3

Introduction
This paper focuses on Literary devices, this refers to specific aspects in sense of universal
function as an art form which expresses ideas, thought language which we can recognize,
identify, interpret. The present work explains in details about the differences and similarities
among literary devices, literary elements, literary techniques and literary terms.

It’s structured in the following way: introduction, development and conclusion.

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Literary Devices
1. Literary devices
Refer to specific aspects of literature, in the sense of its universal function as an art form which
expresses ideas through language, which we can recognize, identify, interpret and/or analyze.
Literary devices collectively comprise the art form’s components; the means by which authors
create meaning through language, and by which readers gain understanding of and appreciation
for their works. They also provide a conceptual framework for comparing individual literary
works to others, both within and across genres. Both literary elements and literary techniques can
rightly be called literary devices. (www.mrbraiman.com)
Literary devices – are specific language techniques which writers use to create text that is clear,
interesting, and memorable. (www.teachingreadingandla.pƅworks.com/f/Literary+Devices.pdf)
1.1 Literary elements – refers to particular identifiable characteristics of a whole text; they
represent the elements of storytelling which are common to all literary and narrative forms. For
example, every story has a theme, every story has a setting, every story has a conflict, every
story is written from a particular point-of-view, etc. In order to be discussed legitimately as part
of a textual analysis, literary elements must be specifically identified for that particular text.
1.2 Literary techniques – refer to any specific, deliberate constructions or choices of language
which an author uses to convey meaning in a particular way. An author’s use of a literary
technique usually occurs with a single word or phrase, or a particular group of words or phrases,
at one single point in a text. Unlike literary elements, literary techniques are not necessarily
present in every text; they represent deliberate, conscious choices by individual authors.
1.3 “Literary terms” – refers to the words themselves with which we identify and designate
literary elements and techniques. They are not found in literature and they are not “used” by
authors. (www.mrbraiman.com)
The most known literary devices are the following:
 Alliteration - repeated consonant sound at the beginning of words or within words; used
to establish mood and rhythm in a story; true alliteration has three words beginning with
the same sound (two words beginning with the same sound would be called alliterative).
Examples: bucking bronco; miserable morning; Bed, Bath, and Beyond.
 Allusion - a reference in one story to a well-known character or event from another story,
history, or place.
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Examples: the rise of the baseball team from last place to first was a real.
Cinderella story; at times teachers need the wisdom of Solomon to make decisions.
 Ambiguity - when a single event or expression can mean two different things to two
different people.
Example: When it is announced that another baby is on the way, Father remarks, “That could
create some problems.” He means problems with money, but his young son thinks, “You’re
right, dad! I don’t want to share my room and toys with anybody!”
 Analogy - comparing one thing to another very different thing in order to explain it
better.
Examples: a school is like a garden, where children are lovingly raised and cared for; the rabbit
shot from its hole like a rocket; the confetti fell like snow in a blizzard as the parade passed
through the city streets (these three analogies are all written as similes).
 Antagonist: Counterpart to the main character and source of a story’s main conflict. The
person may not be “bad” or “evil” by any conventional moral standard, but he/she
opposes the protagonist in a significant way. (Although it is technically a literary
element, the term is only useful for identification, as part of a discussion or analysis of
character; it cannot generally be analyzed by itself.)
 Aphorism - a brief statement expressing some truth as shown is a story; it can be a
moral, or proverb, or maxim.
Examples: Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.
Everyone is afraid of something.
Don’t make a big fuss if someone isn’t like us.
 Atmosphere - mood or feeling developed through descriptions of the setting and senses
(how things feel, taste, smell, sound, look).
Example: Camping in those woods, time went slow. The thick forest air just sat on you, hot and
wet like a wool blanket, while mosquitoes droned in your ears and stung you on the back where
you could never quite reach to smack them.
 Caricature - exaggeration or distortion of a physical trait or behavior, to make a
character appear comic or ridiculous.
Example: her nose was needle sharp, with nostrils as small and black as a mouse’s eyes.
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 Character - a person or player (it can also be an animal, an imaginary creature) in a

