different types of comparison in literature

Literary Devices

Literary devices, terms, and elements, definition of comparison, types of comparisons, common examples of comparison.

We use comparisons all the time in the real world and in everyday speech. Comparisons help us understand the world around us because we can either explain unfamiliar things through already known entities, or complicate familiar things by describing them in new ways that thus creates cognitive links. Examples of comparison abound, and are found in each of the following cases:

Significance of Comparison in Literature

Comparisons play an important role in just about any work of literature imaginable, as they are a primary function of the brain. It is through comparisons that we learn and map out the world. Even the simple act of naming things requires comparison in the brain—we refer, for example, to many different-looking objects as “chair” because we can compare them in our minds and realize they all have the same general function. Comparisons are especially important in literature because authors are creating a new world for the reader to understand and become interested in, and authors must show how this new, fictive world is similar and dissimilar from the one the reader lives in (even if the work of literature is completely realistic). Writers also may use comparisons to make their lines more poetic.

Examples of Comparison in Literature

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate. Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date. Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimmed; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance, or nature’s changing course, untrimmed; But thy eternal summer shall not fade,

William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18” includes one of the famous examples of comparison in literature. The speaker asks explicitly if he should compare his beloved to “a summer’s day,” and goes on to do so. He finds the summer’s day inadequate as a comparison for his beloved, insisting that “thou art more lovely and more temperate.” This comparison works to show the speaker’s all-encompassing love.

Something there is that doesn’t love a wall, That wants it down.’ I could say ‘Elves’ to him, But it’s not elves exactly, and I’d rather He said it for himself. I see him there Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed.

Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter—tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther…. And then one fine morning— So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.

( The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald)

TOM: But the wonderfullest trick of all was the coffin trick. We nailed him into a coffin and he got out of the coffin without removing one nail. . . . There is a trick that would come in handy for me—get me out of this two-by-four situation! . . . You know it don’t take much intelligence to get yourself into a nailed-up coffin, Laura. But who in hell ever got himself out of one without removing one nail?

( The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams)

In this excerpt from Tennessee Williams’s play The Glass Menagerie , the protagonist Tom compares his own life to the magician’s trick of getting out of a nailed-up coffin. This is a particularly striking example of comparison because from the outside Tom’s life might not look so terrible. Clearly, however, he views it as a prison that is nearly impossible to escape.

So Gen should have said something more, and Carmen should have listened more, but instead she kissed him, because the important thing was to forget. That kiss was like a lake, deep and clear, and they swam into it forgetting.

Test Your Knowledge of Comparison in Literature

1. Which of the following statements is the best comparison definition? A.  Describing two or more things in relation to each other. B. Showing that one thing is better than another. C. Showing how two things are dissimilar. [spoiler title=”Answer to Question #1″] Answer: A is the correct answer. While B and C may be examples of comparison, they are not the sole definitions of comparison.[/spoiler]

Oh, beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock The meat it feeds on.

For I have had too much Of apple-picking: I am overtired Of the great harvest I myself desired.

You may see their trunks arching in the woods Years afterwards, trailing their leaves on the ground Like girls on hands and knees that throw their hair Before them over their heads to dry in the sun.

Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow.

(“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”) [spoiler title=”Answer to Question #3″] Answer: B is the correct answer.[/spoiler]

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, the 31 literary devices you must know.

General Education

Need to analyze The Scarlet Letter or To Kill a Mockingbird for English class, but fumbling for the right vocabulary and concepts for literary devices? You've come to the right place. To successfully interpret and analyze literary texts, you'll first need to have a solid foundation in literary terms and their definitions.

In this article, we'll help you get familiar with most commonly used literary devices in prose and poetry. We'll give you a clear definition of each of the terms we discuss along with examples of literary elements and the context in which they most often appear (comedic writing, drama, or other).

Before we get to the list of literary devices, however, we have a quick refresher on what literary devices are and how understanding them will help you analyze works of literature.

What Are Literary Devices and Why Should You Know Them?

Literary devices are techniques that writers use to create a special and pointed effect in their writing, to convey information, or to help readers understand their writing on a deeper level.

Often, literary devices are used in writing for emphasis or clarity. Authors will also use literary devices to get readers to connect more strongly with either a story as a whole or specific characters or themes.

So why is it important to know different literary devices and terms? Aside from helping you get good grades on your literary analysis homework, there are several benefits to knowing the techniques authors commonly use.

Being able to identify when different literary techniques are being used helps you understand the motivation behind the author's choices. For example, being able to identify symbols in a story can help you figure out why the author might have chosen to insert these focal points and what these might suggest in regard to her attitude toward certain characters, plot points, and events.

In addition, being able to identify literary devices can make a written work's overall meaning or purpose clearer to you. For instance, let's say you're planning to read (or re-read) The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. By knowing that this particular book is a religious allegory with references to Christ (represented by the character Aslan) and Judas (represented by Edmund), it will be clearer to you why Lewis uses certain language to describe certain characters and why certain events happen the way they do.

Finally, literary techniques are important to know because they make texts more interesting and more fun to read. If you were to read a novel without knowing any literary devices, chances are you wouldn't be able to detect many of the layers of meaning interwoven into the story via different techniques.

Now that we've gone over why you should spend some time learning literary devices, let's take a look at some of the most important literary elements to know.

List of Literary Devices: 31 Literary Terms You Should Know

Below is a list of literary devices, most of which you'll often come across in both prose and poetry. We explain what each literary term is and give you an example of how it's used. This literary elements list is arranged in alphabetical order.

An allegory is a story that is used to represent a more general message about real-life (historical) issues and/or events. It is typically an entire book, novel, play, etc.

Example: George Orwell's dystopian book Animal Farm is an allegory for the events preceding the Russian Revolution and the Stalinist era in early 20th century Russia. In the story, animals on a farm practice animalism, which is essentially communism. Many characters correspond to actual historical figures: Old Major represents both the founder of communism Karl Marx and the Russian communist leader Vladimir Lenin; the farmer, Mr. Jones, is the Russian Czar; the boar Napoleon stands for Joseph Stalin; and the pig Snowball represents Leon Trotsky.

Alliteration

Alliteration is a series of words or phrases that all (or almost all) start with the same sound. These sounds are typically consonants to give more stress to that syllable. You'll often come across alliteration in poetry, titles of books and poems ( Jane Austen is a fan of this device, for example—just look at Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility ), and tongue twisters.

Example: "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers." In this tongue twister, the "p" sound is repeated at the beginning of all major words.

Allusion is when an author makes an indirect reference to a figure, place, event, or idea originating from outside the text. Many allusions make reference to previous works of literature or art.

Example: "Stop acting so smart—it's not like you're Einstein or something." This is an allusion to the famous real-life theoretical physicist Albert Einstein.

Anachronism

An anachronism occurs when there is an (intentional) error in the chronology or timeline of a text. This could be a character who appears in a different time period than when he actually lived, or a technology that appears before it was invented. Anachronisms are often used for comedic effect.

Example: A Renaissance king who says, "That's dope, dude!" would be an anachronism, since this type of language is very modern and not actually from the Renaissance period.

Anaphora is when a word or phrase is repeated at the beginning of multiple sentences throughout a piece of writing. It's used to emphasize the repeated phrase and evoke strong feelings in the audience.

Example: A famous example of anaphora is Winston Churchill's "We Shall Fight on the Beaches" speech. Throughout this speech, he repeats the phrase "we shall fight" while listing numerous places where the British army will continue battling during WWII. He did this to rally both troops and the British people and to give them confidence that they would still win the war.

Anthropomorphism

An anthropomorphism occurs when something nonhuman, such as an animal, place, or inanimate object, behaves in a human-like way.

Example: Children's cartoons have many examples of anthropomorphism. For example, Mickey and Minnie Mouse can speak, wear clothes, sing, dance, drive cars, etc. Real mice can't do any of these things, but the two mouse characters behave much more like humans than mice.

Asyndeton is when the writer leaves out conjunctions (such as "and," "or," "but," and "for") in a group of words or phrases so that the meaning of the phrase or sentence is emphasized. It is often used for speeches since sentences containing asyndeton can have a powerful, memorable rhythm.

Example: Abraham Lincoln ends the Gettysburg Address with the phrase "...and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the Earth." By leaving out certain conjunctions, he ends the speech on a more powerful, melodic note.

Colloquialism

Colloquialism is the use of informal language and slang. It's often used by authors to lend a sense of realism to their characters and dialogue. Forms of colloquialism include words, phrases, and contractions that aren't real words (such as "gonna" and "ain't").

Example: "Hey, what's up, man?" This piece of dialogue is an example of a colloquialism, since it uses common everyday words and phrases, namely "what's up" and "man."

An epigraph is when an author inserts a famous quotation, poem, song, or other short passage or text at the beginning of a larger text (e.g., a book, chapter, etc.). An epigraph is typically written by a different writer (with credit given) and used as a way to introduce overarching themes or messages in the work. Some pieces of literature, such as Herman Melville's 1851 novel Moby-Dick , incorporate multiple epigraphs throughout.

Example: At the beginning of Ernest Hemingway's book The Sun Also Rises is an epigraph that consists of a quotation from poet Gertrude Stein, which reads, "You are all a lost generation," and a passage from the Bible.

Epistrophe is similar to anaphora, but in this case, the repeated word or phrase appears at the end of successive statements. Like anaphora, it is used to evoke an emotional response from the audience.

Example: In Lyndon B. Johnson's speech, "The American Promise," he repeats the word "problem" in a use of epistrophe: "There is no Negro problem. There is no Southern problem. There is no Northern problem. There is only an American problem."

A euphemism is when a more mild or indirect word or expression is used in place of another word or phrase that is considered harsh, blunt, vulgar, or unpleasant.

Example: "I'm so sorry, but he didn't make it." The phrase "didn't make it" is a more polite and less blunt way of saying that someone has died.

A flashback is an interruption in a narrative that depicts events that have already occurred, either before the present time or before the time at which the narration takes place. This device is often used to give the reader more background information and details about specific characters, events, plot points, and so on.

Example: Most of the novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë is a flashback from the point of view of the housekeeper, Nelly Dean, as she engages in a conversation with a visitor named Lockwood. In this story, Nelly narrates Catherine Earnshaw's and Heathcliff's childhoods, the pair's budding romance, and their tragic demise.

Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing is when an author indirectly hints at—through things such as dialogue, description, or characters' actions—what's to come later on in the story. This device is often used to introduce tension to a narrative.

Example: Say you're reading a fictionalized account of Amelia Earhart. Before she embarks on her (what we know to be unfortunate) plane ride, a friend says to her, "Be safe. Wouldn't want you getting lost—or worse." This line would be an example of foreshadowing because it implies that something bad ("or worse") will happen to Earhart.

Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement that's not meant to be taken literally by the reader. It is often used for comedic effect and/or emphasis.

Example: "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse." The speaker will not literally eat an entire horse (and most likely couldn't ), but this hyperbole emphasizes how starved the speaker feels.

Imagery is when an author describes a scene, thing, or idea so that it appeals to our senses (taste, smell, sight, touch, or hearing). This device is often used to help the reader clearly visualize parts of the story by creating a strong mental picture.

Example: Here's an example of imagery taken from William Wordsworth's famous poem "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud":

When all at once I saw a crowd, A host of golden Daffodils; Beside the Lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Irony is when a statement is used to express an opposite meaning than the one literally expressed by it. There are three types of irony in literature:

• Verbal irony: When someone says something but means the opposite (similar to sarcasm).
• Situational irony: When something happens that's the opposite of what was expected or intended to happen.
• Dramatic irony: When the audience is aware of the true intentions or outcomes, while the characters are not . As a result, certain actions and/or events take on different meanings for the audience than they do for the characters involved.
• Verbal irony: One example of this type of irony can be found in Edgar Allan Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado." In this short story, a man named Montresor plans to get revenge on another man named Fortunato. As they toast, Montresor says, "And I, Fortunato—I drink to your long life." This statement is ironic because we the readers already know by this point that Montresor plans to kill Fortunato.
• Situational irony: A girl wakes up late for school and quickly rushes to get there. As soon as she arrives, though, she realizes that it's Saturday and there is no school.
• Dramatic irony: In William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet , Romeo commits suicide in order to be with Juliet; however, the audience (unlike poor Romeo) knows that Juliet is not actually dead—just asleep.

Juxtaposition

Juxtaposition is the comparing and contrasting of two or more different (usually opposite) ideas, characters, objects, etc. This literary device is often used to help create a clearer picture of the characteristics of one object or idea by comparing it with those of another.

Example: One of the most famous literary examples of juxtaposition is the opening passage from Charles Dickens' novel A Tale of Two Cities :

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair …"

Malapropism

Malapropism happens when an incorrect word is used in place of a word that has a similar sound. This misuse of the word typically results in a statement that is both nonsensical and humorous; as a result, this device is commonly used in comedic writing.

Example: "I just can't wait to dance the flamingo!" Here, a character has accidentally called the flamenco (a type of dance) the flamingo (an animal).

Metaphor/Simile

Metaphors are when ideas, actions, or objects are described in non-literal terms. In short, it's when an author compares one thing to another. The two things being described usually share something in common but are unalike in all other respects.

A simile is a type of metaphor in which an object, idea, character, action, etc., is compared to another thing using the words "as" or "like."

Both metaphors and similes are often used in writing for clarity or emphasis.

"What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun." In this line from Romeo and Juliet , Romeo compares Juliet to the sun. However, because Romeo doesn't use the words "as" or "like," it is not a simile—just a metaphor.

"She is as vicious as a lion." Since this statement uses the word "as" to make a comparison between "she" and "a lion," it is a simile.

A metonym is when a related word or phrase is substituted for the actual thing to which it's referring. This device is usually used for poetic or rhetorical effect .

Example: "The pen is mightier than the sword." This statement, which was coined by Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839, contains two examples of metonymy: "the pen" refers to "the written word," and "the sword" refers to "military force/violence."

Mood is the general feeling the writer wants the audience to have. The writer can achieve this through description, setting, dialogue, and word choice .

Example: Here's a passage from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit: "It had a perfectly round door like a porthole, painted green, with a shiny yellow brass knob in the exact middle. The door opened on to a tube-shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats -- the hobbit was fond of visitors." In this passage, Tolkien uses detailed description to set create a cozy, comforting mood. From the writing, you can see that the hobbit's home is well-cared for and designed to provide comfort.

Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia is a word (or group of words) that represents a sound and actually resembles or imitates the sound it stands for. It is often used for dramatic, realistic, or poetic effect.

Examples: Buzz, boom, chirp, creak, sizzle, zoom, etc.

An oxymoron is a combination of two words that, together, express a contradictory meaning. This device is often used for emphasis, for humor, to create tension, or to illustrate a paradox (see next entry for more information on paradoxes).

Examples: Deafening silence, organized chaos, cruelly kind, insanely logical, etc.

A paradox is a statement that appears illogical or self-contradictory but, upon investigation, might actually be true or plausible.

Note that a paradox is different from an oxymoron: a paradox is an entire phrase or sentence, whereas an oxymoron is a combination of just two words.

