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| 4324715388 | Allegory | An allegory is a symbolism device where the meaning of a greater, often abstract, concept is conveyed with the aid of a more corporeal object or idea being used as an example. Ex: "Animal Farm", written by George Orwell, is an allegory that uses animals on a farm to describe the overthrow of the last of the Russian Tsar Nicholas II and the Communist Revolution of Russia before WW I. | 0 | |
| 4324715389 | Allusion | An allusion is a figure of speech whereby the author refers to a subject matter such as a place, event, or literary work by way of a passing reference. Example: "I was surprised his nose was not growing like Pinocchio's." This refers to the story of Pinocchio, where his nose grew whenever he told a lie. It is from The Adventures of Pinocchio, written by Carlo Collodi. | 1 | |
| 4324717319 | Apostrophe | a figure of speech sometimes represented by exclamation "O" Example: "Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee! I have thee not, and yet I see thee still." | 2 | |
| 4324717320 | Ballad | a poem that is typically arranged in quatrains with the rhyme scheme ABAB Example: 'O I forbid you, maiden all, That wears gold in your hair, To come or go by Carterhaugh For young Tam Lin is there. | 3 | |
| 4324718633 | Blank Verse | verse without rhyme, especially that which uses iambic pentameter Example: Something there is that doesn't love a wall. That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it, And spills the upper boulders in the sun; (Mending Walls by Robert Frost) | 4 | |
| 4324722835 | Cacophony | A cacophony in literature refers to the use of words and phrases that imply strong, harsh sounds within the phrase. Example: 'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe; All mimsy were the borogoves,an And the mome raths outgrabe. "Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun The frumious Bandersnatch!" | 5 | |
| 4324722836 | Caesura | This literary device involves creating a fracture of sorts within a sentence where the two separate parts are distinguishable from one another yet intrinsically linked to one another. Example: It is for you we speak, || not for ourselves: You are abused || and by some putter-on That will be damn'd for't; || would I knew the villain, I would land-damn him. || Be she honour-flaw'd, I have three daughters; || the eldest is eleven (The Winter Tales by William Shakespeare) | 6 | |
| 4324722837 | Catharsis | an emotional discharge through which one can achieve a state of moral or spiritual renewal or achieve a state of liberation from anxiety and stress Catharsis: "...a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing" | 7 | |
| 4324724374 | Comic Relief | comic episodes in a dramatic or literary work that offset more serious sections Example: | 8 | |
| 4324724375 | Couplet | Couplets usually comprise two lines that rhyme and have the same metre Example: She was a little tense The notice made no sense | 9 | |
| 4324726482 | Deus Ex Machina | Deus ex Machina is a rather debatable and often criticized form of literary device. It refers to the incidence where an implausible concept or character is brought into the story in order to make the conflict in the story resolve and to bring about a pleasing solution. Example: Medea: When Medea is shown in the chariot of the sun god Helios, the god himself isn't present. From her vantage point in the chariot she watches the grieving Jason. The argument goes about that this specific scene is an illustration of the employment of the device within the plot of the tragedy. | 10 | |
| 4324726483 | Enjambment | the continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza. Example: It is a beauteous Evening, calm and free; The holy time is quiet as a Nun Breathless with adoration; the broad sun Is sinking down in its tranquility; The gentleness of heaven is on the Sea; Listen! The mighty Being is awake And doth with his eternal motion make A sound like thunder―everlastinly. Thou liest in Abraham's bosom all the year; And worshipp'st at the Temple's inner shrine, God being with thee when we know it not. (It is a Beauteous Evening by William Wordsworth) | 11 | |
| 4324729093 | Euphony | The literary device "euphony" refers to the use of phrases and words that are noted for possessing an extensive degree of notable loveliness or melody in the sound they create. Example: Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun; Conspiring with him how to load and bless With fruit the vines that round the thatch -eves run; To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees, And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core; To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells With a sweet kernel; to set budding more, And still more, later flowers for the bees, (Ode to Autumn by John Keats) | 12 | |
