ELA 7 Literary Devices and Poetry Analysis

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Common Figures of Speech and Literary Devices

Allusion - a reference to something or some person from literature, religious lore, or history EX: "All overgrown by cunning moss, All interspersed with weed, the little cage of "Currer Bell" in quiet "Haworth" laid." - Emily Dickinson's "All Overgrown by Cunning Moss"

Analogy - a comparison of two similar things where the familiar is used to explain the unfamiliar EX: "Life is a box of chocolates - you never know what you're gonna get" - Forest Gump

Atmosphere - the emotional feeling created by elements in literature EX: The difference between: "Marilyn’s small apartment was bathed with light from the new floor-to-ceiling windows. Outside, the sounds of a balmy summer day floated up to her ears like the gurgle of a cool, clear brook." and "Marilyn’s cramped apartment was roasting in the scorching sunlight that burned through her floor-to-ceiling windows. And if there was anything more oppressive than the heat, it had to be the constant din that bubbled up from the city street below like steam from a putrid stew."

Connotation - The field of associations which surround a word EX: "Look at that dog." The word "dog" connotates to ugliness, which can be applied to a person.

Denotation - The exact dictionary definition of a word EX: "Look at that dog." If you denotate this phrase, it means that there is literally a dog.

Foreshadowing - Indicating or suggesting before it happens what will occur later in the work of literature EX: Sometimes a future event is mentioned earlier in the story, like a comment about a meeting between characters. The reader already knows that issues will be discussed later.

Idiom - a turn of phrase or expression that normally wouldn't make sense but have an alternative meaning (often regional) EX: I'm going to go hit the hay OR That test was a breeze

Imagery - word-pictures; often used to convey a certain mood EX: "The sound of a drum in the distance attracted him." In this case, an audial representation is found.

Metaphor - a direct comparison between two things (not using like or as) EX: She is an angel

Mood - the emotional environment or atmosphere created by the writer EX: What you feel

Oxymoron - an expression that combines opposite or contradictory ideas EX: "Bittersweet" OR "Alone together"

Personification - the characteristics of persons are attributed to inanimate objects and abstract ideas (sometimes animals fall under this category, but that is considered anthropomorphism) EX: "The leaves danced in the wind."

Pun - a play on words; the humorous use of a word or phrase to emphasize or suggest different meanings or applications; words that are alike or nearly alike in sound, but different in meaning EX: Yesterday, a clown held the door open for me. It was such a nice jester!

Simile - a comparison between two things of unlike nature using like, as, or than EX: It was as nice as a peaceful panda

Symbolism - something that suggests or stands for something else EX: The color black can symbolize death or evil

Tone - the artist's attitude towards the subject of his writing or towards the audience ​​​​​​​EX: How the author wants to make it feel

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Common Sound Devices

Alliteration - the repetition of initial sounds in words EX: "Becky's beagle barked and bayed, becoming bothersome for Billy." There is a repetition of "B's"

Assonance - repetition of the same vowel sound in a line of poetry EX: "If I bleat when I speak it's because I just got . . . fleeced." - "Deadwood" by Al Swearengen

Slant Rhyme - a near-rhyme but not exact EX: "cat" and "sad"

Internal Rhyme - rhyme that occurs within a line, rather than exactly at the end EX: "I went to town to buy a gown. / I took the car, and it wasn't far."

Rhyme - similar sound between accented syllables in the same position in two or more lines of verse EX: "When I was a young boy, I went to beach, and right while I was playing, I stumbled upon a leach."

Rhythm - the recurrence of stressed and unstressed syllables EX: "She made a star on her car."

Onomatopoeia - the sound of the word mimics the sound to which it refers EX: "SPLASH!" OR "KABOOM!"

Consonance - repetition of an interior consonant sound within a short sentence EX: "Borrow" and "Sorrow"

End Rhyme - rhyme that occurs at the end of lines EX: “may came home with a smooth round stone as small as a world and as large as alone. For whatever we lose (like a you or a me) it's always ourselves we find in the sea”

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Poetry Analysis: TP CASTT Method

The TP CASTT method:

TITLE: consider denotative meanings of the title before reading the poem

PARAPHRASE: translate (on a literal level - don't interpret things) the poem into your own words (best done stanza by stanza) - don't focus on each word but rather the overall idea of each stanza

CONNOTATION: consider meanings beyond the literal

ATTITUDE: observe both the speaker's and the poet's attitudes

SHIFTS: note any changes in the speaker or attitude due to: occasion, key words, punctuation, stanza divisions, line and stanza length changes

TITLE: examine the title again - now consider it on a more interpretive level

THEME: determine what the poet is saying (what message about life are they trying to convey?)