Literary Devices
Allegory
Allegory - a figure of speech in which abstract ideas and principles are described in terms of characters, figures and events.It can be employed in prose and poetry to tell a story with a purpose of teaching an idea and a principle or explaining an idea or a principle. The objective of its use is to preach some kind of a moral lesson. "All animals are equal but a few are more equal than others." ("Animal Farm", written by George Orwell) The author this literary device for the characters and the entire plot of the story to describe the greed and corruption of the Russian communist revolution, and the overthrow of the last Russian Tsar, Nicholas II.
Colloquial diction
Colloquial diction - A form of diction that uses words common in everyday speech like talking to our friends. "You gonna run out on a dare?" asked Dill. "If you are, then--" "Dill, you have to think about these things," Jem said. "Lemme think a minute . . . it's sort of like making a turtle come out . . ." (To Kill a Mockingbird pg. 15) The dialog example above convey's informal speech of two friends talking to one another.
Literal language
Literal language - Uses words solely by their defined or primary meaning. " I don't want to come off as arrogant here, but I'm the best botanist on the planet." (the Martian pg. 146) This example above is very funny and literal because it's true that he is the best botanist on the planet because he is the only botanist on the planet Mars.
Parody
Parody - Parody is an imitation of a particular writer, artist, or a genre, exaggerating it deliberately to produce a comic effect "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far more red than her lips' red; If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. I have seen roses damasked, red and white, But no such roses see I in her cheeks" (Shakespeare 1-6). I believe Shakespeare wrote this parody of traditional love poems to mock the other poets and the exaggerated, and kind of unrealistic, comparisons they compare to their dearest.
Irony
Rhythm - The use of words to convey a meaning opposite of the literal meaning (Mr. Majeski The Magnificent). 1) Cosmic Irony - "When the goddess Hera discovered that Zeus had seduced Alcmena and fathered Hercules, she was furious. Hera was fiercely jealous of Zeus's lovers and children and pursued them mercilessly" (http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Go-Hi/Hercules.html 16-18). 2) Dramatic Irony - ""I think thou dost. And for I know thou 'rt full of love and honesty and weigh'st thy words before thou giv'st them breath" (Shakespeare 70). 3) Verbal Irony - ""I rather recommend buying the children alive and dressing them hot from the knife, as we do roasting pigs"" (Swift 16). 4) Satire - "Whether the nymph shall break Diana's law, or some frail china jar receive a flaw, or stain her honor, or her new brocade" (Pope 348). Cosmic Irony is when fate, destiny, or the gods/goddesses control and toy with human hopes and expectations. When I read this, I knew that the Greek myth of Hercules was the perfect example of this type of irony. As soon as Hercules was born, Hera had "toyed" with his life many times over the course of his lifetime. She has tried to kill him with two poisonous snakes when he was a baby, caused him to go mad and kill his entire family, and other forms of sufferings and punishments. You could say that it was poor Hercules destiny to suffer a life of torment from the goddess Hera. The piece of dialogue from William Shakespeare's play, Othello, is a good example of dramatic irony. In this quote, Othello is putting his faith into Lago as being an "honest man". Unknown to Othello, however, Lago is actually plotting against him. Although the audience knows all about his evil plot, Othello just has no clue, until it is too late. Verbal Irony is a type of irony that whatever is expressed is the complete opposite of what is actually meant. This outspoken quote in Jonathan Swift's novel, A Modest Proposal, is a really good example of this irony. The author talks about ghastly things in his book like killing children the same way as they do with pigs so that he could point out that the government should not treat Irish people like animals. For we are all human beings deserving of the same respect and equality. Satire is a form of verbal irony that is used by writers to criticize and expose corruption and foolishness of an individual or society. The quote from Alexander Pope's, The Rape of the Lock, is a good example of satire. The author uses this literary device to criticize the upper middle class of eighteenth century England. He especially criticized the vanity of young "fashionable" gentlemen and ladies, and the frivolity of their actions. Like Belinda, when she thought her virtue was equal to a China jar being broken.
Synecdoche
Synecdoche - A figure of speech in which a closely related, concrete, item is substituted for another object or idea. "The western wave all a-flame. The day was well was nigh done! Almost upon the western wave Rested the broad bright Sun" (Coleridge Part 3 202-205). .The author uses the literary device for the words, "western wave" to refer to the sea by the name of its parts. I believe the author did this to help the structure of the poem into balladic stanzas, creating vivid images for readers to imagine as they read this adventurous and interesting tale.
