Stylistic Devices

Allusion

A brief reference to a famous person or event-often from literature, history, Greek mythology, or the Bible. Can help to simplify complex ideas. The reference connects your readers to your writing and invests them in the meaning because you're using something that may be familiar to them. examples: She acts like Scrooge with her money and will not buy anything if she does not need it.

Metaphor

A comparison between two UNLIKE things without using like or as example: Chaos is a friend of mine

Analogy

A kind of long simile in which an explicit comparison is made between two things (events, ideas, people, etc.) for the purpose of furthering a line of reasoning or drawing an inference; a form of reasoning employing comparative or parallel cases example: My plants are my children. I must nurture them to grow strong

Euphemism

A mild or pleasant term used in place of an unpleasant or offensive one. example: Downsizing instead of Firing Senior instead of Old Person

Repetition (type of parallelism)

A repeated word or phrase, used for emphasis. There are two common types: a. Anaphora: repetition at the beginning of a line. example: We demand the truth. We demand justice. We demand equality b. Epistrophe: repetition at the end of a line. example: See no evil. Hear no evil. Speak no evil. c. Diacope: repetition of a word or phrase with one or more intervening words. example: He had some woman with him-a tall, beautiful, well-dressed woman.

Litotes

An understatement in which a positive statement is expressed by negating its opposite. example: "not bad"

Verbal Irony

Basically sarcasm

Simile

Comparing two unlike things using the words LIKE or AS to show how one is somewhat like the other example: You were as brave as a lion or In the eastern sky there was a yellow patch like a rug laid for the feet of the coming sun

Personification

Giving human qualities to inanimate objects to make the object come alive and to give your reader a unique perspective. example: Squatting in the corner was a felt chair covered in the dust and damp of abandonment.

Imagery

Language and description that appeals to our five senses. When a writer attempts to describe something so that it appeals to our sense of smell, sight, taste, touch, or hearing, he/she has used imagery. example:It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. Winston Smith, his chin nuzzled into his breast in an effort to escape the vile wind, slipped quickly through the glass doors of Victory Mansions, though not quickly enough to prevent a swirl of gritty dust from entering along with him. The hallway smelt of boiled cabbage and old rag mats.

Juxtaposition

Occurs when an author places two things side by side as a way of highlighting their differences and/or similarities. This can manipulate the emotions of your readers. example: Just a small town girl, living in a lonely world... Just a city boy, born and raised in South Detroit.

Antithesis (type of parallelism)

Putting two contrasting elements (places, people, ideas) together that are so unlike that the effect is surprising, witty, or even startling. example: Love is an ideal thing, marriage a real thing.

Parellelism

Several parts of a sentence or several sentences expressed in similar grammatical form to show that the ideas are equal in importance. Can add balance, rhythm, and emphasis to ideas to ideas. example: To succeed in life, you need to take advantage of opportunities and to follow your dreams.

Syntax

The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language. Sentence lengths: Short sentences imply straightforward ideas. Long sentences imply descriptive, detailed accounts. Sentence types: simple, compound, complex Punctuation: Period, comma, semicolon, dash

Tone

The attitude that a literary work/speaker takes towards its subject and theme. It reflects the narrator's/speaker's attitude towards a subject. example: "It was very late and everyone had left the cafe except an old man who sat in the shadow the leaves of the tree made against the electric light. In the day time the street was dusty, but at night the dew settled the dust and the old man liked to sit late because he was deaf and now at night it was quiet and he felt the difference."

Diction

The choice of words that the writer chooses to convey a particular meaning. A fancy way of saying that diction is the way in which a writer wants to write to a specific audience. Formal diction: Word choice is more formal or high class. Oftentimes writers use this style as a literary device when more educated characters are speaking. Or if there are writing to a highly educated audience. example: I bid you adieu. Informal diction: Authors use this when characters are speaking directly to everyday people. Informal diction is mainly used for dialogue. example: See you around

Alliteration

The repetition of the first consonant sound, occurring close together in a series. Alliteration is mainly used for rhythmic purposes to give variety to your writing style. Plus, it helps to make that line that contains it stand out.... just do not overuse it. example: But four hours later the fish was still swimming steadily out to sea, towing the skiff, and the old man was still braced solidly with the line across his back.

Symbolism

When an author uses one thing-usually a physical object or phenomenon-to represent another object or idea. It gives an entirely different meaning that is much deeper and more significant. example: A river in a scene could represent the flow of life

Dramatic Irony

When the audience knows what is going to happen, but the character does not

Situational Irony

When you think something specific is going to happen, but there is a twist and something different happens-sometimes the exact opposite of what you predicted.