Literary Devices
Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean is an example of this kind of character. (Carson Williams)
antihero
Tongue twisters are examples of this literary technique. (Benjamin Weinzapfel)
alliteration
Simba in The Lion King represents this type of characterization. (Elizabeth Dexter)
anthropomorphism
This quote is a classic example of anaphora, paradox, and ___________: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness...." Dickens' Tale of Two Cities (Catherine Heiger)
antithesis
"They covered themselves in dust and glory.” --Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Sammy Roysden)
zeugma
They read and studied and wrote and drilled. I laughed and played and talked and flunked. (Zach Scott)
polysyndeton
In The Master and Margarita, when Rimsky was backed into a corner in his office, many floors up, by the naked green-tinted woman...the crow of the rooster saves him. The crow of the rooster is a ______________. (Ryker Bias)
deus ex machina
Your manuscript is both good and original; but the part that is good is not original and the part that is original is not good. (Ryker Bias)
chiasmus
SNL's "Weekend Update" is an example of this form. (Rushil Amin)
parody
When a policeman gets pulled over by another policeman is an example of this kind of irony. (Paolo Vasquez)
situational
A short, clever saying, such as “The future ain’t what it used to be.” –Yogi Berra (Carson Williams)
epigram
In Greek it means “sweet voice.” In literature, it's soft, melodious language. (Paolo Vasquez)
euphony
Twinkle, twinkle, Little Star,
How I wonder what you are.... (Carson Williams)
apostrophe
"I will not call him a lightweight, because I think that’s a derogatory term, so I will not call him a lightweight….I refuse to say that he’s a lightweight." --President Trump (Catherine Heiger)
paralipsis
Written in iambic pentameter and consisting of three quatrains and a final rhyming couplet. (Diana Joest)
Elizabethan sonnet
The sky was weeping. (Isabel Moore)
personification
Animal Farm may be considered a/an ______________ for Stalinist Russia. (Benjamin Weinzapfel)
allegory
The Pentagon will be revealing the decision later on in the morning. (Martina Catalan)
metonymy
"Are you also aware, Mrs. Bueller, that Ferris does not have what we consider to be an exemplary attendance record?" (Sammy Roysden?)
litotes
"Fires are burning, horses are snorting, chestnuts are roasting." The Hypnotist (Lili Boss)
asyndeton
Every day, every night, every way, I am getting better and better. (Rebecca Seaman)
anaphora
“I’d like to ask for your daughter’s hand in marriage.” (Joseph Embry)
synecdoche
The harsh sounds in the following verse by Coleridge create this: “Throats unslaked, with beaten black lips baked, agape they heard me scream." (Lorin Bassemier)
cacophony
This quotation from Alice in Wonderland includes one: ‘Mine is a long and a sad tale!’ said the Mouse, turning to Alice, and sighing. ‘It is a long tail, certainly,’ said Alice. (Diana Joest)
pun
"You know, Dad, you're getting a little thin on top." (Tina Catalan)
euphemism