Literary Devices

Antithesis Setting opposing ideas or words side by side, so that one lights up the other through contrast. Repetition Returning to the same word, the same phrase, or the same construction, at the start of verses or of successive sentences (anaphora) or throughout the text, to give rhythm, emphasis, or insistence. Metaphor Saying one thing through another, with no 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. Comparison Bringing two different things together with an explicit word, such as "like," "just as," or "seems." Unlike the metaphor, the comparison makes clear that there are two things. Rhetorical question A question asked without expecting an answer, because the answer is already implied, or because what matters is the doubt it exposes. Parallelism Phrases or verses following one another with the same construction, so that the reader compares what changes from one to the next. Personification Giving a thing, an animal, or an abstract idea the actions, feelings, or speech of a person. Foreshadowing A sign, saying, or image that anticipates, sometimes only for the reader who rereads, something that will happen later in the work. Sensory imagery A description that appeals to the senses (what is seen, heard, smelled, tasted, or touched) and lets the reader perceive the scene, not just understand it. Hyperbole Deliberate exaggeration, which no one takes literally, to give emphasis to a feeling or a situation. Paradox A statement that seems to contradict itself or common sense, but which, when thought through, reveals a truth. Leitmotiv A word, phrase, or image that returns several times throughout the work, tied to a character or an idea, and gains meaning with each return.