Syntax
Syntax - The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language. "Whose woods these are I think I know." This line in Frosts poem plays with syntax to create a questioning effect and rhyme.
Theme
Theme - a main idea or an underlying meaning of a literary work that may be stated directly or indirectly. "The evening edition of the paper stated that the greatest excitement still continued in the quartier St. Roch -- that the premises in question had been carefully researched, and fresh examinations of witnesses instituted, but all to no purpose. A postscript, however, mentioned that Adolphe Le Bon had been arrested and imprisoned -- although nothing appeared to criminate him beyond the facts already detailed." The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe (49) . I think Poe put this theme into his short story to show the problems of having a professional police force assigned to keep the peace because, sometimes, they act on their beliefs and judgment and not justice for all.
A Novel of Incident
A Novel of Incident - A novel of incident is where the focus of the novel is the course and outcome of the plot. ""I wanted the ideal animal to hunt," explained the general. "So I said, 'What are the attributes of an ideal quarry?' And the answer, of course, 'It must have courage, cunning, and, above all, it must be able to reason." "But no animal can reason," objected Rainsford. "My dear fellow," said the general, "there is one that can." "But you can't mean—" gasped Rainsford. "And why not?" "I can't believe you are serious, General Zaroff. This is a grisly joke"" (Connell 332 -344). I believe that the author used this literary device in his novel to, not only make it scary, but thrilling as well. Especially since readers will not know who has won in this dangerous game of cat and mouse until the end of the story.
Apostrophe
Apostrophe - An apostrophe is a figure of speech that a writer or a speaker uses to detach himself from reality and address an imaginary character in their speech . "Death be not proud, though some have called thee Mighty and dreadful, for, thou art not so, For, those, whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow, Die not, poor death, nor yet canst thou kill me" (Donne 1 - 4). The author talks about death, an abstract idea that can not be seen physically nor able to respond, as a person. He writes about how death is "proud", "arrogant", and "thinks he can boss people around because he has the power to kill people". Although in reality, as John Donne describes it, death has no power over anyone whatsoever.
Allusion
Allusion - a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance. "So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay." ("Nothing Gold Can Stay" by Robert Frost) He uses this literary device to help strengthen the poem's theme that the nature of happiness is short-lived by alluding to the land of Eden and the story of Adam and Eve from the bible.
Assonance
Assonance - This literary device refers to repetition of sounds produced by vowels within a sentence or phrase. "Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage, against the dying of the light.... Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light." (Dylan Thomas', Do Not Go Gentle into the Good Night) The author purposely uses words like age, rave, day in the first stanza and blaze, gay, rage in the fifth stanza that create assonance so that the pace of the lines slow down. This slowing of pace creates a somber mood, which is perfect for this poem since it's subject is death.
Ballad
Ballad - A narrative form of poetry, typically arranged in quarters with the rhythm scheme ABAB "The night John Henry is born an ax of lightning splits the sky, and a hammer of thunder pounds the earth, and the eagles and panthers cry" (Tolson 1-4). I believe what Tolson was trying to convey to readers as he tells about John Henry's birth and using the literary device, ballad, is to emphasize the character's importance as an individual and to American society.
Blank Verse
Blank Verse - a un-rhyming verse, written in iambic pentameter. In poetry and prose, it has a consistent meter of 10 syllables in each line, where, unstressed syllables are followed by stressed ones and five of which are stressed but do not rhyme. "Something there is that doesn't love a wall. That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it, And spills the upper boulders in the sun" (Robert Frost: Mending Wall). Although this poem has no proper rhyme scheme, it does stay in a consistent meter of ten syllables of each line. This can cause reader's internal rhythm to become unbalanced and have the reader start paying extra attention to the lines of the poem by themselves.
Consonance
Consonance - This literary device refers to repetition of sounds in quick succession produced by consonants within a sentence or phrase. The repetitive sound is often found at the end of a word. "Great, or good, or kind, or fair, I will ne'er the more despair; If she love me, this believe, I will die ere she shall grieve; If she slight me when I woo, I can scorn and let her go; For if she be not for me, What care I for whom she be?" (George Wither, Shall I Wasting in Despair) The use of this literary devices is seen in the poem when the author writes using letters letters r, d, and f. He uses these letters and others to create a kind of easy flow throughout his poem, almost making it sound like a song.
