What are literary devices?

Literary devices are techniques writers use to

engage their readers beyond the literal meaning of
the text.

Alliteration
Repetition of the same beginning sound in a sequence.
Examples :
Drew drew Drew
Reshetar rides rollercoasters
drowning in debt
a sea of sea shells

Example #1:
From the time I was really little-maybe just
few months old-words were like sweet,
liquid gifts, and I drank them like
emonade.
~Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
Example #2:
Tongue Twisters are great examples of alliteration
Three grey geese in a green field grazing, Grey were
the geese and green was the grazing.

Hyperbole
A figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis
or effect.
An extravagant statement or figure of speech not intended to
be taken literally.
Examples:
I waited an eternity for summer to get here!
He could have slept for a year.
This book weighs a ton.
Listen to the hyperbole of the next poem by Jack Prelutsky.

I am making a pizza the size of the sun,

a pizza thats sure to weigh more than a ton,
a pizza too massive to pick up and toss,
a pizza resplendent with oceans of sauce.
Im topping my pizza with mountains of
cheese,
with acres of peppers, pimentos, and peas,
with mushrooms, tomatoes, and sausage
galore,
with every last olive they had at the store.
My pizza is sure to be one of a kind,
my pizza will leave other pizzas behind,
my pizza will be a delectable treat
that all who love pizza are welcome to eat.
The oven is hot, I believe it will take
a year and a half for my pizza to bake.
I hardly can wait till my pizza is done,Jack
my wonderful pizza the size of the sun.

Prelutsky

Imagery
Descriptive words or phrases that appeal to the 5 senses:
sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell- creating a picture in the
readers mind.
What is the mental picture or image you are left with after
reading the passage from The Most Dangerous Game

He leaped upon the rail and balanced himself there, to get greater
elevation; his pipe, striking a rope, was knocked from his mouth. He
lunged for it; a short, hoarse cry came from his lips as he realized he had
reached too far and had lost his balance. The cry was pinched off short
as the blood-warm waters of the Caribbean Sea closed over his head.
He struggle up to the surface and tried to cry out, but the wash from the
speeding yacht slapped him in the face and the salt water in his open
mouth made him gag.
The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell

Metaphor
A figure of speech in which two things are compared, usually
by saying one thing is another, or by substituting a more
descriptive word for the more common or usual word that
would be expected.
Examples :
the world's a stage
he was a lion in battle
drowning in debt
a sea of troubles.

God looked around His garden

And saw an empty space
He then looked down upon this Earth
And saw your tired face
He knew that you were suffering
He knew you were in pain
He knew that you would never
Get well on Earth again
He knew the roads were getting rough
The mountains hard to climb
So he puts his arms around you and
Whispered Peace be Thine
He closed your weary eyelids
And lifted you for rest
This garden must be beautiful
He only takes the best
Written by an anonymous teenager.

Onomatopoeia
A figure of speech in which words are used to imitate sounds.

Examples :
crash
buzz
quack
zoom

ONOMATOTODAY
In the morning
yawn, stretch
to the bathroom
scratch, blink
in the shower
scrub, splash
to the closet
whisk, rustle
down the hall
thump, creak
in the kitchen
clank, clink
to the car
click, slam
on the road
honk, screech
at the office
tick, ring
out to lunch
munch, slurp
return home
thug, moan
on to bed
shuffle, snore
Cathy Christensen

Personification
A figure of speech in which things or ideas are given human
attributes.

Examples :
Dead leaves dance in the wind
Blind justice
Winter wrapped her cold fingers around me

The high mountain wind coasted sighing

through the pass and whistled on the edges big
block of broken granite
A scar of green grass cut across the flat. And
behind the flat another mountain rose, desolate
with dead rocks and starving little black
bushes
Flight by John Steinbeck

Repetition
A word or line that is repeated, usually to evoke an emotion
or create a rhythm.

There were so many important moments. If Id

missed the ticket, I wouldnt be here. If I hadnt
gone to the show, I wouldnt be here. If I hadnt
stuck around to see what Steve was up to, I wouldnt
be here. If I hadnt stolen Madam Octa, I wouldnt
be here. If Id said no to Mr. Crepsleys offer, I
wouldnt be here.
A world of ifs, but it made no difference.
What was done was done. If I could go back in
time ~Cirque Du Freak by Darren Shan

Rhyme
The occurrence of the same sound at the end of two or more
words.

Examples :
cat / hat
desire / fire
steak / fake

English is a Pain! (Pane)

Rain, Reign, rein,
English is a pain.
Although the words
Sound just alike
The spellings not the same!
Bee, Be, B
Id rather climb a tree
Than learn to spell
The same old word,
Not just one way, but three!
Sight, Site, Cite
I try with all my might.
No matter which
I finally choose,
Its not the one thats right!
There, Their, Theyre,
Enough to make you swear.
Too many ways
To write one sound,
I just dont think its fair!
To, Two, Too
So whats a kid to do?
I think Ill do
To live on Mars
And leave this mess with ewe! (you?)
By Shirlee Curlee Bingham

Simile
A figure of speech in which two things are compared using
the word like or as.

Examples :
She felt like a wilted flower.
The boy charged in the room like a bull!
This class is like a 3 ring circus!

The aliens have landed!

