Literary Elements and Rhetorical Devices

Analogy Comparing two things alike in some way

Attitude A speaker’s, author’s or character’s disposition toward an opinion of a subject (respect, revulsion, respect, disapproval, etc.)

Author’s craft Elements which lead the reader to feel/react in ways the author intends—Examples of deliberate choices an author makes: choice of vocabulary, structure of a piece of writing, tone created.

Author’s purpose Reasons for writing usually include one of these: inform, persuade, express, entertain

Characters People or animals in a story—author reveals traits through what the characters say or do, as well as through what other characters say about them.

Conflict Struggle between opposing forces:

Internal—within a character’s mind or emotions

External—between two characters, character and society or between character and natural forces

Details Items/parts that make up larger picture or story

Dialogue Written conversation between two or more characters

Diction Word choice—any word that is important to the meaning and the effect of a passage—several words that have a similar effect are worth discussion.

Drawing conclusions When given a piece of evidence, a reader is expected to arrive at a reasoned conclusion; decision made after gathering information and thinking about it.

Figurative Language Writing or speech that is not intended to carry literal meaning and is usually meant to be imaginative and vivid.

Figure of Speech Devices (apostrophe, hyperbole, irony, metaphor, metonym, oxymoron, paradox, personification, simile, synecdoche, and understatements) used to produce figurative language

Flashback Interrupts a story to relate an event that occurred in the past

Foreshadowing Language used or expressions or hints about something that may happen in the future.

Imagery Images that figurative language evokes or sensory details/images of a work (visual, auditory, or tactile) evoked by the words of the literary work.

Inferences Combining information read with known information to make a reasonable guess

Irony Difference between what appears to be and what actually is...

Verbal irony-spoken differences—characters say the opposite of what they really mean

Irony of situation--event/situation turns out to be different from what the reader expects

Dramatic irony-difference between what characters say and think and what the readers know is true

Language Analyzing “language” requires examining how the elements of language combine to form a whole, explain how diction, syntax, figurative language and sentence structure create a cumulative effect.

Making predictions To answer, “What will happen next?” the reader notices: foreshadowing clues, how a character reacts to problems, and important details about plot, setting, and characters.

Metaphor Implied comparison without using the words like or as

Mood Overall feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates through details and/or language he or she uses.

Organization broader structure of framework in a piece of writing—the larger pattern: beginning, ending, sequence

Personification Human qualities are given to an object, animal or idea

Plot What happens in a story: includes the conflict and the resolution of that conflict

Point of View Vantage points from which the story is told. (omniscient, limited to a single character or several characters). Or

First person—narrator is a character in story.

Third person—narrator does not participate in the action

Resolution Outcome; loose ends are tied up

Satire Irony or sarcasm used to attack/ expose foolishness or stupidity.

Setting Time and place in which story occurs

Simile Comparison using like or as

Style The manner of expression of a particular writer: word choice, grammatical structures, use of literary devices, etc. General styles include: scientific, ornate, plain, and emotive.

Symbolism Something stands for something else in a story that is beyond itself.

Syntax Sentence structure (simple, compound, complex, compound/complex) and phrasing that suit the author’s purpose (repetition, inverted word order, questions, exclamations, rhetorical questions, etc.)

Text Structure Organizational pattern an author chooses to present ideas: sequencing, description, comparison/contrast, cause/effect, and problem/solution.

Theme Overall message of a literary work; underlying message; reveals some-thing about human experience; lesson learned

Tone Author’s attitude (mood/ moral view) toward readers and subject is reflected in the text, affecting the way the readers understands it. Considering how a work would sound if read aloud can help identify the author’s tone.

Some words that help describe tone are: objective, playful, sentimental, serious, casual, formal, informal, ironic, sarcastic, playful, businesslike, humorous, ornate, somber, optimistic, and pessimistic.