Euphemism
Euphemism - an idiomatic expression which loses its literal meanings and refers to something else in order to hide its unpleasantness. For example, "kick the bucket" is a euphemism that describes the death of a person. "Royal wench! She made great Caesar lay his sword to bed. He plowed her, and she cropped" (Shakespeare Act 2, Scene 2, 45-47). I believe the author did this because he did not want the characters to speak such vulgar language in front of the rich and young people that come to watch his plays.
Farce
Farce - "A farce is a literary genre and the type of a comedy that makes the use of highly exaggerated and funny aimed at entertaining the audience "Antipholus of Syracuse: Where England? Dromio of Syracuse: I looked for the chalky cliffs, but I could find no whiteness in them; but I guess it stood in her chin, by the salt rheum that ran between France and it. Antipholus of Syracuse: Where Spain? Dromio of Syracuse: Faith, I saw it not; but I felt it hot in her breath. Antipholus of Syracuse: Where America, the Indies? Dromio of Syracuse: Oh, sir, upon her nose all o'er embellished with rubies, carbuncles, sapphires, declining their rich aspect to the hot breath of Spain; who sent whole armadoes of caracks to be ballast at her nose" (Shakespeare Act 3, Scene 2, Page 6). I believe Shakespeare created this over exaggerated conversation about Nell and her gross body to give the audience who is watching this play joyful entertainment, and possibly give them the urge to laugh hysterically.
Figurative language
Figurative language - Uses figures of speech like similes or alliterations to compare something with another to make the first concept understandable. " But his eyes, dimmed a little by many pointless days under sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground." (The Great Gatsby pg. 24) This example above shows that the author used the type of Figurative language called personification because he says that the billboard's "eyes" are "brooding" over the land. Brooding is a human attribute which the author gave to the billboard.
Flashback
Flashback - Flashbacks are interruptions that writers do to insert past events in order to provide background or context to the current events of a narrative ""But this is touching, Severus," said Dumbledore seriously. "Have you grown to care for the boy, after all?" "For him?" shouted Snape. "Expecto Patronum!" From the tip of his wand burst the silver doe. She landed on the office floor, bounded once across the office, and soared out of the window. Dumbledore watched her fly away, and as her silvery glow faded he turned back to Snape, and his eyes were full of tears. "After all this time?" "Always," said Snape" (Rowling 687-688). I believe the author used the literary device, flashbacks, to, not only give the main character the chance to understand a vital part of his own history, but also provide readers with background or context to the current events of the narrative and insight into a character's motivation.
Flat Character
Flat Character - A type of character in fiction that does not change too much from the start of the narrative to its end. Flat characters are often said not to have any emotional depths "Then a noise in the next room made them jump. Harry had only just raised his wand when they heard someone speak - and it wasn't Malfoy. "Sniff around, my sweet, they might be lurking in a corner." It was Filch speaking to Mrs. Norris" (Rowling 157). Most of the students do not like this man, not only because he is weird and creepy, he and his cat are obsessed with catching students breaking the rules and getting them in trouble. Readers do not learn anything more about Atticus Finch or his cat throughout the rest of the book, having him remain as a one-dimension character without having any emotional depth.
Formal diction
Formal diction - A form of diction used in formal settings like presentations, conferences, or formal writing. "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal." (President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address) This piece of Lincoln's Address convey's formal speech becuase it was a serious speech for a solemn
Free Verse
Free Verse - In poetry, this literary device does not follow regular rhyme or a regular meter, but it still provides artistic expression. This allows the poet to give his/her own shape to a poem how he/she desires, while at the same time they can still use alliteration, rhyme, cadences or rhythms to get the effects that they consider are suitable for the piece. "The fog comes on little cat feet. It sits looking over harbor and city on silent haunches and then moves on" (Carl Sandburg: Fog). Even though it has no terms of meter and form, this poem still maintains the poetic flow by using the movements of it's extended metaphor of fog as a cat, creating funny images in the minds of readers.
Heroic Couplet
Heroic Couplet - a literary device which can be defined as having two successive rhyming lines in a verse and has the same meter to form a complete thought. It is marked by a usual rhythm, rhyme scheme and incorporation of specific utterances "O, no, poor suff'ring Heart, no Change endeavor, Choose to sustain the smart, rather than leave her; My ravish'd eyes behold such charms about her, I can die with her, but not live without her: One tender Sigh of hers to see me languish, Will more than pay the price of my past anguish" (Dryden 1-6). The author uses this literary device to help convey his complete thoughts about love. The tone Dryden uses is a mixture of intense, mournful, lovesickness, foreshadowing, and much more. The author uses the speaker in this "love" poem to describe about difficulties of love in the past and how he can not keep away from this woman is so madly in love with.
