Literary Devices
Hinting at future events in a story to create suspense
Foreshadowing
A recurring element with symbolic meaning
Motif
Examines how a text represents gender, gender roles, power, and inequality.
Feminist lens
How many letters are in the English alphabet
26
Using an object or element to represent an abstract idea
Symbolism
Attributing human qualities to inanimate objects or abstract ideas
Personification
Focuses on the text itself rather than the author's life, historical context, or outside information.
Formalist lens
What book series features Camp Half-Blood
Percy Jackson
Descriptive language that appeals to the senses
Imagery
A comparison between two things to explain a similarity
Analogy
Examines how the author's life and experiences may have influenced their writing.
Biographical lens
What district does Katniss Everdeen belong to?
District 12
A direct comparison between two unrelated things
Metaphor
"Jumbo shrimp" or "deafening silence"
Examines characters through their thoughts, emotions, desires, fears, memories, and unconscious motivations
Psychoanalytical lens
In Romeo and Juliet, what city is the play set in?
Verona
A contrast between expectation and reality
irony
"She sells sea shells by the sea shore"
Alliteration
Examines how a text represents power, money, social class, and inequality.
Marxist lens
How many years does it take Odysseus to return home from the Trojan War?
10 years