Example: Here's a famous paradoxical sentence: "This statement is false." If the statement is true, then it isn't actually false (as it suggests). But if it's false, then the statement is true! Thus, this statement is a paradox because it is both true and false at the same time.

Personification

Personification is when a nonhuman figure or other abstract concept or element is described as having human-like qualities or characteristics. (Unlike anthropomorphism where non-human figures become human-like characters, with personification, the object/figure is simply described as being human-like.) Personification is used to help the reader create a clearer mental picture of the scene or object being described.

Example: "The wind moaned, beckoning me to come outside." In this example, the wind—a nonhuman element—is being described as if it is human (it "moans" and "beckons").

Repetition is when a word or phrase is written multiple times, usually for the purpose of emphasis. It is often used in poetry (for purposes of rhythm as well).

Example: When Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote the score for the hit musical Hamilton, gave his speech at the 2016 Tony's, he recited a poem he'd written that included the following line:

And love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love cannot be killed or swept aside.

Satire is genre of writing that criticizes something , such as a person, behavior, belief, government, or society. Satire often employs irony, humor, and hyperbole to make its point.

Example: The Onion is a satirical newspaper and digital media company. It uses satire to parody common news features such as opinion columns, editorial cartoons, and click bait headlines.

A type of monologue that's often used in dramas, a soliloquy is when a character speaks aloud to himself (and to the audience), thereby revealing his inner thoughts and feelings.

Example: In Romeo and Juliet , Juliet's speech on the balcony that begins with, "O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?" is a soliloquy, as she is speaking aloud to herself (remember that she doesn't realize Romeo's there listening!).

Symbolism refers to the use of an object, figure, event, situation, or other idea in a written work to represent something else— typically a broader message or deeper meaning that differs from its literal meaning.

The things used for symbolism are called "symbols," and they'll often appear multiple times throughout a text, sometimes changing in meaning as the plot progresses.

Example: In F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel The Great Gatsby , the green light that sits across from Gatsby's mansion symbolizes Gatsby's hopes and dreams .

A synecdoche is a literary device in which part of something is used to represent the whole, or vice versa. It's similar to a metonym (see above); however, a metonym doesn't have to represent the whole—just something associated with the word used.

Example: "Help me out, I need some hands!" In this case, "hands" is being used to refer to people (the whole human, essentially).

While mood is what the audience is supposed to feel, tone is the writer or narrator's attitude towards a subject . A good writer will always want the audience to feel the mood they're trying to evoke, but the audience may not always agree with the narrator's tone, especially if the narrator is an unsympathetic character or has viewpoints that differ from those of the reader.

Example: In an essay disdaining Americans and some of the sites they visit as tourists, Rudyard Kipling begins with the line, "Today I am in the Yellowstone Park, and I wish I were dead." If you enjoy Yellowstone and/or national parks, you may not agree with the author's tone in this piece.

How to Identify and Analyze Literary Devices: 4 Tips

In order to fully interpret pieces of literature, you have to understand a lot about literary devices in the texts you read. Here are our top tips for identifying and analyzing different literary techniques:

Tip 1: Read Closely and Carefully

First off, you'll need to make sure that you're reading very carefully. Resist the temptation to skim or skip any sections of the text. If you do this, you might miss some literary devices being used and, as a result, will be unable to accurately interpret the text.

If there are any passages in the work that make you feel especially emotional, curious, intrigued, or just plain interested, check that area again for any literary devices at play.

It's also a good idea to reread any parts you thought were confusing or that you didn't totally understand on a first read-through. Doing this ensures that you have a solid grasp of the passage (and text as a whole) and will be able to analyze it appropriately.

Tip 2: Memorize Common Literary Terms

You won't be able to identify literary elements in texts if you don't know what they are or how they're used, so spend some time memorizing the literary elements list above. Knowing these (and how they look in writing) will allow you to more easily pinpoint these techniques in various types of written works.

Tip 3: Know the Author's Intended Audience

Knowing what kind of audience an author intended her work to have can help you figure out what types of literary devices might be at play.

For example, if you were trying to analyze a children's book, you'd want to be on the lookout for child-appropriate devices, such as repetition and alliteration.

Tip 4: Take Notes and Bookmark Key Passages and Pages

This is one of the most important tips to know, especially if you're reading and analyzing works for English class. As you read, take notes on the work in a notebook or on a computer. Write down any passages, paragraphs, conversations, descriptions, etc., that jump out at you or that contain a literary device you were able to identify.

You can also take notes directly in the book, if possible (but don't do this if you're borrowing a book from the library!). I recommend circling keywords and important phrases, as well as starring interesting or particularly effective passages and paragraphs.

Lastly, use sticky notes or post-its to bookmark pages that are interesting to you or that have some kind of notable literary device. This will help you go back to them later should you need to revisit some of what you've found for a paper you plan to write.

What's Next?

Looking for more in-depth explorations and examples of literary devices? Join us as we delve into imagery , personification , rhetorical devices , tone words and mood , and different points of view in literature, as well as some more poetry-specific terms like assonance and iambic pentameter .

Reading The Great Gatsby for class or even just for fun? Then you'll definitely want to check out our expert guides on the biggest themes in this classic book, from love and relationships to money and materialism .

Got questions about Arthur Miller's The Crucible ? Read our in-depth articles to learn about the most important themes in this play and get a complete rundown of all the characters .

For more information on your favorite works of literature, take a look at our collection of high-quality book guides and our guide to the 9 literary elements that appear in every story !

These recommendations are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links, PrepScholar may receive a commission.

Hannah received her MA in Japanese Studies from the University of Michigan and holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California. From 2013 to 2015, she taught English in Japan via the JET Program. She is passionate about education, writing, and travel.

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Comparison Definition

Comparison is a rhetorical or literary device in which a writer compares or contrasts two people, places, things, or ideas. In our everyday life, we compare people and things to express ourselves vividly. So when we say, someone is “as lazy as a snail,” you compare two different entities to show similarity i.e. someone’s laziness to the slow pace of a snail.

Comparisons occur in literary works frequently. Writers and poets use comparison in order to link their feelings about a thing to something readers can understand. There are numerous devices in literature that compare two different things to show the similarity between them, such as simile , metaphor , and analogy .

Examples of Comparison in Literature

In the following comparison examples, we will try to analyze literary devices used to show comparisons.

A metaphor makes a hidden comparison between two things or objects that are dissimilar to each other, but have some characteristics common between them. Unlike simile , we do not use “like” or “as” to develop a comparison in a metaphor . Consider the following examples:

Example #1: When I Have Fears (By John Keats)

These lines are from When I Have Fears , by John Keats.

“Before high-pil’d books, in charact’ry Hold like rich garners the full-ripened grain,”

John Keats compares writing poetry with reaping and sowing, and both these acts stand for the insignificance of a life and dissatisfied creativity.

Example #2: As You Like It (By William Shakespeare)

This line is from As You Like It , by William Shakespeare.

“All the world’s a stage and men and women merely players…”

Shakespeare uses a metaphor of a stage to describe the world, and compares men and women living in the world with players (actors).

A simile is an open comparison between two things or objects to show similarities between them. Unlike a metaphor , a simile draws resemblance with the help of words “like” or “as.”

Example #3: Lolita (By Vladimir Nabokov)

This line is from the short story Lolita , by Vladimir Nabokov.

“Elderly American ladies leaning on their canes listed toward me like towers of Pisa.”

In this line, Vladimir Nabokov compares old women leaning on their sticks to the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Here the comparison made between two contrasting things creates a hilarious effect.

An analogy aims at explaining an unfamiliar idea or thing, by comparing it to something that is familiar.

Example #4: The Noiseless Patient Spider (By Walt Whitman)

These lines are from Walt Whitman’s poem The Noiseless Patient Spider “:

“And you O my soul where you stand, Surrounded, detached, in measureless oceans of space, Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing, seeking the spheres to connect them, Till the bridge you will need be form’d, till the ductile anchor hold, Till the gossamer thread you fling catch somewhere, O my soul.”

Walt Whitman uses an analogy to show similarity between a spider spinning a web and his soul.

Example #5: Night Clouds (By Amy Lowell)

These lines are from Night Clouds , written by Amy Lowell:

“The white mares of the moon rush along the sky Beating their golden hoofs upon the glass Heavens.”

Amy constructs an analogy between clouds and mares. She compares the movement of the white clouds in the sky at night with the movement of white mares on the ground.

An allegory uses symbols to compare persons or things, to represent abstract ideas or events. The comparison in allegory is implicit.

Example #6: Animal Farm (By George Orwell)

Animal Farm , written by George Orwell, is an allegory that compares animals on a farm to the Communist Revolution in Russia before WW II. The actions of the animals on the farm can be compared with the greed and corruption after the revolution. The animals on the farm represent different sections of Russian society after the revolution.

For instance, “Pigs” can be compared to those who became the authority after the revolution;”Mr. Jones,” the owner of the farm, is likened to the overthrown Tsar Nicholas II; and “Boxer,” the horse, stands for the laborer class.

Example #7: Faerie Queen (By Edmund Spenser)

Faerie Queen is an allegory by Edmund Spenser, in which the good characters of the book can be compared to the various virtues, while the bad characters can be compared to vices. For example, “The Red-Cross Knight” represents Holiness, and “Lady Una” Truth, Wisdom, and Goodness. Her parents symbolize the Human Race, and the “Dragon,” which has imprisoned them, stands for Evil.

Function of Comparison

The above examples of comparison help us realize that, in general, writers utilize different kinds of comparison to link an unfamiliar or a new idea to common and familiar objects. It helps readers to comprehend a new idea, which may have been difficult for them to understand otherwise. The understanding of a new idea turns out to be simpler when viewed with a comparison to something that is familiar to them.

In addition, by making use of various literary tools for comparison, writers increase their chances of catching the attention and interest of their readers, as comparisons help them identify what they are reading to their lives.

Common literary devices, such as metaphors and similes, are the building blocks of literature, and what make literature so enchanting. Language evolves through the literary devices in poetry and prose; the different types of figurative language make literature spark in different ways.

Consider this your crash course in common literary devices. Whether you’re studying for the AP Lit exam or looking to improve your creative writing, this article is crammed with literary devices, examples, and analysis.

What are Literary Devices?

• Personification
• Juxtaposition
• Onomatopoeia
• Common Literary Devices in Poetry
• Common Literary Devices in Prose
• Repetition Literary Devices
• Dialogue Literary Devices
• Word Play Literary Devices
• Parallelism Literary Devices
• Rhetorical Devices

Let’s start with the basics. What are literary devices?

Literary devices take writing beyond its literal meaning. They help guide the reader in how to read the piece.

Literary devices are ways of taking writing beyond its straightforward, literal meaning. In that sense, they are techniques for helping guide the reader in how to read the piece.

Central to all literary devices is a quality of connection : by establishing or examining relationships between things, literary devices encourage the reader to perceive and interpret the world in new ways.

One common form of connection in literary devices is comparison. Metaphors and similes are the most obvious examples of comparison. A metaphor is a direct comparison of two things—“the tree is a giant,” for example. A simile is an in direct comparison—“the tree is like a giant.” In both instances, the tree is compared to—and thus connected with—something (a giant) beyond what it literally is (a tree).

Other literary devices forge connections in different ways. For example, imagery, vivid description, connects writing richly to the worlds of the senses. Alliteration uses the sound of words itself to forge new literary connections (“alligators and apples”).

By enabling new connections that go beyond straightforward details and meanings, literary devices give literature its power.

What all these literary devices have in common is that they create new connections: rich layers of sound, sense, emotion, narrative, and ultimately meaning that surpass the literal details being recounted. They are what sets literature apart, and what makes it uniquely powerful.

Read on for an in-depth look and analysis at 112 common literary devices.

Literary Devices List: 14 Common Literary Devices

In this article, we focus on literary devices that can be found in both poetry and prose.

There are a lot of literary devices to cover, each of which require their own examples and analysis. As such, we will start by focusing on common literary devices for this article: literary devices that can be found in both poetry and prose. With each device, we’ve included examples in literature and exercises you can use in your own creative writing.

Afterwards, we’ve listed other common literary devices you might see in poetry, prose, dialogue, and rhetoric.

Let’s get started!

1. Metaphor

Metaphors, also known as direct comparisons, are one of the most common literary devices. A metaphor is a statement in which two objects, often unrelated, are compared to each other.

Example of metaphor: This tree is the god of the forest.

Obviously, the tree is not a god—it is, in fact, a tree. However, by stating that the tree is the god, the reader is given the image of something strong, large, and immovable. Additionally, using “god” to describe the tree, rather than a word like “giant” or “gargantuan,” makes the tree feel like a spiritual center of the forest.

Metaphors allow the writer to pack multiple descriptions and images into one short sentence. The metaphor has much more weight and value than a direct description. If the writer chose to describe the tree as “the large, spiritual center of the forest,” the reader won’t understand the full importance of the tree’s size and scope.

Similes, also known as indirect comparisons, are similar in construction to metaphors, but they imply a different meaning. Like metaphors, two unrelated objects are being compared to each other. Unlike a metaphor, the comparison relies on the words “like” or “as.”

Example of simile: This tree is like the god of the forest. OR: This tree acts as the god of the forest.

What is the difference between a simile and a metaphor?

The obvious difference between these two common literary devices is that a simile uses “like” or “as,” whereas a metaphor never uses these comparison words.

Additionally, in reference to the above examples, the insertion of “like” or “as” creates a degree of separation between both elements of the device. In a simile, the reader understands that, although the tree is certainly large, it isn’t large enough to be a god; the tree’s “godhood” is simply a description, not a relevant piece of information to the poem or story.

Simply put, metaphors are better to use as a central device within the poem/story, encompassing the core of what you are trying to say. Similes are better as a supporting device.

Does that mean metaphors are better than similes? Absolutely not. Consider Louise Gluck’s poem “ The Past. ” Gluck uses both a simile and a metaphor to describe the sound of the wind: it is like shadows moving, but is her mother’s voice. Both devices are equally haunting, and ending the poem on the mother’s voice tells us the central emotion of the poem.

Learn more about the difference between similes and metaphors here:

Simile vs. Metaphor vs. Analogy: Definitions and Examples

Simile and Metaphor Writing Exercise: Tenors and Vehicles

Most metaphors and similes have two parts: the tenor and the vehicle. The tenor refers to the subject being described, and the vehicle refers to the image that describes the tenor.

So, in the metaphor “the tree is a god of the forest,” the tenor is the tree and the vehicle is “god of the forest.”

To practice writing metaphors and similes, let’s create some literary device lists. grab a sheet of paper and write down two lists. In the first list, write down “concept words”—words that cannot be physically touched. Love, hate, peace, war, happiness, and anger are all concepts because they can all be described but are not physical objects in themselves.

In the second list, write down only concrete objects—trees, clouds, the moon, Jupiter, New York brownstones, uncut sapphires, etc.

Your concepts are your tenors, and your concrete objects are your vehicles. Now, randomly draw a one between each tenor and each vehicle, then write an explanation for your metaphor/simile. You might write, say:

Have fun, write interesting literary devices, and try to incorporate them into a future poem or story!

