Literary terms and devices
This figure of speech compares two unlike things using "like" or "as"
What is a simile?
This author wrote "Mother to Son" using a stairway as an extended metaphor for life.
Who is Langston Hughes?
This biblical figure often taught in parables, using imaginative comparisons to reveal truth.
Who is Jesus?
This literary term refers to the central message or recurring idea in a work.
What is theme?
This device gives human traits to nonhuman things, like "the wind whispered."
What is personification?
This humorous story by Mark Twain uses personification to make bluejays act like people.
This passage uses metaphors like "The Word", "The Light", and "The Lamb" to describe Christ.
What is John 1?
This technique in "Return of the Rangers" heightens suspense during the crisis at the falls.
What is descriptive imagery and parallelism?
The term refers to a metaphor where the subject (tenor) is not directly stated.
What is an implied metaphor?
This allegorical fable by William Cowper compares a nightingale and a glowworm to a beauty and truth.
What is "The Nightingale and the Glowworm?"
This verse from Galatians supports the theme of perseverance in "Mother to Son."
What is Galatians 6:9?
This poetic device uses a part to represent the whole, like "All hands on deck."
What is synecdoche?
This elaborate extended metaphor controls the meaning of a poem, as seen in "The Windows"
What is a conceit?
This work by George Herbert compares a preacher to a stained-glass window.
What is "The Windows?"
This verse from 2 Corinthians connects aging with spiritual renewal, as seen in "The Soul's Dark Cottage."
What is 2 Corinthians 4:16?
This concept explains how imaginative comparison in literature reflects God's creative nature.
What is a biblical worldview of language and symbolism?