Simile A figure of speech that uses like

Simile A figure of speech that uses like or as to compare seemingly unlike things. "Slowly, like a terrier who doesn't want to bring a ball to its master, Lennie approached, drew back, approached again. "

Imagery The “word pictures” that writers use to evoke an emotional response. An example of imagery in the beginning of Of Mice and Men paints a very vivid picture of a simple landscape. "There is a path through the willows and among the sycamore's. . . beaten hard by tramps who came wearily down from the highway in the evening to jungle up near water" (Steinbeck 1 -2).

Metaphor A figure of speech that compares or equates two seemingly unlike things. "The curls, tiny little sausages, were spread on the hay behind her head, and her lips were parted. "

Allusion An expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it directly. One place we see a direct allusion in the novel is when Whit is talking to Lennie and George about Curley has just gone into the barn after Slim, and Whit thinks there might be a fight. He comments that Curley got into the finals for the Golden Gloves, and then goes to watch the potential fight. This comment is a direct allusion to the Golden Gloves, an amateur boxing tournament set up in the 1920 s. On a number of occasions, finalists from the tournament went on to be big league boxers. This allusion, then, is used to show good an amateur boxer Curley is. It has more depth and meaning, especially considering the time period of the novel, than if Whit had just said that Curley was a good boxer. Here, direct allusion is used to add to a character's description. -study. com

Satire Writing that comments, sometimes humorously, on human flaws, ideas, social customs, or institutions. As is often the case, the satire in Huckleberry Finn is often misunderstood and misconstrued as Mark Twain’s actual opinions. Twain hated slavery and used Huckleberry Finn to point out the inhumane way that slave-owners treated slaves. While some contend that the book is racist, Twain was strongly against racism. He used the characters of Jim and Miss Watson, Jim’s owner, to highlight the hypocrisy of slavery. Miss Watson is called a “good Christian woman” so that readers may realize that what she purports to stand for is in direct opposition to her actions. –literary devices. com

Paradox A situation or statement that seems to be impossible or contradictory but is nevertheless true, literally or figuratively. Nobody goes to Murphy’s Bar anymore — it’s too crowded. –literarydevices. com

Extended Metaphor A metaphor that compares two unlike things in various ways throughout a paragraph, a stanza, or a literary work. Most of the characters in Of Mice and Men admit, at one point or another, to dreaming of a different life. What makes all of these dreams typically American is that the dreamers wish for untarnished happiness, for the freedom to follow their own desires. George and Lennie’s dream of owning a farm, which would enable them to sustain themselves, and, most important, offer them protection from an inhospitable world, represents a prototypically American ideal. – sparknotes. com

Tone An author’s attitude toward his or her subject matter or the audience. Example #1 Father: “We are going on a vacation. ” Son: “That’s great!!!”– The tone of son’s response is very cheerful. Example #2 Father: “We can’t go on vacation this summer. ” Son: “Ok. Great! That’s what I expected. ”– The son’s tone is sarcastic in the given response. -literarydevices. net

Stereotype A character who is not developed as an individual, but instead represents a collection of traits and mannerisms supposedly shared but all members of a group. Migrant workers have the stereotype of hard workers that are desperate for money. They are usually not very well educated. Most of them were strong but some weren't. Take Lennie and George for example. George wasn't very strong but was smart and Lennie was strong but dumb as a fence post. Like Lennie and George, all migrant workers wanted their own land to farm. They had few possessions and were independent. bookrags. com

Anastrophe A reverse of word order for emphasis. Yoda in Star Wars Episode V - Empire Strikes "Ready are you? What know you of ready? For eight hundred years have I trained Jedi. My own counsel will I keep on who is to be trained. . . This one a long time have I watched. . . Never his mind on where he was. "

Theme The central message of a work of literature, often expressed as a general statement about life. Loneliness is present throughout this novel. On the most obvious level, we see this isolation when the ranch hands go into town on Saturday night to ease their loneliness with alcohol and women. -Cliff Notes

Personification A figure of speech in which an animal, an object, a force of nature, or an idea is given human characteristics. "The sycamore leaves whispered in a little night breeze. "

Irony A contrast or discrepancy between appearance and reality. ”Although Lennie is physically strong and would therefore seem to represent someone of power, the only power Lennie possesses is physical. Because of his mental handicap and his child-like way of perceiving the world, he is powerless against his urges and the forces that assail him. ” -Cliff Notes