An analogy is an argumentative comparison: it compares two unalike things to advance an argument. Specifically, it argues that two things have equal weight, whether that weight be emotional, philosophical, or even literal. Because analogical literary devices operate on comparison, it can be considered a form of metaphor.

For example:

Making pasta is as easy as one, two, three.

This analogy argues that making pasta and counting upwards are equally easy things. This format, “A is as B” or “A is to B”, is a common analogy structure.

Another common structure for analogy literary devices is “A is to B as C is to D.” For example:

Gordon Ramsay is to cooking as Meryl Streep is to acting.

The above constructions work best in argumentative works. Lawyers and essayists will often use analogies. In other forms of creative writing, analogies aren’t as formulaic, but can still prove to be powerful literary devices. In fact, you probably know this one:

“That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet” — Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare

To put this into the modern language of an analogy, Shakespeare is saying “a rose with no name smells as a rose with a name does.” The name “rose” does not affect whether or not the flower smells good.

Analogy Writing Exercise

Analogies are some of the most common literary devices, alongside similes and metaphors. Here’s an exercise for writing one yourself.

On a blank sheet of paper: write down the first four nouns that come to mind. Try to use concrete, visual nouns. Then, write down a verb. If you struggle to come up with any of these, any old word generator on the internet will help.

The only requirement is that two of your four nouns should be able to perform the verb. A dog can swim, for example, but it can’t fly an airplane.

Your list might look like this:

Verb: Fall Nouns: Rain, dirt, pavement, shadow

An analogy you create from this list might be: “his shadow falls on the pavement how rain falls on the dirt in May.

Your analogy might end up being silly or poetic, strange or evocative. But, by forcing yourself to make connections between seemingly disparate items, you’re using these literary devices to hone the skills of effective, interesting writing.

Is imagery a literary device? Absolutely! Imagery can be both literal and figurative, and it relies on the interplay of language and sensation to create a sharper image in your brain.

Imagery is what it sounds like—the use of figurative language to describe something.

Imagery is what it sounds like—the use of figurative language to describe something. In fact, we’ve already seen imagery in action through the previous literary devices: by describing the tree as a “god”, the tree looks large and sturdy in the reader’s mind.

However, imagery doesn’t just involve visual descriptions; the best writers use imagery to appeal to all five senses. By appealing to the reader’s sense of sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell, your writing will create a vibrant world for readers to live and breathe in.

The best writers use imagery to appeal to all five senses.

Let’s use imagery to describe that same tree. (I promise I can write about more than just trees, but it’s a very convenient image for these common literary devices, don’t you think?)

Notice how these literary device examples also used metaphors and similes? Literary devices often pile on top of each other, which is why so many great works of literature can be analyzed endlessly. Because imagery depends on the object’s likeness to other objects, imagery upholds the idea that a literary device is synonymous with comparison.

Imagery Writing Exercise

Want to try your hand at imagery? You can practice this concept by describing an object in the same way that this article describes a tree! Choose something to write about—any object, image, or idea—and describe it using the five senses. (“This biscuit has the tidy roundness of a lady’s antique hat.” “The biscuit tastes of brand-new cardboard.” and so on!)

Then, once you’ve written five (or more) lines of imagery, try combining these images until your object is sharp and clear in the reader’s head.

Imagery is one of the most essential common literary devices. To learn more about imagery, or to find more imagery writing exercises, take a look at our article Imagery Definition: 5+ Types of Imagery in Literature .

5. Symbolism

Symbolism combines a lot of the ideas presented in metaphor and imagery. Essentially, a symbol is the use of an object to represent a concept—it’s kind of like a metaphor, except more concise!

Symbols are everywhere in the English language, and we often use these common literary devices in speech and design without realizing it. The following are very common examples of symbolism:

A few very commonly used symbols include:

• “Peace” represented by a white dove
• “Love” represented by a red rose
• “Conformity” represented by sheep
• “Idea” represented by a light bulb switching on

The symbols above are so widely used that they would likely show up as clichés in your own writing. (Would you read a poem, written today, that started with “Let’s release the white dove of peace”?) In that sense, they do their job “too well”—they’re such a good symbol for what they symbolize that they’ve become ubiquitous, and you’ll have to add something new in your own writing.

Symbols are often contextually specific as well. For example, a common practice in Welsh marriage is to give your significant other a lovespoon , which the man has designed and carved to signify the relationship’s unique, everlasting bond. In many Western cultures, this same bond is represented by a diamond ring—which can also be unique and everlasting!

Symbolism makes the core ideas of your writing concrete.

Finally, notice how each of these examples are a concept represented by a concrete object. Symbolism makes the core ideas of your writing concrete, and also allows you to manipulate your ideas. If a rose represents love, what does a wilted rose or a rose on fire represent?

Symbolism Writing Exercise

Often, symbols are commonly understood images—but not always. You can invent your own symbols to capture the reader’s imagination, too!

Try your hand at symbolism by writing a poem or story centered around a symbol. Choose a random object, and make that object represent something. For example, you could try to make a blanket represent the idea of loneliness.

When you’ve paired an object and a concept, write your piece with that symbol at the center:

The down blanket lay crumpled, unused, on the empty side of our bed.

The goal is to make it clear that you’re associating the object with the concept. Make the reader feel the same way about your symbol as you do!

6. Personification

Personification, giving human attributes to nonhuman objects, is a powerful way to foster empathy in your readers.

Personification is exactly what it sounds like: giving human attributes to nonhuman objects. Also known as anthropomorphism, personification is a powerful way to foster empathy in your readers.

Think about personification as if it’s a specific type of imagery. You can describe a nonhuman object through the five senses, and do so by giving it human descriptions. You can even impute thoughts and emotions—mental events—to a nonhuman or even nonliving thing. This time, we’ll give human attributes to a car—see our personification examples below!

Personification (using sight): The car ran a marathon down the highway.

Personification (using sound): The car coughed, hacked, and spluttered.

Personification (using touch): The car was smooth as a baby’s bottom.

Personification (using taste): The car tasted the bitter asphalt.

Personification (using smell): The car needed a cold shower.

Personification (using mental events): The car remembered its first owner fondly.

Notice how we don’t directly say the car is like a human—we merely describe it using human behaviors. Personification exists at a unique intersection of imagery and metaphor, making it a powerful literary device that fosters empathy and generates unique descriptions.

Personification Writing Exercise

Try writing personification yourself! In the above example, we chose a random object and personified it through the five senses. It’s your turn to do the same thing: find a concrete noun and describe it like it’s a human.

Here are two examples:

The ancient, threadbare rug was clearly tired of being stepped on.

My phone issued notifications with the grimly efficient extroversion of a sorority chapter president.

Now start writing your own! Your descriptions can be active or passive, but the goal is to foster empathy in the reader’s mind by giving the object human traits.

7. Hyperbole

You know that one friend who describes things very dramatically? They’re probably speaking in hyperboles. Hyperbole is just a dramatic word for being over-dramatic—which sounds a little hyperbolic, don’t you think?

Basically, hyperbole refers to any sort of exaggerated description or statement. We use hyperbole all the time in the English language, and you’ve probably heard someone say things like:

• I’ve been waiting a billion years for this
• I’m so hungry I could eat a horse
• I feel like a million bucks
• You are the king of the kitchen

None of these examples should be interpreted literally: there are no kings in the kitchen, and I doubt anyone can eat an entire horse in one sitting. This common literary device allows us to compare our emotions to something extreme, giving the reader a sense of how intensely we feel something in the moment.

This is what makes hyperbole so fun! Coming up with crazy, exaggerated statements that convey the intensity of the speaker’s emotions can add a personable element to your writing. After all, we all feel our emotions to a certain intensity, and hyperbole allows us to experience that intensity to its fullest.

Hyperbole Writing Exercise

To master the art of the hyperbole, try expressing your own emotions as extremely as possible. For example, if you’re feeling thirsty, don’t just write that you’re thirsty, write that you could drink the entire ocean. Or, if you’re feeling homesick, don’t write that you’re yearning for home, write that your homeland feels as far as Jupiter.

As a specific exercise, you can try writing a poem or short piece about something mundane, using more and more hyperbolic language with each line or sentence. Here’s an example:

A well-written hyperbole helps focus the reader’s attention on your emotions and allows you to play with new images, making it a fun, chaos-inducing literary device.

Is irony a literary device? Yes—but it’s often used incorrectly. People often describe something as being ironic, when really it’s just a moment of dark humor. So, the colloquial use of the word irony is a bit off from its official definition as a literary device.

Irony is when the writer describes something by using opposite language. As a real-life example, if someone is having a bad day, they might say they’re doing “ greaaaaaat ”, clearly implying that they’re actually doing quite un-greatly. Or a story’s narrator might write:

Like most bureaucrats, she felt a boundless love for her job, and was eager to share that good feeling with others.

In other words, irony highlights the difference between “what seems to be” and “what is.” In literature, irony can describe dialogue, but it also describes ironic situations : situations that proceed in ways that are elaborately contrary to what one would expect. A clear example of this is in The Wizard of Oz . All of the characters already have what they are looking for, so when they go to the wizard and discover that they all have brains, hearts, etc., their petition—making a long, dangerous journey to beg for what they already have—is deeply ironic.

Irony Writing Exercise

For verbal irony, try writing a sentence that gives something the exact opposite qualities that it actually has:

The triple bacon cheeseburger glistened with health and good choices.

For situational irony, try writing an imagined plot for a sitcom, starting with “Ben lost his car keys and can’t find them anywhere.” What would be the most ironic way for that situation to be resolved? (Are they sitting in plain view on Ben’s desk… at the detective agency he runs?) Have fun with it!

9. Juxtaposition

Juxtaposition refers to the placement of contrasting ideas next to each other, often to produce an ironic or thought-provoking effect. Writers use juxtaposition in both poetry and prose, though this common literary device looks slightly different within each realm of literature.

In poetry, juxtaposition is used to build tension or highlight an important contrast. Consider the poem “ A Juxtaposition ” by Kenneth Burke, which juxtaposes nation & individual, treble & bass, and loudness & silence. The result is a poem that, although short, condemns the paradox of a citizen trapped in their own nation.

Just a note: these juxtapositions are also examples of antithesis , which is when the writer juxtaposes two completely opposite ideas. Juxtaposition doesn’t have to be completely contrarian, but in this poem, it is.

Juxtaposition accomplishes something similar in prose. A famous example comes from the opening A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of time.” Dickens opens his novel by situating his characters into a world of contrasts, which is apt for the extreme wealth disparities pre-French Revolution.

Juxtaposition Writing Exercise

One great thing about juxtaposition is that it can dismantle something that appears to be a binary. For example, black and white are often assumed to be polar opposites, but when you put them next to each other, you’ll probably get some gray in the middle.

To really master the art of juxtaposition, try finding two things that you think are polar opposites. They can be concepts, such as good & evil, or they can be people, places, objects, etc. Juxtapose your two selected items by starting your writing with both of them—for example:

Across the town from her wedding, the bank robbers were tying up the hostages.

I put the box of chocolates on the coffee table, next to the gas mask.

Then write a poem or short story that explores a “gray area,” relationship, commonality, or resonance between these two objects or events—without stating as much directly. If you can accomplish what Dickens or Burke accomplishes with their juxtapositions, then you, too, are a master!

10. Paradox

A paradox is a juxtaposition of contrasting ideas that, while seemingly impossible, actually reveals a deeper truth. One of the trickier literary devices, paradoxes are powerful tools for deconstructing binaries and challenging the reader’s beliefs.

A simple paradox example comes to us from Ancient Rome.

Catullus 85 ( translated from Latin)

I hate and I love. Why I do this, perhaps you ask. I know not, but I feel it happening and I am tortured.

Often, “hate” and “love” are assumed to be opposing forces. How is it possible for the speaker to both hate and love the object of his affection? The poem doesn’t answer this, merely telling us that the speaker is “tortured,” but the fact that these binary forces coexist in the speaker is a powerful paradox. Catullus 85 asks the reader to consider the absoluteness of feelings like hate and love, since both seem to torment the speaker equally.

Another paradox example comes from Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest.

“To be natural is such a very difficult pose to keep up.”

Here, “natural” and “pose” are conflicting ideas. Someone who poses assumes an unnatural state of being, whereas a natural poise seems effortless and innate. Despite these contrasting ideas, Wilde is exposing a deeper truth: to seem natural is often to keep up appearances, and seeming natural often requires the same work as assuming any other pose.

Note: paradox should not be confused with oxymoron. An oxymoron is also a statement with contrasting ideas, but a paradox is assumed to be true, whereas an oxymoron is merely a play on words (like the phrase “same difference”).

Paradox Writing Exercise

Paradox operates very similarly to literary devices like juxtaposition and irony. To write a paradox, juxtapose two binary ideas. Try to think outside of the box here: “hate and love” are an easy binary to conjure, so think about something more situational. Wilde’s paradox “natural and pose” is a great one; another idea could be the binaries “awkward and graceful” or “red-handed and innocent.”

Now, situate those binaries into a certain situation, and make it so that they can coexist. Imagine a scenario in which both elements of your binary are true at the same time. How can this be, and what can we learn from this surprising juxtaposition?

11. Allusion

If you haven’t noticed, literary devices are often just fancy words for simple concepts. A metaphor is literally a comparison and hyperbole is just an over-exaggeration. In this same style, allusion is just a fancy word for a literary reference; when a writer alludes to something, they are either directly or indirectly referring to another, commonly-known piece of art or literature.

The most frequently-alluded to work is probably the Bible. Many colloquial phrases and ideas stem from it, since many themes and images from the Bible present themselves in popular works, as well as throughout Western culture. Any of the following ideas, for example, are Biblical allusions:

• Referring to a kind stranger as a Good Samaritan
• Describing an ideal place as Edenic, or the Garden of Eden
• Saying someone “turned the other cheek” when they were passive in the face of adversity
• When something is described as lasting “40 days and 40 nights,” in reference to the flood of Noah’s Ark

Of course, allusion literary devices aren’t just Biblical. You might describe a woman as being as beautiful as the Mona Lisa, or you might call a man as stoic as Hemingway.

Why write allusions? Allusions appeal to common experiences: they are metaphors in their own right, as we understand what it means to describe an ideal place as Edenic.

Like the other common literary devices, allusions are often metaphors, images, and/or hyperboles. And, like other literary devices, allusions also have their own sub-categories.

Allusion Writing Exercise

See how densely you can allude to other works and experiences in writing about something simple. Go completely outside of good taste and name-drop like crazy:

Allusions (way too much version): I wanted Nikes, not Adidas, because I want to be like Mike. But still, “a rose by any other name”—they’re just shoes, and “if the shoe fits, wear it.”

From this frenetic style of writing, trim back to something more tasteful:

Allusions (more tasteful version): I had wanted Nikes, not Adidas—but “if the shoe fits, wear it.”

12. Allegory

An allegory is a story whose sole purpose is to represent an abstract concept or idea. As such, allegories are sometimes extended allusions, but the two common literary devices have their differences.

