Literary Devices

Using concrete objects or images to represent abstract ideas, emotions, or themes

A comparison using "like" or "as"

The writer's attitude or feeling towards the subject they're writing about

The central idea, message, or underlying meaning of a story, often a universal truth or lesson about life.

A comparison that does not use "like" or "as"

Writers give human qualities, like emotions, thoughts, or actions, to inanimate objects, animals, or abstract ideas. 

A brief, indirect reference to a well-known person, place, event, or work of art.

Descriptive language used by a writer to evoke a sensory experience or create a mental image in the reader's mind

A contrast or incongruity between what is expected and what actually occurs, or between what is said and what is meant. 

The overall emotional atmosphere or feeling created in the reader's mind by a work of writing