Language devices and features

Cacophony Eg His fingers rapped and pounded the door, and his foot thumped against the yellowing wood.

A cacophony in literature refers to the use of words and phrases that imply strong, harsh sounds within the phase. These words have jarring and dissonant sounds that create a disturbing, objectionable atmosphere.

Irony 1. Rhetorical eg 'I had a great time' (I was bored) 2. Dramatic eg The audience knows something that the characters do not 3. Situational

A clash between what the words say and what they mean. 1. Saying something contrary to what is meant 2. Stating or doing something unaware of it's contrast with the real situation 3. Where events are opposite to expectation

Analogy Eg In the same way as one cannot have the rainbow without the rain, one cannot achieve success and riches without hard work.

A comparison demonstrating the similarities between two things, people or situations. It is a device to clarify an idea through a connection. Analogies are often used in persuading, explaining or arguing a point.

Allusion Eg It's no wonder everyone refers to Mary as another Mother Theresa in the making; she loves to help and care after people everywhere - from the streets to her own own friends.

A deliberate and implicit reference to a person or event, or a work of art which draws on knowledge and experiences shared by the composer and responder.

Synecdoche eg England lost by six wickets (meaning the English cricket team)

A figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa

Simile eg "elderly American ladies leaning on their canes listed towards me like towers of Pisa" Lolita

A figure of speech that compares two usually dissimilar things. The comparison starts with like, as or as if.

Pun eg she had a photographic memory but never developed it.

A figure of speech where there is a play on words. Usually humorous and rely on more than one meaning of a word to emphasise the point, which maybe serious.

Hyperbole eg "I haven't seen you in ages", "something weighs a tonne" or "I'm dying of hunger"

A figure of speech which uses specific words or phrases to exaggerate a statement for dramatic effect and emphasis. Also used frequently in our day to day language.

Rhetorical question

A question asked to emphasise a point and not expected to be answered, or force the responder to engage personally with the text

Motif eg To Kill a Mockingbird is the suggestion that you cannot truly understand the plight of another person unless you try to see things from their perspective

A repetitive element that occurs rather obviously throughout a story, such as a reference, concept or symbolism. They are used to present and reinforce an overall theme within a narrative, and help readers identify and understand an underlying message.

Metaphor eg 'black sheep of the family' --> they are neither black nor a sheep or 'my fingers are ice'

A resemblance between one thing and another is declared by suggesting that one thing is another. Metaphors are common in spoken and written language and visual metaphors are common in still images and moving images.

Allegory Eg the witch trials in The Crucible and the US HUAC hearings in the 1950s

A story in prose fiction, poetry, drama or visual language that has more than one level of meaning. The characters, events and situations can represent other characters, events and situations. Allegories often represent moral or political situations.

Pathetic fallacy eg smiling skies, somber clouds, angry storm or bitter winter

A type of literary device whereby the author ascribes the human emotions and traits of one or more of his or her characters to nature or inanimate objects. It is a type of personification, and is known to occur more by accident and less on purpose.

Parody eg Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a parody of King Arthur's knights of the round table

A work intended to ridicule or mock through imitating the ideas, tone, vocabulary and stylistic features of another work.

Antithesis Eg 'We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.'

An antithesis is used when the writer employs two sentences of contrasting meaning in close proximity to one another. Whether they are words or phrases of the same sentence, an antithesis is used to create a stark contrast using two divergent elements that come together to make one uniform whole. An antithesis plays on the complementary property of opposites to create one vivid picture. The purpose of using an antithesis in literature is to create a balance between opposite qualities and lend greater insight into the subject.

Archetype Eg Romeo and Juliet are an archetype of eternal love and star-crossed love story.

An archetype is a reference to a concept, a person or an object that has served as a prototype of its kind and is the original idea that has come to be used over and over again. Archetypes are literary devices that employ the use of a famous concept, person or object to convey a wealth of meaning. Archetypes are identifiable and even though they run the risk of being over used, they are still the best examples of their time.

