Literary Devices Examples

The following is an example of...

"Something strange is happening...my Spidey sense is tingling."

• simile

• personification

• allusion

• flashback

Tags

CCSS.RL.9-10.5

A superhero is struggling to figure out where his nemesis would keep a hostage. Suddenly, he remembers his nemesis saying “Dark things happen in dark alleys.” He hurries towards a hidden alleyway.

• foreshadowing

• metaphor

• euphemism

• flashback

Tags

CCSS.RL.9-10.5

A character in Edgar Allan Poe's "Cask of Amontillado" is named Fortunato but faces a series of unfortunate experiences throughout the story.

• parallelism

• situational irony

• allegory

• verbal irony

Tags

CCSS.L.8.5A

In the Brothers Grimm fairytale "Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs", Snow White's stepmother becomes jealous of Snow White's beauty, so she hires a huntsman to kill Snow White and bring her Snow White's heart. When the huntsman finds Snow White, he spares her life and, instead, kills a boar and brings the stepmother it's heart hoping she won't be able to tell the difference.

• parallelism

• dramatic irony

• situational irony

• allusion

Tags

CCSS.L.8.5A

In The Giver, Jonas's society calls putting people to death "releasing them".

Another example of this same device in this novel is his society calling teenage hormones "the Stirrings".

• euphemism

• verbal irony

• allusion

• personification

Tags

CCSS.L.9-10.5A

His temper was a hurricane whipping through the school, scaring and amazing his classmates.

• simile

• analogy

• paradox

• metaphor

Tags

CCSS.L.4.5A

CCSS.L.5.5A

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.W.11-12.2D

"He sat as still as a mouse, in the futile hope that whoever it was might go away after a single attempt...His heart was thumping like a drum, but his face, from long habit, was probably expressionless." (George Orwell, 1984)

• analogy

• metaphor

• simile

• hyperbole

Tags

CCSS.L.4.5A

CCSS.L.5.5A

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.W.11-12.2D

"But the house on Mango Street is not the way they told it at all. It’s small and red with tight steps in front and windows so small you’d think they were holding their breath." (Sandra Cisneros, The House on Mango Street)

• simile

• metaphor

• hyperbole

• personification

Tags

CCSS.L.4.5A

CCSS.L.5.5A

CCSS.RL.5.4

CCSS.W.11-12.2D

The picture book The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss seems like a simple children's story about a made up species called Sneetches where some of them have stars on their bellies and some of them don't. Each type of Sneetch wants to be like the other type. This seemingly simple story can actually teach its readers about issues like fitting in, stereotyping, racism, and more. This is an example of

• personification

• allegory

• allusion

• euphemism

Tags

CCSS.L.7.5A

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair..." (Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities).

• metaphor

• paradox

• allegory

• parallelism

Tags

CCSS.L.4.5

CCSS.L.5.5