High Comedy
High Comedy - High comedy or pure comedy is a type of comedy characterized by witty dialogue, satire, biting humor, or criticism of life ""A dear happiness to women. They would else have been troubled with a pernicious suitor. I thank God and my cold blood I am of your humor for that. I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me"" (Shakespeare 6). I believe William Shakespeare wrote their interactions in this way was, not only because the wit and humor that is exchanged between the two is hilarious, but because it shows how they are actually deceiving themselves of their true feelings for one another.
Imagery
Imagery - Using words or phrases to create "mental images" for the reader. This helps readers visualize more realistically about what the author is trying to convey. "On any other day she would have stood barefoot on the wet grass listening to the mockingbirds' early service; she would have pondered over the meaninglessness of silent, austere beauty renewing itself with every sunrise and going ungazed at by half the world. She would have walked beneath yellow-ringed pines rising to a brilliant eastern sky, and her sense would have succumbed to the joy of the morning" (Lee, Go Set A Watchman) (142) The author uses it to show readers how pitiful it is that Jean Louis is not able to enjoy the morning because of her bitterness and disbelief that her father is not the man she had thought he was.
Low Comedy
Low Comedy - Low comedy, in association to comedy, is a dramatic or literary form of entertainment with no primary purpose but to create laughter by boasting, boisterous jokes, drunkenness, scolding, fighting, buffoonery, and other riotous activity ""You're a fat fool, William," said Bert, "as I've said afore this evening." "And you're a lout!" "And I won't take that from you, Bill Higgins," says Bert, and puts his fist in William's eye" (Tolkien 35). I believe the author did this, not only to put some comedy into his story, but to also create an escape route for his main character Bilbo. Since the only way he was able to escape was when the three, comical, trolls were occupied with their fight.
Lyric
Lyric - Poetry in which the poet expresses what he or she feels, perceives, or thinks. "The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep" (Frost Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening). This piece from Robert Frost's poem, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, is a good example of lyric because the author uses it to give readers an understanding of what he was feeling at the time when he wrote this poem.
Metaphor
Metaphor - A subject implied to be another so as to draw a comparison between their similarities and shared traits. "The streets were ruptured veins." (Zusak, The Book Thief) The author makes a great comparison between ruptured veins and streets of the small German town to help form ideas in peoples minds of what happened to the town after it was bombed.
Meter
Meter - Recurring patterns of sounds in a poem. The four types of meter are iambic, trochaic, anapestic, and dactylic. iambic: "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by" (The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost) Trochaic: "Shadows pointed towards the pithead: In the sun the slagheap slept. Down the lane came men in pitboots Coughing oath-edged talk and pipe-smoke" (The Explosion by Philip Larkin) Anapestic: "'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house. Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse" ('Twas the Night before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore) Dactylic: "Just for a handful of silver he left us, Just for a riband to stick in his coat— Found the one gift of which fortune bereft us, Lost all the others she lets us devote" (The Lost Leader by Robert Browning) Robert Frost has used iambic meter in these two lines of his poem, The Road Not Taken, using words like "diverged" and "took" so that, to the ears and minds of readers, it can almost sound like a heart beat. a good example of trochaic meter because of it's use of stressed syllables in words like "oath" and "coughing" to honor the men who had died in a tragic mining accident. The author uses this type of meter, stressing words like "night" and "creature", to create a fun, happy rhythm for readers as they pour over this delightful book He uses this type of meter by stressing syllables in words like "handful and "doled" to create a rhythmic effect that helps readers understand the speaker of the poem's emotions as he describes what he dealt with due to the "leader's" betrayal.
Metonymy
Metonymy - A figure of speech in which a closely related, abstract, item is substituted for another object or idea. "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears" (Shakespeare Act 3, Scene 2, Line 74). So he says, "lend me your ears", in this opening line to his speech to call the thousands of people present at the funeral to put all of their attention upon him and the words he is about to speak. This piece from the quote replaces the concept of attention with the "abstract" item of the people "lending their ears" to Anthony.
