Allusion: a figure of speech that makes a
reference to, or a representation of, a place,
event, literary work, myth, or work of art, either
directly or by implication. It is left to the reader
to make the direct connection between the
allusion and the significance of the example.
Characterization: the process by which the
writer reveals the personality of a character
(either directly or indirectly)
Analogy: a form of reasoning in which one thing
is inferred to be similar to another thing in a
certain respect, on the basis of the know
similarity between the things in other respects.
Example: A street light is life a star. Both provide
light at night, both are in predictable locations,
both are overhead, and both serve no function in
the daytime.
Note: Analogies often begin as similes, but
extend the explanation of the comparison to
greater depth.
Colloquialism: casual, informal vocabulary or
pronunciations found in a limited geographical
area (i.ie. pop versus coke, cut versus budge,
drinking fountain versus bubbler, wanna, ain’t,
hella, etc.)
Aphorism: a very concise statement expressing
a general truth or wise observation often in a
clever way. Sometimes aphorisms rhyme,
sometimes they have repeated words or phrases,
and sometimes they have two parts that are of
the same grammatical structure. Some examples
include:
 Lost time is never found again. –Benjamin
Franklin
 Greed is a permanent slavery. –Ali
 Nothing great was ever achieved without
enthusiasm. –Ralph Waldo Emerson
 Faith is not belief with trust, but trust
without reservation.
Connotation: attitudes, feelings, and
associations surrounding a particular word
 Writers play with the connotations of
words to create meaning in suggestive
works
 Even informational pieces can vary tone
and emphasis by manipulation of an
audience’s associations to the language
selected.
Archetype: ideas that occur throughout many
cultures as a basic story component
 Plot pattern (the quest)
 Character type (the aged mentor)
 Theme (good versus evil)
Denotation: dictionary definition of a word
Denouement: the final part of a play, movie, or
narrative in which the strands of the plat are
drawn together and matters are explained or
resolved. From the French word to “unknot”.
 Don’t mistake with the climax— follows
directly after the climax
 Considered a part of classical dramatic
structure
 Some narratives have no denouement due
to surprise or sudden endings
Hubris: excessive pride. In ancient Greek
tragedies, this is the most often cited character
flaw that leads to the main character’s fall from a
high position of power. Oedipus suffers from this
trait in Sophocles’ play, Oedipus Rex (Oedipus the
King)
Diction: word choice
 Good readers will use the writer’s diction
to recognize many of the other
characteristics of a piece of writing
 Word choice is most directly liked to tone
in nonfiction, but can also be used to
identify audience, purpose, and theme
 In fiction, it is the diction that creates
characterization, perpetuates suspense,
or reveals a motif to the reader.
 Training your eyes to look for interesting
diction will inevitable lead to strong
analysis and a better understanding of
meaning.
Hyperbole: Way over excessive, humongous,
gigantic, make-me-gag use of exaggeration
 Example: It has been a billion years since I
have had time to watch TV after my
homework is finished.
Euphemism: the substitution of an agreeable or
less offensive expression for one that may offend
or suggest something unpleasant to the listener
 Force, police action, or conflict
substituted for war
 Restroom for toilet
 Correctional facility for prison
 The big C for cancer
 Ethnic cleansing for genocide
Idiom: a figurative expression not used in formal
speech, often used primarily within a limited
geographical or social setting. Different than
slang or swear words in the sense that it is not
rude, but would not be used in formal situations.
 “As the crow flies”
 “Dead as a doornail”
 “Raining cats and dogs”
Figurative Language: language that is not
intended to be interpreted in the literal sense.
Imagery: the use of vivid or figurative language
to represent objects, actions, or ideas. Imagery is
language that appeals to any sense or
combination of the senses.
 Dusty smell of winter hay dried and
stored in the loft
In medias res: An epic convention that means to
begin in the middle of the story.
 The characters, setting, and conflict are
often introduced through a series of
flashbacks or through characters relating
past events to each other.
 Classical work such as Homer’s Iliad and
Virgil’s Adenoid begin in the middle of the
story. Dante’s Divine Comedy also begins
in medias res.
Irony: the discrepancy between what is said and
what is meant, what is said and what is done,
what is expected or intended and what happens,
or what is meant or said and what others
understand.
Juxtaposition: elements placed side by side for
the act of comparison. This often applies more
easily to visual images, but can be used in
written prose and poetry.
Metaphor: A figure of speech in which two
unlike ideas are asserted to be the same by a
direct comparison. (i.e. He is a bear today.) The
man and the bear are unlike creatures, but their
direct comparison conveys insight on the
original object (the man). Metaphor is an overall
umbrella under which terms like simile,
metonymy, and synecdoche can be classified
because they are all different methods of
conveying that figurative metaphorical
comparison.
