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Literacy Devices
Allegory
Definition:
An allegory is a symbolism device where the meaning of a greater, often abstract, concept is conveyed
with the aid of a more corporeal object or idea being used as an example
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Example:
Faith is like a stony uphill climb: a single stumble might send you sprawling but belief and
steadfastness will see you to the very top
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Whether it is the consonant sound or a specific vowel group, the
alliteration involves creating a repetition of similar sounds in the sentence
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Alliterations are used to add character to the
writing and often add an element of ‘fun’ to the piece
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(The ‘W’ sound is highlighted and repeated
throughout the sentence
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It is up to the reader to make a connection to the
subject being mentioned
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In the example the author uses the mention of Mother Teresa to indicate the sort of qualities that Mary
has
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When a plain sentence is too
abrupt and fails to convey the full implications desired, amplification comes into play when the writer
adds more to the structure to give it more meaning
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After amplification- The thesis paper was difficult: it
required extensive research, data collection, sample surveys, interviews and a lot of fieldwork
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From the syllables of a phrase to the individual letters of a word, any
fraction can be jumbled to create a new form
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Example:
An anagram for "debit card" is "bad credit"
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By
mixing the letters a bit of humor is created
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By using an analogy we can convey a new idea by using the blueprint of an old one
as a basis for understanding
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Example:
In the same way as one cannot have the rainbow without the rain, one cannot achieve success and
riches without hard work
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In standard parlance and writing the adjective comes before the noun but when one is
employing an anastrophe the noun is followed by the adjective
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Example:
He spoke of times past and future, and dreamt of things to be
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ik
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The story is usually a reminiscence from the teller's life but at
best is a related story of fact, as opposed to a contrived work of fiction
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D
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In his court, Justinian had a historian named Procopius who was a gifted writer who wrote
many witty, amusing and somewhat bawdy accounts of court life
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After his secret writings did indeed become public and published, the term anecdote became
commonly used for similar accounts
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Teachers and educators often tell classrooms of pupils
anecdotes about famous people
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Here is an example of an anecdote about Winston Churchill:
Winston Churchill was very fond of his pet dog Rufus
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When enjoying movies, Rufus had the best seat in
the house; on Winston Churchill's lap
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Churchill is believed to have
said to Rufus: “don't look now, dear
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”

Anthropomorphism

Definition:
Anthropomorphism can be understood to be the act of lending a human quality, emotion or ambition
to a non-human object or being
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Example:
The raging storm brought with it howling winds and fierce lightning as the residents of the village
looked up at the angry skies in alarm
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Whether they are words or phrases of the same sentence, an antithesis is
used to create a stark contrast using two divergent elements that come together to create one uniform
whole
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The
purpose of using an antithesis in literature is to create a balance between opposite qualities and lend a
greater insight into the subject
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Aphorism

Definition:
An aphorism is a concise statement that is made in a matter of fact tone to state a principle or an
opinion that is generally understood to be a universal truth
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It is to be noted that aphorisms are usually witty
and curt and often have an underlying tone of authority to them
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Archetype

Definition:
An archetype is a reference to a concept, a person or an object that has served as a prototype of its
kind and is the original idea that has come to be used over and over again
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Archetypes are immediately identifiable and even though they run the risk of being overused, they are
still the best examples of their kind
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Assonance

Definition:
Assonance refers to repetition of sounds produced by vowels within a sentence or phrase
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What sets it apart from alliterations is
that it is the repetition of only vowel sounds
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Example:
“A long song”
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Asyndeton as a literary tool
helps in shortening up the implied meaning of the entire phrase and presenting it in a succinct form
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Use of this literary device helps in creating a strong impact and
such sentences have greater recall worth since the idea is presented in a nutshell
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Read, Write, Learn
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Watch, Absorb, Understand
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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
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Authorial Intrusion establishes a one to
one relationship between the writer and the reader where the latter is no longer a secondary player or
an indirect audience to the progress of the story but is the main subject of the author’s attention
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This technique was often used to reveal some crucial
elements of the story to the reader even though the protagonist might remain mystified within the
story for the time being
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This term
refers to the practice of basing a plot happening or event and anticipating the results it will have on a
faction of the Bible
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In an overall context, not limited to just
literature, bibliomancy refers to foretelling the future by turning to random portions of the Bible for
guidance
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Bildungsroman

