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Literary Elements Examples

Terms in this set (38)

example of metaphor
He is a sullen toad.
example of personification
A rusted stove crouched in the corner
example of hyperbole
I am so hungry I could eat a horse
example of symbolism
A dove can represent peace.
example of satire
"What's the use you learning to do right, when it's troublesome to do right and isn't no trouble to do wrong, and the wages is just the same?" - focuses on questioning human nature in "Huckleberry Finn."
example of 1st person point of view
"I", Fall of the House of Usher
example of 3rd person point of view
"He", "She", "it" An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
example of limited point of view
Harry had taken up his place at wizard school, where he and his scar were famous ... but now the school year was over, and he was back with the Dursleys for the summer, back to being treated like a dog that had rolled in something smelly. The Dursleys hadn't even remembered that today happened to be Harry's twelfth birthday. Of course, his hopes hadn't been high... .'
example of omniscient point of view
"Margaret, the eldest of the four, was sixteen, and very pretty, being plump and fair, with large eyes, plenty of soft brown hair, a sweet mouth, and white hands, of which she was rather vain. Fifteen-year-old Jo was very tall, thin, and brown, and reminded one of a colt...Elizabeth, or Beth, as everyone called her, was a rosy, smooth-haired, bright-eyed girl of thirteen, with a shy manner, a timid voice, and a peaceful expression, which was seldom disturbed..."
example of simile
Tim swims like a fish
example of situational irony
venus sends cupid to ruin psyche, and he falls in love with her, instead
example of verbal irony
In Cask of Amontillado when he says "your health is very precious to me" and he ends up killing him.
example of dramatic irony
Romeo believes Juliet to be dead, but the audience knows that she is alive.
example of allusion
"It is raining so hard, I hope it doesn't rain for 40 days and 40 nights
example of paradox
the three slogans: War Is Peace, Freedom Is Slavery, and Freedom Is Strength
example of mood
ex. when Odysseus goes into the underworld he is in an eerie, frightening atmosphere
example of tone
"All morons hate it when you call them a moron.
example of foreshadowing
"From forth the fatal loins of these two foes, A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life."
example of conflict
Josh Hamilton vs. his drug addiction (man vs. self)
example of plot
The repeated interactions of the narrator with the wall appear to intensify, as one fleeting scene of the woman behind the design convinces her by the next repetition that the woman is alive; the smell and smudge intensify her belief that the woman is moving about; together these are the cause of her insanity.
example of exposition
Prologue of Romeo & Juliet
example of rising action
Gandalf meets Bilbo and asks him to play the role of a burglar of dwarves' expedition to recover treasure of Thorin from Smaug. He agrees to live up and act as a burglar during this adventure.
example of climax
Romeo kills Tybalt
example of falling action
Juliet has to marry Paris, the marriage is moved up a day
example of imagery
"A shaggy brown dog rubbed its back on the white picket fence"
example of allegory
The Crucible is a play that reflects the events of the hunt for Communists in the US during the Red Scare
example of theme
love is destructive
example of moral
slow and steady wins the race
example of setting
it was a cold, rainy night and Justin found himself wandering the poorly-lit street
example of alliteration
Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers
example of parallelism
What goes around comes around
Like father, like son
He tried to make the law clear, precise, and equitable.
example of motif
love
example of epiphany
It's a normal day in class when Mary trips on her shoelace and falls down. As she embarrassedly stands up blushing and finds her desk, Ryan realizes he is in love with her
example of flashback
Gatsby recalls his time serving in WWI
example of epithet
Wise Athena
example of apostrophe
O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?
example of protagonist
Steve Rogers
example of antagonist
Lex Luther
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