Literary Devices

Techniques the author uses to convey meaning; deliberate choices of language or construction Foreshadowing Flashback Irony Mood/Tone Allusion Symbolism Dialogue Characterization Foil Literary Devices

Foreshadowing Hint of events that will come later in the story.

Foreshadowing Example • From “After Twenty Years”… • Bob says, “You’ve changed lots, Jimmy. I never thought you were so tall by two or three inches.”

Flashback • Presentation of an event or situation that occurred in the past to help explain something in the present • A memory in the story.

Flashback Examples • From “Seventh Grade”… • “[Mr. Bueller] remembered his college years when he dated a girlfriend in borrowed cars. She thought he was rich because each time he picked her up he had a different car.”

Irony When events turn out opposite of what you expect, e.g., saving a lifeguard from drowning.Irony can be situational, as with the lifeguard example, or verbal. Sarcasm is an example of verbal irony.

Examples of Situational Irony From “Harrison Bergeron”… ‘“Harrison Bergeron has escaped from jail…If you see this boy, I repeat, do not try to reason with him” … the photograph of Harrison was gone. A living, breathing Harrison filled the screen.’ From “After Twenty Years”… The man we thought was Jimmy Wells turns out to be a plainclothes policeman. The original policeman turns out to be Jimmy Wells.

Mood Mood is a state of mind – how you feel, your emotional response, when you read the story. The author uses strong verbs and dramatic images to elicit mood.

Example of Mood • From “Harrison Bergeron”… • “In a explosion of joy and grace, into the air they sprang! They reeled, whirled, swiveled, gamboled, and spun. They leaped like deer on the moon.” • Strong verbs? Dramatic images? What if the author had • simply said…they danced. • Mood can be romantic, gloomy or sad, pessimistic, • optimistic, fanciful or imaginary, etc.

Tone The style or manner of expression in speaking – the tone shows the author’s attitude.

Tone can be… Positive: happy, cheerful, playful, humorous Negative: angry, contemptuous, sarcastic, sad, gloomy Neutral: indifferent, matter-of-fact, formal, resigned

Example of Tone • From “Harrison Bergeron”… “Diana Moon Glampers…came into the studio with a double-barreled ten- gauge shotgun. She fired twice, and the Emperor and the Empress were dead before they hit the floor.” • What is the author’s attitude?

Dialogue • Conversation between characters • Can be used instead of exposition to reveal the characters or other elements in the story

Example of Dialogue • From “After Twenty Years,” Silky Bob speaking to Jimmy before he realized the original policeman was his old friend tells us about Jimmy as well as Bob himself. • “He [Jimmy] was a plodder, though, a good fellow…I’ve had to compete with some of the sharpest wits going…It takes the West to put a razor-edge on [a man].”

Characterization • Techniques writers use to create/develop their characters • Direct characterization: writer tells what the character is like as in exposition • Indirect characterization: writer shows what a character is like by telling what the character says and does, and by what other characters say about and do in response to the character, e.g., dialogue

Symbolism • Using something to represent something else. • Highlights what the author wants to emphasize or adds levels of meaning.

Example of Symbolism From “Harrison Bergeron:” The dance of Harrison and the ballerina symbolizes freedom: “And then, in an explosion of joy and grace, into the air they sprang! Not only were the laws of the land abandoned, but the law of gravity and the laws of motion as well.”

Allusion • A reference to a well-known person, event, place, literary work or work of art. • Allusions express complex ideas without spelling them out.

Example of Allusion • From “Harrison Bergeron:” • “He flung away his rubber– ball nose, revealed a man that would have awed Thor, the god of thunder.” refers to Harrison’s size and his acting as a protector for the people. Thor

Foil Character who provides a striking contrast to a main character. The foil helps to make the main characters qualities apparent to the reader. Example: Silky Bob, although very like Jimmy (friends, from NYC, same age) makes Jimmy’s good qualities, e.g., honesty, more apparent.

Literary Devices