Motif
Motif - an object or idea that repeats itself throughout a literary work. "This wife brought two daughters into the house with her. They were beautiful, with fair faces, but evil and dark hearts. Times soon grew very bad for the poor stepchild" (Grimm 3-6). "And as soon as the child was born, the queen died. A year later the king took himself another wife. She was a beautiful woman, but she was proud and arrogant, and she could not stand it if anyone might surpass her in beauty" (Grimm 5-6). I believe that the Grimm brothers have recreated this theme in many of their stories to cause readers to be intrigued of the story, and possibly have an angry judgment towards readers while having empathy towards the main characters that are having to suffer under the step-mothers. Another reason may be that the they wanted to help readers who had step-mothers relate to their problems with the characters from children literature.
Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia - a word that imitates the natural sound of a thing. It creates a sound effect that mimics the thing described, making the description more expressive and interesting "While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door."Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door - Only this and nothing more"" (Poe 3-6). The "rapping and tapping" that the sad narrator hears resembles the sound of knuckles knocking on a wooden door. The author uses this literary device and description of sounds to help readers understand what the narrator heard as he was sitting in his quiet home.
Parable
Parable - Parable is a figure of speech, which presents a short story typically with a moral lesson at the end "So off went the Emperor in procession under his splendid canopy. Everyone in the streets and the windows said, "Oh, how fine are the Emperor's new clothes! Don't they fit him to perfection? And see his long train!" Nobody would confess that he couldn't see anything, for that would prove him either unfit for his position, or a fool. No costume the Emperor had worn before was ever such a complete success. "But he hasn't got anything on," a little child said" (Andersen 152-159). I believe the author wrote this story to give readers at least two important lessons. One, that people should be willing to speak up if they know the truth, no matter if they think everyone else will laugh or scoff at them. The second lesson would be that people should not blindly believe things without realistic evidence.
Personification
Personification - a figure of speech in which a thing, an idea or an animal is given human attributes. The non-human objects are portrayed in such a way that we feel they have the ability to act like human beings. "Loveliest of trees, the cherry now Is hung with bloom along the bough, And stands about the woodland ride Wearing white for Eastertide." ("Loveliest of Trees the Cherry Now" by A.H. Houseman) In his description, he uses the literary devices to portray the tree as a person "wearing white clothes", or the little flowers, to celebrate Easter. Which is the time of rebirth, a new beginning where the cold winter months melt away to the warm weather and blooming nature.
Rhythm
Rhythm - Number of metrical feet in a line of poetry. There are three types of rhythm, tetrameter, pentameter, and hexameter. Tetrameter: "Come live with me and be my love " (The Passionate Shepherd to His Love BY Christopher Marlowe) Pentameter: "But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun." (William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet) Hexameter: "Up there on the mountain road, the fireworks blistered and subsided" (Blue Ridge by Ellen Bryant Voigt) This type of rhythm just means that a line in a poem is four metrical feet long. Which Marlowe's first line follows true with this as it stresses words like "live" and "love" as has the narrator try speak to his beloved, to try to convince her to be his forever more. One of the main characters, Romeo, speaks this line, stressing words like "soft" and "Juliet", to describe her as beautiful as the "sun", so bright with life and warmth that it is hard to look and look away. In these two lines, the metrical pattern actually alternates from a pentameter to a hexameter to shows the speaker of this poem observation of the fireworks, and secretly showing her disinterest to watching the fireworks by describing, and stressing the syllables of the words, as "blistered" and "subsided".
Round Character
Round Character - A round character in a novel, play or story is a complex personality. Like real people, he/she has depth in his feelings and passions. It is the character with whom the audience can sympathize, associate or relate to, as he seems a character they might have seen in their real lives "My own home life had never even remotely resembled the one depicted in Family Ties, which was probably why I loved the show so much. I was the only child of two teenagers, both refugees who'd met in the stacks where I'd grown up, I don't remember my father. When I was just a few months old, he was shot dead while looting a grocery store during a power blackout" (Cline 15). Wade Watts is the main character of the story, and in the beginning, readers will find that they can kind of associate or relate to Wade. This is because he has a complex personality with depth of his feelings and passions, like real people. He is an overweight nerd who loves playing videogames, and he is especially obsessed with solving Halliday's contest. However, we can also sympathize with this character due to him telling readers his tragic backstory of him becoming an orphan after his father got shot, and a couple years later, his mom dies from a drug overdose.