| 4324729094 | Free Verse | poetry that does not rhyme or have a regular meter Example: A noiseless patient spider, I mark'd where on a little promontory it stood isolated, Mark'd how to explore the vacant vast surrounding, It launch'd forth filament, filament, filament, out of itself, Ever unreeling them, ever tirelessly speeding them. And you O my soul where you stand, Surrounded, detached, in measureless oceans of space,....... Till the bridge you will need be form'd, till the ductile anchor hold, Till the gossamer thread you fling catch somewhere, O my soul. (A Noiseless Patient Spider by Walt Whitman) | 13 | |
| 4324729095 | Irony | The use of irony in literature refers to playing around with words such that the meaning implied by a sentence or word is actually different from the literal meaning. Example: "Go ask his name: if he be married. My grave is like to be my wedding bed." Juliet commands her nurse to find out who Romeo was and says if he were married, then her wedding bed would be her grave. It is a verbal irony because the audience knows that she is going to die on her wedding bed. | 14 | |
| 4324730973 | Metonymy | Metonymy in literature refers to the practice of not using the formal word for an object or subject and instead referring to it by using another word that is intricately linked to the formal name or word. Example: "As he swung toward them holding up the hand Half in appeal, but half as if to keep The life from spilling" In these lines, the expression "The life from spilling" is a metonymy that refers to spilling of blood. It develops a link between life and blood. The loss of too much blood means loss of life. | 15 | |
| 4324730974 | Monologue | a speech delivered by one person, or a long one-sided conversation that makes you want to pull your hair out from boredom Example: And indeed there will be time To wonder, 'Do I dare?' and, 'Do I dare?' Time to turn back and descend the stair, With a bald spot in the middle of my hair... In a minute there is time For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.' (The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S Eliot) | 16 | |
| 4324730975 | Motif | The literary device 'motif' is any element, subject, idea or concept that is constantly present through the entire body of literature. Example: In Shakespeare's Hamlet, we find a recurring motif of incest accompanied by incestuous desires of some characters. Laertes speaks to his sister Ophelia in a way that is sexually explicit. Hamlet shows obsession for Gertrude's sexual life with Claudius has an underlying tone of an incestuous desire. Besides, there is a motif of hatred for women that Hamlet experiences in his relationship with Gertrude and Ophelia. Hamlet expresses his disgust for women in Scene 2 of Act I: "Frailty, thy name is woman" | 17 | |
| 4324730993 | Pathos | a quality that evokes pity or sadness. Example: Empathizing with a friend who lost a family member | 18 | |
| 4324733496 | Satire | the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues. Example: "What's the use you learning to do right, when it's troublesome to do right and isn't no trouble to do wrong, and the wages is just the same?" (Chap 16) | 19 | |
| 4324733497 | Romanticism | an artistic, literary, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe toward the end of the 18th century and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate period from 1800 to 1850. Example: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight This 14th century romance, whose writer is still unknown, revolves around the bravery of Sir Gawain, a knight of King Arthur, who accepts the challenge from Green Knight. Sir Gawain beheads the knight, but the knight goes away reminding him the time he would appear again. In this struggle, Sir Gawain shows his true nature of bravery, chivalry and courage when tested by a lady when he stays in the castle of that very knight. | 20 | |
| 4324736575 | Soliloquy | an act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers, especially by a character in a play. Example: "Yet art thou still but Faustus and a man" In the first soliloquy of Doctor Faustus, Marlow has nicely summed up Faustus' life, motives, intentions and growth of his ideas that took place before the start of action. An extra-ordinary ambitious soul of Doctor Faustus is revealed here who was not satisfied with the existing branches of knowledge and needed something beyond the powers of man. | 21 | |
