literary elements, devices & terms -...
TRANSCRIPT
Literary Elements, Devices & Terms
Mrs. Hartnett
Roy High School
All the Terms … you should know
these before the test … Allusion
Anachronism
Anadiplosis
Analogy
Anaphora
Anecdote
Antithesis
Aphorism
Apostrophe
Catharsis
Chiasmus
Colloquialism
Connotation
Contradiction
Deduction
Denotation
Ellipsis
Epiphany
Ethos
Euphemism
Expletive
Foil
Hyperbole
In medias res
Induction
Irony
Juxtaposition
Litotes
Logos
Loose Sentence
Metonymy
Oxymoron
Paradox
Parallelism
Parody
Pathos
Periodic
Polysyndeton
Sentence
Perspective
Repetition
Rhetorical Ques.
Sarcasm
Satire
Syllepsis
Syllogism
Synecdoche
Triad
Understatement
Allusion
DEFINITION: A causal and brief reference
to a famous historical or literary figure or
event:
EXAMPLE: “Plan ahead: it wasn't raining
when Noah built the ark.” --Richard Cushing
Notice in this example that the allusion is to a
very well known character and event, not to an
obscure one. The best sources for allusions are
literature, history, Greek myth, and the Bible. Also
note that the reference serves to explain or
clarify or enhance whatever subject is under
discussion, without sidetracking the reader.
Analogy
DEFINITION: Compares two things, which are alike
in several respects, for the purpose of explaining
or clarifying some unfamiliar or difficult idea or
object by showing how the idea or object is similar
to an easier understood, familiar one.
EXAMPLE: “Mama always said, ‘Life was like a box of
chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.’” –
Forrest Gump
While simile and analogy often overlap, the simile
is generally a more artistic likening, done briefly
for effect and emphasis, while analogy serves the
more practical end of explaining a thought process
or a line of reasoning or the abstract in terms of the
concrete, and may therefore be more extended.
Anachronism
DEFINITION: The misplacing of any thing, person, custom or
event outside its proper historical time.
EXAMPLE 1:Act 2 Scene 1 of William Shakespeare’s play “Julius Caesar”:
“Brutus: Peace! Count the clock.
Cassius: The clock has stricken three.”
The time this play depicts is a point in history dating back to 44 AD.
Mechanical clocks referred to in the above-mentioned dialogue had
not been invented at that time but were present in Shakespeare’s
time. Thus, the mention of a clock in this play is an anachronism.
EXAMPLE 2: (same play) Act 1 Scene 2:
“…he plucked me open his doublet and offered them his throat to cut”
Romans at the time of Julius Caesar did not wear a doublet, a close-
fitted jacket, but it was a fashion among men at the time of
Shakespeare, and therefore its use in the play is an anachronism.
Anachronism comes from the Greek term anachronous which means
against (ana) time (chrono)
Anadiplosis
DEFINITION: rhetorical figure of repetition
in which a word or phrase appears both at
the end of one clause, sentence or stanza and at
the beginning of the next, thus linking the two
units.
EXAMPLE 1: “Love’s fire heats water, water cools not love.”
Shakespeare’s 154th sonnet
EXAMPLE 2: “Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate.
Hate leads to suffering.”
Yoda, Star Wars
Example 3: “There’s a hole in the bucket, dear Liza, a hole.”
Anaphora
DEFINITION: In writing or speech, the
deliberate repetition of the first part of the
sentence in order to achieve an artistic effect.
EXAMPLE 1: – A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it
was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it
was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of
incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the
season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was
the winter of despair.”
EXAMPLE 2: William Wordsworth in “Tintern Abbey”
Five years have passed;
Five summers, with the length of
Five long winters! and again I hear these waters …
Anecdote
DEFINITION: A short and interesting story or an
amusing event often proposed to support or
demonstrate some point and make readers and
listeners laugh or brood over the topic presented for the
purpose.