For example, George Orwell’s Animal Farm is an allegory for the deterioration of Communism during the early establishment of the U.S.S.R. The farm was founded on a shared goal of overthrowing the farming elite and establishing an equitable society, but this society soon declines. Animal Farm mirrors the Bolshevik Revolution, the overthrow of the Russian aristocracy, Lenin’s death, Stalin’s execution of Trotsky, and the nation’s dissolution into an amoral, authoritarian police state. Thus, Animal Farm is an allegory/allusion to the U.S.S.R.:

Allusion (excerpt from Animal Farm ):

“There were times when it seemed to the animals that they worked longer hours and fed no better than they had done in [Farmer] Jones’s day.”

However, allegories are not always allusions. Consider Plato’s “ Allegory of the Cave ,” which represents the idea of enlightenment. By representing a complex idea, this allegory could actually be closer to an extended symbol rather than an extended allusion.

Allegory Writing Exercise

Pick a major trend going on in the world. In this example, let’s pick the growing reach of social media as our “major trend.”

Next, what are the primary properties of that major trend? Try to list them out:

• More connectedness
• A loss of privacy
• People carefully massaging their image and sharing that image widely

Next, is there something happening at—or that could happen at—a much smaller scale that has some or all of those primary properties? This is where your creativity comes into play.

Well… what if elementary school children not only started sharing their private diaries, but were now expected to share their diaries? Let’s try writing from inside that reality:

I know Jennifer McMahon made up her diary entry about how much she misses her grandma. The tear smudges were way too neat and perfect. Anyway, everyone loved it. They photocopied it all over the bulletin boards and they even read it over the PA, and Jennifer got two extra brownies at lunch.

Try your own! You may find that you’ve just written your own Black Mirror episode.

13. Ekphrasis

Ekphrasis refers to a poem or story that is directly inspired by another piece of art. Ekphrastic literature often describes another piece of art, such as the classic “ Ode on a Grecian Urn ”:

O Attic shape! Fair attitude! with brede Of marble men and maidens overwrought, With forest branches and the trodden weed; Thou, silent form, dost tease us out of thought As doth eternity: Cold Pastoral! When old age shall this generation waste, Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say’st, “Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.”

Ekphrasis can be considered a direct allusion because it borrows language and images from other artwork. For a great example of ekphrasis—as well as a submission opportunity for writers!—check out the monthly ekphrastic challenge that Rattle Poetry runs.

Ekphrasis writing exercise

Try your hand at ekphrasis by picking a piece of art you really enjoy and writing a poem or story based off of it. For example, you could write a story about Mona Lisa having a really bad day, or you could write a black-out poem created from the lyrics of your favorite song.

Or, try Rattle ‘s monthly ekphrastic challenge ! All art inspires other art, and by letting ekphrasis guide your next poem or story, you’re directly participating in a greater artistic and literary conversation.

14. Onomatopoeia

Flash! Bang! Wham! An onomatopoeia is a word that sounds like the noise it describes. Conveying both a playfulness of language and a serious representation of everyday sounds, onomatopoeias draw the reader into the sensations of the story itself.

Onomatopoeia words are most often used in poetry and in comic books, though they certainly show up in works of prose as well. Some onomatopoeias can be found in the dictionary, such as “murmur,” “gargle,” and “rumble,” “click,” and “vroom.” However, writers make up onomatopoeia words all the time, so while the word “ptoo” definitely sounds like a person spitting, you won’t find it in Merriam Webster’s.

Here’s an onomatopoeia example, from the poem “Honky Tonk in Cleveland, Ohio” by Carl Sandburg .

The onomatopoeias have been highlighted in bold. These common literary devices help make your writing fresh, interesting, and vivid, creating a sonic setting that the reader can fall into.

Learn more about onomatopoeias here!

Onomatopoeia Writing Exercise

Onomatopoeias are fun literary devices to use in your work, so have fun experimenting with them. In this exercise, take a moment to listen to the noises around you. Pay close attention to the whir of electronics, the fzzzzzzz of the heater, the rumbling of cars on the street, or the tintintintintin of rain on the roof.

Whatever you hear, convert those sounds into onomatopoeias. Make a list of those sounds. Try to use a mix of real words and made up ones: the way you represent noise in language can have a huge impact on your writing style .

Do this for 5 to 10 minutes, and when you have a comprehensive list of the sounds you hear, write a poem or short story that uses every single word you’ve written down.

If you built your political campaign off of wordplay, would you be punning for president?

A pun is a literary device that plays with the sounds and meanings of words to produce new, often humorous ideas. For example, let’s say you used too much butter in your recipe, and it ruined the dish. You might joke that you were “outside the margarine of error,” which is a play on the words “margin of error.”

Puns have a rich literary history, and famous writers like Shakespeare and Charles Dickens, as well as famous texts like The Bible, have used puns to add depth and gravity to their words.

Pun Writing Exercise

Jot down a word or phrase that you commonly use. If you’re not sure of what to write down, take a look at this list of English idioms . For example, I might borrow the phrase “blow off steam,” which means to let out your anger.

Take any saying, and play around with the sounds and meanings of the words in that saying. Then, incorporate the new phrase you’ve created into a sentence that allows for the double meaning of the phrase. Here’s two examples:

If I play with the sound of the words, I might come up with “blowing off stream.” Then, I would put that into a sentence that plays with the original meaning of the phrase. Like: “Did you hear about the river boat that got angry and went off course? It was blowing off stream.”

Or, I might play with the meanings of words. For example, I might take the word “blowing” literally, and write the following: “someone who cools down their tea when they’re angry is blowing off steam.”

Searching for ways to add double meanings and challenge the sounds of language will help you build fresh, exciting puns. Learn more about these common literary devices in our article on puns in literature .

16–27. Common Literary Devices in Poetry

The following 12 devices apply to both poetry and prose writers, but they appear most often in verse. Learn more about:

• Metonymy/Synecdoche
• Alliteration
• Consonance/Assonance
• Euphony/Cacophony

12 Literary Devices in Poetry: Identifying Poetic Devices

28–37. Common Literary Devices in Prose

The following 10 devices show up in verse, but are far more prevalent in prose. Learn more about:

• Parallel Plot
• Foreshadowing
• In Media Res
• Dramatic Irony

10 Important Literary Devices in Prose: Examples & Analysis

38–48. Repetition Literary Devices

Though they have uncommon names, these common literary devices are all forms of repetition.

• Anadiplosis
• Anaphora (prose)
• Antanaclasis
• Antimetabole
• Antistrophe
• Epanalepsis

Repetition Definition: Types of Repetition in Poetry and Prose

49–57. Dialogue Literary Devices

While these literary elements pertain primarily to dialogue, writers use euphemisms, idioms, and neologisms all the time in their work.

• Colloquialism

How to Write Dialogue in a Story

58–67. Word Play Literary Devices

The following literary devices push language to the limits. Have fun with these!

• Double Entendre
• Malapropism
• Paraprosdokian
• Portmanteau

Word Play: Examples of a Play on Words

68–72. Parallelism Literary Devices

Parallelism is a stylistic device where a sentence is composed of equally weighted items. In essence, parallel structure allows form to echo content. Learn all about this essential stylistic literary device below.

• Grammatical parallelism
• Rhetorical parallelism
• Synthetic parallelism
• Antithetical parallelism
• Synonymous parallelism

Parallelism Definition: Writing With Parallel Structure

73–112. Rhetorical Devices

Rhetorical devices are literary devices intended to persuade the reader of something. You might have heard of ethos, pathos, and logos, but do you know your aposiopesis from your hyperbaton?

Many literary devices can also be considered rhetorical devices. After all, a metaphor can convince you of something just as well as a syllogism. Nonetheless, the following 40 rhetorical/literary devices will sharpen your style, argumentation, and writing abilities.

• Anacoluthon
• Polysyndeton
• Procatalepsis
• Reductio ad Absurdum
• Amplification
• Antiphrasis
• Overstatement
• Adnomination
• Aposiopesis
• Circumlocution

Common Rhetorical Devices List: The Art of Argument

Master These Common Literary Devices With Writers.com!

The instructors at Writers.com are masters of literary devices. Through masterful instruction and personal expertise, our instructors can help you add, refine, and improve your literary devices, helping you craft great works of literature. Check out our upcoming courses , and join our writing community on Facebook !

Sean Glatch

100 comments.

Very nice the litrery divices

Brilliant litery devices

Love this article thank you

Good literary devices

My stoonts confess to having trouble with “poultry”.

I love this literary term it help a lot

thank you this was life-changing

Broaden the vucablry it does

Very effectively and simply elaborated

I am trying think of the specific literary structure based on loosely assembled episodes set within the framework of a journey: it is not quixotic, peripatetic, itinerant…always on the tip of my tongue. Help!

enjoyed this (and learned some new things, too). HB

Wow, very educating and nice! Quite helpful

It is very nice visiting this site.

This was put together profoundly; thank you! As a writer, you can never learn enough. I will begin incorporating these into my stories. Words can’t express how helpful this was, and it was very efficiently put together as well, so kudos to that!

I’m so happy this article helped you, Jalen! Happy writing!

Thank you for this article! It really helped a lot! hands up to the good samaritan of understanding literature :D.

But I would have one last question: Would any sort of intertextuality be considered an Allusion? (Also when you refer to the author for example?)

Great questions! That’s a great way to think about allusion–any sort of intertextuality is indeed allusive. In fact, your use of “Good Samaritan” is an allusion to the Bible, even if you didn’t mean it to be!

And yes, because an allusion is anything referential, then a reference to another author also counts as an allusion. Of course, it can’t be directly stated: “She’s reading Shakespeare” doesn’t count, but “She worships the Immortal Bard” would be an allusion. (It’s also an allusion to the story of the same name by Isaac Asimov).

I’m glad to hear our article was helpful. Happy reading!

This will help! Thanks!

There is also Onomatopoeia, you can make the list 45

This article really helped me, the techniques are amazing, and the detail is incredible. Thank you for taking your time to write this!

I’m so glad this was helpful, Gwen! Happy writing!

this was useful 🙂 thanks

I love personification; you can do so much with it.

Hi, I’m really sorry but I am still confused with juxtaposition.

Hi Nate! Juxtaposition simply describes when contrasting ideas are placed next to each other. The effect of juxtaposition depends on the ideas that are being juxtaposed, but the point is to surprise or provoke the reader.

Take, for example, the opening line of Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy: “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”

Here, happy and unhappy families are being juxtaposed, and the contrast between the two is meant to provoke the reader and highlight the differences between those families. This juxtaposition sets up the novel as a whole, which often discusses themes of family and happiness (among many other themes).

I hope this helps!

very nice indeed

[…] 33 Common Literary Devices: Definitions, Examples, and Exercises […]

[…] 44 Common Literary Devices: Definitions, Examples, and Exercises […]

Thanks a lot for this it was really nice, good and fun to read it and it was really helpful for me as a student👔so please keep up with the good work 😉🌹💖😚😍💝💞💐

VERY GOOD READ I LOVED IT SO MUCH YAY QUEEEEEEEENNNNNN

Really helping. It’s a wonderful article

O mother Ghana, teach your children to change their negative attitudes towards you and what you have Please which literary device is this?

The device employed here is called apostrophe, which is when the writer addresses something not actually present for literary effect. Read more about it at this link .

This was very effective towards my writing and my family really enoyed seeing how much I had learnt. Thanks a lot.

so irony is literally sarcasm then

Sometimes! Sarcasm is a form of verbal irony.

Verbal irony occurs when a person intentionally says the opposite of what they mean. For example, you might say “I’m having the best day ever” after getting hit by a car.

Sarcasm is the use of verbal irony with the intent of mocking someone or something. You might say “Good going, genius” to someone who made a silly mistake, implying they’re not a genius at all.

Hope that makes sense!

Love this article! I used to struggle in my literature class, but after reading though this article, I certainly improved! Thanks! However, I have one question I really need your help with- Can I assume that a phrase which is the slightest bit plausible, a hyperbole? For example, a young elementary student who is exceptionally talented in basketball, to such an extent that he was quite famous nation-wide, said that he would be the next Lebron James although he was still very young. Would this be considered as a hyperbole? It would be great if you can help me with this.

That’s a great question! Although that claim is certainly exaggerated, it probably wouldn’t be hyperbole, because the child believes it to be true. A hyperbole occurs when the writer makes an exaggerated statement that they know to be false–e.g. “I’ve been waiting a billion years for this.”

Of course, if the child is self-aware and knows they’re just being cheeky, then it would be hyperbole, but I get the sense that the child genuinely believes they’re the next Lebron. 🙂

I’m glad this article has helped you in your literature class!

That makes a lot of sense, thanks for your reply!

Sorry, I have another question related to hyperbole. This is an extract from Animal Farm:

“Squealer was sent to make the necessary explanation to the others. ‘Comrades!’ he cried. ‘You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege? Many of us actually dislike milk and apples. I dislike them myself. Our sole object in taking these things is to preserve our health. Milk and apples (this has been proved by Science, comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well being of a pig. We pigs are brain-workers. The whole management and organisation of this farm depend on us. Day and night we are watching over your welfare. It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples. Do you know what would happen if we pigs failed in our duty? Jones would come back! Yes, Jones would come back! Surely, comrades,’ cried Squealer almost pleadingly, skipping from side to side and whisking his tail, ‘surely there is no one among you who wants to see Jones come back?’ Now if there was one thing that the animals were completely certain of, it was that they did not want Jones back. When it was put to them in this light, they had no more to say. The importance of keeping the pigs in good health was all too obvious.”

May I know if the speech made by Squealer in this extract is a hyperbole, gaslight (I’m not sure if this is a literary device), or some other device(s)? I know this is very wordy so you can take your time, no rush.

(I am doing a chapter analysis of chapter 3 in Animal Farm)

By the way, if you have written any other articles, please let me know! I would like to read them, thanks!

Take a look at writers.com/writing-tips for our archive on the craft of writing!

It wouldn’t be hyperbole, as a hyperbole is usually a word or phrase, not an entire passage of text. It’s better to analyze this passage in terms of its rhetorical strategies: Squealer is appealing to nebulous ideas like Science and the return of Jones–appeals to logos and pathos, despite there being a lack of evidence.

These strategies are logical fallacies: arguments that are easily disproven through reasoning, but which often resonate when people don’t employ critical thinking. Some of the fallacies here are “appeal to fear” and the “false dilemma” that Jones will return if the pigs don’t eat apples and milk (this is also a “red herring”).

I can’t provide much more help than this, as I don’t want to write your assignment for you, but I’m happy to point you in this direction, because understanding how logical fallacies are abused is essential to being an informed reader and citizen. 🙂

Ok, thanks for your reply!

Thank you! I am studying for an English final and this was a life saver!

My pleasure, Isla, good luck on your final!

I have a literature exam coming up,so this was much needed.Thank you!

Indeed this has been of great help to me.

I am so greatful of this website it really helps me a lot about myself and my family

This is awesome

This website is very useful to understand litery devices…

thanks it was helpful

Hi what is the name of the literary device where you name a character after their personality eg. Mr Knighley, Miss honey or Miss Trunchball? Thank you

That’s called an “aptronym”!