Definition:
This is a very popular form of storytelling whereby the author bases the plot on the overall growth of
the central character throughout the timeline of the story
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It has often been seen that the protagonist begins with views,
aims and dreams that are in contrast to the other character’s in the story and then fights his or her
way through to achieve them
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Cacophony
Definition:

A cacophony in literature refers to the use of words and phrases that imply strong, harsh sounds
within the phrase
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Example:
His fingers rapped and pounded the door, and his foot thumped against the yellowing wood
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The purpose of using a
caesura is to create a dramatic pause, which has a strong impact
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Example:
Mozart- oh how your music makes me soar!

Characterization

Definition:
Characterization in literature refers the step by step process wherein an author introduces and then
describes a character
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Example:
Michael Corleone was not jus' a mafiaso, but a family man
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Chiasmus

Definition:
Chiasmus is a figure of speech containing two phrases that are parallel but inverted to each other
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Circumlocution
Definition:
Circumlocution is a form of writing where the writer uses exaggeratedly long and complex sentences
in order to convey a meaning that could have otherwise been conveyed through a shorter, much
simpler sentence
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Example:
Instead of writing “At 8 pm he arrived by car for the dinner party
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Conflict
Definition:
It is a literary device used for expressing a resistance the protagonist of the story finds in achieving his
aims or dreams
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It can occur when the subject is battling his inner discord, at odds with his
surroundings or it may be pitted against others in the story
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Connotation

Definition:
Connotations are the associations people make with words that go beyond the literal or dictionary
definition
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Example:
And once again, the autumn leaves were falling
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Consonance
Definition:

Consonance refers to repetition of sounds in quick succession produced by consonants within a
sentence or phrase
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Consonance is the
opposite of assonance, which implies repetitive usage of vowel sounds
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Denotation

Definition:
Denotation refers to the use of the dictionary definition or literal meaning of a word
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In the above sentence, house is meant literally as in a building where a family lives
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Deus ex Machina

Definition:
Deus ex Machina is a rather debatable and often criticized form of literary device
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The use of Deus ex Machina is not
recommended as it is seen to be the mark of a poor plot that the writer needs to resort to random,
insupportable and unbelievable twists and turns to reach the end of the story
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Diction

Definition:
Diction is the distinctive tone or tenor of an author’s writings
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Diction is usually judged with
reference to the prevailing standards of proper writing and speech and is seen as the mark of quality
of the writing
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Example:
Certain writers in the modern day and age use archaic terms such as ‘thy’, ‘thee’ and ‘wherefore’ to
imbue a Shakespearean mood to their work
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Gone to heaven - This is a polite way to say that someone is dead
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Euphony

Definition:
The literary device “euphony” refers to the use of phrases and words that are noted for possessing an
extensive degree of notable loveliness or melody in the sound they create
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Euphony is the opposite of cacophony, which refers to
the creation of unpleasant and harsh sounds by using certain words and phrases together
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Example:
It has been said that the phrase “cellar door” is reportedly the most pleasant sounding phrase in the
English language
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Faulty Parallelism