Sarcasm

An extreme form of irony which the speaker tries to be hurtful or spiteful

Foil eg Albus Dumbledore and Lord Voldemort

Another character in the story who contrasts with the main character, usually to highlight one of their attributes.

Hubris eg Macbeth's ambition and arrogance

Another way of saying arrogance. The difference between hubris and arrogance is the fact that the character has seemed to allow reality slip away from them. The character may have just gained a huge amount of power and the false belief that they are 'untouchable'. In writing and literature hubris is generally considered a 'tragic flaw' and it is saved for the protagonist --> the flaw is what solves the problem

Modality 1. High eg will, always, must, never 2. low eg might, may, could, perhaps, rarely, possibly, probably

Aspects of language that suggest a particular perspective on events, a speaker or writer's assessment of possibility, probability, obligation, frequency and conditionality in order to form a continuum.

Assonance Eg 'A long song' (where the 'o' sound is repeated in the last two words of the sentence)

Assonance refers to repetition of sound produced by vowels within a sentence or phrase. In this regard assonance can be understood to be a kind of alliteration. What sets it apart from alliterations is that the repetition is only of vowel sounds. Assonance is the opposite of consonance, which implies repetitive use of consonant sounds.

Personification eg The trees sighed and moaned in the wind

Attributing human characteristics to animals or inanimate objects

Authorial Intrusion Eg Arthur Miller's commentary

Authorial intrusion is an interesting literacy device wherein the author penning the story, poem or prose steps away from the text and speaks out to the reader. Authorial intrusion establishes a one-to-one relationship with between the writer and the reader where the latter is no longer a secondary player or an indirect audience to the progress of the story but is the main subject of the author's attention.

Characterisation eg He was a straw haired man of thirty, with a rather hard mouth and supercilious manner.

Characterisation in literature refers to the step by step process where in an author introduces and then describes a character. The character can be described directly by the author or indirectly through the actions, thoughts, and speech of the character.

Language features

Choices in this and text structures together define a type of text and shape its meaning. These choices vary according to the purpose of a text, it's subject matter, audience and mode or media of production.

Multimodal eg print, image and spoken text within a film or computer presentation

Comprising of two or more communication forms.

Paradox eg "must be cruel to be kind" Hamlet

Describes a seemingly illogical or contradictory statement that may include some thing that is found to be true upon further investigation. It can also be used to highlight something that is contrary to traditional beliefs, generally used to lure the readers into thinking of something in a new light.

Dramatic Irony eg imagine a scene where the character walks into the house and only the audience knows that the killer is in the house. Or in comedy when a character is imitating or ridiculing a protagonist behind their back.

Dramatic Irony works to increase suspense or comedic effect by rotting the audience know something important, while the characters are kept in the dark.

Oxymoron eg Shakespeare's famous "sweet sorrow"

Draws together two opposing ideas to create a dramatic effect. The union of the two contradictory terms is used to provoke the reader, leaving them pondering on the meaning of the phrase, creating a paradox.

Ellipsis eg 'There are lots of apples in the bowl. Can I have one?' (of them)

Ellipsis is the omission of words where: - words repeat what has gone before and these terms are simply understood - a word like one is substituted for a noun or noun group - a cohesive resource binds text together and is commonly used in dialogue for speed of response. - three dots are used to indicate such things as surprise or suspense in a narrative text or that there is more to come in an on-screen menu the points of ellipsis take the place of sections of text when quoting from a souce

Flashback eg back in the day when Sarah was a girl...

Glimpses of past scenes used to explain the present situation. Devices that are commonly used are past narratives by characters, depictions and references of dreams and memories and a sub device known as authorial sovereignty where in the author directly chooses to refer to a past occurrence by bringing it up in a straightforward manner. Used to create a back ground to the present situation, place or person.

Verisimilitude

How fully the characters and actions in a work of fiction conform to our sense of reality. When done well, this lends a very realistic and believability to the text.