Mind blowing indeed. I had no idea there were so many names for patterns I hear people use with words. This lis is great as is. I am using it to probe further into what they are. I would only suggest that if the time ever allowed for someone to provide a brief detail or definition to each it would save a lot of time for many like me. None the less, I am grateful for the work provided. Thank you.

It awesome and amazing

It is personification as well as apostrophe, as Sean suggested. Ghana (the nation, I am assuming) is personified as a mother who is able to teach her citizens (children) to change their negative attitudes towards her.

Helped alot😊

This has truly helped me alot. Definitely great

Thanks so much, I never knew the list to this was as tall as everest, way back in school I didn’t take lit lessons serious and forgot everything til it came to mind to revise these devices And here google landed me, and thanks again so much.

This is awesome,it truly help me alot

It was great fun I had an amazing time doing the literary exercises and they helped so much. They really expanded my knowledge of the entire topic it was a wonderful thing to read, it will definitely help me with any English essay I have in the future.

It was very helpful. I must say that I have a better understanding of these literary devices. It was wonderful reading them.

I am overjoyed in knowing that we have different types of literary devices in literature. Thank you for this interesting article.

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Thank you so much, I was literarily dying because of my English final!! I needed all these literal devices.

This article has really elevated me in the world of Literature.Thanks sir

This information is very important to me in my education . Thank you very much.

The articles are well written and the concepts well explained to the understanding of a beginner. The simplified way the author explained every term makes the article not only an interesting read but also a good note for teaching.

The litrarery device is the best way to get a knowledge in education

I liked it and the English is understandable

Can Dystopia be considered a kind of literary device?

Thank you so much for this! It helped me get ready for my English exam.

Best of luck on your exam, Olive!

Thank you so much! I learned so much that I can use in my upcoming assignments for writing.

Thank you so much . I learned so much understanding of my semester exams

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[…] https://writers.com/common-literary-devices […]

Great definition and examples

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[…] 112 Common Literary Devices: Definitions, Examples, and Exercises […]

This was Uber helpful! BUT, I do wish that we got more examples, and I can see why you made it shorter. If you put examples for all of them, then this would be really long.

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Thanks for sharing a huge list of literary devices. Very helpful article.

Very much appreciated and greatest work for those who are interested in learning literature. Thanks a lot.

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English Studies

This website is dedicated to English Literature, Literary Criticism, Literary Theory, English Language and its teaching and learning.

Comparison: Using in Writing

“Reality seems valueless by comparison with the dreams of fevered imaginations; reality is therefore abandoned.” Emile Durkheim.

Introduction

Table of Contents

Comparison is a literary device writers use to show the nuances of complex ideas, characters, or situations. Through juxtaposing two distinct objects, authors try to reveal their similarities and differences, providing readers with clear understanding of the object compared.

This device not only aids in clarifying complex concepts but also fills the narrative with vivid imagery and emotional resonance. By drawing parallels between disparate elements, authors evoke powerful reactions from their audience.

This is how comparison serves as an indispensable tool for writers to shed light their subject matter and engage readers on emotional level and academic level.

Creating comparisons in a fictional work helps to add depth and complexity to characters, themes, and settings. Here are some tips for creating effective comparisons in your writing:

Benefits of Comparison

1. Clarity and Understanding:

• Clear Visual Representation: Comparisons provide a tangible and relatable image that helps readers grasp abstract concepts more easily.
• Enhanced Comprehension: Complex ideas become simpler to understand when compared to familiar or concrete objects.

2. Engaging and Captivating:

• Reader Engagement: Comparisons pique readers’ curiosity by drawing parallels between seemingly unrelated subjects, keeping them interested.
• Emotional Connection: Well-crafted comparisons evoke emotions, making the content more emotionally resonant and memorable.

3. Effective Communication:

• Simplification of Complex Ideas: Comparisons break down intricate concepts into digestible parts, making them accessible to a wider audience.
• Universal Language: Comparisons bridge language barriers and cultural differences, conveying messages that transcend boundaries.

4. Vivid Imagery:

• Immersive Description: Comparisons use sensory details to create vivid mental images, allowing readers to immerse themselves in the text.
• Memorable Descriptions: Striking comparisons leave a lasting impression in the reader’s mind due to their imaginative and unique nature.

5. Emotion Elicitation:

• Emotional Impact: Well-chosen comparisons trigger emotional responses, eliciting empathy and resonance in readers.
• Atmosphere Establishment: Comparisons set the tone and mood of the content by associating subjects with particular feelings or atmospheres.

6. Enhanced Persuasion:

• Analogies for Persuasion: Comparisons can be used as persuasive tools by aligning the reader’s existing beliefs with the writer’s viewpoint.
• Visualizing Benefits: Through comparisons, readers can better understand the benefits of a certain idea, product, or concept.

7. Increased Memorability:

• Memorable Mental Hooks: Unique and creative comparisons serve as mental hooks that help readers retain information for longer periods.
• Aiding Recall: Readers are more likely to remember content that features engaging comparisons due to the visual and emotional impact.

8. Cognitive Engagement:

• Intellectual Stimulation: Comparisons encourage critical thinking by prompting readers to explore connections and analyze differences.
• Active Participation: Readers actively engage with the content as they process and evaluate the validity of the comparison.

9. Expressive Writing:

• Creative Expression: Comparisons offer writers a versatile tool for conveying thoughts and emotions in a more imaginative and expressive manner.
• Style and Voice: Authors can establish a unique writing style by employing comparisons that reflect their individual voices.

10. Highlighting Contrasts and Similarities:

• Contrast Illumination: Comparisons emphasize differences between subjects, helping readers identify distinctions that might have been overlooked.
• Common Ground Identification: By highlighting shared traits, comparisons enable readers to recognize connections and similarities.

11. Attention Retention:

• Reader Focus: Effective comparisons maintain the readers’ attention by providing intriguing points of reference throughout the content.
• Avoiding Monotony: Varied comparisons prevent content from becoming monotonous, adding dynamic and engaging elements.

12. Cultural and Contextual Relevance:

• Cultural Understanding: Appropriate comparisons grounded in cultural references enhance relatability and understanding for diverse audiences.
• Contextual Application: Comparisons tailored to specific contexts ensure that the intended message is well-received and relevant.

Using comparisons in your writing offers a multitude of advantages that contribute to better communication, reader engagement, and impactful expression.Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Comparison and Literary Theory

Suggested Readings

• Brooks, Cleanth. The Well Wrought Urn: Studies in the Structure of Poetry . Harcourt, Brace & World, 1947.
• Eliot, T.S. The Sacred Wood: Essays on Poetry and Criticism . Methuen, 1920.
• Hirsch, E.D. Jr. Valid Interpretation: Perspectives on Meaning in the Arts . Yale University Press, 1967.
• Miller, J. Hillis. On Literature . Routledge, 2002.
• Poe, Edgar Allan. “The Philosophy of Composition.” Graham’s Magazine , vol. 28, no. 4, 1846, pp. 163-167.
• S hklovsky, Viktor. “Art as Technique.” Russian Formalist Criticism: Four Essays , translated by Lee T. Lemon and Marion J. Reis, University of Nebraska Press, 1965, pp. 3-24.
• Wimsatt, W.K., and Monroe C. Beardsley. The Verbal Icon: Studies in the Meaning of Poetry . University Press of Kentucky, 2011.
• Wood, James. How Fiction Works . Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008.

Related posts:

• Onomatopoeia: A Literary Device

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8.6: Comparing and Contrasting Literature

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• Heather Ringo & Athena Kashyap
• City College of San Francisco via ASCCC Open Educational Resources Initiative

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Compare and Contrast Essay Basics

The Compare and Contrast Essay is a literary analysis essay, but, instead of examining one work, it examines two or more works. These works must be united by a common theme or thesis statement. For example, while a literary analysis essay might explore the significance of ghosts in William Shakespeare's Hamlet, a compare/contrast essay might explore the significance of the supernatural in Hamlet and Macbeth .

Literary Analysis Thesis Statement:

While Horatio seems to think the ghost of Old Hamlet is a demon trying to lead Hamlet to death, and Gertrude and Claudius think it is a figment of Hamlet's insanity, Hamlet's status as an unreliable narrator and the ghost actually symbolizes the oppression of Catholics during Shakespeare's time period.

Compare and Contrast Thesis Statement:

The unreliable narrators paired with the ghosts in both Hamlet and Macbeth symbolize the oppression of Catholics in Shakespeare's time period.

Essay Genre Expectations

• Use first-person pronouns sparingly (you, me, we, our)
• Avoid colloquialisms
• Spell out contractions
• Use subject-specific terminology, such as naming literary devices
• Texts: two or more
• Avoid summary. Aim for analysis and interpretation
• MLA formatting and citations

Organization

While the literary analysis essay follows a fairly simple argumentative essay structure, the compare and contrast essay is slightly more complicated. It might be arranged by:

• Literary work (the block method)
• Topics/subtopics (the point-by-point method)

In general, ensure each paragraph supports the thesis statement and that both literary works receive equal attention. Include as many body paragraphs as needed to build your argument.

First Option for Organization: The Block Method

In this first option for organization, you will need to discuss both literary works in the introduction and thesis statement, but then the body of the paper will be divided in half. The first half of the body paragraphs should focus on one literary work, while the second half of the body paragraphs should focus on the other literary work.

• Background of topic
• Background of works related to topic
• Thesis Statement
• Topic sentence
• Introduction of evidence
• Evidence from the first literary work
• Explanation of evidence
• Analysis of evidence
• Evidence from the second literary work
• Restatement of thesis in new words
• Summary of essay arguments

Second Option for Organization: The Point-by-Point Method

With this second option for organization, you may decide to write about both literary works within the same body paragraph every time, or you may choose to consistently alternate back and forth between the literary works in separate body paragraphs.

• Evidence from both literary works

10 Literary Devices That Use Comparison

Literary devices that compare things help us understand one thing by relating it to something else. These devices make descriptions clearer and more vivid. Here are some common literary devices that compare things:

A simile compares two different things by using the words “like” or “as.” It shows how one thing resembles another. It helps to portray a clearer picture in the mind of the readers.

Example : He eats like a bird.

Example in literature

“like water for chocolate” by laura esquivel.

“Her face was like a porcelain plate.”

This simile depicts the character’s face equal to porcelain plate, which imports it being very smooth, pure and unimprenable. The contrast demonstrates the crystal transparent reflection of her delicate beauty and conveys the innuendos of her fragility, which might be subtly inclined aid to visually perceive.

See also: Simile vs Metaphor

2- Metaphor

A metaphor directly states that one thing is another, helping to draw a stronger connection between two ideas.

Example : Time is a thief.

“To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee

“The townspeople are the caterpillar in a cocoon, waiting to break out.”

By using analogy, the inhabitants of that town are equated to the caterpillar in the cocoon. The question raises is whether they are presently in a transformation period which may signify that things may change and they may potentially develop. The metaphor reflects the social and moral aspects of the town changing over the course of this novel. The town witnesses a number of changes, starting off as an innocent, unengaged community and ending up as a new, self-governing people.

An analogy makes a comparison between two things for the purpose of explanation or clarification. It is more detailed than a simile or a metaphor.

Example : Just as a sword is the weapon of a warrior, a pen is the weapon of a writer.

“The Fault in Our Stars” by John Green

“You can love someone so much…But you can never love people as much as you can miss them.”

Here, the analogy makes a comparison between loving someone and missing them. It highlights that the intensity of someone can be stronger and more dominant than even the feelings of love when one is not there. It adds emotional depth to the characters’ relationships and highlights the consequences of loss and separation.

4- Personification

Personification gives human traits to non-human or inanimate objects. This can also be seen as a type of comparison, comparing qualities of a person to something non-human.

Example : The wind whispered through the trees.

“1984” by George Orwell

“The clock struck thirteen.”

The writer extends human ability into clock. It is unnatural as clocks are not capable of doing such action. Striking thirteen is not just an indirect way to personify the clock, but also to highlight the novel theme of classically useless and oppressive time mode by implying that time works in awe-inspiring manner in a totalitarian regime.

5- Hyperbole

Hyperbole uses extreme exaggeration to make a point or show emphasis. It compares the actual situation to something much more dramatic to highlight real feelings or effects.

Example: I have told you a million times.

“The Adventures of Pinocchio” by Carlo Collodi

“He cried so much that his tears filled the room to the brim.”

The use of hyperbole amplifies the volume of Pinocchio tears, compelling him to think that the reason must be the great depth of his feeling or repentance. The overtones statement upgrades the scene emotional weight and stress the fact of his acts and situations that he finds himself.

6- Allegory

An allegory is an extended metaphor where characters, events, and details within a story can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically moral, political, or spiritual.

“Animal Farm” by George Orwell

“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”

The quote represents the corruption and hypocrisy of politics following the Russian Revolution, which was electrified by the author’s personal experience. In that comparison, it reveals that all animals have the equal quality, and it is just a myth but in the real life of Soviet that someone (pigs) misinterpreted the quality to use it as upper class and the heroes are like those Soviet leaders.

7- Allusion

An allusion is a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing, or idea of historical, cultural, literary, or political significance. It does not describe in detail the person or thing to which it refers. It is just a passing comment.

Example : He was a real Romeo with the ladies.

“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot

“No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be.”

Here, the writer depicts the speaker, Prufrock, the way that was the prince of Denmark. By such a comparison Prufrock shows his emotions which tell us about his passivity and passenger-ship, which contrasts him with the tragic and decisive Hamlet’s figure.

8- Symbolism

Symbolism uses symbols, be they words, people, marks, locations, or abstract ideas to represent something beyond the literal. It often compares and connects deeper meanings with everyday objects.

“The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald

“Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us.”

The use of green light is symbolism of Gatsby’s hopes and dreams regarding the future that will be mainly with Daisy. Through the image of a physical light Daisy’s dock it reminds Germans that an attainable, ideal that they are pursuing, is impossible.

9- Juxtaposition

Juxtaposition places two elements close together or describes them together, to highlight contrasts or similarities. This comparison often aims to create surprise or irony.

Example : It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

“A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”

Dickens underlies the open chapter of the novel by the grouping of contrasts depicting the society of two countries during the French Revolution. The point is that it’s the extremes—the rich and the poor, peace and the conflict, hopes and the despair which people lived with.

10- Synecdoche

Synecdoche is a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa. This form of comparison allows an entire idea or concept to be expressed by something much smaller.

Example : “All hands on deck.”

“Moby Dick” by Herman Melville

“Ahab and all his boat’s crew seemed asleep but the Parsee.”

In the novel, Melville employs tactic of synecdoche in several instances, like crew referred to as boat, or boat and its parts stand for the ship. 

This usage suggests the scene more vividly by comparing the part (the boat’s crew) to the whole (everyone aboard the ship). It focuses on the microcosm within the macrocosm of the Pequod.

Final Words

These devices enrich writing by making connections that are easy to understand or that add depth to the description. By using similes, metaphors, analogies, personifications, and hyperboles, writers can create memorable and engaging content that resonates with their readers.