Its distressing, but theyre here.
They piloted their flying saucer
Through our atmosphere.
They landed like a meteor
Engulfed in smoke and flame.
Then out they climbed immersed in slime
And burbled as they came.
Their hands are greasy tentacles.
Their heads are weird machines.
Their bodies look like cauliflower
And smell like dead sardines.
Their blood is liquid helium.
Their eyes are made of granite.
Their breath exudes the stench of foods
From some unearthly planet.

Kenn Nesbitt

And if you want to see these

Sickly, unattractive creatures,
Youll find them working in your school;
They all got jobs as teachers!

Stanza
Two or more lines of poetry that together form one of the
divisions of a poem.
poem = stanza as story = __________?
Stanza= paragraph of the poem
Read the following poem- how many stanzas are there?

This drawing represents a

poem with 2 stanzas
with 4 lines each.

WhatisaMiddleSchooler?
What is a middle schooler
I was asked one day.
I knew what they were
But what should I say?
They are noise and confusion
They are silent that is deep
Also sunshine and laughter,
Or a cloud that will weep.
They are swift as an arrow.
They are wasters of time.
They want to be rich,
But cannot save a dime!
They are rude and nasty.
They are as polite as can be.
They want parental guidance,
But fight to be free.

They are aggressive and bossy,

Also timid and shy.
They know all the answers,
But still will ask why?
They are awkward and clumsy,
Sometimes graceful and poised.
They are ever changing,
But do not be annoyed.
What is a Middle Schooler?
I was asked one day.
They are the future unfolding,
So do not stand in their way!

Written by an anonymous teenager

Pun:
The use of a word in a way that plays on its different
meanings.
Example:
Noticing the bunch of bananas, the hungry gorilla
went ape.
I recently spent money on detergent to unclog my
kitchen sink. It was money down the drain.

Symbolism:

The use of one thing to represent

another.
Example:
A dove is a symbol of peace.
The donkey symbolizes The elephant symbolize
the Democratic Party.
the Republican Party.

The flag
represents
freedom.

Idiom
Idioms are phrases or expressions that have hidden
meanings. The expressions don't mean exactly what the
words say. NOT LITERAL
The language peculiar to a people or to a district, community,
or class : dialect
Example:
Its raining cats and dogs.
Things got a little out of hand.
Does the cat have your tongue.

Language that conveys a

certain idea by saying just
the opposite.
Examples:
The Titanic was promoted as being 100% unsinkable;
but, in 1912 the ship sank on its maiden voyage.
You beg your parents to let you have a kitten, then
you discover youre deathly allergic tothem.

Analogy

A comparison made between two things that

may initially seem to have little in common
Used for illustration and/or argument.
Example:
Hand is to glove : Foot is to sock
Happy is to sad : Hot is to cold

BONUS Words

Allusion
Reference to a statement,
person, place, event, or
thing that is known from
literature, history, religion,
myth, politics, sports,
science, or the arts
Examples:
"Christy didn't like to
spend money. She was no
Scrooge, but she seldom
purchased anything except
the bare necessities".

Allusion:

Ex: The students were sure that

their teacher had drunk from
the river Styx because of her
complete inattention to their
pranks.
Your examplethink of a recent
example youve heard or seen
in which someone references a
well-known work

to speak well in the place of

the blunt, disagreeable,
terrifying or offensive term.
Example:
death becomes to pass away
Victorians first used limb for leg
Letting someone go instead of firing someone
Use the rest room instead of go to the bathroom

Extension Terms

Assonance:
The repetition of vowel
sounds.
Example:
Days wane away
Each beach beast thinks he's the best beast
The only other sound's the sweep

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert

Frost
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
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.

Fiction or nonfiction that

teaches a specific lesson
or moral or provides a
model of correct
behavior or thinking.
Examples:
Aesops Fables-The Tortoise and the
Hare (Plodding wins the race.)
The Lion and the Mouse-(Little friends
may prove great friends)

The Ant and the GrasshopperAn Aesop's Fable

In a field one summer's day a Grasshopper was hopping about,
chirping and singing to its heart's content. An Ant passed by,
bearing along with great toil an ear of corn he was taking to the
nest."Why not come and chat with me," said the Grasshopper,
"instead of toiling and moiling in that way?""I am helping to lay
up food for the winter," said the Ant, "and recommend you to do
the same.""Why bother about winter?" said the Grasshopper; we
have got plenty of food at present." But the Ant went on its way
and continued its toil. When the winter came the Grasshopper
had no food and found itself dying of hunger, while it saw the
antsdistributing every day corn and grain from the stores they
had collected in the summer. Then the Grasshopper knew:
Moral of Aesops Fable: It is best to prepare for the days of
necessity

A seeming contradiction.
Examples:
It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.
You shouldn't go in the water until you know how to swim.
Be cruel to be kind.-from Hamlet by Shakespeare
"Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales
again."(C.S. Lewis to his godchild, Lucy Barfield, to whom he
dedicated The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe)

A work that makes fun of something or someone.

Examples:
Weekend

Update from Saturday Night Live

Most political cartoons in newspapers and magazines

The Gift of the Magi, by O. Henry is a story of two people, much in love, who are
very poor and want to give a Christmas gift to one another. She is very proud of her
long, beautiful hair and he is equally proud of his pocket watch. The irony comes in
to play when she cuts and sells her hair to buy him a chain for his watch, and he
sells the watch to buy her combs for her hair.

A monologue in which a character expresses his or her thoughts to the

audience and does not intend the other characters to hear them.
Examples:
To be or not to be, that is the question. from Hamlet written by Shakespeare