Definition:
In literature, the term ‘parallelism’ is used to refer to the practice placing together similarly structure
related phrases, words or clauses
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When
one fails to follow this parallel structure, it results in faulty parallelism
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Example:
On the TV show The Simpsons, lead character Bart Simpson says, “they are laughing, not with me”
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Flashback devices that are
commonly used are past narratives by characters, depictions and references of dreams and memories
and a sub device known as authorial sovereignty wherein the author directly chooses to refer to a past
occurrence by bringing it up in a straightforward manner
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Example:
Back in the day when Sarah was a young girl…
You can see flashbacks used very often in movies
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This is done to help the viewer better understand the present
situation
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Example:
In the popular book series, Harry Potter, the character of Hogwarts principal Albus Dumbledore, who
portrays ‘good’, is constantly shown to believe in the power of true love (of all forms and types) and is
portrayed as a strong, benevolent and positive character while the antagonist Lord Voldemort, who
depicts the evil and ‘bad’ in the series is constantly shown to mock and disbelieve the sentiment of
love and think of it as a foolish indulgence, a trait that is finally his undoing
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Foreshadowing is used to suggest an upcoming outcome
to the story
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In this sentence, while the protagonist is
clueless of further developments, the reader learns that something disastrous and problematic is
about to happen to/for him
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You can tell the difference of
hubris and just regular arrogance or pride by the fact that the character has seemed to allow reality
slip away from them
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This term hubris
used to have a slightly different meaning and was a very negative subject back in ancient Greek
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In writing and literature hubris is generally considered
a “tragic flaw” and it is saved for the protagonist
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Example:
A classic example of hubris is featured in Shakespeare’s play Macbeth
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Obviously murder is highly
frowned upon, so this eventually leads to Macbeth’s demise as well
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It is said that by
using a hyperbaton, words or phrases overstep their conventional placements and result in a more
complex and intriguing sentence structure
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Example:
“Alone he walked on the cold, lonely roads”
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Hyperbole

Definition:
A hyperbole is a literary device wherein the author uses specific words and phrases that exaggerate
and overemphasize the basic crux of the statement in order to produce a grander, more noticeable
effect
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Such sentences usually convey an action or sentiment that is generally not practically/ realistically
possible or plausible but helps emphasize an emotion
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Imagery

Definition:
In literature, one of the strongest devices is imagery wherein the author uses words and phrases to
create “mental images” for the reader
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The usage of metaphors, allusions, descriptive words and similes amongst other
literary forms in order to “tickle” and awaken the readers’ sensory perceptions is referred to as
imagery
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Example:
The gushing brook stole its way down the lush green mountains, dotted with tiny flowers in a riot of
colors and trees coming alive with gaily chirping birds
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An
internal rhyme is also known as the middle rhyme because it is typically constructed in the middle of a
line to rhyme with the bit at the end of the same metrical line
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Inversion

Definition:
The term ‘inversion’ refers to the practice of changing the conventional placement of words
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In present day literature it is usually used
for the purpose of laying emphasis this literary device is more prevalent in poetry than prose because
it helps to arrange the poem in a manner that catches the attention of the reader not only with its
content but also with its physical appearance; a result of the peculiar structuring
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Irony
Definition:
The use of irony in literature refers to playing around with words such that the meaning implied by a
sentence or word is actually different from the literal meaning
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The deeper, real layer of significance is revealed not by
the words themselves but the situation and the context in which they are placed
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The sentence on the surface conveys that the
speaker is happy with their luck but actually what they mean is that they are extremely unhappy and
dissatisfied with their (bad) luck
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The purpose of juxtaposing two directly or indirectly related entities close together
in literature is to highlight the contrast between the two and compare them
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Example:
In Paradise Lost, Milton has used juxtaposition to draw a parallel between the two protagonists, Satan
and God, who he discusses by placing their traits in comparison with one another to highlight their
differences
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The use of imagery
and indicative, direct and indirect references to substitute the proper, formal name of the subject is
known as kennings
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Example:
Kennings are rare in modern day language
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Rarely talked about, but commonly used in modern day conversations, litotes are
a discreet way of saying something unpleasant without directly using negativity
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Common examples: “I'm not feeling bad,” or “he's definitely not a rocket scientist
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” Litotes were used frequently in Old English
Poetry and Literature, and can be found in the English, Russian, German, Dutch and French languages
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” Perhaps our society is not trying to be humorous or
sarcastic, but kinder?
Sometimes double negatives in literature, music and films create a litote that was not intended; for
instance in the Rolling Stones hit “I Can't Get No Satisfaction,” actually means “I CAN receive
satisfaction
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Correctly interpreted, he is saying “there will be many and they will be great or large
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Malapropism is used to convey that the speaker or
character is flustered, bothered, unaware or confused and as a result cannot employ proper diction
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Example:
In the play Much Ado About Nothing, noted playwright William Shakespeare’s character Dogberry says,
"Our watch, sir, have indeed comprehended two auspicious persons
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"

