Literary Devices List 2
Theme
The Search for Meaning
What is a Theme?
Theme: Life lesson, meaning, moral, or message
about life or human nature that is
communicated by a literary work.
In other words…
Theme is what the story teaches readers.
Themes
A theme is not a word, it is a sentence.
You don’t have to agree with the theme to
identify it.
Examples
Money can’t buy happiness.
Don’t judge people based on the surface.
It is better to die free than live under tyranny.
Identifying Themes
Themes are not explicit (clearly stated).
Themes are implied.
Themes are bigger than the story.
Small
World
of the
Story
Big World of the Theme.
Applies to the “Real” World.
Themes are about the big picture.
Not “love”
Not “revenge” Think BIGGER.
Find “Real” World advice.
“Love can sometimes be hard”
“Revenge creates more problems than solutions.
Small
World
of the
Story
Big World of the Theme.
Applies to the “Real” World.
Theme vs. Subject
• Subject: what a work is about. It can usually be
expressed in one word. For example, “Love” is a
subject of Romeo and Juliet
• Theme: What does the work say about the
subject? It should be a complete sentence or
statement. For example, “In Romeo and Juliet,
we learn that teen romance can be a stronger
force than family ties.”
Theme must go beyond the book
• • To be a true theme, the truth or comment must
apply to people or to life in general, not just the
characters in the book.
• For example, “In Beauty and the Beast, Belle
learns that true beauty comes from within,” only
applies to the story.
• Instead, express the theme like this: “In Beauty
and the Beast, we learn through Belle and the
beast that true beauty comes from within.”
Multiple themes are possible!
• Many books have more than one theme, so do
not think that there is one “right” theme to any
book you read. In fact, most great literature has
multiple themes.
Themes must be supported!
• Just because works can have multiple themes, it
does not mean that the theme can be anything that
you want.
• In order for a theme to be justified, there must be
specific, concrete evidence from the text. For
example, if your potential theme statement is that
“Poverty creates tough, self-reliant people,” then
the book should contain examples of poor
characters who develop toughness and selfreliance.
Finding the theme
• Asking questions
• What is the subject?
• What does the book say, or teach us, about
the subject?
• How does the work communicate the theme?
In other words, what specific details, characters,
actions, incidents, etc, suggest the truth of the
theme statement?
Sample Theme Statements
• Persistence pays off
• Honesty is better than cheating
• It’s more important to be nice than to be
popular
• Be careful what you wish for
• Love is the most important force
Review
1. Theme is what we can learn from a story.
2. Themes must be inferred (figured out by the
reader after thinking what the moral is).
3. Themes are about the BIG world.
On a piece of paper,
• Write the theme of the following:
– 1. The last story we read
– 2. The last movie you saw
– 3. Your favorite song
– 4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omk6TAxJYOg
AESOP’S FABLE THEME
WORKSHEET
http://www.slideshare.net/elkissn/fi
nding-the-theme-of-a-text

The narrator is the person or character who tells a
story.

The writer’s choice of narrator determines the
story’s point of view, which directs the type and
amount of information revealed.
Who would be the narrator of the story of your
life?

Who would be the narrator of WWII?

Who would be the narrator of the history of
mankind?