Sarcasm
Sarcasm - Sarcasm is a literary and rhetorical device that is meant to mock with often satirical or ironic remarks with a purpose to amuse and hurt someone or some section of society simultaneously "A FRERE ther was, a wantown and a merye, A limitour, a ful solempne man, So muche of daliaunce and fair langage. He hadde maad ful many a mariage Of yonge wommen, at his owne cost. Ful wel biloved and famulier was he With frankeleyns over-al in his contree, He wiste that a man was repentaunt. (Chaucer 7). I believe the author wrote about the friar using this literary device was to, not only make fun of the friar for comedic effect, but to also show readers how the church is corrupted.
Satire
Satire - Satire is a technique employed by writers to expose and criticize foolishness and corruption of an individual or a society by using humor, irony, exaggeration or ridicule "that for above seventy Moons past there have been two struggling Parties in this Empire, under the Names of Tramecksan and Slamecksan from the high and low Heels on their shoes, by which they distinguish themselves" (Swift 24). I believe that the author not only wrote about this funny society to show how government appointments have nothing to do with one's ability in the position, but to also give a direct attack of the two parties Jonathan Swift's time of life. The Whigs and Tories.
Simile
Simile - Drawing comparisons between two unrelated things, places, people, and concepts. Marked sometimes by the use of the words "such as", "like", or "as". "Nana said, "Like a compass needle that points north, a man's accusing finger always finds a woman. Always. You remember that Mariam."" (Hosseini, A Thousand Splendid Suns) This quote from Khaled Hosseini's, A Thousand Splendid Suns, is a good example of simile because Miriam's mother uses it effectively to make a point in her warning.
Sonnet
Sonnet - A poem with fourteen lines, written in iambic pentameter with each line having ten syllables. It has a specific rhyme scheme and a "volta or specific turn". Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer's lease hath all too short a date: Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimm'd; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance, or nature's changing course, untrimm'd; But thy eternal summer shall not fade" (Shakespeare, Shakespeare's Sonnets #18) This sonnet is written in an iambic pentameter and a rhyme scheme for the speaker of the poem to woo his beloved by describing her beauty compared to a summer day.
Analogy
Analogy - a comparison in which an idea or a thing is compared to another thing that is quite different from it. It aims at explaining that idea or thing by comparing it to something that is familiar. "What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other word would smell as sweet. So Romeo would, were he not Romeo called," (Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet", Act II, Scene II.) The whole point I believe the author is trying to have readers understand from this quote is that a person's actions should define what sort of person you are, not by your name. Which I think is a very important lesson to follow in life.
Hyperbole
Hyperbole - an exaggeration of ideas for the sake of emphasis. It is a device that we employ in our day-to-day speech. "I'll love you, dear, I'll love you Till China and Africa meet, And the river jumps over the mountain And the salmon sing in the street, I'll love you till the ocean Is folded and hung up to dry" (W.H Auden's poem "As I Walked One Evening") The author uses this literary device to have his speaker give a great proclamation of his love to his beloved.
A Novel of Character
A Novel of Character - A novel of character is where the focus of the novel is on the protagonist's thoughts, feelings, and motives, and in the way the characters develop (Mr. Majeski the Magnificent). ""It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities"" (Rowling 333). I think J.K. Rowling had Dumbledore give Harry the important lesson in the quote above to show, not only Harry, but the readers as well that the choices we make are own. We can choose who we are in the present and in the future.
Allusion
Allusion - a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance. It does not describe in detail the person or thing to which it refers. It is just a passing comment and the writer expects the reader to possess enough knowledge to spot the allusion and grasp its importance in a text "Learnéd Faustus, to find the secrets of astronomy Graven in the book of Jove's high firmament Did mount him up to scale Olympus' top, Where, sitting in a chariot burning bright, Drawn by the strength of yoked dragons; necks, He views the clouds, the planets, and the stars" (Marlow 3.1-6). . In this piece, the author alludes to many different pieces from ancient Greek myths. For example, when the main character talks about himself scaling up to Olympus' top, he is referring to the Greek mythology of Mount Olympus, the home of many Greek gods and goddesses.
Aphorism
Aphorism - a statement of truth or opinion expressed in a concise and witty manner. The term is often applied to philosophical, moral and literary principles. "MAN: A thousand words won't leave the print one deed can well achieve." (Act 2, Scene 2, 268-269) I believe the author used this line to share an important lesson to the audience. Although words can be spoken forever in the same way, it is a person's actions that actually mean something. Nothing will get done with just words, there needs to be action as well.
