Poetic Devices
Basic Elements
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Ends in /s/
100
an extreme exaggeration
What is hyperbole?
100
The way a character is developed or portrayed in a piece of literature.
What is characterization?
100

The use of words to create mental images in the minds of readers / the use of sensory details.

What is imagery?

100
A comparison between 2 unlike things using the words like or as; authors include these to make a point.
What is a simile?
100
Direct comparisons between otherwise unlike objects; authors include these to make a point.
What are metaphors?
200
a word that makes a sound
What is onomatopoeia?
200
The struggle between two opposing forces.
What is conflict?
200

Concrete object that represents an abstract idea. 

What is a symbol?

200
Giving inanimate object human characteristics.
What is personification?
200
Students don't always realize it, but descriptions of these times and locations often provides insight into major themes.
What are settings?
300
The repeating of a phrase or line throughout a piece of literature.
What is repetition?
300
The perspective from which a story is told.
What is point of view?
300
A reference to a well-known person, place, event or literary work in a piece of literature?
What is an allusion?
300
A statement that presents a problem or dilemma in a piece of literature.
What is a paradox?
300
These struggles propel the plot forward.
What are conflicts?
400
Type of poetry which tells a story through the use of a narrator.
What is narrative poetry?
400
The main character in a piece of literature.
What is the protagonist?
400
When the audience knows more than the characters on stage?
What is dramatic irony?
400
The speaker or character who tells the story.
What is the narrator?
400
These characters work against the protagonists.
What are antagonists?
500
A pair of rhyming lines.
What is a couplet?
500
The central message or insight into life gained through a piece of literature.
What is theme?
500
Hints at something to occur later in the story.
What is foreshadowing?
500
When the unexpected occurs.
What is irony?
500
Poems are often divided into sections otherwise known as...
What are stanzas?
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