Narrative Perspective
Author’s Point of View
Dialogue and Narration
• Dialogue = when characters speak.
• Narration = when the narrator speaks.
• “Quotation marks” separate narration
from dialogue.
Example
“Help” my cousin Jack said.
1
2
Identifying Narrative Perspective
It's about the narrator (who tells the story)
We're not looking at dialogue.
We don't care what characters say.
Only the narrator's voice matters.
Pronoun Case
We are trying to figure out the narrator's
view point on the story.
Perspectives and Signal Words
First-Person
I, me, my, mine, we, us,
ours,
Second-Person you, your
Third-Person
he, she, her, they, them
(also character's names)
Secret
“I am in the room”
I = 1st Person
“You come in the room.”
You = 2nd Person
“Then he or she came in the room.”
He or She = 3rd Person
First-Person
Narrator is a part of the story (character).
Often uses I or we.
Example
I went home. Tim came over. I couldn't play.
Second-Person
Usually for instructions
Uses “You”; from “your” perspective.
Examples
First, gather your materials. Add 1 cup sugar
to flour.
Third-Person
• Narrator usually isn’t involved.
• Tells other's stories.
• Lots of “He,” “She,” & character names.
Three Types of Third-Person Narration
Does the narrator tell…
Thoughts and Feelings of Characters?
Third-Person Omniscient
Narrator is all knowing.
Narrator tells thoughts and feelings of
more than one character.
Omni = All
Scient = Knowing
Example
Tim was mad at Shay. He blamed her.
Shay knew Tim would be mad, but she
wanted to live her life.
Third-Person Limited
Narrator is limited to one character.
Tells thoughts & feelings of one character
Example
Tim was mad at Shay. He blamed her.
Shay just left without saying anything.
She left a note and then left him.
Third-Person Objective
Narrator does not reveal any character’s
thoughts or feelings.
Only character’s dialogue and actions
are narrated.
Example
Tim slammed the door. He walked
upstairs & read a note from Shay. He
kicked her trash can & started crying.
Tips on Identifying
• Check 1st or 2nd-person before worrying
about objective, limited, or omniscient.
• Ask, “Who’s story is the narrator telling:
his, mine, or someone else’s?”
• Focus on narration not dialogue.


“Popular Mechanics”
“The Cask of Amontillado”
 Who is the narrator?



“Green Eggs and Ham”
Mr. Sabolcik’s Dairy:
Cookbook
(c) 2012 Mr. Sabolcik, West Forsyth H.S.

Diction: The author’s choice of words and how it
impacts what is being said.
 Vocabulary (slang vs. formal)
 Colloquialisms (y’all, y’inz)
There are two important ways we can identify and
understand an author’s use of diction.
Denotation and Connotation
(c) 2012 Mr. Sabolcik, West Forsyth H.S.



The dictionary definition of the word.
Has the same meaning no matter the context.
For example:
 The dictionary defines “Snake” as “A long limbless reptile
(suborder Ophidia or Serpentes) that has no eyelids, and jaws
that are capable of considerable extension.”
 Therefore, the denotation of the word snake is above.
(c) 2012 Mr. Sabolcik, West Forsyth H.S.
The set of ideas associated with it in addition to
its explicit meaning (its denotation).

The context determines what it means.

A word has a different meaning to different
people.

Also, the emotions attached to a word.

(c) 2012 Mr. Sabolcik, West Forsyth H.S.
Connotation vs. Denotation
Almost every word has two kinds of
meanings…
Denotation:
the straightforward dictionary definition
Connotation:
the ideas and feelings associated with
the word
There are three types of
connotations:
a. POSITIVE – a good thing
b. NEGATIVE – a bad thing
c. NEUTRAL- not good or bad;
indifferent; used when you or
the author don’t want to show
strong emotions either way
For Example
Positive
Neutral
That’s a
That’s a
glamorous nice
necklace.
necklace.
The model
was
slender.
Negative
That’s a
gaudy
necklace.
The model The model
was thin. was
scrawny.
Practice
For the following pairs of terms, write a short
explanation of why you might like to be described
by one term, but not the other. Also, identify
whether the word you picked has a positive,
negative or neutral connotation.





firm or stubborn
flexible or wishy-washy
original or weird
scholar or bookworm
arrogant or proud

For each set, choose the word with the positive
connotation.







drug addict . . . druggie, drug fiend, substance abuser
handicapped . . . crippled, disabled, differently abled
house . . . . . . home, abode, domicile, residence
thin . . . . . . thin, slender, slim, skinny, lean, beanpole
attractive . . . pretty, beautiful, handsome, fair
reporter . . . . journalist, broadcaster, newshound
unattractive . . plain, dull, ugly
(c) 2012 Mr. Sabolcik, West Forsyth H.S.

