Literary Device

Literary devices are present in fiction,

nonfiction and poetry and are fundamental to the
understanding and appreciation of
literary works. They are part of the writer’s
tool box and include metaphor, foreshadowing,
simile, sarcasm,irony, among others. Literary
help us analyze,
devices
compare/contrast and get a better
understanding of literary works.
MetaphorSimile
Sarcasm Irony
allegories

Figurative
Language
There are many techniques which can rightly
be called figurative language, including
metaphor, simile, hyperbole, personification,
onomatopoeia, verbal irony, and oxymoron.
“pass away”

Euphemism
A mild inoffensive word or
expression used in place of one
that is harsh or unpleasant.
"a well-known secret
agent."

Paradox
A statement which seems on its
face to be self-contradictory or
absurd yet it makes sense.
“Dr. Johnson drank his tea
in oceans”

Exaggeration/hyper
bole
A description which exaggerates,
usually employing extremes
and/or superlatives to convey a
positive or negative attribute;
“hype.”
 To a woman wearing ugly clothes:

"I see, Miss America, that you are

wearing the latest Dior
ensemble”

Sarcasm
Form of verbal irony that insults
a person with insincere praise
“And the muscles of his brawny
arms are strong as iron bands–
Longfellow”

Simile
A simile is a figure of speech that
compares two apparently
dissimilar items using the words
like or as.
“The boy was a tiger when he
fought.”
"He is a house"

Metaphor
A direct relationship where one
thing or idea substitutes for
another
 "the cackling hen,"
"the whizzing arrow,"
"the buzzing saw."

Onomatopoeia
Where sounds are spelled out as
words; or, when words describing
sounds actually sound like the
sounds they describe.
“the devil finds work in
idle hands”

Aphorism
A brief statement of a general
truth it is synonymous with a
maxim or proverb.
 “on the lightly
Grassed dunes, something tart in
the air
While she walked, banging her
skirts”
Sebastian
Barry

Imagery
Fanny Hawke Goes to the Mainland
Forever

Language which describes

something in detail, using words
to substitute for and create
sensory stimulation