Mood eg happiness, excitement, doom

In literature, the emotive attitude or feeling carried by a particular text. It has much in common with tone. Grammatically, a verb form conveying the speaker's attitude towards the subject. Traditionally classified as indicative statements, questions, or imperative commands.

Voice

In reference to a text, voice means the composer's voice - the idea of speaking consciousness, the controlling presence or 'authorial voice' behind the characters, narrators and personas in a text. It is also described as the implied composer. The particular qualities of the composer's voice are manifested by such things as his or her method of expression and specific language.

Colloquial language eg let's crash the party

Informal expression of language, characteristic of speech and often used in informal writing. The register of everyday speech.

Emotive language eg I saw cages all around. every cage help people and it was so terribly hot. I was looking at a boy wearing only shorts. he couldn't have been more than eight years old.

Language that creates an emotional response.

Cliche Eg happily every after, frightened to death

Refers to a saying that has been used to an extent of exhaustion, so it loses its original meaning and loyalty. Unless they are used ironically, it is generally considered unimaginative to use them.

Stream of consciousness eg "life is not a series of gig lamps symmetrically arranged;life is a luminous halo, a semi-transparent envelope surrounding us from the beginning of consciousness to the end" The Common Reader

Refers to an uninterrupted and unhindered collection and occurrence of thoughts and ideas in the conscious mind. In literature, the phrase refers to the flow of these thoughts, with reference to a particular character's thinking process. This literary device is usually used to provide a narrative in the form of the character's thoughts instead of using dialogue or description.

Theme eg coming of age, good vs evil, love conquers all

Refers to the central or one of the main underlying ideas or messages of a text. Grammatical theme - in a sentence the theme is the clause that comes in first position and indicates what the sentence is about. Theme is important at different levels of text organisation. The topic sentence serves as the theme for the points raised in a paragraph. A pattern of themes contributes to the method of development for the text as a whole.

Foreshadowing eg "he had no idea of the disastrous events to follow"

Refers to the use of indicative words or phrases and hints that set the stage for a story to unfold and give the reader a hint of something that is going to happen without revealing the story or spoiling the suspense. Used to suggest an upcoming outcome to the story.

Rhetorical devices eg Irony, paradox, rhetorical question, contrast and appropriation

Strategies used by writers and speakers to achieve particular effects (stimulate the audience's imagination or thought processes, to draw attention to a particular idea, or simply to display wit and ingenuity in composition)

Appropriation Eg crucible in the Crucible - heating bowl/societal pressure in Salem

Taking an object or text from one context and using it in another context. The process can allow new insights into the original text or object and empathise contextual differences. Appropriation also gives extra insight into the newly created or used text or object. Texts can be appropriated for a range of purposes, including satirical criticism, consideration of existing ideas in a new context and exploration of cultural assumptions. The mass media frequently appropriate words, images and icons from other cultural contexts. Films and novels are often appropriations of earlier texts.

Pathos

The arousing of sadness, remorse or pity typically in a speech or written word.

Intertextuality

The associations or connections between one text and other texts. References can be more or less explicit and consciousness. They can take the form of direct quotation, parody, allusion or structural borrowing

Register

The degree of formality or informality of language used for a particular purpose or in a particular social setting.

Onomatopaeia eg boom, bang, clash, beep

The formation of a name or word by imitating the sound associated with the object designated.

Stereotype Boys are doctors, girls are nurses

The idea that a person or object will conform to a preconceived type

Point of view 1. First person eg I, me, my, we 2. Second person eg you, your, you're 3. Third person eg he, she, they, them

The particular perspective brought by a composer, responder or character within a text to the text or to matters within the text. Refers to the ways a narrator may be related to the story in a narrative. They might take the role of first or third person, omniscient or restricted in knowledge of events, reliable or unreliable in interpretations of what happens.

