Essential Literary Devices and Poetic Techniques

Core Figures of Speech and Rhetorical Devices

Comparison and Representation

Simile

A stated comparison between two unlike things using the words "like" or "as."

• Example: Her cheeks are red like a rose.

Metaphor

A figure of speech where an element represents both itself and another idea or concept, implying a direct comparison without using "like" or "as."

• Example: The curtain of night fell upon us.

Extended Metaphor

A comparison drawn out and sustained over several lines, stanzas, or an entire work.

• Example: Emily Dickinson's poem, "Hope Is the Thing With Feathers."

Dead Metaphor

A metaphor that has become so overused that it no longer evokes the original comparison, often being treated as a literal term.

• Example: Phrases that have lost their figurative force (e.g., the concept of lineage represented by terms like "grandfather" or "grandmother" when discussing ancestry).

Analogy

A comparison between two different things, typically for the purpose of explanation or clarification.

• Example: Life is like a race. The one who keeps running wins the race, and the one who stops to catch a breath loses.

Symbolism

A mark or object used as a representation of something else, often an abstract idea.

• Example: A dove is a symbol of peace.

Emphasis and Contradiction

Personification

Assigning human traits, qualities, or actions to non-human objects, animals, or abstract ideas.

• Example: The Sun smiled at us.

Hyperbole

Conscious exaggeration used for emphasis or effect; an extravagant statement.

• Example: I am so hungry I could eat a horse.

Paradox

A seemingly absurd or contradictory statement or proposition which, when investigated, may prove to be well-founded or true.

• Example: A statement like, "You can never get from point A to point B," used to illustrate philosophical concepts of infinity or motion.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech that combines two contradictory words to describe one thing.

• Example: Cruel kindness.

Irony

Irony creates a contrast between how things seem and how they really are.

Types of Literary Irony

• Dramatic Irony: When readers know what will happen before the characters do.
• Situational Irony: When readers expect a certain outcome, only to be surprised by a turn of events.
• Verbal Irony: When the intended meaning of a statement is the opposite of what was said.

Juxtaposition

The technique of placing two story elements, characters, settings, or ideas close together or side by side for the purpose of contrasting them.

• Example: The contrast between light and dark in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

Allegory

A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral, spiritual, or political one.

Poetic Sound Devices

Alliteration

The repetition of initial consonant sounds in words that are close together.

• Example: Fat Fred fell fairly far.

Assonance

The patterning or repetition of similar vowel sounds within words that have different consonant sounds.

• Example: Lake, fate, ape.

Onomatopoeia

Words that, by their sound, suggest their meaning.

• Examples: Buzz, crack, murmur, whisper, trickle, roar.

Sibilance

A specific type of alliteration involving the repetition of consonant sounds that require pushing air past the tongue, creating a hissing effect.

• Examples: S sounds, the “dg” sound in “judge,” or the “ch” in “teacher.”

Euphony

Pleasant spoken sound created by smooth, harmonious consonants and vowels.

• Example: The word "ripple."

Cacophony

An unpleasant spoken sound created by harsh, clashing consonants and syllables.

• Example: Lewis Carroll’s poem "Jabberwocky" is a famous example.

Poetic Structure and Rhythm

Enjambment

The continuation of a sentence or clause in poetry, without a pause, past the end of a line or stanza.

• Example:

  I think that I will never see
  A poem as lovely as a tree

Caesura

A grammatical pause or break within a line of poetry, often indicated by punctuation (like a question mark, comma, or dash), usually occurring near the middle of the line. It is sometimes marked notationally with a slash (/).

• Example: Sing a song of sixpence, // a pocket full of rye.