On a scrap piece of paper, write a sentence of
what the following words mean:






SHARK
HOUSE
IMPRESSION
STALE
ATTRACTIVE
BRIGHT
(c) 2012 Mr. Sabolcik, West Forsyth H.S.
 SHARK
 Someone who is really good at playing cards.
 HOUSE
 Whenever you put a bunch of cards on top of each other.
 IMPRESSION
 When you stick your hand in the mud and there is a print after you take
it out.
 BRAINS
 The guy or girl that organizes the theft. (The “brains” of the operation)
 ATTRACTION
 Whenever two atoms want to come together and share electrons.
 BRIGHT
 All of my students! They’re very bright and get all As.
(c) 2012 Mr. Sabolcik, West Forsyth H.S.








chef vs. cook
plagiarizer vs. cheater
thrifty vs. tightwad
stay-at-home mom vs homemaker vs housewife
ambitious vs. greedy
substance abuser vs druggie
journalist vs reporter
eccentric vs weirdo
(c) 2012 Mr. Sabolcik, West Forsyth H.S.
A recipe is denotative; an advertisement
connotative (uses happy or sad words)

The connotation of words can help us figure out
the subtext of what an author or character is trying
to say.

 “Reading between the lines.”

Word choice is really important!
(c) 2012 Mr. Sabolcik, West Forsyth H.S.
(c) 2012 Mr. Sabolcik, West Forsyth H.S.
A reference to a well-known person, place, event,
literary work, or work of art.

Example: I was surprised his nose was not
growing like Pinocchio’s.

 This is an allusion to what?
(c) 2012 Mr. Sabolcik, West Forsyth H.S.

“When she lost her job, she acted like a Scrooge,
and refused to buy anything that wasn’t
necessary.”
 A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

“He was a real Romeo with the ladies.”
 Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

“Chocolate was her Achilles’ heel.”
 The Illiad by Homer. And Greek mythology.

“He was a Good Samaritan yesterday when he
helped the lady start her car.”
 The Biblical story of the Good Samaritan.
(c) 2012 Mr. Sabolcik, West Forsyth H.S.
“The side lines is lined with casualties
Who sip the life casually,
then gradually become worse
Don’t bite the apple, Eve” -Jay-Z

“Tonedeff’s slays giants, as if my legal name’s David.” –
Tonedeff

(c) 2012 Mr. Sabolcik, West Forsyth H.S.
(c) 2012 Mr. Sabolcik, West Forsyth H.S.
1. Be able to identify them when we see them.

2. Be able to connect them to whatever they
came from.

3. Understand the function they serve.

 Help us understand characters more.
 How educated someone is, or what culture they are from.
 Draw parallels to ideas in other works of literature.
 Many allusions to novels with death may foreshadow death in the
story we are reading.
(c) 2012 Mr. Sabolcik, West Forsyth H.S.
(c) 2012 Mr. Sabolcik, West Forsyth H.S.
On a scrap piece of paper, write
the following:
• Mood is ______________.
• Tone is _______________.
By yourself, try to fill in the blanks with
the knowledge you already have.
Write this in your notes!
Mood is…
… the emotions and feelings a
reader has when reading a work
of literature.
Highlight all the words you know.
For each of the following paintings and
songs, use your MOOD handout to find
appropriate words to describe the mood of
each piece.
Use the following model:
The mood of [painting/song name] is
______ and _____ because of _____.
• “Man with Guitar”
• “The Scream”
“Sunday Afternoon on the Island of the Grand Jatte” by Georges Seurat
• Alfred
Eisenstaedt’s
photograph:
“V-J Day in
Times
Square”
On the same piece of paper (to be turned in
at the end of class), write the following…
The mood of [poem name] is _________,
_________, and ________.
I know this because of ___________.
Write at least 3 supporting sentences for each
poem. Be sure to include key words or
phrases that PROVE your point.
Write this in your notes!
Tone is…
…the attitude(s) an author feels
about characters, subjects, or
situations in the story.
For each of the following readings/poems,
use your TONE handout to find appropriate
words to describe the mood of each piece.
Use the following model:
The tone of [name of reading] is
______ and _____ because of _____.
On a separate piece of paper (to be turned in
at the end of class), write the following…
The tone of [piece] is _________, _________,
and ________.
I know this because of ___________.
Write at least 3 supporting sentences for each
poem. Be sure to include key words or
phrases that PROVE your point.
• #1:http://www.theonion.com/audio/mosquito
s-life-cut-short,27999/
• #2:
http://storycorps.org/listen/stories/josephlutrario/
• #3: Sample Complaint Letter (Handout)
Literary Devices
Mood
Tone
THERE
IS A
DIFFERENCE!
How the reader feels
when reading
The author’s attitude
toward things in
what she writes
MOOD AND TONE WORKSHEET
PRACTICE




