Mastering Literary Devices

-Anjoe-

What are figures of speech?

Figures of speech are literary devices that convey meaning in a non-literal way, enhancing expression and evoking emotion. They include various forms such as metaphors, similes, personification, and hyperbole.

Simile

A direct comparison between two different things using "like" or "as".

Example: "The moon is broken like a mirror" (The Trees) or "Mouth like a fireplace" (The Tale of Custard the Dragon).

Metaphor

An indirect or implied comparison without using "like" or "as".

Example: "The fog comes on little cat feet" (Fog) or "In his quiet rage" (A Tiger in the Zoo).

Comparison Devices

Attributing human qualities, feelings, or actions to non-human objects or animals.

Key Examples:

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"The trees inside are moving out into the forest" (The Trees).

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Robert Frost personifies Fire and Ice as being capable of "destruction" (Fire and Ice).

Personification

Alliteration

Repetition of initial (at the beginning) consonant sounds in close proximity.

Example: "Has given my heart a change of hood" (Dust of Snow).

Assonance

Repetition of similar vowel sounds within a line of poetry.

Example: "I hold with those who favor fire" (Fire and Ice).

Consonance

Repetition of consonant sounds anywhere in the words.

Example: "His vivid stripes... quiet rage" (A Tiger in the Zoo).

Auditory & Sound Patterns

Visual Imagery

Creating Mental Pictures

Imagery is the use of vivid and descriptive language to add depth to work. It appeals to human senses to deepen understanding.

Example: "He stalks in his vivid stripes, the few steps of his cage, on pads of velvet quiet." (A Tiger in the Zoo)

The contrast between "vivid stripes" and "velvet quiet" creates a powerful visual and tactile image of the tiger's restrained majesty.

Anaphora: Repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses.

Example: "Don’t bite your nails, Amanda! Don’t hunch your shoulders, Amanda!"

Repetition: Repeating words for poetic effect or to emphasize the speaker's frustration/obsession.

Anaphora & Repetition

Oxymoron: A figure of speech in which apparently contradictory (opposing) terms appear in conjunction. �Example: "Quiet rage" from A Tiger in the Zoo. Rage is loud; quiet is its opposite.

Paradox: A statement that leads to a conclusion that seems senseless, but expresses a possible truth.�Example: In Fire and Ice, the idea that both desire and hate can destroy the world is a thematic paradox.

Irony: A contrast between expectation and reality.�Example: In Dust of Snow, a crow (symbol of ill-omen) and hemlock (poison) bring joy to the poet.

Contradictory Concepts

Enjambment is when a sentence continues into the next line without a pause or punctuation mark at the end of the line.

Effect: It mimics a fast-paced thought or a continuous natural movement.

Example: "The trees inside are moving out / into the forest, the forest that was empty / all these days..." (The Trees).

Enjambment

Onomatopoeia is a literary device where a word actually mimics the sound it describes. When you say the word out loud, it sounds like the noise itself.

1. From "The Tale of Custard the Dragon" by Ogden Nash

This poem is rich with onomatopoeia to describe the actions of the dragon and the other pets:

"Meowch!" (The sound the cat, Ink, makes).

"Weee!" (The sound the mouse, Blink, makes when giggling).

"Clatter," "Clank," and "Jangling": Used to describe the metallic, noisy sounds Custard makes when he moves his tail and prepares to fight the pirate.

"With a clatter and a clank and a jangling squirm..."

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Onomatopoeia

2. From "A Tiger in the Zoo" by Leslie NorrisThe poet uses sound to emphasize the tiger's suppressed or active aggression:"Snarling": This word imitates the low, growling sound a tiger makes to warn others.

"He should be snarling around houses / At the jungle’s edge..."

Onomatopoeia

Quick Poem Reference Table

Thank you.