| 4324736576 | Sonnet | a poetic form which originated in Italy; Giacomo Da Lentini is credited with its invention. Example: From fairest creatures we desire increase, That thereby beauty's rose might never die. But as the riper should by time decease, His tender heir might bear his memory: But thou, contracted to thine own bright eyes, Feed'st thy light's flame with self-substantial fuel, Making a famine where abundance lies, Thyself thy foe, to thy sweet self too cruel. Thou that art now the world's fresh ornament And only herald to the gaudy spring, Within thine own bud buriest thy content And, tender churl, mak'st waste in niggarding. Pity the world, or else this glutton be, To eat the world's due, by the grave and thee (William Shakespeare) | 22 | |
| 4324736577 | Style | the literary element that describes the ways that the author uses words — the author's word choice, sentence structure, figurative language, and sentence arrangement all work together to establish mood, images, and meaning in the text Example: The pleasures of the imagination, taken in their full extent, are not so gross as those of sense... A man of polite imagination is let into a great many pleasures... A man should endeavour, therefore, to make the sphere of his innocent pleasures as wide as possible, that he may retire into them with safety ... Delightful scenes, whether in nature, painting, or poetry, have a kindly influence on the body, as well as the mind, and not only serve to clear and brighten the imagination, but are able to disperse grief and melancholy... This is an example of expository writing style in which the author describes advantages of imagination with facts and logical sequence and tells his delight of imagination. Then, he discusses its benefits and finally gives opinions in its favor. | 23 | |
| 4324736578 | Structure | how the the writer manipulates the raw components. so things like time, chronology, point of view Example: "The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep." | 24 | |
| 4324738891 | Synecdoche | a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa Example: The word "bread" refers to food or money as in "Writing is my bread and butter" or "sole breadwinner". | 25 | |
| 4324738892 | Tone | The tone of a literary work is the perspective or attitude that the author adopts with regards to a specific character, place or development. Example: Example #1 Father: "We are going on a vacation." Son: "That's great!!!" - The tone of son's response is very cheerful. | 26 | |
| 4324741126 | Tragic Hero | A tragic hero is a person of noble birth with heroic or potentially heroic qualities. Example: Oedipus from "Oedipus Rex" Aristotle has used Oedipus as a perfect example of a tragic hero, as he has hubris that is his pride makes him blind to the truth. He refuses to listen to wise men like Tiresias, who predicts that Oedipus has killed his father, Laius. He is tragic because he struggles against the forces of his fate and pitiable due to his weakness, which arouses fear in the audience. Thus, he is an ideal example of the tragic hero for causing his own downfall, falling from his own estate and facing undeserved punishment. | 27 | |
| 4324741127 | Villanelle | A villanelle (also known as villanesque) is a nineteen-line poetic form consisting of five tercets followed by a quatrain. There are two refrains and two repeating rhymes, with the first and third line of the first tercet repeated alternately until the last stanza, which includes both repeated lines. Example: Mad Girl's Love Song by Sylvia Plath "I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead; (A1) I lift my lids and all is born again. (a) (I think I made you up inside my head.) (A2) The stars go waltzing out in blue and red, (a) And arbitrary blackness gallops in: (b) I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead. (A1) I dreamed that you bewitched me into bed (a) And sung me moon-struck, kissed me quite insane. (b) (I think I made you up inside my head.) (A2) God topples from the sky, hell's fires fade: (a) Exit seraphim and Satan's men: (b) I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead. (A1) I fancied you'd return the way you said, (a) But I grow old and I forget your name. (b) (I think I made you up inside my head.) (A2) I should have loved a thunderbird instead; (a) At least when spring comes they roar back again. (b) I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead. (A1) (I think I made you up inside my head.)" (A2) | 28 | |
| 4324874613 | Mood | refers to a definitive stance the author adopts in shaping a specific emotional perspective towards the subject of the literary work Example: "The river, reflecting the clear blue of the sky, glistened and sparkled as it flowed noiselessly on." The depiction of idyllic scenery imparts a serene and non-violent mood to the readers. | 29 | |
