Transcript Literary Devices - Penderlea Elementary School

Literary Devices
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Techniques the author uses to convey meaning; deliberate
choices of language or construction
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Foreshadowing
Flashback
Irony
Mood/Tone
Allusion
Symbolism
Dialogue
Characterization
Foil
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Foreshadowing
Hint of events that will come later
in the story.
Foreshadowing Example
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From “After Twenty Years”…
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Bob says, “You’ve changed lots,
Jimmy. I never thought you were so
tall by two or three inches.”
Flashback
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Presentation of an event
or situation that occurred
in the past to help
explain something in the
present
A memory in the story.
Flashback Examples
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From “Seventh Grade”…
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“[Mr. Bueller] remembered his college years
when he dated a girlfriend in borrowed cars.
She thought he was rich because each time he
picked her up he had a different car.”
Irony
When events turn out opposite of what you
expect, e.g., saving a lifeguard from drowning.
Irony can be situational, as with the lifeguard
example, or verbal. Sarcasm is an example of
verbal irony.
Examples of Situational Irony
From “Harrison Bergeron”…
‘“Harrison Bergeron has escaped from jail…If
you see this boy, I repeat, do not try to reason
with him” … the photograph of Harrison was
gone. A living, breathing Harrison filled the
screen.’
From “After Twenty Years”…
The man we thought was Jimmy Wells turns out to be a
plainclothes policeman. The original policeman turns out
to be Jimmy Wells.
Mood
Mood is a state of mind – how you feel,
your emotional response, when you read the
story. The author uses strong verbs and dramatic
images to elicit mood.
Example of Mood
From “Harrison Bergeron”…
“In a explosion of joy and grace, into the air they
sprang! They reeled, whirled, swiveled, gamboled, and
spun. They leaped like deer on the moon.”
Strong verbs? Dramatic images? What if the author had
simply said…they danced.
Mood can be romantic, gloomy or sad, pessimistic,
optimistic, fanciful or imaginary, etc.
Tone
The style or manner of expression
in speaking – the tone shows the
author’s attitude.
Tone can be…
Positive: happy, cheerful, playful,
humorous
Negative: angry, contemptuous,
sarcastic, sad, gloomy
Neutral: indifferent, matter-of-fact,
formal, resigned
Example of Tone
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From “Harrison Bergeron”… “Diana
Moon Glampers…came into the
studio with a double-barreled tengauge shotgun. She fired twice, and
the Emperor and the Empress were
dead before they hit the floor.”
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What is the author’s attitude?
Dialogue
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Conversation between characters
Can be used instead of exposition
to reveal the characters or other elements in the
story
Example of Dialogue
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From “After Twenty Years,” Silky Bob speaking
to Jimmy before he realized the original
policeman was his old friend tells us about
Jimmy as well as Bob himself.
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“He [Jimmy] was a plodder, though, a good
fellow…I’ve had to compete with some of
the sharpest wits going…It takes the West
to put a razor-edge on [a man].”
Characterization
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Techniques writers use to create/develop their
characters
Direct characterization: writer tells what the
character is like as in exposition
Indirect characterization: writer shows what a
character is like by telling what the character says
and does, and by what other characters say about
and do in response to the character, e.g.,
dialogue
Symbolism
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Using something to represent something else.
Highlights what the author wants to emphasize
or adds levels of meaning.
Example of Symbolism
From “Harrison Bergeron:”
The dance of Harrison and the ballerina
symbolizes freedom:
“And then, in an explosion of joy and
grace, into the air they sprang!
Not only were the laws of the land
abandoned, but the law of gravity and
the laws of motion as well.”
Allusion
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A reference to a well-known person, event,
place, literary work or work of art.
Allusions express complex ideas without spelling
them out.
Example of
Allusion
Thor
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From “Harrison Bergeron:”
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“He flung away his rubber–
ball nose, revealed a man
that would have awed
Thor, the god of thunder.”
refers to Harrison’s size and
his acting as a protector for
the people.
Foil
Character who provides a striking contrast to a
main character. The foil helps to make the main
characters qualities apparent to the reader.
Example: Silky Bob, although very like Jimmy
(friends, from NYC, same age) makes Jimmy’s
good qualities, e.g., honesty, more apparent.