English 1 Literary Devices

a direct comparison without using "like" or "as"

• simile

• metaphor

• personfication

• hyperbole

a comparison between two unlike things using "like" or "as"

• simile

• metaphor

• personfication

• hyperbole

to give human qualities to non-human things

• simile

• metaphor

• personfication

• hyperbole

an extreme exaggeration

• simile

• metaphor

• personification

• hyperbole

a reference to a well-known person, place, or event

• allusion

• allegory

• theme

• symbolism

an object that stands for itself but represents something else

• metaphor

• symbol

• theme

• alliteration

the overall feeling a text creates for the reader

• tone

• mood

• diction

• plot

the writer's attitude towards his or her subject

• tone

• mood

• bias

• theme

when an author tells the reader the personality of a character

• symbolism

• direct characterization

• indirect charcaterization

• alliteration

when the author shows a character's traits through how they act, speak, etc.

• direct characterization

• indirect characterization

• conflict

• hyperbole