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• LiteratureApp
• Literary devices

Definition of Comparison

As a literary device, comparison is a broad term for any act of describing the relationship between two things or more things. These things (whether people, actions, intangible concepts, places, etc) may be alike or different to any degree. Through comparison, an author may show new connections that the reader may not have thought of, or may make an unfamiliar thing more familiar. There are many more specific types of comparison, as we will see below.

The word comparison comes from the Latin word comparare , which means “to pair, match.”

Types of Comparisons

• —Another umbrella term, similar to the definition of comparison, referring to any comparison that explores the similarities or differences between two things.
• —Placing two concepts, characters, ideas, etc., near each other so that the reader makes comparisons between them and perhaps contrasts them as well.
• —Comparing two things without the use of “like” or “as;” asserting that one thing is another, such as “My love is an ocean.”
• —Comparing two things with the conjunction “like” or “as,” such as “My love was like an ocean.”
• Pun —Using comparison to creative cognitive links in a humorous way, for example, “I’m glad I know sign language, it’s pretty handy.”
• —An that carries throughout an entire piece of literature that compares the situation in the story to a real-life situation.

Common Examples of Comparison

We use comparisons all the time in the real world and in everyday speech. Comparisons help us understand the world around us because we can either explain unfamiliar things through already known entities, or complicate familiar things by describing them in new ways that thus creates cognitive links. Examples of comparison abound, and are found in each of the following cases:

• “Have you met my friend Janet? She’s exactly like your sister, except more dramatic.”
• “This new young adult novel is like Harry Potter meets Titanic.”
• “Come on now, quick as a bunny.”
• “The little red dress is the new little black dress this season when it comes to Hollywood glamour.”
• “Wearing white after Labor Day would be a sin of epic proportions.”

Significance of Comparison in Literature

Comparisons play an important role in just about any work of literature imaginable, as they are a primary function of the brain. It is through comparisons that we learn and map out the world. Even the simple act of naming things requires comparison in the brain—we refer, for example, to many different-looking objects as “chair” because we can compare them in our minds and realize they all have the same general function. Comparisons are especially important in literature because authors are creating a new world for the reader to understand and become interested in, and authors must show how this new, fictive world is similar and dissimilar from the one the reader lives in (even if the work of literature is completely realistic). Writers also may use comparisons to make their lines more poetic.

Examples of Comparison in Literature

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate. Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date. Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimmed; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance, or nature’s changing course, untrimmed; But thy eternal summer shall not fade,

(“ 18” by William Shakespeare)

William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18” includes one of the famous examples of comparison in literature. The speaker asks explicitly if he should compare his beloved to “a summer’s day,” and goes on to do so. He finds the summer’s day inadequate as a comparison for his beloved, insisting that “thou art more lovely and more temperate.” This comparison works to show the speaker’s all-encompassing love.

Something there is that doesn’t love a wall, That wants it down.’ I could say ‘Elves’ to him, But it’s not elves exactly, and I’d rather He said it for himself. I see him there Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed.

(“Mending Wall” by Robert Frost)

Robert Frost uses many examples of comparisons in his poetry in order to create stronger . In this excerpt from “Mending Wall,” the speaker and his neighbor walk along the wall that divides them, trying to put it back together. While the neighbor likes this wall, and affirms that “good fences make good neighbors,” the speaker is suspicious of this premise. The speaker uses the simile of his neighbor looking like “an old-stone savage armed,” which creates a sense that the neighbor is more like a caveman than a modern human, and that his opinions are similarly outdated.

Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter—tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther…. And then one fine morning— So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.

( The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald)

This excerpt from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic The Great Gatsby comprises the final few lines of the novel. There is a strong sense of nostalgia that Fitzgerald relates through this ending. He does this by creating the metaphor of the characters trying to travel into the future against a current that pulls them back into reflections on their past. This example of comparison is an excellent metaphor in that in describes the familiar relationship of trying to row against the current with a more intangible experience.

TOM: But the wonderfullest trick of all was the coffin trick. We nailed him into a coffin and he got out of the coffin without removing one nail. . . . There is a trick that would come in handy for me—get me out of this two-by-four situation! . . . You know it don’t take much intelligence to get yourself into a nailed-up coffin, Laura. But who in hell ever got himself out of one without removing one nail?

( The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams)

In this excerpt from Tennessee Williams’s play The Glass Menagerie , the Tom compares his own life to the magician’s trick of getting out of a nailed-up coffin. This is a particularly striking example of comparison because from the outside Tom’s life might not look so terrible. Clearly, however, he views it as a prison that is nearly impossible to escape.

So Gen should have said something more, and Carmen should have listened more, but instead she kissed him, because the important thing was to forget. That kiss was like a lake, deep and clear, and they swam into it forgetting.

( Bel Canto by Ann Patchett)

This evocative comparison example comes from the contemporary author Ann Patchett’s novel Bel Canto . In it, she compares a kiss between two characters to a lake. This is an interesting comparison because it is unusual, and perhaps not one that the reader will have thought of before. Patchett justifies this comparison with the beautiful idea of the characters swimming into the kiss, as they might have done into a lake, forgetting the dangerous situation they are in.

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28 Common Literary Devices to Know

Whether you’re improving your writing skills or studying for a big English exam, literary devices are important to know. But there are dozens of them, in addition to literary elements and techniques, and things can get more confusing than a simile embedded within a metaphor! 

To help you become a pro at identifying literary devices, we provide this guide to some of the most common ones. We include a one-stop glossary with literary device meanings, along with examples to illustrate how they’re used.

Here’s a tip: Want to make sure your writing shines? Grammarly can check your spelling and save you from grammar and punctuation mistakes. It even proofreads your text, so your work is extra polished wherever you write.

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What are literary devices? 

“Literary device” is a broad term for all the techniques, styles, and strategies an author uses to enhance their writing. With millennia of literature in hundreds of different languages, humankind has amassed quite a few of these writing devices, which continue to evolve.

Literary devices can entail general elements that come back again and again in a work of literature, as well as the specific and precise treatment of words only used once. Really, a literary device is anything that can take boring or flavorless writing and turn it into rich, engaging prose! 

>>Read More:  What Type of Writer Are You?

Literary devices vs. literary elements vs. literary techniques

There are a few competing terms when discussing literary devices, so let’s set the record straight. Literary elements and literary techniques are both types of literary devices. 

Literary elements are “big-picture” literary devices that extend throughout the entire work, such as setting, theme, mood, and allegory . 

Literary techniques are the literary devices that deal with individual words and sentences, such as euphemisms and alliteration .

How to identify literary devices when you’re reading

You don’t necessarily need to understand literary devices to enjoy a  good book . Certain devices like personification, onomatopoeia, and anthropomorphism are still entertaining to read, even if you don’t know them by their proper name. 

However, identifying literary devices enables you to reflect on the artistry of a piece of writing and understand the author’s motives. The more literary devices you recognize, the more you comprehend the writing as a whole. Recognizing literary devices helps you notice nuances and piece together a greater meaning that you otherwise might have missed. 

To identify literary devices when reading, it’s best to familiarize yourself with as many as you can. Your first step is to know what to look for, and from there it just takes practice by reading different works and styles. With some experience, you’ll start to spot literary devices instinctively without disrupting your enjoyment or focus while reading. 

How to use literary devices in your writing

To use literary devices in your own writing, you first need to recognize them “in the wild.” Read the list below so you know what you’re looking for, and then pay extra attention when you’re reading. See how literary devices are used in the hands of expert writers. 

When you’re ready to experiment with literary devices yourself, the most important tip is to use them naturally. Too many literary devices stacked upon each other is distracting, so it’s best to use them only sparingly and at the most impactful moments—like a musical cymbal crash! (See what we did there?)

Oftentimes, novice writers will shoehorn literary devices into their writing to make them seem like better authors. The truth is, misusing literary devices stands out more than using them correctly. Wait for a moment when a literary device can occur organically instead of forcing them where they don’t belong. 

>>Read More: Creative Writing 101: Everything You Need to Get Started

28 different literary devices and their meanings

Allegories are narratives that represent something else entirely, like a historical event or significant ideology, to illustrate a deeper meaning. Sometimes the stories are entirely fabricated and only loosely tied to their source, but sometimes the individual characters act as fictional stand-ins for real-life historical figures. 

Examples: George Orwell’s Animal Farm , an allegory about the Russian Revolution of 1917, is one of the most famous allegories ever written; a more modern example is the animated film Zootopia , an allegory about the prejudices of modern society.  

Alliteration  

Alliteration is the literary technique of using a sequence of words that begin with the same letter or sound for a poetic or whimsical effect.  

Examples: Many of Stan Lee’s iconic comic book characters have alliterative names: Peter Parker, Matthew Murdock, Reed Richards, and Bruce Banner. 

An allusion is an indirect reference to another figure, event, place, or work of art that exists outside the story. Allusions are made to famous subjects so that they don’t need explanation—the reader should already understand the reference. 

Example: The title of Haruki Murakami’s novel 1Q84 is itself an allusion to George Orwell’s novel 1984 . The Japanese word for the number nine is pronounced the same as the English letter Q . 

Amplification 

Amplification is the technique of embellishing a simple sentence with more details to increase its significance. 

Example: “A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts it will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.” —Roald Dahl, The Twits

An anagram is a word puzzle where the author rearranges the letters in a word or phrase to make a new word or phrase. 

Example: In Silence of the Lambs , the antagonist Hannibal Lector tried to trick the FBI by naming the suspect Louis Friend, which the protagonist realized was an anagram for “iron sulfide,” the technical term for fool’s gold. 

An analogy compares one thing to something else to help explain a similarity that might not be easy to see. 

Example: In The Dragons of Eden, Carl Sagan compares the universe’s entire history with a single Earth year to better demonstrate the context of when major events occurred; i.e., the Earth formed on September 9, humans first appeared at 10:30 p.m. on December 31. 

Anthropomorphism

Anthropomorphism is when non-human things like animals or objects act human, exhibiting traits such as speech, thoughts, complex emotions, and sometimes even wearing clothes and standing upright. 

Example: While most fairy tales feature animals that act like humans, the Beauty and the Beast films anthropomorphize household objects: talking clocks, singing teapots, and more.

Antithesis places two contrasting and polarized sentiments next to each other in order to accent both. 

Example: “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” —Neil Armstrong 

The literary technique of chiasmus takes two parallel clauses and inverts the word order of one to create a greater meaning. 

Example: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” —John F. Kennedy (adapted from Khalil Gibran)

Colloquialism

Colloquialism is using casual and informal speech, including slang, in formal writing to make dialogue seem more realistic and authentic. It often incorporates respelling words and adding apostrophes to communicate the pronunciation. 

Example: “How you doin’?” asked Friends character Joey Tribbiani. 

Circumlocution

Circumlocution is when the writer deliberately uses excessive words and overcomplicated sentence structures to intentionally convolute their meaning. In other words, it means to write lengthily and confusingly on purpose.

Example: In Shrek the Third , Pinocchio uses circumlocution to avoid giving an honest answer to the Prince’s question.  

An epigraph is an independent, pre-existing quotation that introduces a piece of work, typically with some thematic or symbolic relevance.

Example: “He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man,” a quote by Samuel Johnson, is the epigraph that opens Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas , a novel that deals largely with substance abuse and escapism. 

A euphemism is a soft and inoffensive word or phrase that replaces a harsh, unpleasant, or hurtful one for the sake of sympathy or civility. 

Example: Euphemisms like “passed away” and “downsizing” are quite common in everyday speech, but a good example in literature comes from Harry Potter , where the wizarding community refers to the villain Voldemort as “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named” in fear of invoking him. 

Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing is the technique of hinting at future events in a story using subtle parallels, usually to generate more suspense or engage the reader’s curiosity. 

Example: In The Empire Strikes Back, Luke Skywalker’s vision of himself wearing Darth Vader’s mask foreshadows the later revelation that Vader is in fact Luke’s father.  

Hyperbole is using exaggeration to add more power to what you’re saying, often to an unrealistic or unlikely degree. 

Example: “I had to wait in the station for ten days—an eternity.” —Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness

Imagery refers to writing that invokes the reader’s senses with descriptive  word choice to create a more vivid and realistic recreation of the scene in their mind.

Example: “The barn was very large. It was very old. It smelled of hay and it smelled of manure. It smelled of the perspiration of tired horses and the wonderful sweet breath of patient cows. It often had a sort of peaceful smell­ as though nothing bad could happen ever again in the world.” —E. B. White, Charlotte’s Web  

Similar to an analogy, a  metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things to show their similarities by insisting that they’re the same. 

“All the world’s a stage,

And all the men and women merely players;

They have their exits and their entrances,

And one man in his time plays many parts. . .”

—William Shakespeare, As You Like It

A story’s mood is the emotional response the author is targeting. A writer sets the mood not just with the plot and characters, but also with tone and the aspects they choose to describe. 

Example: In the horror novel Dracula by Bram Stoker, the literary mood of vampires is scary and ominous, but in the comedic film What We Do In Shadows , the literary mood of vampires is friendly and light-hearted. 

A motif is a recurring element in a story that holds some symbolic or conceptual meaning. It’s closely related to theme , but motifs are specific objects or events, while themes are abstract ideas. 

Example: In Shakespeare’s Macbeth , Lady Macbeth’s obsession with washing her hands is a motif that symbolizes her guilt.  

Onomatopoeia

Fancy literary term onomatopoeia refers to words that represent sounds, with pronunciations similar to those sounds. 

Example: The word “buzz” as in “a buzzing bee” is actually pronounced like the noise a bee makes. 

An oxymoron combines two contradictory words to give them a deeper and more poetic meaning. 

Example: “Parting is such sweet sorrow.” —William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

Similar to an oxymoron, a paradox combines two contradictory ideas in a way that, although illogical, still seems to make sense. 

Example: “I know only one thing, and that is I know nothing.” —Socrates in Plato’s Apology  

Personification

Personification is when an author attributes human characteristics metaphorically to nonhuman things like the weather or inanimate objects. Personification is strictly figurative, whereas anthropomorphism posits that those things really do act like humans. 

Example: “ The heart wants what it wants—or else it does not care . . .” —Emily Dickinson

Portmanteau

Portmanteau is the literary device of joining two words together to form a new word with a hybrid meaning. 

Example: Words like “blog” (web + log), “paratrooper” (parachute + trooper), “motel” (motor + hotel), and “telethon” (telephone + marathon) are all portmanteaus in common English. 

Puns are a type of  comedic wordplay that involve  homophones (different words that are pronounced the same) or two separate meanings of the same word. 

Example: “Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.” —Groucho Marx

Satire is a style of writing that uses parody and exaggeration to criticize the faults of society or human nature. 

Example: The works of Jonathan Swift ( Gulliver’s Travels ) and Mark Twain ( The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn) are well known for being satirical . A more modern example is the TV show South Park , which often satirizes society by addressing current events. 

Like metaphors, similes also compare two different things to point out their similarities. However,  the difference between similes and metaphors is that similes use the words “like” or “as” to soften the connection and explicitly show it’s just a comparison. 

Example: “Time has not stood still. It has washed over me, washed me away, as if I’m nothing more than a woman of sand, left by a careless child too near the water.” —Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale

Closely related to motifs, symbolism is when objects, characters, actions, or other recurring elements in a story take on another, more profound meaning and/or represent an abstract concept. 

