Revised January 2012

POETIC TERMS AND LITERARY DEVICES

Literature is developed through the use of what we call “literary elements.” A lot of these will sound familiar to you, but we’re going to introduce some new poetic terms that you’ll need to know throughout high school.

POETIC DEVICES

Imagery in literature, whether it’s poetry or prose, is the use of words to “paint a picture” or to create a certain effect on the reader.

Imagery is developed through particular WORD CHOICE, also known as diction.

TYPES OF IMAGERY

Imagery helps the author to create a certain mood or tone in his writing.

CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING:

“The weather was foggy.”

TYPES OF IMAGERY

Imagery helps the author to create a certain mood or tone in his writing.

CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING:

“The fog curled about the street like a cat, unfurling its limbs and spreading out.”

TYPES OF IMAGERY

Imagery is developed through some old friends:

SIMILEMETAPHOR

PERSONIFICATIONHYPERBOLE

TYPES OF IMAGERY

SO

ME

OLD

FR

IEN

DS

:

TH

E

SIM

ILEComparing two things using “like” or “as”

SOME FAMOUS SIMILES“I love you like a fat kid loves cake.”

-50 cent

“When I’m gone, I’ll miss you like a child misses her blanket.”-Fergie

“She’s as cold as ice, willing to sacrifice our love.”

SO

ME

OLD

FR

IEN

DS

:

ME

TAPH

OR

Comparing two things without using like or as.

SOME FAMOUS METAPHORS“We’re just two lost souls swimming in a

fish bowl year after year.”-Pink Floyd

“You’ll be the prince and I’ll be the princess. It’s a love story, baby, just say yes.”-Taylor Swift

“Baby, you’re a fi rework! Come on, let your colors burst.”-Katy Perry

SO

ME

OLD

FR

IEN

DS

:

PE

RS

ON

IFIC

AT

ION

Giving things or animals humanlike traits.

SOME FAMOUS PERSONIFICATION“I get 1,000 hugs from 10,000 lightning

bugs as they try to teach me how to dance.”-Owl City

“We take sour sips from life’s lush lips.”-Fall Out Boy

“This heart will start a riot in me.”-Paramore

SO

ME

OLD

FR

IEN

DS

:

HY

PE

RB

OL

E

Exaggeration using words to emphasize a trait.

SOME FAMOUS PERSONIFICATION“Stronger than 10 regular men,

definitely.”-Genie, about Aladdin

“Cause, baby, I’d walk 1,000 miles if I could just see you.”-Vanessa Carlton

“Your soul is an appalling dump-heap, overflowing with the most disgraceful assortment of rubbish imaginable!”-from The Grinch

You’ve heard, of course, of rhyming and alliteration. These devices are used in poetry and prose to create a certain sound for the reader.

In these cases, the important part isn’t what the words mean, but how they sound—by themselves AND in connection with the words that surround them.

SOUND DEVICES…

Sound devices, then, are literary devices that contribute to the way that a poem sounds when it is read.

But what’s the purpose?

… to sound fun?… to make

things diffi cult?

SOUND DEVICES…

Just like with imagery, certain sound devices have their own purposes in literature.

They are meant to contribute to the effect that the poem has on the reader—the overall picture, image, mood, or tone created by a piece.

THE PURPOSE OF SOUND DEVICES

SO

UN

D D

EV

ICE

S

ALLIT

ER

AT

ION

Repetition of first letter of the word. Creates a sort of “tongue twister.”

EXAMPLES“She sells seashells by the seashore.”“Peter Piper picked a pack of pickled

peppers.”

PURPOSEUsed to create a faster rhythm in a

poem or storyUsed to mimic the action taking placeUsed to create an image of

“choppiness” in the piece

SO

UN

D D

EV

ICE

S

AS

SO

NA

NC

ERepetition of vowel sounds in words.

EXAMPLEHe clasps the crag with crooked hands

Close to the sun in lonely landsRinged with the azure world, he stands

“Hear the mellow wedding bells.”

PURPOSEUsed to create a smoother rhythm in a

poem or storyUsed to mimic the action taking placeMakes the poem feel more mesmerizing,

like a song or lullaby—gives a dreamy (or creepy, or ominous) mood.

SO

UN

D D

EV

ICE

S

CO

NS

ON

AN

CE

Repetition of consonant sounds in words.

EXAMPLERap rejects my tape deck, ejects

projectileWhether Jew or Gent ile, I rank top percentile,Many styles, More powerful than gamma raysMy grammar pays, like Carlos Santana plays

PURPOSEUsed alongside rhyme or sometimes as

a kind of replacement for rhymes Used to mimic the action taking place—

in the case above, makes the rhyming more eff ective

SO

UN

D D

EV

ICE

S

ON

OM

AT

OP

OE

IA

Words that sound like their meaning.

EXAMPLEThe bee buzzed throughout the house. I heard the plop of the potato as it hit

the water. VS. I heard the swish of the diver as she hit the water. (TWO DIFFERENT IMPRESSIONS, made more specific by the onomatopoeia).

PURPOSETo give the reader a vivid picture of the

way the action in the poem or story sounds.

Helps reader to imagine the scene more accurately.

SO

UN

D D

EV

ICE

S

AN

AP

HO

RA

Repetition of a certain word at the beginning of lines.

EXAMPLE“I would not eat them in a house

I would not eat them with a mouseI would not eat them in a chairI would not eat them anywhere.”

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the era…”-From A Tale of Two Cities

PURPOSETo lend emphasis to the statements

being repeated.To give the impression that something

can be many things at once.