| 4324882669 | Nemesis | refers to a situation of poetic justice wherein the positive characters are rewarded and the negative characters are penalized Example: In a famous Greek Tragedy "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles, the nemesis of "King Oedipus" is his Hubris or excessive pride. He is so proud that he does not even shun from defying prophecies of gods. We see that he ends up doing what he fears and tries to avoid. The Oracle of Delphi tells him that he will kill his father and marry his mother. In his attempt to defy gods' prophecy, he leaves "Corinth" and travels towards "Thebes". On his way, he kills an old man in a quarrel and later marries the queen of "Thebes" as he ascends throne after delivering the city from a deadly "Sphinx". One can argue that he commits all these sins in complete ignorance, yet he deserves retribution because he becomes so swollen with pride that he does not even shy from attempting to revolt against his fate. Thus, his nemesis is his arrogance. | 30 | |
| 4324884484 | Oxymoron | a significant literary device as it allows the author to use contradictory, contrasting concepts placed together in a manner that actually ends up making sense in a strange, and slightly complex manner Example: "Why, then, O brawling love! O loving hate! O anything, of nothing first create! O heavy lightness! Serious vanity! Misshapen chaos of well-seeming forms! Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health! Still-waking sleep, that is not what it is! This love feel I, that feel no love in this. Dost thou not laugh?" We notice a series of oxymoron being employed when Romeo confronts the love of an inaccessible woman. An intense emotional effect is produced to highlight his mental conflict by the use of contradictory pairs of words such as "hating love", "heavy lightness", "bright smoke", "cold fire", and "sick health". | 31 | |
| 4324886209 | Paradox | refers to the use of concepts or ideas that are contradictory to one another, yet, when placed together hold significant value on several levels Example: "All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others". This statement seems to not make any sense. However, on closer examination, it gets clear that Orwell points out a political truth. The government in the novel claims that everyone is equal but it has never treated everyone equally. It is the concept of equality stated in this paradox that is opposite to the common belief of equality. | 32 | |
| 4324896005 | Simile | a comparison using "like" or "as" Example: This drink is a cold as ice. | 33 | |
| 4324857644 | Anecdote | a short verbal accounting of a funny, amusing, interesting event or incident Example: What is that? Bells, dogs again! Is it a dream? I sob and cry. See! The door opens, fur-clad men Rush to my rescue; frail am I; Feeble and dying, dazed and glad. There is the pistol where it dropped. "Boys, it was hard — but I'm not mad. . . . Look at the clock — it stopped, it stopped. Carry me out. The heavens smile. See! There's an arch of gold above. Now, let me rest a little while — Looking to God and Love . . .and Love . . .". In this poem, the speaker is freezing slowly in the Arctic. He recollects the memories of his life and tells the whole story to the readers, but sees flashes of his life before he dies. In fact, he is using anecdotes to tell his life story. | 34 | |
| 4324859935 | Anastrophe | a form of literary device wherein the order of the noun and the adjective in the sentence is exchanged Example: He spoke of times past and future, and dreamt of things to be. | 35 | |
| 4324863480 | Analogy | a literary device that helps to establish a relationship based on similarities between two concepts or ideas | 36 | |
| 4324866286 | Anagram | an extremely popular form of literary device wherein the writer jumbles up parts of the word to create a new word Example: A gentleman à Elegant man This anagram is fun and unique because the meaning stays the same: a gentleman is, in fact, an elegant man! | 37 | |
| 4324869802 | Amplification | a literary practice wherein the writer embellishes the sentence by adding more information to it in order to increase its worth and understandability Example: The assignment was complicated because it involved numerous steps. I believe I became lost on step three, but I'm not sure. I may have miscalculated here on step four as well. Can you help me? Through the use of amplification, you have made clear what you are struggling with, and the tutor can now help you. | 38 |