Example: In J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy (and The Hobbit ), it is said the ring of Sauron symbolizes evil, corruption, and greed, which everyday people, symbolized by Frodo, must strive to resist. 

Tone refers to the language and word choice an author uses with their subject matter, like a playful tone when describing children playing, or a hostile tone when describing the emergence of a villain. If you’re confused about  tone vs. mood , tone refers mostly to individual aspects and details, while mood refers to the emotional attitude of the entire piece of work. 

Example: Told in the first person, J. D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye uses the angsty and sardonic tone of its teenage protagonist to depict the character’s mindset, including slang and curse words.

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Metaphor: definition, types, and examples

Masooma Memon

If I were a bit dramatic, I’d start this piece with the following line: chaos is a friend of mine.

Except, chaos isn’t a friend of mine – there’s no chaos wherever I go (thankfully 😅). And, I’m also not as dramatic. What I want to do though, is to introduce you to a metaphor in the first line itself.  

It got your attention, didn’t it?

Because that’s how metaphors work. They stroke your imagination, drawing beautiful comparisons between two apparently unrelated things or ideas. Here are a few more simple metaphor examples :

• Her heart is gold

• The snow is a white blanket.

• The falling snowflakes are dancers

Like them? We’ve a lot more metaphor examples to share with you. So read on as we share examples, dive into the definition of metaphor , and show you how to use this l iterary device . We’ll also clear the air around metaphor vs simile vs analogy.

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What is a metaphor.

A metaphor is a figure of speech that pulls comparisons between two unrelated ideas.

If I were to say this piece was a big, hairy project I worked on, you’d instantly imagine the comparison. And, you’d also understand I had a hard time writing it (except I didn’t. I only want to explain things as clearly as possible).

Circling back to being formal, a metaphor never makes clear comparisons. The resemblance is rather hidden and you’ve to put your brain to use to figure out how something compares to another. This means, a writer uses the literary device to keep you hooked to their work while also putting your thinking gears into motion.

In fact, back when I read William Shakespeare’s comedy As You Like It , he wrote a popular metaphor that reads:

“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players…”

I remember the entire class musing over the figure language. Everyone shared their suggestions on the resemblance between the world and a stage.

See what happened?

Shakespeare engaged us with his metaphor. Besides, the true nature of a metaphor also comes out with this example – metaphors are never clear. Instead, they imply similarities.

What is the root word of metaphor?

Before we move on any further, let’s look at the etymology of metaphor.

It’s origin traces back to the 15 th century. But there’s no single root. Metaphor in English language comes from the Old French métaphore that, in turn, comes from the Latin metaphora (meaning: carrying over).

And here’s more: the Latin word comes from metaphorá in Greek, which means to transfer.

If we were to look at the big picture, the meaning of metaphor in all three of these languages is almost the same. Carrying over and transferring suggest taking the characteristic of an idea or an object and imposing it on another by way of comparison.

Examples of metaphors

Metaphors are everywhere: in your daily life, the movies, and song. There’s also a boatload of metaphor examples in literature.

Let’s look at each category for metaphor examples :

Metaphors from songs

“ You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog  Cryin’ all the time”  – Hound Dog by Elvis Presley

“You shoot me down, but I won’t fall I am titanium”  – Titanium by David Guetta ft. Sia

Metaphors from literature

“Exhaustion is a thin blanket tattered with bullet holes.” ― If Then, Matthew De Abaitua

“But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun!” — Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare

Metaphors from daily life

• Life is a rollercoaster

• The classroom was a zoo

• The calm lake was a mirror

Metaphor vs simile vs analogy

Metaphors are often confused with similes and analogies. Why? Because all these literary terms compare ideas and settings. But, in different ways. I’ve explained this difference below:

Metaphor vs Simile

A simile is a figure of speech that compares two objects or ideas using the words ‘like’ and ‘as,’ giving literal meaning of how they compare.

  So a telltale sign of a simile is the prepositions it uses. Notice these aren’t present in a metaphor so you can instantly tell the difference between the two.

Metaphor vs. Analogy

Again, both of these work in the business of comparison. But, where a metaphor is a figure of speech, an analogy is a logical argument that elaborates on the resemblance between two things.

So how can you tell them apart? A good way to do so is to see how much explanation surrounds the comparison.

An analogy is word-friendly – it explains exactly what it’s comparing. Metaphor, on the flip side, leans on brevity and leaves you to think about potential point(s) of comparison between two ideas or concepts.

Let’s look at the examples to get this straight:

How do you identify a metaphor in 4 steps

Some metaphors, like the ones used in daily life, can be fairly simple to identify. Others can be a bit tricky to pick – tricky, but not impossible though.

Use this simple, 4-step framework to tell metaphors from a mile away:

1. Smell a comparison

Whether it’s a simile, analogy, or metaphor – all three work in the comparison business. This means the first step in identifying a metaphor is sensing a comparison in the text. If there’s one, you can tell you are in the company of a comparison literary device.

2. See if the comparison is standing on crutches

Similes lean on support. They rely on the words ‘like’ and ‘as’ to draw similarities. If you see any such crutches, you can tell it’s not a metaphor, but a simile.

3. Run it through the explanation monitor

Now that you’ve narrowed down your options to two: metaphor vs analogy, separate one from the other. How? By looking at how deep the comparison is explained. If the author has taken the time to explain the similarity between two ideas, the literary device is an analogy.

4. Take the metaphor under the microscope

By now, you’d know that there’s a metaphor in front of you. So this last step in the framework is to break down the metaphor and analyze the content.

Some questions to ask yourself are: what’s being compared? What characteristics are similar? How are they different? 

Common types of metaphors

Now that you know what a metaphor is, how it compares to other agents of comparison and also understand the use of metaphor , let’s dig into its types.

Altogether we’ve four types of metaphors plus 2 more that you need to be familiar with:

1. Standard metaphor

A standard metaphor states one idea is another, making a direct comparison as if the two ideas were synonyms. 

The template looks like this: X is Y so that Y is almost a metonym (substitute name for the close association) for X. 

Example : Maria is my sunshine

Explanation : Maria is directly called sunshine. Of course, Maria can’t be sunshine, so the reader has to understand that Maria is as important to the writer’s life as sunshine is.

2. Implied metaphor

As its name suggests, an implied metaphor makes an implied comparison without ever making a direct comparison between two ideas.

Example : The commander barked an order to the troops to stand alert.

Explanation : With this implied metaphor, the commander’s order is compared to that of a bark, suggesting it as harsh.  

3. Visual metaphor

A visual image compares something to a visual image of another. This type of metaphor is common in advertising where a product is visualized with another object. For example, spicy Cheetos being compared to fire. 

There’s also another way to see visual metaphors as metaphors that compare something to another to give a visual identity. For instance, in her poem Hope is the thing with feathers, Emily Dickinson gives the visual image of a bird to hope. 

4. Extended metaphor

An extended metaphor uses descriptive language to elaborate a comparison. It’s the type of metaphor that you find referenced throughout a stanza, a full poem, a couple of paragraphs, or an entire blog post.

Example: This post that explains how to use the Swiss cheese productivity method to get things done references food items throughout the piece. 

Here’s a peek:

• You started by taking a snack-able piece from your cheese block (the overwhelming project) 

• You poked holes in the cheese chunk by continuously doing small tasks one at a time throughout your work day

• You created so many holes in the cheese block that you finished it

Two more types of metaphors that you need to know of:

Mixed metaphor

Again, the name explains what a mixed metaphor is – a combination of two commonly used metaphors.

This one’s a combination of two prominent metaphors ‘get on the same page’ and ‘get our ducks in a row.’

Dead metaphor

These are metaphors that have been overused to the point that they’ve become clichés. So you’re better off not using them as dead metaphors have lost much of their impact with their overuse.

How to create a metaphor

Now, to get you to speak some metaphorical language by writing metaphors:

• Nail down the character, setting, idea, or object that you want to describe with a metaphor.
• Identify exactly which characteristic of the character or object you want to compare with another character or object.
• Look for how your chosen characteristic compares to a characteristic of another character, setting, setting, idea, or object.
• Write the comparison. You may not get it right in the first go. So rewrite your metaphor a couple of times until you get it just right.

Let’s break down this metaphor example from Albert Einstein to understanding it’s making:

All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree

In this case, three ideas: religion, arts, and sciences are compared. They’re all compared to branches of a tree. And, the aim of this metaphor? To show that all three come from the same idea just as different branches of the same tree.

Best practices for using metaphors

Beware of mixed metaphors.

Mixed metaphors are slippery eels that can make their way into your writing without warning. The reason? They come from overused metaphors that are so common they go in mixtures you can’t identify at first look. Hence, it’s best you double check a metaphor before including it in your writing.

Choose a clear comparison

Sure, a good metaphor gets readers thinking, but that doesn’t mean the comparison has to be hidden in layers. Instead, the comparison has to be clear, if not literal.

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Literary Criticism: Comparing/Contrasting Works, Characters, or Authors

• Getting Started
• 1. What is Literary Criticism
• Critical Literary Lenses
• Literary Elements
• Comparing/Contrasting Works, Characters, or Authors
• 3. Find Literary Criticism
• 4. Write Your Paper
• MLA Citation This link opens in a new window

Comparing/Contrasting Literary Works, Characters, or Authors

Comparing literary works.

• Consider which works you want to compare/contrast.
• You could make a list of themes from each work and compare them side by side.
• Free writing is also a great way to get your ideas on paper.
• Spend time brainstorming- those who explore their ideas often have better essays in the end.
• Try to determine the central theme of the work you are considering. 
• Look for a second work that has a similar theme 

Common Themes

• Good vs. Evil
• Coming of Age
• War and its perils
• Individual vs. Society
• Heroism 

These are only some of the themes out there. You can explore many other options for your paper!

Questions to Ask

• What is the overall message of the work? 
• Does the main character evolve as the story progresses?
• What was the main conflict in the work? 
• Is the work trying to convey a message about society?
• How do symbols tie into or help to develop the theme?

Character Analysis

• Select two characters you would like to analyze.
• Reread text and focus in on these characters, taking notes as you go.
• Make a list of traits for each character and compare/contrast them side by side.
•  What important traits do the characters possess? 
•  Is the character a main protagonist or antagonist?
•  Look at the characters actions- how can they be interpreted?
•  How does the character interact with others?
• How does the character interact with the world they live in?
• Do you see changes in the character as the plot progresses?

Author Analysis 

• You can also focus your compare/contrast criticism on two authors.
• Reread the authors works you will be critiquing 
• Take notes about the authors as you read
• What does the text say about the Author?
• What kind of message is the Author trying to convey to their audience?
• Does the author's life and background effect the themes of their works?
• Do historical events influence the authors?
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10.7 Comparison and Contrast

Learning objectives.

• Determine the purpose and structure of comparison and contrast in writing.
• Explain organizational methods used when comparing and contrasting.
• Understand how to write a compare-and-contrast essay.

The Purpose of Comparison and Contrast in Writing

Comparison in writing discusses elements that are similar, while contrast in writing discusses elements that are different. A compare-and-contrast essay , then, analyzes two subjects by comparing them, contrasting them, or both.

The key to a good compare-and-contrast essay is to choose two or more subjects that connect in a meaningful way. The purpose of conducting the comparison or contrast is not to state the obvious but rather to illuminate subtle differences or unexpected similarities. For example, if you wanted to focus on contrasting two subjects you would not pick apples and oranges; rather, you might choose to compare and contrast two types of oranges or two types of apples to highlight subtle differences. For example, Red Delicious apples are sweet, while Granny Smiths are tart and acidic. Drawing distinctions between elements in a similar category will increase the audience’s understanding of that category, which is the purpose of the compare-and-contrast essay.

Similarly, to focus on comparison, choose two subjects that seem at first to be unrelated. For a comparison essay, you likely would not choose two apples or two oranges because they share so many of the same properties already. Rather, you might try to compare how apples and oranges are quite similar. The more divergent the two subjects initially seem, the more interesting a comparison essay will be.

Writing at Work

Comparing and contrasting is also an evaluative tool. In order to make accurate evaluations about a given topic, you must first know the critical points of similarity and difference. Comparing and contrasting is a primary tool for many workplace assessments. You have likely compared and contrasted yourself to other colleagues. Employee advancements, pay raises, hiring, and firing are typically conducted using comparison and contrast. Comparison and contrast could be used to evaluate companies, departments, or individuals.

Brainstorm an essay that leans toward contrast. Choose one of the following three categories. Pick two examples from each. Then come up with one similarity and three differences between the examples.

• Romantic comedies
• Internet search engines
• Cell phones

Brainstorm an essay that leans toward comparison. Choose one of the following three items. Then come up with one difference and three similarities.

• Department stores and discount retail stores
• Fast food chains and fine dining restaurants
• Dogs and cats

The Structure of a Comparison and Contrast Essay

The compare-and-contrast essay starts with a thesis that clearly states the two subjects that are to be compared, contrasted, or both and the reason for doing so. The thesis could lean more toward comparing, contrasting, or both. Remember, the point of comparing and contrasting is to provide useful knowledge to the reader. Take the following thesis as an example that leans more toward contrasting.

Thesis statement: Organic vegetables may cost more than those that are conventionally grown, but when put to the test, they are definitely worth every extra penny.

Here the thesis sets up the two subjects to be compared and contrasted (organic versus conventional vegetables), and it makes a claim about the results that might prove useful to the reader.

You may organize compare-and-contrast essays in one of the following two ways:

• According to the subjects themselves, discussing one then the other
• According to individual points, discussing each subject in relation to each point

See Figure 10.1 “Comparison and Contrast Diagram” , which diagrams the ways to organize our organic versus conventional vegetables thesis.

Figure 10.1 Comparison and Contrast Diagram

The organizational structure you choose depends on the nature of the topic, your purpose, and your audience.

Given that compare-and-contrast essays analyze the relationship between two subjects, it is helpful to have some phrases on hand that will cue the reader to such analysis. See Table 10.3 “Phrases of Comparison and Contrast” for examples.

Table 10.3 Phrases of Comparison and Contrast

Create an outline for each of the items you chose in Note 10.72 “Exercise 1” and Note 10.73 “Exercise 2” . Use the point-by-point organizing strategy for one of them, and use the subject organizing strategy for the other.

Writing a Comparison and Contrast Essay

First choose whether you want to compare seemingly disparate subjects, contrast seemingly similar subjects, or compare and contrast subjects. Once you have decided on a topic, introduce it with an engaging opening paragraph. Your thesis should come at the end of the introduction, and it should establish the subjects you will compare, contrast, or both as well as state what can be learned from doing so.

The body of the essay can be organized in one of two ways: by subject or by individual points. The organizing strategy that you choose will depend on, as always, your audience and your purpose. You may also consider your particular approach to the subjects as well as the nature of the subjects themselves; some subjects might better lend themselves to one structure or the other. Make sure to use comparison and contrast phrases to cue the reader to the ways in which you are analyzing the relationship between the subjects.

After you finish analyzing the subjects, write a conclusion that summarizes the main points of the essay and reinforces your thesis. See Chapter 15 “Readings: Examples of Essays” to read a sample compare-and-contrast essay.

