Imagery
Ex: “The autumn leaves blew over the moonlit pavement in such a way as to make the girl who
was moving there seem fixed to a sliding walk, letting the motion of the wind and the leaves
carry her forward. [...] The trees overhead made a great sound of letting down their dry rain.”
― Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 45
Analysis: Here, one can see the leaves, the moonlight, the girl, and the trees. One can feel the
wind, and one can hear the shake of the tree leaves.
Ex: “A wine shop was open and I went in for some coffee. It smelled of early morning, of swept
dust, spoons in coffee-glasses and the wet circles left by wine glasses.”
― Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms
Analysis: Here, the reader can imagine what the coffee shop smells like.
Foils
Ex: Benvolio and Tybalt from Romeo and Juliet
Analysis: Benvolio’s peaceful nature contrasts with Tybalt’s violent one.
Elizabeth and Abigail from The Crucible
Analysis: Elizabeth’s good nature contrasts with Abigail’s bad nature.
Ex: Bob Ewel is a foil to Atticus in To Kill a Mockingbird.
Analysis: Bob is a foil because he doesn't care, he is a drunk, and he is a cruel parent. Atticus
cares very much, is an upright citizen, and is loving towards his children.
Metaphor
Ex: “Life is a rollercoaster."
Analysis: Life isn't actually a rollercoaster. This is talking about the ups and downs of life.
Ex: "Time is money."
Time isn't actually money. This is saying how time is precious.
Ex: “Broken hearted”
Analysis: Your heart is not literally broken into pieces; you just feel hurt and sad.
Ex: “Time is a thief”
Analysis: Time isn't really stealing anything; this metaphor just indicates that time passes quickly
as our lives pass us by.
Allegory
Ex: “The World on the Turtles Back”
Analysis: The twin brothers both symbolized the difference between good and bad, and
everything and every person represented something larger!
Ex: Animal Farm
Analysis: It is an allegory because it uses animals on a farm to represent what happened in
Russia before, during, and after the overthrow of Tsar Nicolas II.
Ex: Moby Dick
Analysis: Characters and events can be read on a deeper level. Especially, the conflict between
Ahab and the whale can be read as an extended metaphor for the relationship that man has with
God.
Exposition
Ex: Finding Nemo -- In a coral reef, Marlen and his wife just laid fish eggs. However, then a big
fish came and ate them all. Only Marlen and one egg are left. He decides to care for it and name
it Nemo...
Analysis: This shows the setting, the characters, and the hint of future conflict.
Ex: Aladdin -- Aladdin is a poor boy, living on the streets of Arabia with his pet monkey Abu.
His luck is changed when he accidentally meets Princess Jasmine and stumbles upon a magic
lamp...
Analysis: This shows the setting, the characters, and the hint of future conflict.
Anaphora
Examples:
"We are a people in a quandary about the present. We are a people in search of our
future. We are a people in search of a national community."
"Every day, every night, in every way, I am getting better and better”
“My life is my purpose. My life is my goal. My life is my inspiration.”
"It rained on his lousy tombstone, and it rained on the grass on his stomach. It rained all
over the place."
The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
"And do you now put on your best attire? And do you now cull out a holiday? And do
you now strew flowers in his way That comes in triumph over Pompey's blood? Be
gone!"
Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare
“In every cry of every man, In every infant's cry of fear, In every voice, in every ban, The
mind-forged manacles I hear."
“London” by William Blake
Analysis:
All of these examples repeat a word or phrase at the start of lines/sentences.
Elegy
Examples:
“Fugue of Death”
"In Memory of W.B. Yeats"
"Elegy on His Cat" by Joachim Du Bellay
Analysis:
All of these poems lament the death of something or someone.
Simile
Ex: "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get."
Analysis: Here, life is being compared to a box of chocolates in the sense that both are
unpredictable. Because the comparison uses “like,” it is a simile.
Ex: "She was as brave as a lion"
Analysis: Here, a girl is being compared to a lion to show that she is courageous. Because the
comparison uses “as,” it is a simile.