Literary Terms Word Wall by Arlo Burke Raymond

Allegory- a work that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning

arlob11146 — 2025-07-17 18:34:16 UTC

Example: Animal Farm by George Orwell is an allegory for the Communist Revolution despite being about animals on a farm.

Allusion-a reference to something that is indirect or not explicit

arlob11146 — 2025-07-17 18:36:44 UTC

Example: If someone calls someone a Scrooge they are making an allusion to "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens.

Anaphora-the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses.

arlob11146 — 2025-07-17 18:43:02 UTC

Example: The song "Every Breath You Take" by The Police has uses anaphora in the line, "every breath you take, every move you make, every bond you break, every step you take."

Apostrophe-a figure of speech in which something is addressed that isn't capable of responding

arlob11146 — 2025-07-17 18:45:59 UTC

Example: O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?

Antithesis- a contrast between two things done through the use of parellelism

arlob11146 — 2025-07-17 18:48:05 UTC

Example: To be or not to be, that is the question.

Diction-the choice and use of words in writing

arlob11146 — 2025-07-17 18:50:50 UTC

Example: Large or uncommon words are often used in pieces of writing to change the tone and meaning of the work

Dramatic Irony- A device in which the audience understands or knows something the character's do not.

arlob11146 — 2025-07-17 18:52:46 UTC

Example: In a horror movie the audience may know the location of the antagonist while the main characters do not.

Enjambment- A poetic device where one sentence carries over to the next line without any punctuation.

arlob11146 — 2025-07-17 18:54:59 UTC

Example: From T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land" April is the cruelest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.

Foil-A character that serves to highlight the traits of another character through contrast

arlob11146 — 2025-07-17 18:57:18 UTC

Example: Tom Sawyer is a foil to Huck Finn as Tom's personality is a lot more adventurous and imaginative than Huck's skeptical, careful personality.

Imagery- Visually descriptive language

arlob11146 — 2025-07-17 18:59:09 UTC

Example: The sky flashed with the fluorescent light of the lightning.

juxtaposition- two thing being placed together for the effect of contrast

arlob11146 — 2025-07-18 04:51:19 UTC

Example: Someone in formal clothes next to a person in casual clothes.

Metaphor-a comparison to something without using like or as

arlob11146 — 2025-07-18 04:54:23 UTC

Example: Saying something was "a piece of cake" is a metaphor

Motif-a prominent feature or idea in literature

arlob11146 — 2025-07-18 04:59:53 UTC

Example: In Huck Finn there is a motif of freedom from slavery

Paradox- An idea or thing that is contradictory to itself yet true at the same time

arlob11146 — 2025-07-18 05:01:36 UTC

Example: The phrase less is more is a paradox

Personification- Figurative language that makes non-human thing have human traits

arlob11146 — 2025-07-18 05:02:34 UTC

Example: The wind howled and screamed through the trees

Simile- A comparison between two things using like or as

arlob11146 — 2025-07-18 05:03:52 UTC

Example: The lamp was as bright as the sun

symbolism- the use of imagery and/or objects that represent larger ideas

arlob11146 — 2025-07-18 05:06:38 UTC

Example: In "To Kill a Mockingbird," the mockingbird symbolizes innocence.

Syntax-the arrangement of words and phrases to form a well constructed sentence

arlob11146 — 2025-07-18 05:08:01 UTC

Example: The dog perked its ears up

Theme- the main idea or set of ideas that a work revolves around

arlob11146 — 2025-07-18 05:09:32 UTC

Example: The theme of Huck Finn is freedom, and right vs wrong

Tone- the way an author writes to convey a certain mood or atmosphere

arlob11146 — 2025-07-18 05:10:54 UTC

Example: an informal tone would be " Hey guys, want to watch a movie later"