EXAMPLE: from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
“I’ll tell you a family secret,” [Daisy] whispered enthusiastically. “It’s
about the butler’s nose. Do you want to hear about the butler’s nose?”
“That’s why I came over to-night.” [Nick]
“Well, he wasn’t always a butler; he used to be the silver polisher for
some people in New York that had a silver service for two hundred
people. He had to polish it from morning till night, until finally it
began to affect his nose ——”
“Things went from bad to worse,” suggested Miss Baker.
“Yes. Things went from bad to worse, until finally he had to give up his
position.”
Antithesis
DEFINITION: two opposite ideas are put
together in a sentence to achieve a
contrasting effect. Antithesis emphasizes
the idea of contrast by parallel structures of
the contrasted phrases or clauses, i.e. the
structures of phrases and clauses are
similar in order bring forth judgment on a
particular subject
EXAMPLE 1: “Give every man thy ear, but few thy
voice.” – Polonius in Hamlet
EXAMPLE 2: To err is human; to forgive divine. –
Alexander Pope
AphorismDEFINITION: Statement of truth or opinion expressed in
a concise and witty manner. The term is often applied to philosophical, moral and literary principles.
EXAMPLES from Shakespeare
“Having nothing, nothing can he lose.”(Henry VI)
“Life is a tale told by an idiot — full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” (Macbeth)
“Lord, what fools these mortals be!”(A Midsummer Night’s Dream)
Aphorisms often come with a pinch of humor, which makes them more appealing to the masses. Proverbs, maxims, adages and clichés are different forms of aphoristic statements that gain prevalence from generation to generation and frequently appear in our day-to-day speech.
Apostrophe DEFINITION: In literature, apostrophe is a figure of speech
sometimes represented by exclamation “O”. A writer or a
speaker, using an apostrophe, addresses a non-existent
person, inanimate object (such as a star or moon) or an
abstract idea in such a way as if it were present and capable of
understanding feelings.
EXAMPLES from John Donne:
“Busy old fool, unruly Sun,
Why dost thou thus,
Through windows, and through curtains, call on us?
Must to thy motions lovers’ seasons run?
Saucy pedantic wretch” -- “The Sun Rising”
“Death be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for, thou art not so,
For, those, whom thou think’st, thou dost overthrow,
Die not, poor death, nor yet canst thou kill me” -- “Death be Not Proud”
Catharsis DEFINITION: An emotional discharge through which one can
achieve a state of moral or spiritual renewal or achieve a state
of liberation from anxiety and stress; a profound realization.
EXAMPLE from Shakespeare, Macbeth:
In Act 1 Macbeth, well-regarded for his valor and talent, is made the
thane of Cawdor by King Duncan. However, carried away by ambition
and the supernatural advice, he loses his wife, his veracity and eventually
his life. The temptation of ambition robs him of the essence of his
existence as a human being and leaves behind nothing but discontent
and a worthless life. In Act V, Macbeth (5.5.24-28) gathers this idea in his
soliloquy. He says while speaking of his life:
“…a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing”
Catharsis is a Greek word and it means cleansing. In literature it is used for
the cleansing of emotions of the characters. It can also be any other radical
change that leads to emotional rejuvenation of a person.
Chiasmus DEFINITION: Two or more clauses which are related
grammatically and conceptually, but in which the grammar and
concepts are reversed. Chiasmus is a figure of speech that
displays inverted parallelism.
A simple chiasmus can be broken into parts labeled ABBA:
We ran away quickly; speedily, we fled.
A B ; B A
(A) a verb meaning “to escape” (B) an adverb that is a synonym of “rapidly
IAGO: O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; (Othello by Shakespeare)
It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock
The meat it feeds on; that cuckold lives in bliss
Who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger;
But, O, what damned minutes tells he o’er
Who dotes, yet doubts, suspects, yet strongly loves!
A B , B A
“Dotes” and “strongly loves” are synonymous, while “doubts” and “suspects”
are also synonymous. Note the alliteration as well. The two halves of the line
are united grammatically, conceptually, and aesthetically.
