Literary Devices

Metaphor Saying one thing through another, without a word of comparison: instead of saying that something is like another thing, one says that it is. The image transfers to the subject the qualities of the thing it has been identified with. Antithesis Placing opposite ideas or words side by side, so that one illuminates the other through contrast. Paradox A statement that seems to contradict itself or common sense but, once thought through, reveals a truth. Hyperbole Deliberate exaggeration, which no one takes literally, to give emphasis to a feeling or a situation. Irony Saying one thing while meaning another, often the opposite. The true meaning is left to the reader or listener. Repetition Returning to the same word, the same phrase, or the same construction, at the beginning of verses or of successive sentences (anaphora) or throughout the text, to give rhythm, emphasis, or insistence. Sensory Imagery Description that appeals to the senses (what is seen, heard, smelled, tasted, or touched) and makes the reader perceive the scene, not just understand it. Simile Bringing two different things together with an explicit word, such as "like", "just like", or "seems". Unlike the metaphor, the comparison makes visible that there are two things. Allusion A brief reference, without explanation, to a person, a text, a myth, or a fact known outside the work, which carries with it the meaning of that other story. Rhetorical Question A question asked without expecting an answer, because the answer is already implied, or because what matters is the doubt it exposes. Apostrophe The speaker addresses someone absent or dead, a thing, a place, or an idea, as if they could hear. Parallelism Successive phrases or verses with the same construction, so that the reader compares what changes from one to the next.