Metonymy: A figure of speech in which one
thing is represented by another that is
commonly and often physically associated with
it. IT’s a specific type of metaphor in the sense
that metaphor equates two ideas, but metonymy
links the associated ideas so that one image
conjures up an understanding of the other.
 Referring to someone’s handwriting as
their hand
 Calling a monarch the crown
 Referencing the office of the President of
the United States as the White House
Motif: Unifying element in an artistic work,
especially any recurrent image, symbol, theme,
character type, subject, or narrative detail.
Somewhat similar to an archetype, except not all
motifs hold universal significance across
cultures.
 Romeo and Juliet (the film version)
utilizes water as a motif throughout the
work
 Racism and innocence are concepts that
reappear over and again in To Kill a
Mockingbird
Oxymoron: a figure of speech or word
combination that contradicts
 Awfully good
 Natural make-up
 Jumbo shrimp
 Student teacher
Paradox: A situation that looks to contradictory
in nature, but actually possesses a universal
truth.
 Standing in one spot all day at a job can
actually be more tiring than moving
around.
o You would think that motion
would create the exhaustion, but
it’s actually the lack of motion that
makes your muscles more tired.
Parallelism: The use of successive verbal
constructions in poetry or prose that correspond
in grammatical structure or meaning.
Parody: a work that imitates another work in
order to ridicule, ironically comment on, or poke
affectionate fun at the work itself, the subject of
the work, the author or fictional voice of the
parody, or another subject.
 Example from a British cartoon called
Marvin the Paranoid Android
Now I lay me down to sleep,
Try to count electric sheep
Sweet dream wishes you can keep,
How I hate the night.
Satire: Comedy with a purpose to make
readers/viewers think.
 Generally exposes the faults of a society
through mocking of its customs
 Mark Twain was a master of satire
 SNL sometimes has good examples of
political satire
Now the world has gone to bed,
Darkness won’t engulf my head,
I can see by infrared,
How I hate the night.
Personification: giving an inanimate object or
abstraction human qualities or abilities.
 Oreo: milk’s favorite cookie
 The wind stood up and gave a shout.
Simile: a comparison using like or as
Repetition: the return of a word, phrase, stanza
form, or effect in any form or literature. This is
an effective literary device to bring comfort,
suggest order, or add special meaning to a piece
of literature.
Symbol: an object, action, or person that
represents an idea beyond its physical presence
in the text. The key to distinguishing between
symbol and metaphor is the physical presence of
that object in the piece of literature. For example,
in the Harry Potter series, Harry is physically
given a mirror by Sirius through which they can
communicate from separate areas. After Sirius
dies, Harry repeatedly returns to the mirror for a
glimpse of his godfather; this repeated action
becomes a symbol for his longing for the
parental figures that have left him behind in
death.
Rhetoric: The art of persuading through
speaking and writing. Sometimes used in a
modern sense to imply empty language.
Rhetorical Question: Questions that are asked
for the effect and do not require an answer.
Questions asked for the purpose of directing
listeners to a specific, simple answer. These
questions are not to be answered literally.
 How many of you are willing to throw
your freedoms away?
 Who wishes there were more hours in a
day?
Synecdoche: A figure of speech in which a part
of something is used to represent the whole or,
occasionally, the whole is used to represent a
part. DIFFERENT than metonymy.
 To refer to a boat as a sail
 Referring to the basses in an orchestra as
“the strings”
 In Elie Wiesel’s novel Night, the narrator
calls himself “a body. Perhaps less than
that even: a starved stomach.”
Theme:
The main message of the literature. The lesson to
be learned from the piece. Always think of this in
terms of a complete sentence written o explain a
universal concept.
Tone:
The writer’s attitude toward his subject,
characters, and/or audience. Think of emotion
words here. Describe tone in terms of vocal
variety and range of attitude. Examples: angry,
sarcastic, loving, gentle, shy, bold
mood:
Atmosphere of a piece. Sensory words to
describe the physical feeling of the world created
by the writer. Describe mood using colorful
adjectives. Examples: heavy, somber, light, dark,
dense, suffocating
Understatement: a form of speech in which a
lesser expression is used than what would be
expected.
 Understatement is a staple of British
humor. For example, in Monty Python’s
The Meaning of Life, a suburban dinner
party is invaded by Death, who wears a
long black cloak and carries a scythe. He
is the Grim Reaper; the party is over; the
guests must all go with him. “Well,” says
one party guest, “that’s cast rather a
gloom over the evening, hasn’t it?” in
another scene, an Army officer has just
lost his leg. When asked how he feels, he
looks down at his bloody stump and
responds, “Stings a bit.”