Literary Devices or Techniques

Transcription

1 Literary Devices Literary Devices or Techniques Authors use them to make their writing more interesting and vivid. These devices can be categorized 3 ways: 1. Figurative 2. Sound 3. Structure 1. Figurative devices are those that require the reader to think beyond the exact words used. 2. Sound devices are those that create a certain audible effect for the reader. 3. Structural techniques are those that impact the format of the poetry or prose. 1. Figurative Devices or Techniques Simile Personification Irony Allusion Paradox Symbolism Metaphor Satire Parody Hyperbole Idiom Imagery Simile: really alike at all uses the words like or as Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you re gonna get. (Forrest Gump) Simile: really alike at all uses the words like or as I slither into traffic like a trout. (Samuel Hazo) Peter is like a tornado. 1

2 Metaphor really alike at all- WITHOUT using the words like or as The clouds were marshmallows. Metaphor really alike at all- WITHOUT using the words like or as Bill is a walking encyclopedia. Matt s car is a dinosaur. Personification -when authors make a thing, an idea, or an animal do something only humans can do. You can remember this one by the person in the term personification Personification -when authors make a thing, an idea, or an animal do something only humans can do. 1. My old necklace is a friend. 2. The branch stubbornly refused to be cut. Personification - Jealousy stands by the blue flame of the gas stove stirring obsession stew Jealousy is quite capable of showing up anywhere, unexpected, uninvited, unwelcome. - The Book of Qualities Satire: making fun of something or making a statement about something in another genre Animal Farm is a political satire (about Stalin s Russia) is a also a satire (about dystopia). Satire- Examples in pop culture 1. TV - Saturday Night Live, The Simpsons 2. Film - Scary Movie, Borat What s the difference between satire and parody?? Not much!! The terms are often used interchangeably. Satire s main purpose is to criticize. Parody s main purpose is to create humor. Irony- There are three major types of irony. 1. Situational: Simply, the unexpected happens. In a Asimov story, the detectives actually eat the murder weapon! 2

3 1. Situational irony (when the unexpected happens) Montresor says he really is a mason. He is referring to his skill in using a trowel. 2. Verbal Irony: Someone says something, but they mean something different. (Think of soap opera characters betraying each other. Promising to do one thing, but doing another.) 2. Verbal Irony: Someone says something, but they mean something different. The Cask of Amontillado - Fortunato says he won t die of a cough and Montresor replies, True, true. 2. Verbal Irony: Someone says something, but they mean something different. use of the word cask name of Fortunato 3. Dramatic Irony: The reader/viewer knows something that the character or characters do not know. (Horror films, when you see the bad guy behind the door.) Allusion An author refers to someone else s work or to a literary figure. -not to be confused with illusion mythological figures and Ahab in The Utterly Perfect Murder Hyperbole exaggeration 1.Joe has tons of money. 2. Sara has been waiting for ages. Paradox contradictions in the wording 1.I can resist anything except temptation. 2. I never tell the truth 3. Bad things happen to good people. Idiom phrases that say one thing but mean another 1.hit the nail on the head 2. raining cats and dogs 3. saved by the bell 3

4 Symbolism sign or object representing a thing, quality or idea 1.dove - peace 2. American flag - patriotism What would these be symbolic of? moon ark east purple dog The moon is usually a feminine symbol. 3. School mascot - school spirit An ark usually symbolizes the power to save. East usually symbolizes new beginnings. Purple is often used as a symbol of royalty. A dog is often used as a symbol of loyalty. Imagery: choosing words to create strong pictures in the reader s mind- using the senses: touch, taste, smell, hearing, sight Imagery: using the senses 1. The sounds of the train in The Utterly Perfect Murder 2. The description of the foulness of the catacombs in Cask 4

5 These devices can be categorized 3 ways: 1. Figurative 2. Sound 3. Structure 2. Sound devices are those that create a certain audible effect for the reader. repetition and rhyme Alliteration: repetition of initial sounds of words He made his special spicy salami sandwich Alliteration: repetition of initial sound. Note: the words don t have to be right next to each other. fields ever fresh; groves ever green Assonance: repetition of vowel sounds for internal rhyming. Note: it s not exactly the same as rhyme fleet feet sweep by sweeping Greeks Consonance: repetition of consonant soundswithin or at the end of the word (not the beginning) Consonance: repetition of consonant sounds- Zealots song by the Fugees: 'Rap rejects my tape deck, ejects projectile/whether Jew or gentile I rank top percentile.' Onomatopoeia: using sound words 1. Bang 2. Crunch 3. Buzz 4. creak 3. Structural techniques are those that impact the format of the poetry or prose. 5

6 Foreshadowing: warns of things to come; giving a hint that something is coming up in the story. Little did I know I d be in the adventure of my life. Foreshadowing: warns of things to come; giving a hint that something is coming up in the story. when Montresor shows Fortunato a trowel (also ironic). Flashback: dream or memory of a past event; often occurs in movies too Charlie (Flowers for Algernon) has flashbacks of when he was a child and how his mother and sister treated him. (His mother was in denial; his sister ignored him.) 6