What is a literary device and what are some examples?

Question

I don't understand what is a literary device

Answer 1

A literary device could be anything from a metaphor to alliteration. It is a technique an author uses within a piece of work that aids in helping readers understand, analyze or interpret the work.



An example of a metaphor comes from the song Dust in the Wind. All we are is dust in the wind.



Pax-C

Answer 2

Literary devices refers to specific aspects of literature, in the sense of its universal function as an art form which expresses ideas through language, which we can recognize, identify, interpret and/or analyze. Literary devices collectively comprise the art form’s components; the means by which authors create meaning through language, and by which readers gain understanding of and appreciation for their works. They also provide a conceptual framework for comparing individual literary works to others, both within and across genres. Both literary elements and literary techniques can rightly be called literary devices.



Some examples are alliteration, characters, theme, irony.

Answer 3

Here is some definitions, i just copy and pasted from a study guide i had to make for school, can't guarantee that the examples are accurate, but here they are:



Diction: strong pronunciation or articulation of words; choice of words that communicates a certain feeling Example: “Sorrowful homeless lining the dirty streets”



Parallel Structure: when certain words or phrases are repeated, but not using the same words, only one or a couple word(s) that connect(s) the phrases Example: “What I think, what I like, what I know, what I want, what I feel” --Toby Keith



Metaphor: used to literally compare things that aren’t alike Example: “Your heart is an empty room” --Death Cab for Cutie



Hyperbole: a phrase that is an over-exaggeration Example: “I’m going to kill you if you say that again!”



Paradox: an entire statement that only makes sense within context; it contradicts itself Example: “Silence is so freaking loud” --Sarah Dessen



Simile: compares different things using “like” or “as” Example: “I need you like a donut needs a hole” --Barry Louis Polisar



Personification: gives an inanimate object human qualities Example: “And the world keeps testing me, testing me, testing me” --John Mayer



Imagery: a statement that makes the reader feel a certain way or smell, see, feel, or taste something Example: “The palm trees swayed overhead as the salty ocean waves crashed against the shore”



Alliteration: repetition of consonant sounds at the beginnings of words Example: “Bread baked, corn cooked”



Consonance: repetition of consonant sounds at the middle or ends of words Example: “It’s a spring thing”



Assonance: repetition of vowel sounds Example: “A boat load of work”



Rhyme: repetition of similar sounds in two or more words Example: “See it started at the park, used to chill at the dark” --Sean Kingston



Internal Rhyme: repeating similar sounds within lines Example: “I felt so bad for my dad”



Repetition: repeating similar words or phrases to create an emphasis Example: “I wanna talk about me, I wanna talk about I, I wanna talk about number one, oh my me my” --Toby Keith