Literary Devices
This Afghan American author wrote The Kite Runner as his debut novel.
Who is Khaled Hosseini?
This parent’s unfulfilled academic and professional ambitions quietly shape the impossible expectations placed on Lydia.
Who is Marilyn Lee?
The details that not only depict a time and place, but also convey values associated with that environment.
What is setting?
An author’s word choice and attitude toward the subject most directly shape this element of a literary work.
What is tone?
The choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing.
What is diction?
This loyal friend of Amir is known for his devotion and the line, “For you, a thousand times over.”
Who is Hassan?
This sibling’s withdrawal and eventual self-awareness reveal how silence and misunderstanding fracture family relationships.
Who is Nath?
This literary technique places two contrasting ideas, images, or characters side by side to highlight differences or create meaning.
What is juxtaposition?
A significant change in tone, mood, perspective, subject, or argument, sometimes called a volta.
What is a shift?
After fleeing Afghanistan, Amir and Baba eventually settle in this U.S. state.
What is California?
This character’s quiet perfection and secrecy mask the crushing weight of her parents’ expectations, ultimately placing her at the center of the novel’s tragedy.
Who is Lydia Lee?
Comparisons, representation, and associations shift meaning from the literal to the figurative and invite readers to interpret a text.
What is figurative language?
An author’s deliberate choice to use short, fragmented, or unusually long sentences most directly affects this element of a text.
What is syntax?
A statement that seems self-contradictory or nonsensical on the surface but that, upon closer examination, may express an underlying truth.
What is a paradox?
This social hierarchy in Afghan society shapes Amir’s privilege and Hassan’s lifelong marginalization.
What is the Pashtun–Hazara divide?
This novel is set in a small Midwestern town during this decade, a time when social expectations around race, gender, and family strongly shape the characters’ lives.
What are 1970s Ohio?
When reading poetry and short fiction, we should be reading and looking for this.
Hint: The power of yet.
What is complexity?
Petratchan and Shakspearian.
What are the two most famous types of sonnets?
This is theme in "The Kite Runner"
Answers will vary.
This is a theme in "Everything I Never Told You"
Answers will vary.
The details that reveal something about perspectives, motives, values, and intent.
What is the function of character or characters?
This type of poetry, associated with poets like John Donne, is known for its use of clever metaphors and exploration of philosophical or spiritual ideas.
What is metaphysical poetry?