Caesura
Caesura - In poetry, authors uses different kinds of pauses to create a natural rhythm for their work. One of these pauses is a caesura, which is a rhythmical pause in a line or sentence of a poem. "I'm nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too? Then there's a pair of us - don't tell! They'd banish - you know" (Dickinson 1 - 4). The author uses this literary device to create a staccato effect and uneven rhythm in the flow of sound. She does this to celebrate "Nobodiness" and depression, as well as allowing for a more cunning satirical reading.
Connotation
Connotation - The association of words that go beyond the literal or dictionary meaning. Words that create emotions or feelings for the reader "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts" (Shakespeare, As You Like It, 1-5) This famous example of Shakespeare is a good example of connotation because it applies the basis for symbolic meaning using objects like "stage" or "parts".
Denotation
Denotation - The use of the dictionary definition or literal meaning of the word. "The gait of my friend was unsteady, and the bells upon his cap jingled as he strode." (Poe, The Cask of Amontillado) This is an example of denotation because he uses the words "gait" and "strode" to show that the friend was walking in long strides.
Diction
Diction - The choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing. "I says, go on." (Huck Example) "De bes' way is to res' easy en let de ole man take his own way" (Jim Example) The two dialog examples above from Huckleberry Finn use words that convey the southern dialect of the time.
Dramatic
Dramatic - Poetry in which the poet creates the voice or the invented voice of the characters. "Among the hot muzzles, In the hands of soldiers Brought from flesh-folds of women-- Soft amid the blood and crying-- In all your hearts and heads Among the guns and saddles and muzzles: Dreams" (Carl Sandburg, Among The Red Guns) The author generates the voice of a soldier and uses that character to, not only portrays the dreadfulness of war. Sandburg also uses the character's voice to teach a lesson that, throughout all of the events of war, the dreams of people will forever live on.
Dramatic Aside
Dramatic Aside -Dramatic aside is a short commentary that reveals private opinions and reactions of the character. However, it refers to the major conflict in a play though it may not involve a character's personal conflict "Yasha: (Aside.) Lyubov Andreyevna, could I have a word? I was wondering if Madame would be going back to Paris... the food's uneatable, that old man wandering about muttering to himself" (Chekhov Act III, Scene I). I believe the author had the character use this literary device was so that the audience can get a better understanding of Yasha. That he is an inconsiderate and rude young man.
Dramatic Monologue
Dramatic Monologue - A dramatic monologue is a character speaks to the silent listener. This type has theatrical qualities and it is frequently used in poetry "And indeed there will be time To wonder, 'Do I dare?' and, 'Do I dare?' Time to turn back and descend the stair, With a bald spot in the middle of my hair... In a minute there is time For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse" (Eliot 49-60). I believe the author wrote his piece of literature like this to explore the myriad causes of pain and suffering of insecure people. Possibly to either make the poem more interesting, or make it easy for readers to relate to the main character more.
Elegy
Elegy- Elegy's, usually written as poems or songs in the form of elegiac couplets, are used to honor someone deceased. It typically mourns or laments the death of an individual. "Do not stand at my grave and weep: I am not there; I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow, I am the diamond glints on snow, I am the sun on ripened grain, I am the gentle autumn rain." ( Mary Elizabeth, Do not stand at my grave and weep) The author uses symbolism, metaphors, and imageries to provide an inspirational view on death that gives a sense of comfort to mourners.
Pathetic Fallacy
Pathetic Fallacy - a literary device that attributes human qualities and emotions to inanimate objects of nature. The word "pathetic" in the term is not used in the derogatory sense of being miserable; rather, here, it stands for "imparting emotions to something else". "But when the melancholy fit shall fall Sudden from heaven like a weeping cloud That fosters the droop-headed flowers all And hides the green hills in an April shroud" ( "Ode to Melancholy" by John Keats) The author, being one of these people, talks about "weeping clouds", "droop-headed flowers", and other things of nature to attribute to this human emotion.
Symbol
Symbol - Using an object or an action that means something more than its literal meaning. ""Villains!" I shrieked, "dissemble no more! I admit the deed! --tear up the planks! here, here! --It is the beating of his hideous heart!"" (Poe, Tell-Tale Heart) This quote from Edgar Allan Poe's short story, The Tell-Tale Heart, is a good example of symbolism because it uses the dead man's heart to symbolize the human aspect of the narrator.
