LiteraryTools#1ALLITERATION–Therepetitionofthesameconsonantsoundsatthebeginningofwords.(Example–Sweet,scentedstuff)ALLUSION–animplicitreferencewithinaliteraryworktoahistoricalorliteraryperson,placeorevent.(Example–InTheSecretLifeofBees,AugustreferstoJaneEyre,anovelbyCharlotteBrontë.)IRONY/IRONIC–Thecontrastbetweenwhatisstatedexplicitlyandwhatisreallymeant,orthedifferencebetweenwhatappearstobeandwhatisactuallytrue.Ironyisoftenusedtocreatepoignancyorhumor.Ingeneral,therearethreemajortypesofironyusedinlanguage:

(1)verbalirony–whenthewordsliterallystatetheoppositeofthewriter’s(orspeaker’s)meaning(2)situationalirony–wheneventsturnouttheoppositeofwhatwasexpected;whenwhatthecharactersandreadersthinkoughttohappenisnotwhatdoeshappen(3)dramaticirony–whenfactsoreventsareunknowntoacharacterinaplayorpieceofFictionbutknowntothereader,audience,orothercharactersinthework.

METAPHOR–acomparisonofonethingtoanotherNOTusing“like”or“as.”(Example–Lifeisbutawalkingshadow,apoorplayerwhostrutsandfretshishouruponthestage.)ONOMATOPOEIA–theuseofwordsthatmakesounds.(Example–plop,plop,fizz,fizz,oh,whatareliefitis).OXYMORON­aself­contradictoryexpression(Example:It'sthesamedifference.OrasutteredinRomeoandJuliet,"Partingissuchsweetsorrow."PARADOX­Astatementthatiscontradictoryonthesurfacebutexpressesadeepertruth(Example:Forsomeonewithsuchawarmpersonality,youhaveacoldheart)PERSONIFICATION–Theuseofhumancharacteristicstodescribeanimals,thingsorideas.(Example–Thesunwassmilingonthesunbathers).PUN­Apunisawordemployedintwosenses,orawordusedinacontextthatsuggestsasecondtermsoundinglikeit.Punsareusuallyusedforcomiceffect.(“Duringthetwopreviouscenturiesmusicalstyleswentinoneeraandouttheother.”)SIMILE­acomparisonoftwothingsthatseemunalike,usingthewords,“like”oras.”(Example–Myloveislikeared,redrose.)SYMBOLISM­asymbolorobjectthatstandsforanotherwordorobject.Theobjectorwordcanbeseenwiththeeyeornotvisible.(Example:adovestandsforpeaceorpurity.Thedovecanbeseenandpeaceorpuritycannot)