Literary devices 1
Deafening silence!
What is an oxymoron?
the use of sarcasm or when a speaker’s intention is the opposite of what they are saying
e.g "Wow, you could win an award for cleanliness!" after looking at a messy room.
What is verbal irony?
kacey tells Steve she loves his cooking but feeds it to the dog under the table.
dramatic irony
The kitchen watched in silence as the chair froze into gold, the walls holding their breath, the wine glass trembling in his hand.
personification
And haven't seen him since
Simple as that
Alliteration
The Wicked Witch of the West went her own way.
What is alliteration?
A literary device in which a writer uses one thing to represent another.
What is symbolism?
What is this an example of :
“I didn’t take the money,” he said, smiling. “It simply ended up with me.”
Equivocation
On the morning they were going to kill him, Santiago Nasar woke before dawn, unaware that every open door, every passing glance, had already begun to close around him.
foreshadow
The lull of the lake lingers, lilting and low, as the moonlight melts into the murmuring water. (sound focus)
Euphony
Snap!
What is onomatopoeia?
The girl called out, "Jesus, Help me!"
Apostrophe
The ballroom glittered with chandeliers and laughter, silk gowns sweeping across marble floors as violins sang. Outside, pressed against the cold glass, a barefoot boy stood in the snow, his hands too numb to knock. Inside, glasses chimed in celebration; outside, his hunger lingered in silence.
juxtaposition
Don’t tell me it’s “just the way things are.” I’m tired of the excuses, the endless shrugging, the convenient silence when something actually needs to change. You sit there, comfortable, pretending ignorance is innocence, as if doing nothing isn’t its own kind of choice. It’s not neutrality—it’s neglect, dressed up to look respectable.
What is a diatribe?
He is like a giraffe; long-necked with small ears.
What is simile?
The classroom filled with rows of identical black veils, swallowing the girls’ faces, while outside the sky stretched pale and empty, as if the color had been drained from the world.
What is imagery?
a photograph of a seagull sitting on top of a no seagulls sign
what is irony?
“I am so tired I cannot walk another inch” or “I’m so sleepy I might fall asleep standing here”.
What is hyperbole?
Our home has been nothing but a doll’s house, and I have been the doll, arranged and admired but never truly alive.
What is metaphor?
Bring the wine cellar key
Let the less loving one be me.
What is allusion?
The door creaked open just enough to let the darkness breathe. She held her breath, listening—nothing. Then, a slow, deliberate step echoed from somewhere inside. Not the house settling. Not the wind. Something waiting. (What effect is this building?)
What is suspense?
A man is about to give a speech to a large audience on biology. Suddenly, he remembers playing with frogs and toads in his backyard as a curious child. He smiles at the memory, and then begins to speak to the audience about a new, groundbreaking finding about frogs.
What is flashback?
"Add fuel to the fire" is an example of a
What is idiom?
The red fabric clung to me like a warning, bright against the pale walls, while the white wings narrowed my vision until the world became a tunnel of silence and watchful eyes. (2 devices)
imagery and symbolism
All eyes turned to her as she stepped onto the stage.
Synecdoche