story. Character can also be used as a word meaning “personal traits,” as in “Write a
paragraph about the character of the Big Bad Wolf.”
 Circular Story - a story that begins and ends at the same place, usually following a
character throughout different adventures or events. Although the character arrives back
where he/she started, he or she should now have a different perspective or feeling based
upon experiences.
Example: A poor farmer travels to the city where he observes many expensive buildings and
belongings, all owned by the same man. He is jealous of that man until he sees a funeral, and
learns that the rich man is dead. Although the man was extremely wealthy, he could enjoy none
of that in death. The poor farmer returns home, happy with what little he owns because he is
alive to enjoy it.
 Climax - the most exciting moment of the story, where the main character faces his/her
ultimate challenge.
Example: In Cinderella, the clock begins striking twelve, and Cinderella must rush home before
the handsome prince finds out her secret. That is the climax. The following day, when the
prince finds her again and fits the glass slipper on her foot, is the outcome, or solution, of the
story.
 Conflict - the problem, or challenge, that the main character faces.
Example: The main character may be challenged by another character (two kids running in a
race), by nature (a boy struggling to survive in the wilderness), or by him/herself (a girl who
must get over her fear of speaking in front of an audience).
 Context: Conditions, including facts, social/historical background, time and place, etc.,
surrounding a given situation.
 Dialogue - spoken lines between characters, set with quotation marks; each new
speaker’s lines appear in a new paragraph; when one person speaks for an extended time
(to himself or the audience) it is called a Monologue.
Example: “Where are you going?” Nicole asked.
“To the library,” replied Jeremy.
 Dramatic Irony is when the reader knows things that the characters in a story do not.
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Example: We learn that Mary really likes Frankie because she writes about him in her diary all
the time. Frankie, however, is scared to ask Mary to the dance because she is so popular and
“cool.” We wish we could tell Frankie what we, as the readers, know!
 Episode - a small event that is part of a larger story; it can stand alone as almost a “mini-
story” (events which repeat are typically called episodes)
Example: In the Three Little Pigs, the wolf tries blowing down the pigs’ houses in three
separate episodes; he is successful the first two times but unsuccessful the last (notice that the
three events are alike).
 Event - an action in a story that moves the story forward; usually something happens to
the main character, or the main character takes action against someone or something else.
Example: In the book “Ruby the Copycat”, Ruby sees her friend wear a certain dress, so Ruby
comes to school in a similar dress. Her friend tells a story about a wedding, so Ruby tells a very
similar story. Each time Ruby sees her friend do something and copies it, that is an event in the
story. The most important event is called the Climax, and the final event is called the Outcome
or Solution.
 Evidence - information from the text that supports, or proves, an inference or fact
Example: We know that the Wolf wants to eat Little Red Riding Hood because
a) Red Riding Hood’s mother warned her about wolves in the forest;
b) The Wolf tried tricking her once in the forest;
c) He has already eaten her grandmother;
d) He drools when he sees her;
 Exposition: Where an author interrupts a story in order to explain something, usually to
provide important background information.
 Figurative language: Any use of language where the intended meaning differs from the
actual literal meaning of the words themselves. There are many techniques which can
rightly be called figurative language, including metaphor, simile, hyperbole,
personification, onomatopoeia, verbal irony, and oxymoron.
 Flashback - interruption of the present action to insert an episode that took place earlier;
this gives the reader needed information to understand a current event, or a character’s
motivation
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Example: I could tell that Jimmy wasn’t going to back down. He stood up to bullies before, like
back in first grade when Roger Neary used to eat everybody’s snack. One day Jimmy had caught
Roger in his snack bag, and...
 Flash-Forward - a sudden jump forward in time, usually used to eliminate unnecessary
events between the more interesting events of a story.
Example: Quietly, Janice slid the book into her backpack. A week later, the teacher asked if
anyone had seen her copy of The Magic Mouse. “I’ve looked everywhere,” she explained, “and I
just can’t find it.”
 Foil: A character who is meant to represent characteristics, values, ideas, etc. which are
directly and diametrically opposed to those of another character, usually the protagonist.
(Although it is technically a literary element, the term is only useful for identification, as part of
a discussion or analysis of character; it cannot generally be analyzed by itself.
 Foreshadowing - clues used to alert the reader about events that will occur later; used to
build suspense.
Example: I laughed as we snuck out the back door. The plan had worked out perfectly. Nothing
could possibly go wrong now!
 Hyperbole - obvious exaggeration which is not meant to be taken literally
Example: I’m so hungry I could eat a horse!
 Imagery - mental pictures which are created by descriptions of the senses, so that we can
