1. Poetic Devices and Literary Terms
Creative Writing
Ms. Bosarge

2. Poetic Devices

3. Alliteration
Repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning or within a word

4. Assonance
Repetition of vowel sounds within a word or phrase

5. Not to be confused with… Repetition
Repeating a word or phrase more than once

6. Also not to be confused with… Rhyme
Based on the end sounds of words

7. Alliteration=consonants Assonance=Vowels Repetition= word or phrase rhyme= end sounds

8. Personification
Gives human-like objects to non-human things

9. Simile vs. metaphor
What’s the difference?

10. Onomatopoeia
Words imitate their sounds in nature

11. Now on to some of the harder stuff…

12. Enjambment
The carryover of one line to the next without a grammatical break
HAMLET: To be, or not to be- that is the question: Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them. To die- to sleep- No more; and by a sleep to say we end The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to. ‘Tis a consummation Devoutly to be wish’d. To die- to sleep. To sleep- perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub! For in that sleep of death what dreams may come When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause. There’s the respect That makes calamity of so long life.

13. Oxymoron Contradictory words or phrases Jumbo shrimp Walking dead
Passive aggressive

14. Literary Terms

16. Exposition
Comprehensive description and explanation of an idea or theory

17. Rising Action
Series of events that create tension, interest, and suspense

18. Climax
The turning point—changes the character’s fate

19. Falling action
Action after the climax

20. Denouement
Final part of the story that ties everything together

21. Moving on the characters

22. Protagonist
Main character in the story

23. Antagonist
Character that acts in opposition to the protagonist

24. Characterization
The way an author reveals important aspects about the people in a story

25. What does indirect characterization involve?
What the character does, think, and say

26. What does direct characterization involve?
Author tells the reader about the character

27. First person POV
Contains “I” and reveals the thoughts and feelings of only one character

28. Third person POV
Uses pronouns such as “s/he” and they but only gives one character’s perspective

29. Omniscient POV
Contains “s/he” and/or “they” and reveals the thoughts and feelings of many characters

30. Three dimensional character
Has own story, imperfect, unique past, a lot of detail

31. And the harder stuff…

32. Flashback
When the author presents scenes or incidents that have happened before the opening scene

33. Symbolism
A physical or concrete object/person that stands for an abstract idea

34. Irony
Difference between what is real and what is considered real

35. Dramatic Irony
The reader knows something a character doesn’t know

36. Verbal Irony
The character says the opposite of what she means

37. Situational Irony
The character does the opposite of what the reader expects