A Surprise!
It is the difference between what we expect to
happen, and what actually does happen.
It is often used to add suspense and interest.
It is also used to keep the reader thinking about
the moral of the story.
Helpful Picture
(c) 2012 Mr. Sabolcik, West Forsyth H.S.
How is this picture ironic?
Irony
Verbal
Irony
Situational
Irony
Dramatic
Irony

Verbal Irony

Situational Irony

Dramatic Irony





The simplest kind of irony.
You use it everyday when you say one thing
and really mean another.
It is often similar to a sarcastic response.
Example:
When you appear to be sick and someone
asks you if you’re okay. You say “Of course!”
But in the meantime you are vomiting and
fainting.


You use it everyday when you say one thing
and really mean another.
Your turn! Write a sentence with verbal
irony. Be prepared to defend your sentence.






Occurs when a situation turns out to be the
opposite of what you thought it would be.
Example:
The teacher’s daughter is a High School drop
out.
The mayor’s wife gets caught stealing.
The chef won’t eat his/her own cooking.
The barber always needs a hair cut himself.


Occurs when a situation turns out to be the
opposite of what you thought it would be.
Your turn! Write a sentence (or two) with
situational irony. Be prepared to defend
your answer.



Occurs when the audience knows something
that the characters in the story, on the
screen, or on the stage do not know. It’s like
the audience is more aware of what’s going
on than the people in the production.
This is used to engage the audience and
keep them actively involved in the storyline.
http://ed.ted.com/lessons/in-on-a-secretthat-s-dramatic-irony-christopher-warner


Occurs when the audience knows something
that the characters in the story, on the
screen, or on the stage do not know. It’s like
the audience is more aware of what’s going
on than the people in the production.
Your turn! Write a sentence that includes
dramatic irony. Be prepared to defend your
sentence.

In all of the Friday the 13th movies, we know Jason
is in the woods. The characters do not. When they
go out into the woods we are afraid for them
because we know that they are in danger. We
scream for them to run, we get excited when they
fall, we cringe when we know that Jason is right
behind the tree.
Irony is a kind of a surprise. It is the difference between
what is expected to happen, and what actually does
happen.
 Irony is like a glitch, a twist, or a last minute switch in the
game. It is an interruption of events that cause an
unexpected outcome.
There are three types of irony:
 Verbal
 Situational
 Dramatic

Explain the Irony of the Following
Images!
Tell whether it is situational,
dramatic, or verbal irony!
Also, you must be able to identify
each.

On a separate sheet of paper, complete the following
sentence:





Flashback is _______________________.
• Now try breaking the word FLASHBACK apart.
• FLASH: a quick glimpse.
• BACK: a look back in the story at something that previously
happened.
Flashback is a scene that takes the narrative back in
time from the current point the story has reached.

Basically, it’s when the story goes back in time to
something that happened before that moment. After it
is done, we return to the present.
Find the flashback!
Little Red Riding Hood

Flashback
The wolf went up to Little
Red Riding Hood and
told her that he knew a
shortcut. Little Red
Riding Hood thought
back to what her mother
told her. “Don’t talk to
any strangers and watch
out for the wolf in the
woods!” But it was too
late, she had already
listened to the wolf’s
directions.