see and feel what the character is experiencing.
Example: Even the dark, shiny leaves which usually clung to the chimney of my grandmother’s
house hung dry and brittle on that hot summer day.
 Inference - conclusions which can be drawn by the reader based upon limited clues or
facts presented by the author; the reader is encouraged to discover things for him/herself
without being directed by the author.
Example: Mark’s father was surprised the following week when, all of a sudden, Mark quit
begging for a dog. He began spending much more of his time out at the old barn by the creek,
and had even begun to ask for seconds and thirds at suppertime.
 Internal Rhyme - two or more words rhyming in the same line.
Example: I bring fresh showers to the thirsting flowers.
 Irony - contrast between the expected outcome and the actual way things turn out.
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Example: In the book Holes, no one in the courtroom believes that Stanley Yelnats is innocent.
Once he gets to Camp Green Lake he lies about committing the crime, but then no one there
believes he is guilty! He just can’t seem to win.
 Metaphor - a suggested comparison between two unlike things in order to point out a
similarity; a metaphor DOES NOT use the word like, as … as, or than.
Example: Hot orange coals burned at the edge of the woods as the wolves watched and waited
with hungry eagerness. (The wolves’ eyes are compared to orange coals because of their
brightness and color).
 Mood: The atmosphere or emotional condition created by the piece, within the setting.
Mood refers to the general sense or feeling which the reader is supposed to get from the text; it
does not, as a literary element, refer to the author’s or characters’ state of mind.
(Note that mood is a literary element, not a technique; the mood must therefore be described or
identified. It would be incorrect to simply state, “The author uses mood.”).
 Motive - a character’s reason for doing what he/she does.
Example: “So why did you tear up Janie’s paper?” demanded the teacher.
Margaret said nothing and stared at her shoes. The teacher would never understand. She could
never understand how it felt to be the new kid in school, and to have one student turn all the
others against you. All because you...
 Onomatopoeia - words that imitate, or sound like, the actions they describe
Examples: bang, slurp, ping, slam, hiss, squish.
 Outcome or solution - the last event of the story which tells how the story ends; it
explains whether the main character met his/her challenge.
Example: “And they all lived happily ever after,” is a common outcome in fairy tales.
 Paradox - a statement that reveals a kind of truth although at first it seems to be self-
contradictory and untrue.
Examples: It was the best mistake he ever made (he learned a lot from this error).
Good fences make good neighbors (fences do separate people, but they help people get along by
making boundaries clear).
 Parallel Story - a narrative or picture story enclosed within another story, where both
stories are of equal interest.
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Example: In a story about kids putting on a play, both the onstage scene is shown, and the
backstage happenings.
 Parody - a humorous story that makes fun of another well-known story by imitating it;
characters, plot, theme, setting, may all be copied or changed for humorous effect.
Examples: “The True Story of the Three Little Pigs” by John Scieszka has the story of the
Three Little Pigs explained from the wolf’s point of view, and in his version it was all a big
misunderstanding and he was innocent.
 Personification - a description in which an object (or animal, or idea, or force of nature)
takes on human characteristics or actions.
Examples: the tornado stooped to snatch the house; the sun hid its face behind the clouds; the
rain tapped against the window with its wet, insistent fingers.
 Plot - what happens in a story, told in a sequenced, chronological order.
Example: Samantha received a new skateboard for her birthday. A week later, however, she lost
it. She looked everywhere but couldn’t find it. Then one day...
 Poetic Justice - an outcome in a story where good is rewarded, and evil is punished
Example: the wolf is boiled in the pot at the end of the Three Little Pigs; good
Cinderella marries the handsome prince; the lazy grasshopper suffers a hungry winter because he
did not work hard like the ant to store up food.
 Point of View - the perspective from which a story is seen or told; there are three main
forms:
- First Person: (I and me are used; the narrator is actually a part of the story).
Ex: I woke up first, alarmed that I had slept too late and missed my chance. A look at my
brother’s bed told me he was still asleep, snuggled up under the covers.
- Third Person: (he and she are used; the narrator simply helps tell the story, and lets all
character speak for themselves).
Ex: Pete woke up first. A look at his brother’s bed told him that Sam was still asleep, snuggled
up under the covers.
- Omniscient: (he and she are used; BUT the narrator not only lets characters speak, but
can also “get inside their heads” to read their thoughts).
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Ex: Pete woke up first, feeling somewhat alarmed that he might have overslept and missed his
chance. He looked at his brother’s bed and was glad to see that Sam was still asleep, snuggled up
under the covers.
 Protagonist: The main character in a story, the one with whom the reader is meant to
identify. The person is not necessarily “good” by any conventional moral standard; she is