Colloquialism or Local Color
DEFINITION: The writer embraces folk speech, local customs
and settings, regional character, temperament and manner of
dressing. Also called colloquialism or regional dialect.
EXAMPLE: “But I can’t lay hyeah long, doctah, case I ain’t got
nuffin’ to go on.” –Patsy’s mother in “The Finish of Patsy Barnes”
Connotation/Denotation
DEFINITION: The denotation of a word is its literal meaning, whereas
the connotation is an implicit meaning. As a mnemonic to remember
the difference, it can be helpful to note that “denotation” and
“dictionary definition” all start with the same letter.
EXAMPLE: (“Fire and Ice” by Robert Frost)
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
Frost imagines the two possible apocalyptic scenarios, and which one he
would prefer. There are clear connotations of passion and aggression Frost’s
usage of fire imagery, while ice has the connotation of hard hatred. The
world, in his imagination, will either burn up or freeze, and he doesn’t just
mean in geological terms. Instead he places human emotion into the two
concepts of fire and ice.
Deduction/Induction
The definition of induction is similar to that of deduction and abduction as they are all methods of reasoning. However, whereas induction starts with known instances and arrives at a generalization, deduction involves a general principle or principles and arrives at a specific fact.
Example of Inductive Reasoning
This winter is colder than ever, therefore global warming must not be real.
Example of Deductive Reasoning
Think of the reveal moment from any detective story
Ellipsis Used in narratives to omit some parts of a
sentence or event, which gives the reader a chance to fill the gaps while acting or reading it out. It is usually written between the sentences as “…”.Example from “The Sisters” in Dubliners by James Joyce
My aunt waited until Eliza sighed and then said:
“Ah, well, he’s gone to a better world.”
Eliza sighed again and bowed her head in assent. My aunt fingered the stem of her wine-glass before sipping a little.
“Did he…peacefully?” she asked.
“Oh, quite peacefully, ma’am,” said Eliza. “You couldn’t tell when the breath went out of him. He had a beautiful death, God be praised.”
“And everything…?”
“Father O’Rourke was in with him a Tuesday and anointed him and prepared him and all.”
Epiphany It is a sudden realization that leads to a new perspective that clarifies a
problem or situation (similar to catharsis). A character may have an epiphany,or it may also occur in the narration such that the reader has the epiphany. Example of Epiphany from Miss Brill by Katherine Mansfield
Just at that moment a boy and girl came and sat down where the old couple had been. They were beautifully dressed; they were in love. The hero and heroine, of course, just arrived from his father's yacht. And still soundlessly singing, still with that trembling smile, Miss Brill prepared to listen.
"No, not now," said the girl. "Not here, I can't."
"But why? Because of that stupid old thing at the end there?" asked the boy. "Why does she come here at all - who wants her? Why doesn't she keep her silly old mug at home?"
"It's her fu-ur which is so funny," giggled the girl. "It's exactly like a fried whiting."
"Ah, be off with you!" said the boy in an angry whisper. Then: "Tell me, ma petite chere--"
"No, not here," said the girl. "Not yet."
On her way home she usually bought a slice of honey-cake at the baker's. It was her Sunday treat. Sometimes there was an almond in her slice, sometimes not. It made a great difference. If there was an almond it was like carrying home a tiny present - a surprise - something that might very well not have been there. She hurried on the almond Sundays and struck the match for the kettle in quite a dashing way.
But to-day she passed the baker's by, climbed the stairs, went into the little dark room - her room like a cupboard - and sat down on the red eiderdown. She sat there for a long time. The box that the fur came out of was on the bed. She unclasped the necklet quickly; quickly, without looking, laid it inside. But when she put the lid on she thought she heard something crying.
Ethos
In rhetoric, ethos represents credibility or an ethical appeal which involves persuasion by the character involved.
