Literary Devices
Literary Devices: Review!
Characters
Point of View
Elements of Literature
100
A writer’s use of the same ideas, images, words, or phrases in a poem or story in order to emphasize an idea or theme
What is repetition
100
A comparison of two unlike things that does not use the words like or as
What is metaphor
100
The main character in a piece of literature
What is protagonist
100
the perspective from which a story is told
What is point of view
100
The sequence of events that make up a story; a storyline
What is plot
200
A word or phrase that creates a mental picture in the reader’s mind and helps readers experience literature as if it were real; made possible by figurative language
What is imagery
200
the feeling that is conveyed to a reader in a piece of literature
What is mood
200
the character or characters who are the opponents or enemies of the protagonist and who work against the protagonist’s goals
What is antagonist(s)
200
The voice or persona that tells the story in a piece of literature
What is narrator
200
The time and place that a story takes place
What is setting
300
In drama, a short remark meant only for the audience to hear
What is aside
300
the attitude of an author, narrator, or character toward someone or something; expressed in word choice
What is tone
300
The reason that characters act or think as they do
What is motivation
300
A narrator who is also a character in the story (uses the pronouns ‘I’, ‘me’, ‘we’)
What is first-person narrator
300
The challenge that the main character faces in a piece of literature
What is conflict
400
In drama, a long speech by one character directed toward the audience
What is soliloquy
400
A literary device that gives an animal, plant, object, or idea characteristics that are considered human
What is personification
400
The person talking in a poem, not always the poet
What is speaker
400
A narrator who is an outside observer but who only follows the thoughts, emotions or actions of a few characters (uses the pronouns ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘they’)
What is third-person narrator, limited
400
The message that an author is trying to convey
What is theme
500
A work of literature that relies on symbols to communicate its theme and that represents something different from what it says on the surface
What is allegory
500
An object that stands for something with greater meaning, often an abstract concept
What is symbol
500
Someone who serves as a contrast or challenge to another character
What is foil
500
A narrator who is an outside observer and who follows the thoughts, emotions, or actions of all of the characters (uses the pronouns ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘they’)
What is third-person narrator, omniscient
500
A conversation between two or more characters in a piece of literature
What is dialogue