the person in whose plight the reader is most invested. (Although it is technically a
literary element, the term is only useful for identification, as part of a discussion or
analysis of character; it cannot generally be analyzed by itself).
 Pun - a humorous use of a word or phrase that has more than one meaning (or two
similarly spelled words that sound alike).
Examples: “If you really want to keep warm, try bear skin,” said the trapper.
“But won’t I be really cold in my bare skin?” asked the boy.
Why is it easy for an elephant to travel?
He can carry his own trunk.
 Repetition - the author purposely repeats words or phrases; the author is trying to create
rhythm or suspense, or is trying to really emphasize a certain idea.
Example: It was all gone. Burned to ashes. He had no clothing, no blankets, no bow, no hatchet,
no map. It was all gone.
 Setting - the time and place of a story; the time may simply be “present day”.
Example: Over a hundred years ago, Abraham Lincoln was born in a log cabin...
 Simile - a comparison between two unlike things, using like, as … as, or than in the
comparison.
Example: that car is older than john’s.
 Speaker – The “voice” of a poem; not to be confused with the poet him/herself. It is an
Analogous to the narrator in prose fiction.
Example: the leaf spun to the ground like a descending helicopter; more nervous than a long-
tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs; he was as mad as a hornet.
 Stereotype - a stereotype is when a person is portrayed is an a fixed way.
Example: the old woman had gray hair, a cane, and sat in a rocking chair.
- A Reverse Stereotype - is when a person is portrayed exactly opposite to a fixed
generalization (the usual way we would consider them).
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Example: Bobby’s grandmother laced up the red boxing gloves. She danced on her toes as she
approached the bully, and smiled as she said, “Okay, you big oaf. I’m gonna give you what you
deserve...” And with one swing, she knocked the bully to the ground.
 Symbol - any person, object, or action that has additional meaning beyond itself
Example: As a boy sits in class on the first day of school, he stares out the window at a
basketball sitting on the blacktop in the playground. As he gazes at it, the basketball reminds him
of all the fun times he had over the summer. The basketball becomes a symbol of summer.
 Theme - the meaning of a story, what it reveals about human nature; plot is what happens
in the story, while theme is what it means.
Example: Plot: young soldier fights his first battle;
Theme: war is useless; fighting solves nothing.
 Tone - the author’s attitude toward a subject, revealed by choice of words and details
Example: The girl cast a lonely thin shadow on the gray brick wall, as her classmates tumbled
merrily in the brightly flowered fields beyond the school. (The author feels sorry for the girl who
isn’t playing with the other children).
 Tragedy: Where a story ends with a negative or unfortunate outcome which was
essentially avoidable, usually caused by a flaw in the central character’s personality.
Tragedy is really more of a dramatic genre than a literary element; a play can be referred to as a
tragedy, but tragic events in a story are essentially part of the plot, rather than a literary device in
themselves. When discussing tragedy, or analyzing a story as tragic, look to the other elements of
the story which combine to make it tragic.
 Tragic hero/tragic figure: A protagonist who comes to a bad end as a result of his own
behavior, usually cased by a specific personality disorder or character flaw. (Although it
is technically a literary element, the term is only useful for identification, as part of
adiscussion or analysis of character; it cannot generally be analyzed by itself.)
 Tragic flaw: The single characteristic (usually negative) or personality disorder which
causes the downfall of the protagonist.
 Trait - a word which describes a character’s personality, or how she/he acts in the story;
it must always be backed up with evidence (support or proof) from the story.
Example: Beatrice is very patient with her little sister, Ramona. Ramona is sometimes stubborn
and doesn’t do what she is told, but Beatrice never yells or complains. Instead, she finds clever
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ways to get Ramona to behave. (the word “patient” is the trait; the second and third sentences
provide the evidence, or proof, from the story).
 Verbal irony: Where the meaning of a specific expression is, or is intended to be, the
exact opposite of what the words literally mean. (Sarcasm is a tone of voice that often
accompanies verbal irony, but they are not the same thing.)
 Understatement - when the author presents something as less significant (Important)
than it really is. (www.teachingreadingandla.pƅworks.com/f/Literary+Devices.pdf)
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Conclusion

After all had been done in this work, it was realized that literary devices are specific language or
techniques which writers use to create clear, interest and memorable texts. Literary devices are
means by which authors create mean, thought language, and by which readers gain
understanding of and appreciation for their works they also provide a conceptual frame work for
comparing individual literary works to others, both within across genres. Bothe literary elements
and literary techniques can rightly by called literary devices.
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Bibliography

Jay Braiman, (2007) “Literary Devices” [online] (www.mrbraiman.com).

(www.teachingreadingandla.pƅworks.com/f/Literary+Devices.pdf).