Juxtaposition eg "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity..." Charles Dickens' Tale of Two Cities

The placement of two or more ideas, characters, actions, settings, phrases or words side-by-side for a particular purpose --> to highlight contrast or rhetorical effect

Context

The range of personal, social, historical, cultural and workplace conditions in which a text is responds to and composed.

Alliteration Eg in 'rich, red raspberry' the repetition of the 'r' sound creates a rich aural affect, suggesting the lusciousness of the fruit.

The recurrence, in close succession, of the same consonant sounds usually at the beginning of words.

Anaphora Eg What the hammer / what the chain ... What the anvil / What dead grasp ...

The repetition of a word or phrase at the start of successive clauses or verse lines

Euphemism eg using 'to put out to pasture' when one implies retiring a person because they are too old to be effective.

The term 'euphemism' is used to refer to the literary practice of using a comparatively milder or less abrasive form of a negative description instead of its original, unsympathetic form. This device is used when writing about matters such as sex, violence, death, crimes and things 'embarassing'. The purpose of euphemisms is to substitute unpleasant and severe words with more genteel ones in order to mask the harshness. The use of euphemisms is sometimes manipulated to lend a touch of exaggeration or irony in satirical writing.

Textual integrity

The unity of a text; its coherent use of form and language to produce an integrated whole in terms of meaning and value.

Imagery eg sensory (visual, auditory, scents, taste), emotive

The use of figurative language or illustrations to represent objects, actions or ideas.

Satire

The use of one or more of exaggeration, humour, parody, irony, sarcasm or ridicule to expose, denounce and deride folly or vice in human nature and institutions. The emphatic feature of these language devices draws attention to what is being criticised.

Mode eg sound, print, image, gesture

The various processes of communication: listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing and representing. Also used to refer to the semiotic (making) resources associated with the communicative processes.

Tone eg playful, serious, ironic, formal

The voice adopted by a particular speaker to indicate emotion, feeling or attitude to subject matter. The author's attitude towards the subject and audience.

Representation

The way ideas are portrayed and represented in texts, using language devices, forms, features and structures of texts to create specific views about characters, events and ideas --> applies to all language modes: spoken, written, visual and multimodal

Bildungsroman Eg Scarlet O'Hara in Gone With the Wind experiences intense personal growth as she learns the value of friends and hard work under duress, without compromising her own dreams.

This is a very popular form of storytelling whereby the author bases the plot on the overall growth of central character throughout the timeline of the story. As the story progresses, the subject undergoes noticeable mental, physical, social, emotional, moral, and often spiritual advancement and strengthening before the leaders eyes. It has often been seen that the protagonist begins with views, aims and dreams that are in contrast to other character's in the story and then fights his or her way to achieve them.

Caesura Eg Mozart- oh how your music makes me soar!

This literary device involves creating a fracture of sorts within a sentence where two separate parts are distinguishable from one another yet are intrinsically linked to one another. The purpose of a caesura is to create a dramatic pause, which has a strong impact. The pause helps to add an emotional, often theatrical touch to the sentence and conveys a depth of sentiment in a short phrase.

Symbolism eg freedom --> a bird in flight in both verbal and visual texts

Use of a symbol that represents something else, particularly in relation to a quality or concept developed and strengthened through repetition.

Verbosity eg The biweekly meeting was held every second week

Using more words than is necessary

Figurative language eg simile, metaphor, personification

Words or phrases used in a way that differs from the expected or everyday useage. Figurative language creates comparisons by linking the senses and the concrete to abstract ideas. Words or phrases are used in a non-literal way for a particular effect. Figurative language may also use elements of other senses.

Anthropomorphism Eg Fantastic Mr Fox, Winnie the Pooh

can be understood to be the act of lending a human quality, emotion, ambition or behaviour to animals, non-human object or being. This act of lending a human element to a non-human subject is often employed in order to endear the latter to the readers or audience and increase the level of relativity between the two while also lending character to the subject.