Definition Station💭
Denotation
The exact, literal meaning of a word - the definition you’d find in a dictionary.
In The Lion King, “Simba’s dad is sleeping forever now” instead of saying “died.”
Euphemism
“I would walk 500 miles and I would walk 500 more” – from I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles).
The opening chapter of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone that introduces Harry, his life at the Dursleys, and the world of magic.
Exposition
“I’m starving, I could eat a horse!"
Hyperbole
A type of writing or literature created to inform or teach, often about moral or political lessons.
Didactic
The genre romance involves complex relationships, emotional tension, and romantic conflict, often culminating in resolution or reconciliation
Generic Convention
In Rolling in the Deep: “We could have had it all.” A non-literal way to express emotional depth.
Figurative language
“The smell of burned wood lingered in the air, acrid and sharp, biting at their throats.” - The Road by Cormac Mcarthy
Imagery
Hypophora
Euphemism
Indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh
In Avengers: Endgame: “You know what’s happened? We lost. And you know what we’re going to do about it? We’re going to finish this.”
Hypophora
“Life is a highway, I wanna ride it all night long” – from Life is a Highway (Tom Cochrane).
Extended Metaphor
In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch gives a moral lesson to Scout about empathy and justice.
Homily
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Imagery
A speech that a religious person delivers before a group of people to offer them moral correction.
Homily
Inside Out teaching emotional intelligence to its audience.
Diactic
In It’s My Life by Bon Jovi: “It is my life, it’s now or never.” Which device uses a word like “it” to add emphasis
Expeltive
In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen uses formal and precise word choice to reflect social class and character.
Diction
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an extended metaphor
A syntactic device, often opening with "it, here, or there," that disrupts sentence flow to emphasize an idea without adding semantic weight.
Expletive
In The Dark Knight, the Joker says, “Introduce a little anarchy… upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos.” This compares chaos to a tangible force throughout the scene.
Extended Metaphor
In Let It Be by The Beatles: “Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be.”
Diacope
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness..." - A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Enumeration
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