LITERARY DEVICES

Literary devices are techniques that writers use to express their ideas and enhance their writing.
Literary devices highlight important concepts in a text, strengthen the narrative, and help readers
connect to the characters and themes.

Simile

Similes make an interesting comparison between two things using like or as. For example:

 The toddler is as devious as a devil.

 The dog was as sneaky as a fox.

Metaphor

Similar to a simile, a metaphor creates a comparison. However, these create a direct comparison
like ‘the toddler was a devil’. A few other examples include:

 The kindergarten classroom was a zoo.

 The computers are dinosaurs.

Irony

Irony is about how your perception is different from how something really is. It comes in
different forms like dramatic, verbal, or situational irony. Examples include:

 My old English mastiff dog is named “Tiny”. (situational irony)

 My son is as innocent as the devil. (verbal irony)

Imagery

The sensory words the author uses to create that image in your mind is imagery.

 The rich, warm smell of baking chocolate chip cookies reminded him of the soft smiling
face of his grandmother.
 The blanket felt like the fur of a thousand kittens.

Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing is where the author gives just a hint something exciting or foreboding is going to
happen. This foreshadowing of the events to come has us tapping our feet in anticipation. The
following are some foreshadowing examples.

 The still evening sent a chill down her back. The air was just too calm.
  Looking away from her sick child, she tried to tell herself everything would be okay, but
she couldn’t shake the feeling of foreboding that danced in her stomach.

Allegory

An allegory is a literary device that contains a hidden meaning or moral. A few famous
allegories you might be familiar with.

 The Hunger Games is an allegory for reality TV and how it numbs us to horrors and
suffering.
 The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe has a basic religious allegory of good vs. evil or God
vs. Satan.

Point of View

Writing can be told from all different points of view or perspectives. Three different points of
view are found in writing, first, second, and third person.

 I scored the goal. (first person)

 You scored the goal. (second person)
 He scored the goal. (third person)

Symbolism

Writers use this to add meaning to an object or person within a story. Depending on the writer's
creativity, the level of symbolism can be basic or unique. For example:

 Red roses symbolize love.

 In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the scar on his forehead symbolizes not only
his past but his future.

Allusion

An allusion is a passing reference in literature. It’s a fun type of literary device that keeps writing
from getting bland or boring.

 He was her Romeo. (reference to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet)

 It was like I walked into the Garden of Eden. (biblical allusion)

Personification

Everyone understands traits people have. When you use personification, you give the traits of a
person to an inanimate object. Here are some examples.

 The car woke up with a grumble.

 The stars danced happily in the night sky.
Flashback

These are story elements giving you insight to a previous moment or experience.

 Standing on the edge of the cliff, she was suddenly transported back to the time when she
was two. She remembered the feeling of her heart pounding as she looked down at the
ground, seconds before falling.
 The loud clang of the thunder sent him spiraling back into the war. He could remember
every moment as the bombs raged around him. His captain screamed in his ear trying to
get his attention.

Tone

Tone tells us a lot about what a character is thinking, or the feeling the poem is trying to portray.
It can be a happy, energetic, or even melancholy tone.

 Not even the brightness of the sun was enough to block out the dark cloud she could feel
hovering over her head. (melancholy tone)
 The exhilarated girl danced along the sidewalk making her way to her friend’s house.
(upbeat, happy tone)

Juxtaposition

Juxtaposition adds a unique twist to literature because it places two opposites next to each other.
It could be positive and negative, like light or dark. A few examples of juxtaposition include:

 Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill. (big vs. little)

 The young child looked up into the wrinkled face of her grandmother smiling. (young vs.
old)

Archetype

In literature, an archetype is something well-known like the story of good vs. evil, or the first of
its kind. There are several great examples of archetypes, a few you know are:

 The hero’s journey like in the Lord of the Rings series

 The innocent character like Pippin in Lord of the Rings

Hyperbole

Hyperbole is an extreme exaggeration used by writers to add emphasis to a phrase. While it is a

fun literary device in literature, it’s used in real life too.

 I told you to do the dishes a million times.

 My teacher is older than dirt.
Motif

Motifs are central elements writers repeat throughout a story. Similar to a theme, motifs come in
the form of symbols, objects, sounds, or even settings.

 Lord of the Rings repeat use of light and dark to signal good vs. evil.
 Harry Potter repeat of muggle vs. wizard born to illustrate racism and tolerance.

Mood

Moods set the overall tone. The words the writer uses to create the mood can make the book
happy or the song melancholy. Great examples of mood include:

 In the Road Not Taken by Robert Frost, the poem sets a gloomy mood.
 The song Good Vibrations by The Beach Boys has a happy mood.

Repetition

Repetition is simply repeated words, letters, phrases, and sounds for emphasis. Used correctly,
repetition in writing and poetry can push the message or point of the writing. Example:

 Edgar Allan Poe’s The Bells poem “ Keeping time, time, time”
 “Let it snow, let it show, let it snow” lyric in Dean Martin’s Let It Snow.

Alliteration

The repetition of consonant sounds., alliteration is when a letter is used repeatedly to add
emphasis and interest to a work. For example:

 Sleepy sheep were shorn on Sunday.

 The big black bear banged blandly on the bark.

Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia is words that imitates a sound. Common ones include:

 Splat
 Woosh