Literary Devices Not as scary as they seem

Literary Devices Not as scary as they seem

Devices of Figurative Language Metaphor, Simile, Personification, Hyperbole, Synecdoche, Metonymy

Metaphor �Denotation: �A direct comparison between two things, where one thing takes the place of another. �Example: �I have a mountain of laundry to wash this weekend. �My kitchen was a disaster zone after the party guests went home.

Simile �Denotation: �A direct comparison between two unlike things which uses either “like” or “as” �Example: �The toddler hit the living room like a tornado, leaving toys scattered everywhere. �The engine ran like an offensive lineman, so we bought a new car.

Personification �Denotation: �Giving human-like qualities to something that is not human (either animal or inanimate) �Example: �It was so cold that the trees were shivering and the birds put on extra socks. �I was late to school this morning because my keys were hiding from me.

Hyperbole �Denotation: �Exaggeration. It is used to make a strong point, not meant to be taken literally. �Example: �We have one million hours of homework from Mr. Marsh and Ms. Spiceland every night. �I met Shaquille O’neal once; he was eighty feet tall.

Synecdoche �Denotation: �A type of metonymy where a part represents a whole. �Example: �He asked for her hand in marriage. �My sister just bought a new ragtop, and she wants to take us all out for ice cream to celebrate.

Metonymy �Denotation: �Calling something by something closely associated with it, but not by its own name. �Example: �When the story got out to the press, the entire school became famous. �The candidate campaigned on bringing change to the White House.

Devices of Sound Alliteration, Assonance, Consonance, Onomatopoeia, Slant Rhyme

Alliteration �Denotation: �Two or more words with the same beginning consonant sound �Example: �Lovely lucky ladies’ lunch. �Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

Assonance �Denotation: �Words with the same internal vowel sound �Example: �Puppy and Duck �I wrote an ode to a gross host who didn’t wash her toes.

Consonance �Denotation: �Repetition of the same consonant sound, not to be confused with alliteration. �Example: �All mammals named Sam are clammy. �“And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain” – Edgar Allan Poe, “The Raven”

Onomatopoeia �Denotation: �When a word is defined by its sound �Example: �The thunder boomed in the distance. �“Knock, knock!” said the visitor, walking through my open classroom door.

Slant Rhyme �Denotation: �“Rhyming” lines of poetry which do not actually rhyme, but end with the same consonant sound. �Also called half rhyme, near rhyme, or imperfect rhyme. �Example: �Soul and all �Hard and tired �Food and good

Devices of Reference Allusion, Apostrophe

Allusion �Denotation: �Making reference to literature, history, art, a place, a person, or mythology. �Example: �I named my cat Schroedinger because he likes to get into boxes. �It’s like he has the Midas touch; he’s never failed to make money with his crazy schemes.

Apostrophe �Denotation: �Addressing something that cannot hear. This could be something inanimate or someone not present. �Example: �O Muse! Come help me write these examples for my students! �Curse you, rain! How dare you ruin my baseball game!