📚 Literature
Literary Devices
Figurative language, narrative techniques, poetry terms, and literary analysis — your literature guide.
01Figurative Language▼
| Device | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Simile | Comparison using "like" or "as" | "Life is like a box of chocolates." |
| Metaphor | Direct comparison (no like/as) | "The world is a stage." |
| Personification | Human qualities given to objects | "The wind whispered through the trees." |
| Hyperbole | Extreme exaggeration | "I've told you a million times!" |
| Understatement | Less than reality | "The Titanic had a slight issue with an iceberg." |
| Irony | Opposite of what is expected | Fire station burns down. |
| Paradox | Contradictory but true | "The more I learn, the less I know." |
| Oxymoron | Contradictory terms combined | "Deafening silence", "bittersweet" |
| Euphemism | Polite substitute | "Passed away" for "died" |
| Synecdoche | Part represents whole | "All hands on deck" (hands = people) |
02Sound Devices▼
| Device | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Alliteration | Repetition of initial consonant | "Peter Piper picked a peck..." |
| Assonance | Repetition of vowel sounds | "The rain in Spain stays mainly..." |
| Consonance | Repetition of consonant sounds (anywhere) | "Mike likes his new bike" |
| Onomatopoeia | Words that imitate sounds | "buzz, crash, hiss, sizzle" |
| Rhyme | Matching end sounds | love / dove, night / light |
| Rhythm | Pattern of stressed syllables | Iambic pentameter in Shakespeare |
| Repetition | Deliberate reuse of words/phrases | "I have a dream... I have a dream..." |
| Anaphora | Repetition at start of clauses | "We shall fight... we shall never surrender" |
💡
Anaphora is a powerful rhetorical device. Churchill and Martin Luther King Jr. used it to build emotional momentum in speeches.
03Narrative Techniques▼
First person
Narrator uses "I". Intimate but limited perspective.
Third person limited
Narrator outside story but knows one character's thoughts.
Third person omniscient
Narrator knows all characters' thoughts and feelings.
Unreliable narrator
Narrator whose credibility is questionable. Creates suspense.
Stream of consciousness
Unfiltered flow of thoughts. Used by Woolf, Joyce.
In medias res
Story begins in the middle of action.
Flashback
Narrative moves to earlier time. Provides backstory.
Foreshadowing
Hints at future events. Builds tension.
LITERATUREPoint of view analysis
When analysing POV, ask: 1. WHO is telling the story? What do they know? 2. What are they NOT able to see/know? 3. How does their perspective affect our understanding? 4. Is the narrator reliable? Why/why not? 5. What effect does this choice have on the READER?
04Poetry Terms▼
| Term | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Stanza | Group of lines (paragraph of poem) | 4-line stanza = quatrain |
| Couplet | Two rhyming lines | Shakespeare's sonnet endings |
| Iambic pentameter | 10 syllables: da-DUM x5 | Shakespeare: "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" |
| Enjambment | Line continues without pause to next | Runs over like this / and continues here |
| Caesura | Mid-line pause (marked with ||) | "To be || or not to be" |
| Volta | Turn in argument/tone (usually line 9 in sonnet) | Shifts from problem to solution |
| Free verse | No fixed rhyme or meter | Much of modern poetry |
| Sonnet | 14 lines, specific rhyme scheme | Shakespearean: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG |
LITERATUREAnalysing a poem (SMILE)
S = Structure (form, stanza, rhyme, meter) M = Meaning (what is the poem about literally?) I = Imagery (metaphors, similes, sensory language) L = Language (word choice, tone, sound devices) E = Effect (how does it make the reader feel? why?)
05Literary Analysis Writing▼
LITERATUREPEE / PETAL structure
P = POINT: State your literary argument E = EVIDENCE: Quote from the text E = EXPLANATION/EFFECT: Analyse the technique and its effect PETAL (extended): P = Point E = Evidence (quote) T = Technique (name the device used) A = Analysis (what does it mean / suggest?) L = Link (connect to theme/context/bigger picture) EXAMPLE: P: Orwell uses animalistic imagery to dehumanise the proles. E: He describes them as "beetles" in Chapter 7. T: This metaphor draws on insect imagery. A: Beetles are associated with insignificance and infestation, suggesting Winston views the proles as beneath consideration. L: This reflects the Party's success in making the educated class dismiss the one group large enough to overthrow them.
❓ Quiz
What is the difference between a simile and a metaphor?
Simile: comparison using "like" or "as" ("brave as a lion"). Metaphor: direct comparison without "like"/"as" ("He is a lion in battle").
06Themes & Context▼
Theme
Central idea or message. NOT the topic. Topic = war. Theme = war dehumanises soldiers.
Motif
Recurring element that supports a theme. Water in Great Expectations = freedom.
Symbol
Object representing an idea. Green light in Gatsby = American Dream.
Context
Historical/social/biographical background that influences text.
Allegory
Extended metaphor where characters/events represent abstract ideas. Animal Farm = Communism.
Archetype
Universal character type. The hero, mentor, trickster, shadow.
LITERATURELinking theme to evidence
DO NOT: "The theme of this novel is loyalty."
DO: "Through the character of Hassan, Hosseini explores how
loyalty can become a burden, arguing that true friendship
requires reciprocal courage rather than silent sacrifice."
ALWAYS link theme to:
- A specific character or event
- A technique the author uses
- The effect on the reader
- The author's wider purpose or context