Characterization The methods a writer uses to reveal the personality of a character. Lennie often asks George to retell the story of their version of the American Dream. George indulges Lennie and recites how one day they will save enough money to buy their own small farm, where they can ''live off the fatta' the lan', '' as Lennie enjoys interjecting. George tells this story as though it's a fairy tale he's told a thousand times, revealing to the reader that he doesn't think it will ever come true, but he tells it anyway because it makes Lennie happy. This is one way that Steinbeck reveals George's compassion for Lennie. -Study. com

Consonance The repetition of consonant sounds, typically at the end of non-rhyming words and preceded by different vowel sounds. “cat-met” or “morn-barn”

Epigram A short witty verse or saying. “I can resist everything but temptation. ” –Oscar Wilde

Figurative Language used for descriptive effect in order to convey ideas or emotions.

Foreshadowing An author’s use of clues to prepare readers for events that will happen later in a story. For Lennie: -the death of candy's dog as a sacrifice foreshadowing that another character will be sacrificed -George saying how life would be much easier without him

Point-of-View The standpoint from which a story is told. 1 st person- the narrator is a character in a story 2 nd person- a main character is referred to in 2 nd person pronoun (ex. “you”) 3 rd person- narrator who stands outside the story and describes the characters and actions 3 rd person omniscient- all knowing

Symbol An object, person, place, or experience that exists on a literal level but also represents, or stands for, something else, usually abstract. The dream farm is another location; it does not exist in reality but is very real in the minds of Lennie and, eventually, George. It becomes a symbol for their relationship, and the retelling of the dream has become a ritual. This is the place where George and Lennie will have self-respect and independence. They will live off the fat of the land, and no one will tell them what to do. Lennie can have what he likes the best — soft rabbits to pet — and he will feel safe. George can have a more normal life that involves putting down roots and staying in one place. At the farm, George will also have an easier time keeping track of Lennie. –Cliff Notes

Onomatopoeia The use of a word or phrase that imitates or suggests the sound of what it describes. (ex: hiss, buzz)

Flashback An interruption in a chronical order of a narrative to show an event that happened earlier. In the flashback, the reader is transported back to Weed and learns what happened there for the pair to have to leave the area. –literature. blurtit. com

Local Color The evocative portrayal of a region’s distinctive ways of talking, and behaving. "Yes-en I's rich now, come to look at it. I owns mysef, en I's wuth eight hund'd dollars. I wisht I had de money, I wouldn' want no'(Twain 52). "

Mood The emotional quality of a literary work that refers to the attitude of the author toward the reader. Stephen King’s The Shining is a novel that creates a lot of suspense in the reader. This particular mood example creates tension by describing both the feelings of the character and the outside setting.

Stream of Consciousness The literary representation of a character’s free-flowing thoughts, feelings, and memories. “Let’s see, what else do I need to buy? I’ve got chips, chocolate…oh, and I need to get that awful prune juice for Harold. I can’t believe he actually thinks this cleanse thing is gonna work. And to think he wanted me to do it with him. As if I need to lose weight. Hmm, I wonder how late the gym is open tonight. ” –literarydevices. com

Setting The time and events in which a literary event occurs. In this short excerpt of the prologue from Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare sets up both the city in which the action takes place—Verona, Italy—as well as giving a taste of the socioeconomic statuses of the characters. Shakespeare refers to the two households as being “both alike in dignity, ” which will greatly affect the way that the characters relate. Because of the high status of both the Montagues and Capulets, Romeo and Juliet are held to certain standards, especially in the era and city they lived in. A modern film version of the play chose to move the setting to Verona Beach, California, which changed the socioeconomic statuses of the characters involved.

Blank Verse Poetry or lines of dramatic verse written in unrhymed iambic pentameter. When I see birches bend to left and right Across the lines of straighter darker trees, I like to think some boy’s been swinging them. But swinging doesn’t bend them down to stay As ice-storms do. Often you must have seen them… (“Birches” by Robert Frost)

Apostrophe A figure of speech in which a person addresses an inanimate object, an idea, or an absent person. JULIET: Yea, noise? Then I’ll be brief. O happy dagger! This is thy sheath; there rust, and let me die. (Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare)

Hyperbole A figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion, to make a point, or to evoke humor. The suitcase weighed a ton. I’m so angry, I could kill him! I’ve asked you not to do that a thousand times. If he doesn’t call by tonight, I will absolutely die. She’s as skinny as a toothpick. -literarydevices. com