Metaphor

Definition:
Metaphors are one of the most extensively used literary devices
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In a metaphor, one subject is implied to be another
so as to draw a comparison between their similarities and shared traits
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The purpose of using a metaphor is to take an identity
or concept that we understand clearly (second subject) and use it to better understand the lesser
known element (the first subject)
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This sentence suggests that Henry fought so valiantly and bravely
that he embodied all the personality traits we attribute to the ferocious animal
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Metonymy

Definition:
Metonymy in literature refers to the practice of not using the formal word for an object or subject and
instead referring to it by using another word that is intricately linked to the formal name or word
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Example:
When we use the name “Washington D
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S’ political hot seat by referring to
the political capital of the United States because all the significant political institutions such as the
White House, Supreme Court, the U
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Capitol and many more are located her
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C
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S
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Mood

Definition:
The literary device ‘mood’ refers to a definitive stance the author adopts in shaping a specific
emotional perspective towards the subject of the literary work
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The final tone achieved thus is instrumental in evoking specific, appropriate responses
from the reader
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Motif

Definition:
The literary device ‘motif’ is any element, subject, idea or concept that is constantly present through
the entire body of literature
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Motifs are very noticeable and play a significant role in defining the nature of the story,
the course of events and the very fabric of the literary piece
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Another common motif is the simple, pretty peasant girl or girl from a modest background in
fairytales discovering that she is actually a royal or noble by the end of the tale
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Usually in the English language the syntax should follow a pattern of subject-verb-object
agreement but sometimes authors play around with this to achieve a lyrical, rhythmic, rhetoric or
questioning effect
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Example:
The sentence "The man drives the car" would follow normal syntax in the English language
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Theme

Definition:

The theme of any literary work is the base that acts as a foundation for the entire literary piece
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The
theme can be an enduring pattern or motif throughout the literary work, occurring in a complex, long
winding manner or it can be short and succinct and provide a certain insight into the story
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Tone

Definition:
The tone of a literary work is the perspective or attitude that the author adopts with regards to a
specific character, place or development
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Tone helps the reader ascertain the writer’s feelings
towards a particular topic and this in turn influences the reader’s understanding of the story
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K
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Tragedy

Definition:
In literature, the concept of tragedy refer to a series of unfortunate events by which one or more of the
literary characters in the story undergo several misfortunes, which finally culminate into a disaster of
‘epic proportions’
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Example:
In the play Julius Caesar, the lead character is an ambitious, fearless and power hungry king who
ignores all the signs and does not heed the advice of the well-meaning: finally being stabbed to death
by his own best friend and advisor Brutus
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Understatement

Definition:
This literary device refers to the practice of drawing attention to a fact that is already obvious and
noticeable
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Understating something is akin to exaggerating its obviousness as a means of humor
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Said in a sarcastic tone it
indicates that the speaker obviously means the opposite of the literal meaning
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It was
a large part of the work of Karl Popper, and can be used in a variety of different ways to describe
something, as well
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However, just because something can be described as having Verisimilitude does not mean that it is
true, only that merely appears to or seems to be true
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If something “seems” like it’s all well and good, but you can’t
quite decide, then it can be said to have Verisimilitude
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A metrical
writing line is known as verse
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Example:
A single line or stanza in a poem would be an example of verse

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