Literary Devices

When the expectation of a situation is exactly the opposite of what actually occurred

Hints or clues provided by the author

indirect reference of historical, cultural, literary or political significance

A comparison of two unlike things that continues throughout a passage in a story or poem

Rhyming words which come at the ends of lines of poetry

A comparison of two unlike things without using “like” or “as”

Repeated consonant sounds beginning two or more words within a line of poetry or prose

A comparison of two things using “like” or “as”

When the ongoing development of the story is interrupted by a scene from the past

The feeling or atmosphere that a literary text evokes within a reader

An object or character representing an idea or emotion beyond itself

When audience/readers are aware of details in the plot to which the characters are not aware

The author’s use of vocabulary within a literary work

Repeated words or phrases within lines of a poem or passages in a story

Descriptions of the five senses

The author’s attitude within a literary work

Using human attributes/qualities to describe an inanimate object or animal

When a speaker states the opposite of what he means

Two or more rhyming words within a single line of poetry

The moral, lesson, or message of a story