Sound Devices in Literature

Sound Devices

• Alliteration: Repetition of initial consonant sounds in closely spaced words, e.g., “The boy buzzed around as busy as a bee.”
• Assonance: Repetition of vowel sounds within a line, creating internal rhymes, e.g., “Bright night lights.”
• Consonance: Repetition of consonant sounds, usually at word endings, e.g., “Mike likes his new bike.”
• Cacophony: Deliberate use of jarring sounds to convey chaos, e.g., “dishes crashing on the floor.”
• Euphony: Creation of a harmonious sound experience, e.g., “blew through the room.”
• Onomatopoeia: Words that imitate natural sounds, e.g., “The car horn beeped.”
• Repetition: Reuse of words or phrases for rhythm or emphasis, e.g., “Time after time.”
• Rhyme: Repetition of similar sounds at the end of words, common in poetry, e.g., “I set it on the floor, but it ran out the door.”

Figurative Language

• Analogy: Comparison highlighting similarities between two concepts, e.g., “Tree: leaf::flower:petal.”
• Cliché: Overused phrase that was once clever, e.g., “Don’t cry over spilled milk.”
• Connotation: Implied meanings beyond the dictionary definition; words can carry positive, negative, or neutral connotations.
• Euphemism: Gentle replacement for harsh descriptions, e.g., “He’s big-boned.”
• Hyperbole: Exaggeration for effect, often humorous, e.g., “That bag weighs a ton.”
• Metaphor: Direct comparison between dissimilar objects without using like or as, e.g., “Time is money.”
• Metonymy: Substitution of a related term for an object or idea, e.g., using "dish" to represent a meal.
• Oxymoron: Juxtaposition of contradictory terms, e.g., “Deafening silence.”
• Paradox: Statement appearing contradictory but revealing a truth, e.g., “You have to have money to make money.”
• Personification: Attributing human traits to non-human entities, e.g., “The sun smiled at them.”
• Simile: Comparison using "like" or "as," e.g., “As busy as a bee.”
• Synecdoche: Part of something representing the whole or vice versa, e.g., “Jack got some new wheels,” meaning he got a new car.

Other Literary Techniques

• Allusion: Indirect reference to a notable person, event, or piece of literature, e.g., being called the "Tiger Woods of miniature golf."
• Allegory: Narrative where characters and events symbolize broader concepts and ideas, such as “The Lorax,” representing environmental concerns.
• Dichotomy: Division of a concept into two opposing parts, e.g., heaven and hell symbolizing good and evil.
• Juxtaposition: Side-by-side placement of characters or ideas to highlight contrasts, e.g., Batman and the Joker.

Literary Elements in Prose

• Prose: Non-rhyming style to communicate ideas and stories clearly.
• Plot: Sequence of story events, structured as Beginning → Rising Action → Climax → Falling Action → Resolution.
• Atmosphere: Mood created through descriptive settings and details.
• Characterization: Author's method of describing characters, either directly or indirectly.
• Conflict: Central challenge or problem characters face, including types like Man vs Man, Man vs Nature, and Man vs Self.
• Point of View: Narrative perspective, categorized as First Person, Second Person, or various Third-Person types (objective, limited, omniscient).
• Setting: The specific time and place in which the story occurs.
• Theme: Central idea or underlying meaning of the story.