Origin of Ethos: The term has its roots in Aristotle’s “ingredients of persuasion” or “appeals.” He divides means of persuasion into three distinct categories: ethos, pathos and logos. He says in his treatise “On Rhetoric”: “Of the modes of persuasion furnished by the spoken word there are
three kinds. […] Persuasion is achieved by the speaker’s personal character when the speech is so spoken as to make us think him credible.”
It is a means of convincing others of the character or credibility of the persuader. It is natural for us to accept the credibility of people whom we hold in reverence. Example of Ethos from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee “I’m no idealist to believe firmly in the integrity of our courts and in the
jury system—that is no ideal to me, it is a living, working reality. Gentlemen, a court is no better than each man of you sitting before me on this jury. A court is only as sound as its jury, and a jury is only as sound as the men who make it up. I am confident that you gentlemen will review without passion the evidence you have heard, come to a decision, and restore this defendant to his family. In the name of God, do your duty.”
EuphemismPolite, indirect expressions which replace words and
phrases considered harsh and impolite or which suggest something unpleasant. Example of Euphemisms from 1984 by George Orwell The Ministry of Truth, which concerned itself with news,
entertainment, education, and the fine arts. The Ministry of Peace, which concerned itself with war. The Ministry of Love, which maintained law and order. And the Ministry of Plenty, which was responsible for economic affairs. Their names, in Newspeak: Minitrue, Minipax, Miniluv, and Miniplenty.
George Orwell made much use out of the significance of euphemisms, and their potential danger, in his masterpiece dystopian novel 1984. The “Party”—the ruling government organization to which it seems no individual really belongs—has created four main ministries, as described in the excerpt above. Each one has a name that is directly opposed to the true nature of the ministry. This is just one way in which the Party uses language to confuse and distort reality.
In fact, Orwell’s creation of the term “doublethink” has become a well-known euphemism for the types of distortions that many politicians and media personalities use to explain their positions, which may be hypocritical.
Expletive NOTE: In the rhetorical world, expletive does not mean swear word.
Expletive is a grammatical construction that starts with the words like it, here and there, etc. Expletives serve as filler words through which writers shift other words to different places for emphasis. Hence, they have a purpose in writing; however, if you use them recurrently in a text, they will weaken the quality of writing.
Example of Expletives
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” (Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen)
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief …” (Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens)
Foil
A secondary (minor) character who has qualities that contrast with the major with the objective to highlight the traits or to enhance the importance of the major character. Example of Foil from Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis
Stevenson
Stevenson explores the theme of doppelganger in which “Hyde” is not only an evil double of the honorable Dr. Jekyll but also qualifies as his foil. “Jekyll” creates “Hyde” by a series of scientific experiments in order to prove his statement:
“Man is not truly one, but truly two.”
He means that the human soul is a mixture of evil and good. In other words, every man’s foil exists in himself. Hyde is the manifestation of the evil that existed in otherwise honorable Dr. Jekyll. Being a respectable Victorian gentleman, Jekyll can never fulfill his evil desires. Therefore, he separates his “evil-self ” and gave him a separate identity and thus invents his own foil.
Hyperbole
An exaggeration of ideas for the sake of emphasis.
Examples of Hyperbole
“I had to wait in the station for ten days-an eternity.” (Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”)
I’ll love you, dear, I’ll love you
Till China and Africa meet,
And the river jumps over the mountain
And the salmon sing in the street,
I’ll love you till the ocean
Is folded and hung up to dry
(W.H Auden, “As I Walked One Evening”)
LITERARY TERMS PART 1 QUIZ
1. Allusion
2. Anachronism
3. Anadiplosis
4. Analogy
5. Anaphora
6. Anecdote
7. Antithesis
8. Aphorism
9. Apostrophe
10. Catharsis
11. Chiasmus
12. Colloquialism
13. Connotation
14. Contradiction
15. Deduction
16. Denotation
17. Ellipsis
18. Epiphany
19. Ethos
20. Euphemism
21. Expletive
22. Foil
23. Hyperbole
There will be 20 MC questions.
Some terms will be used twice
as answers.