Literary/Rhetorical/Poetic Devices

Pathetic Fallacy

• Nature or inanimate things are described in a way that is sympathetic or prophetic about the events or emotions of the characters. Example: The Witches enter with thunder and lightning in Macbeth.

• A literary device where human emotions are attributed to animals or objects.

• A technique used to create a sense of irony in a narrative.

• A form of exaggeration used to emphasize a point.

Example of understatement in cold weather.

• "It's freezing outside!"

• "It's a bit cold."

• "I'm shivering!"

• "It's like an icebox!"

Euphemism

• A word used to take the place of another word because it is offensive or would be used in bad taste.

• A term used to describe a person who is overly sensitive.

• A phrase that means the opposite of what is intended.

• A slang term used in informal conversations.

Anaphora

• A literary device that involves the repetition of a word or phrase at the end of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences.

• A rhetorical device that involves the use of irony to convey a meaning opposite to the literal meaning.

• A technique where a word or phrase is repeated at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or sentences.

• A method of creating a contrast between two opposing ideas.

Reader knows something the character does not.

• Dramatic Irony

• Situational Irony

• Verbal Irony

• Cosmic Irony

Metaphor

• A direct comparison.

• A type of simile.

• An exaggerated statement.

• A literal description.

Dramatic Irony

• When the reader or viewer shares knowledge with the writer that the character does not have.

• When a character says one thing but means another.

• When the audience knows something that the characters do not.

• When the plot twists unexpectedly at the end.

Denotation

• The emotional meaning of a word.

• The literal meaning from the dictionary.

• A word's connotation in a specific context.

• A synonym for a word.

Situational irony

• occurs when what actually happens is different from what is expected by the reader or viewer.

• is when a character's actions lead to an unexpected outcome.

• happens when the audience knows something that the characters do not.

• is a literary device used to create suspense.

Short sentence

• A sentence containing a few words, often used for emphasis.

• A long and complex sentence with multiple clauses.

• A sentence that is always a question.

• A sentence that contains at least ten words.