friends could not have denied that even at normal times the relative's map tended a little toward the crushed strawberry. But never had I seen it take on so pronounced a richness as now. She looked like a tomato struggling for self-expression.(P. G. Wodehouse, Right Ho, Jeeves, 1934)

Consider these two sentences from Leonard Gardner's novel Fat City: • The stooped forms inched in an uneven line, like a wave, across the onion field.Occasionally there was a gust of wind, and he was engulfed by sudden rustling and flickering shadows as a high spiral of onion skins fluttered about him like a swarm of butterflies. • Each of these sentences contains a simile: that is, a comparison (usually introduced by like or as) between two things that are generally not alike--such as a line of migrant workers and a wave, or onion skins and a swarm of butterflies.

Hyperbole • to emphasize a point ("I'm starving!"). • Also Known As: overstatement, exuperatio • A figure of speech (a form of irony) in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect; an extravagant statement. Adjective: hyperbolic. Contrast with understatement. • "Ladies and gentlemen, I've been to Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and I can say without hyperbole that this is a million times worse than all of them put together."(Kent Brockman, The Simpsons) • "My toaster has never once worked properly in four years. I follow the instructions and push two slices of bread down in the slots, and seconds later they rifle upwards. Once they broke the nose of a woman I loved dearly."(Woody Allen, "My Speech to the Graduates." The New York Times, Aug. 10, 1979)

Personification • A figure of speech (generally considered a type of metaphor) in which an inanimate object or abstraction is given human qualities or abilities. • The wind stood up and gave a shout.He whistled on his fingers andKicked the withered leaves aboutAnd thumped the branches with his handAnd said he'd kill and kill and kill,And so he will and so he will.(James Stephens, "The Wind")

[inside SpongeBob's mind]SpongeBob boss: Hurry up! What do you think I'm paying you for?SpongeBob worker: You don't pay me. You don't even exist. We're just a clever visual metaphor used to personify the abstract concept of thought.SpongBob boss: One more crack like that and you're outta here!SpongeBob worker: No, please! I have three kids!("No Weenies Allowed," SpongeBob SquarePants, 2002)

Alliteration • The repetition of an initial consonant sound, as in "a peck of pickled peppers." Adjective: alliterative • "You'll never put a better bit of butter on your knife."(advertising slogan for Country Life butter) • "Miss Twining teaches tying knotsIn neckerchiefs and noodles,And how to tell chrysanthemumsFrom miniature poodles."(Dr Seuss, Jack Prelutsky, and Lane Smith, Hooray for Diffendoofer Day! Knopf, 1998)

Onomatopoeia • The use of words (such as hiss or murmur) that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to. Adjective: onomatopoeic or onomatopoetic. • "I'm getting married in the morning!Ding dong! the bells are gonna chime."(Lerner and Loewe, "Get Me to the Church on Time," My Fair Lady)

Paradox • A figure of speech in which a statement appears to contradict itself. Adjective: paradoxical. • The swiftest traveler is he that goes afoot.“ (Henry David Thoreau, Walden) • "If you wish to preserve your secret, wrap it up in frankness.“ (Alexander Smith) • "I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.“ (Mother Teresa) • "War is peace.""Freedom is slavery.""Ignorance is strength.“ (George Orwell, 1984)

Etymologies • Speakers of English borrow words from other languages, so we have the largest vocabulary of any language in the world. The history of a word from its origin to its present use is called its etymology.

Allusion • An allusion is a literary device that stimulates ideas, associations, and extra information in the reader's mind with only a word or two. Allusion means 'reference'. It relies on the reader being able to understand the allusion and being familiar with all of the meaning hidden behind the words.

Here's an example:"As the cave's roof collapsed, he was swallowed up in the dust like Jonah, and only his frantic scrabbling behind a wall of rock indicated that there was anyone still alive".The allusion in the sentence above is to Jonah. The reader is expected to recognize the reference to Jonah and the whale, which should evoke an image of being 'swallowed alive' ... in this case, behind a wall of dust and rock.Allusions in writing help the reader to visualize what's happening by evoking a mental picture. But the reader must be aware of the allusion and must be familiar with what it alludes to. Allusions are commonly made to the Bible, nursery rhymes, myths, famous fictional or historical characters or events, and Shakespeare. They can be used in prose and poetry. Here are some more prose examples:"Christy didn't like to spend money. She was no Scrooge, but she seldom purchased anything except the bare necessities".Did you spot the allusion to Scrooge? That name should bring to mind an image of someone who 'pinches pennies' and hoards money with a passion. But the allusion only works if the reader is familiar with Charles Dickens' story 'A Christmas Carol'.

You should now have a good understanding of how allusion works. • Let's see if you've really got it. Below you will find some characters and descriptions which might be referred to when writing something. • Have a look: Hamlet was a character from Shakespeare who had a difficulty making a decision. • Falstaff was another of Shakespeare's characters who was a large jovial man with a keen wit. • The Three Stooges were a comedy team of not-too-bright buffoons. • Benedict Arnold was an American traitor. • The 'cowardly lion' from the Wizard of Oz was a coward. • Judas betrayed Jesus. • Mother Teresa was a nun who selflessly devoted her life to caring for the poor and sick. • Don Quixote was a fictional hero; a dreamer who was always going on quests to try to accomplish impossible tasks.

Euphemisms The substitution of an inoffensive term for one considered offensively explicit. • Mr. Prince: We'll see you when you get back from image enhancement camp.Martin Prince: Spare me your euphemisms! It's fat camp, for Daddy's chubby little secret!("Kamp Krusty," The Simpsons, 1992) • Paul Kersey: You've got a prime figure. You really have, you know.Joanna Kersey: That's a euphemism for fat.(Death Wish, 1974) • "The 'reconstruction' of New Orleans has become a euphemism for the destruction of the city's cultural and historic heritage."(Ghali Hassan, 2006) • Dr. House: I'm busy.Thirteen: We need you to . . .Dr. House: Actually, as you can see, I'm not busy. It's just a euphemism for "get the hell out of here."("Dying Changes Everything," House, M.D.)

Idioms • At the drop of a hat.Axe to grind.Back to square one.Bells and whistles.Bed of roses.Burn the midnight oil.Clean sweep.Chew the fat.Cold feet.Coast is clear.Down in the dumps.Ears are burning.Forty winks.Full of beans. Give me a break.Give my right arm.In a nutshell/pickle. • In the bag.It's greek to me.Final straw.Let the cat out of the bag.Long shot.Mum's the word.On the ball.Out on a limb.Pass the buck.Pay through the nose.Read between the lines.Saved by the bell.Spill the beans.Take a rain check.Through the grapevine.True colors.Under the weather.Up my sleeve.Upset the apple cart.Walking on eggshells.

Dramatic Irony

Cliffhanger

Literary Devices