Alliteration The repetition of the first sound of several words in a piece of literature. ~ A unt A licia a ccumulated a lot of a ntique a ttire when she a cquired her A unt A bigail’s estate.
Dec 27, 2015
Alliteration
The repetition of the first sound of several words in a piece of
literature.~
Aunt Alicia accumulated a lot of antique attire when she acquired her Aunt Abigail’s estate.
AllusionA reference present in one piece of
literature that is found in another literary work.
Levi’s parents were
astounded by his
Copperfield-like
tactics for sneaking
out of the house.
AssonanceThe repetition of vowel sounds
in a piece of literature.
Upon the utterance
of his instructions from Coach Underwood, a robust Gunther
took his place on the line.
ConsonanceThe repetition of consonant
sounds near one another in a piece of literature.
The raging river ran into Rolling Rock Reservoir.
ForeshadowingA method of creating
suspense by hinting about events that will
occur later on in a piece of literature.
“He didn’t know when. He didn’t know where, but
he knew that something was amiss. His
fate was yet to be determined.”
MetaphorA statement that makes a direct comparison
between unlike objects, ideas or concepts.
Life is a puzzle.(Life is compared to a puzzle.)
Extended Metaphor:
Life is a puzzle; you may have all the pieces, but the “big picture” isn’t complete until the last piece is snapped into place.
SimileA statement that makes a
comparison between unlike objects, ideas or concepts using the words “like” or “as”.
In a flash like lightening, he was gone.
Your situation can change as quickly as a blink of
an eye.
PersonificationA statement that
gives a nonhuman object human characteristics.
“The chair moaned in agony when I sat down on it.”
Flashback• A device that allows the
writer to present events that happened before the current events in the fiction.
• Flashback techniques include memories, dreams, or stories of the past told by characters.
• The author might simply say, "But back in Tom's youth. . . ."
• Flashback is useful for exposition, to fill in the reader about a character or place, or about the background to a conflict.
ImageryThe use of sensory
words pertaining to sight, touch, smell, taste and sound to create pictures or images in the reader’s mind.
Irony
*You wreck your mom’s brand new car. Someone says to you, “Your mother is
going to be thrilled when she sees this!”
There are three types:Dramatic – the audience knows
something the character doesn’tSituational – an action is the
opposite of what is expectedVerbal* – a statement has the
opposite meaning of what is said.
Rhyme
A pattern of repeated sounds in a piece of literature, usually poetry.
When at first I glance, I see the moonlight dance on my window pane.
I know that there’s a chance it may put me in a trance, so I look away and fall asleep again.
RhythmRecurrences of stressed and unstressed
syllables that give a piece of literature a musical quality.
The Purple Cow Gelett Burgess
I never saw a purple cow, I never hope to see one; But I can tell you, anyhow I'd rather see than be one.
SatireA literary work or passage that mocks the
subject it is writing about.
In America--as elsewhere--free speech is confined to the dead.
- Notebook, 1904
Compliments of Mark Twain
Such is the human race. Often it does seem such a pity that Noah and his party did not miss the boat.
- Christian Science
Stream of Consciousness
A literary form in which every thought that comes to the writer’s mind is written down.
UnderstatementA statement that plays down the
significance of what is actually meant.
“Just a little fender-
bender.”
(The man driving this vehicle walked away with only minor injuries.)
RepetitionThe reiteration of a word, phrase or idea
in a piece of literature for emphasis.
The reiteration of a word, phrase or idea in a piece of literature for emphasis.
The reiteration of a word, phrase or idea in a piece of literature for emphasis.
PunA literary device that allows for a word or
phrase to have two meanings at the same time for a humorous effect.
I used to be a ballet dancer, but I found it to be too, too (tutu) difficult.
.
Character
Any person or object represented by a
person (spirit, animal, object) in a literary
work.
ThemeThe main idea or
overlying meaning of a piece of literature.
The theme can often be found by looking at symbols, details and character actions.
.
Style
The approach in which a writer composes a
literary work through the use of word choice, tone and sentence structure.
Point of View
First Person – I was exhausted from the hike.
Third Person – She fell to her knees from exhaustion.
Third Person Omniscient* – She was not only exhausted from the long hike, but from the memories of her lost love.
*The speaker of the piece is “all-knowing” meaning that he/she knows what is going through the mind of the character.
The “angle” at which a story is told.
Aside
An actor’s spoken thoughts that are meant for only the audience to hear, not the other characters on stage. Asides provide the audience with additional information as to the intent of the characters actions.