Literary Devices: The Anglo-Saxon Period
1. Alliteration- the repeating of beginning consonant sounds
Example: The slithering snake slid silently across the murky moor.
Example: Quentin crept into the cavern and cautiously kept his lantern aloft.
2. Personification- giving human traits to nonhumans
Example: The trees danced merrily in the breeze.
Example: The sun beat upon us with angry fists.
3. Onomatopoeia- the use of a word whose sound imitates its meaning
Example: The sizzle of bacon whetted my appetite.
Example: We were jolted awake by the buzz of the alarm clock.
4. Epithet- a descriptive phrase that literally renames someone or something
Example: Ivan the Terrible became notorious for his cruelty.
Example: The chief of fallen angels was cast out of heaven for his rebellion.
5. Kenning- a metaphorical phrase used to rename someone or something indirectly
Example: Sailors have often met their deaths on the whale-road.
Example: I went to the library to open up a treasure chest of knowledge.
6. Caesura- a pause, split, or break in a line of poetry
Example: “In secret sessions, talking of terror”
Example: “The high hall rang, its roof boards swayed”