Many business presentations are conducted using comparison and contrast. The organizing strategies—by subject or individual points—could also be used for organizing a presentation. Keep this in mind as a way of organizing your content the next time you or a colleague have to present something at work.

Choose one of the outlines you created in Note 10.75 “Exercise 3” , and write a full compare-and-contrast essay. Be sure to include an engaging introduction, a clear thesis, well-defined and detailed paragraphs, and a fitting conclusion that ties everything together.

Key Takeaways

• A compare-and-contrast essay analyzes two subjects by either comparing them, contrasting them, or both.
• The purpose of writing a comparison or contrast essay is not to state the obvious but rather to illuminate subtle differences or unexpected similarities between two subjects.
• The thesis should clearly state the subjects that are to be compared, contrasted, or both, and it should state what is to be learned from doing so.

There are two main organizing strategies for compare-and-contrast essays.

• Organize by the subjects themselves, one then the other.
• Organize by individual points, in which you discuss each subject in relation to each point.
• Use phrases of comparison or phrases of contrast to signal to readers how exactly the two subjects are being analyzed.

Writing for Success Copyright © 2015 by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

Comparing and Contrasting

What this handout is about.

This handout will help you first to determine whether a particular assignment is asking for comparison/contrast and then to generate a list of similarities and differences, decide which similarities and differences to focus on, and organize your paper so that it will be clear and effective. It will also explain how you can (and why you should) develop a thesis that goes beyond “Thing A and Thing B are similar in many ways but different in others.”

Introduction

In your career as a student, you’ll encounter many different kinds of writing assignments, each with its own requirements. One of the most common is the comparison/contrast essay, in which you focus on the ways in which certain things or ideas—usually two of them—are similar to (this is the comparison) and/or different from (this is the contrast) one another. By assigning such essays, your instructors are encouraging you to make connections between texts or ideas, engage in critical thinking, and go beyond mere description or summary to generate interesting analysis: when you reflect on similarities and differences, you gain a deeper understanding of the items you are comparing, their relationship to each other, and what is most important about them.

Recognizing comparison/contrast in assignments

Some assignments use words—like compare, contrast, similarities, and differences—that make it easy for you to see that they are asking you to compare and/or contrast. Here are a few hypothetical examples:

• Compare and contrast Frye’s and Bartky’s accounts of oppression.
• Compare WWI to WWII, identifying similarities in the causes, development, and outcomes of the wars.
• Contrast Wordsworth and Coleridge; what are the major differences in their poetry?

Notice that some topics ask only for comparison, others only for contrast, and others for both.

But it’s not always so easy to tell whether an assignment is asking you to include comparison/contrast. And in some cases, comparison/contrast is only part of the essay—you begin by comparing and/or contrasting two or more things and then use what you’ve learned to construct an argument or evaluation. Consider these examples, noticing the language that is used to ask for the comparison/contrast and whether the comparison/contrast is only one part of a larger assignment:

• Choose a particular idea or theme, such as romantic love, death, or nature, and consider how it is treated in two Romantic poems.
• How do the different authors we have studied so far define and describe oppression?
• Compare Frye’s and Bartky’s accounts of oppression. What does each imply about women’s collusion in their own oppression? Which is more accurate?
• In the texts we’ve studied, soldiers who served in different wars offer differing accounts of their experiences and feelings both during and after the fighting. What commonalities are there in these accounts? What factors do you think are responsible for their differences?

You may want to check out our handout on understanding assignments for additional tips.

Using comparison/contrast for all kinds of writing projects

Sometimes you may want to use comparison/contrast techniques in your own pre-writing work to get ideas that you can later use for an argument, even if comparison/contrast isn’t an official requirement for the paper you’re writing. For example, if you wanted to argue that Frye’s account of oppression is better than both de Beauvoir’s and Bartky’s, comparing and contrasting the main arguments of those three authors might help you construct your evaluation—even though the topic may not have asked for comparison/contrast and the lists of similarities and differences you generate may not appear anywhere in the final draft of your paper.

Discovering similarities and differences

Making a Venn diagram or a chart can help you quickly and efficiently compare and contrast two or more things or ideas. To make a Venn diagram, simply draw some overlapping circles, one circle for each item you’re considering. In the central area where they overlap, list the traits the two items have in common. Assign each one of the areas that doesn’t overlap; in those areas, you can list the traits that make the things different. Here’s a very simple example, using two pizza places:

To make a chart, figure out what criteria you want to focus on in comparing the items. Along the left side of the page, list each of the criteria. Across the top, list the names of the items. You should then have a box per item for each criterion; you can fill the boxes in and then survey what you’ve discovered.

Here’s an example, this time using three pizza places:

As you generate points of comparison, consider the purpose and content of the assignment and the focus of the class. What do you think the professor wants you to learn by doing this comparison/contrast? How does it fit with what you have been studying so far and with the other assignments in the course? Are there any clues about what to focus on in the assignment itself?

Here are some general questions about different types of things you might have to compare. These are by no means complete or definitive lists; they’re just here to give you some ideas—you can generate your own questions for these and other types of comparison. You may want to begin by using the questions reporters traditionally ask: Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? If you’re talking about objects, you might also consider general properties like size, shape, color, sound, weight, taste, texture, smell, number, duration, and location.

Two historical periods or events

• When did they occur—do you know the date(s) and duration? What happened or changed during each? Why are they significant?
• What kinds of work did people do? What kinds of relationships did they have? What did they value?
• What kinds of governments were there? Who were important people involved?
• What caused events in these periods, and what consequences did they have later on?

Two ideas or theories

• What are they about?
• Did they originate at some particular time?
• Who created them? Who uses or defends them?
• What is the central focus, claim, or goal of each? What conclusions do they offer?
• How are they applied to situations/people/things/etc.?
• Which seems more plausible to you, and why? How broad is their scope?
• What kind of evidence is usually offered for them?

Two pieces of writing or art

• What are their titles? What do they describe or depict?
• What is their tone or mood? What is their form?
• Who created them? When were they created? Why do you think they were created as they were? What themes do they address?
• Do you think one is of higher quality or greater merit than the other(s)—and if so, why?
• For writing: what plot, characterization, setting, theme, tone, and type of narration are used?
• Where are they from? How old are they? What is the gender, race, class, etc. of each?
• What, if anything, are they known for? Do they have any relationship to each other?
• What are they like? What did/do they do? What do they believe? Why are they interesting?
• What stands out most about each of them?

Deciding what to focus on

By now you have probably generated a huge list of similarities and differences—congratulations! Next you must decide which of them are interesting, important, and relevant enough to be included in your paper. Ask yourself these questions:

• What’s relevant to the assignment?
• What’s relevant to the course?
• What’s interesting and informative?
• What matters to the argument you are going to make?
• What’s basic or central (and needs to be mentioned even if obvious)?
• Overall, what’s more important—the similarities or the differences?

Suppose that you are writing a paper comparing two novels. For most literature classes, the fact that they both use Caslon type (a kind of typeface, like the fonts you may use in your writing) is not going to be relevant, nor is the fact that one of them has a few illustrations and the other has none; literature classes are more likely to focus on subjects like characterization, plot, setting, the writer’s style and intentions, language, central themes, and so forth. However, if you were writing a paper for a class on typesetting or on how illustrations are used to enhance novels, the typeface and presence or absence of illustrations might be absolutely critical to include in your final paper.

Sometimes a particular point of comparison or contrast might be relevant but not terribly revealing or interesting. For example, if you are writing a paper about Wordsworth’s “Tintern Abbey” and Coleridge’s “Frost at Midnight,” pointing out that they both have nature as a central theme is relevant (comparisons of poetry often talk about themes) but not terribly interesting; your class has probably already had many discussions about the Romantic poets’ fondness for nature. Talking about the different ways nature is depicted or the different aspects of nature that are emphasized might be more interesting and show a more sophisticated understanding of the poems.

Your thesis

The thesis of your comparison/contrast paper is very important: it can help you create a focused argument and give your reader a road map so they don’t get lost in the sea of points you are about to make. As in any paper, you will want to replace vague reports of your general topic (for example, “This paper will compare and contrast two pizza places,” or “Pepper’s and Amante are similar in some ways and different in others,” or “Pepper’s and Amante are similar in many ways, but they have one major difference”) with something more detailed and specific. For example, you might say, “Pepper’s and Amante have similar prices and ingredients, but their atmospheres and willingness to deliver set them apart.”

Be careful, though—although this thesis is fairly specific and does propose a simple argument (that atmosphere and delivery make the two pizza places different), your instructor will often be looking for a bit more analysis. In this case, the obvious question is “So what? Why should anyone care that Pepper’s and Amante are different in this way?” One might also wonder why the writer chose those two particular pizza places to compare—why not Papa John’s, Dominos, or Pizza Hut? Again, thinking about the context the class provides may help you answer such questions and make a stronger argument. Here’s a revision of the thesis mentioned earlier:

Pepper’s and Amante both offer a greater variety of ingredients than other Chapel Hill/Carrboro pizza places (and than any of the national chains), but the funky, lively atmosphere at Pepper’s makes it a better place to give visiting friends and family a taste of local culture.

You may find our handout on constructing thesis statements useful at this stage.

Organizing your paper

There are many different ways to organize a comparison/contrast essay. Here are two:

Subject-by-subject

Begin by saying everything you have to say about the first subject you are discussing, then move on and make all the points you want to make about the second subject (and after that, the third, and so on, if you’re comparing/contrasting more than two things). If the paper is short, you might be able to fit all of your points about each item into a single paragraph, but it’s more likely that you’d have several paragraphs per item. Using our pizza place comparison/contrast as an example, after the introduction, you might have a paragraph about the ingredients available at Pepper’s, a paragraph about its location, and a paragraph about its ambience. Then you’d have three similar paragraphs about Amante, followed by your conclusion.

The danger of this subject-by-subject organization is that your paper will simply be a list of points: a certain number of points (in my example, three) about one subject, then a certain number of points about another. This is usually not what college instructors are looking for in a paper—generally they want you to compare or contrast two or more things very directly, rather than just listing the traits the things have and leaving it up to the reader to reflect on how those traits are similar or different and why those similarities or differences matter. Thus, if you use the subject-by-subject form, you will probably want to have a very strong, analytical thesis and at least one body paragraph that ties all of your different points together.

A subject-by-subject structure can be a logical choice if you are writing what is sometimes called a “lens” comparison, in which you use one subject or item (which isn’t really your main topic) to better understand another item (which is). For example, you might be asked to compare a poem you’ve already covered thoroughly in class with one you are reading on your own. It might make sense to give a brief summary of your main ideas about the first poem (this would be your first subject, the “lens”), and then spend most of your paper discussing how those points are similar to or different from your ideas about the second.

Point-by-point

Rather than addressing things one subject at a time, you may wish to talk about one point of comparison at a time. There are two main ways this might play out, depending on how much you have to say about each of the things you are comparing. If you have just a little, you might, in a single paragraph, discuss how a certain point of comparison/contrast relates to all the items you are discussing. For example, I might describe, in one paragraph, what the prices are like at both Pepper’s and Amante; in the next paragraph, I might compare the ingredients available; in a third, I might contrast the atmospheres of the two restaurants.

If I had a bit more to say about the items I was comparing/contrasting, I might devote a whole paragraph to how each point relates to each item. For example, I might have a whole paragraph about the clientele at Pepper’s, followed by a whole paragraph about the clientele at Amante; then I would move on and do two more paragraphs discussing my next point of comparison/contrast—like the ingredients available at each restaurant.

There are no hard and fast rules about organizing a comparison/contrast paper, of course. Just be sure that your reader can easily tell what’s going on! Be aware, too, of the placement of your different points. If you are writing a comparison/contrast in service of an argument, keep in mind that the last point you make is the one you are leaving your reader with. For example, if I am trying to argue that Amante is better than Pepper’s, I should end with a contrast that leaves Amante sounding good, rather than with a point of comparison that I have to admit makes Pepper’s look better. If you’ve decided that the differences between the items you’re comparing/contrasting are most important, you’ll want to end with the differences—and vice versa, if the similarities seem most important to you.

Our handout on organization can help you write good topic sentences and transitions and make sure that you have a good overall structure in place for your paper.

Cue words and other tips

To help your reader keep track of where you are in the comparison/contrast, you’ll want to be sure that your transitions and topic sentences are especially strong. Your thesis should already have given the reader an idea of the points you’ll be making and the organization you’ll be using, but you can help them out with some extra cues. The following words may be helpful to you in signaling your intentions:

• like, similar to, also, unlike, similarly, in the same way, likewise, again, compared to, in contrast, in like manner, contrasted with, on the contrary, however, although, yet, even though, still, but, nevertheless, conversely, at the same time, regardless, despite, while, on the one hand … on the other hand.

For example, you might have a topic sentence like one of these:

• Compared to Pepper’s, Amante is quiet.
• Like Amante, Pepper’s offers fresh garlic as a topping.
• Despite their different locations (downtown Chapel Hill and downtown Carrboro), Pepper’s and Amante are both fairly easy to get to.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Recognizing Key Differences (and Similarities) Between Poetry and Prose

• DESCRIPTION prose vs poetry
• SOURCE CSA-Archive / DigitalVision Vectors / Getty Images, ONYXprj / iStock / Getty Images Plus

Understanding prose vs. poetry can be a bit murky, because both prose and poetry are a form of creative writing. However, each different type of writing has a unique structure and purpose. Learn the similarities and differences between prose and poetry through a cumulative overview of each.

Understanding Prose vs. Poetry

Literature is creative writing in one form or another. Both prose and poetry are forms of literature that present a point to an audience, and both take some skill. Additionally, both prose and poetry use descriptive language like literary devices . However, that’s typically where the similarities between these two forms of writing end. To see how each type is unique, it’s helpful to break them down into their definitions and examples.

What Is Prose?

In the simplest terms, prose is everyday writing. It covers all the different types of writing you read daily, from blogs to articles to novels. Prose might be a fictional novel taking you away to a far-off planet, or it could be a non-fictional news article covering the latest natural disaster. It can also be a verbal story.

Within prose, the writing structure includes sentences, paragraphs, and chapters. Additional qualities woven within the text include theme, mood, point-of-view, plot, setting , etc.

There are 4 common types of prose:

• Fictional prose takes you away to a made-up world or story such as The Hunger Games.
• Non-fictional prose is factual accounts of events such as Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl .
• Heroic prose includes oral and written traditions like fables and legends .
• Poetic prose is writing with poetic qualities, such as heightened emotions and imagery, that is not written in verse. One example is Amy Lowell’s Bath .

Definition of Poetry

While prose is writing, poetry adds artistic style to writing. Poetry is all about vivid imagery and rhythm. It works to make you feel something or drive a point home. Poetry writers select their structure, rhyme scheme, pattern, and words with the purpose of arousing emotion.

Rather than sentences and paragraphs, poetry uses lines, stanzas, verses, meter, stress, patterns, and rhythm. It offers an artistic way to present emotions and events.

Poetry comes in several different forms, but the common types of poetry include:

• Sonnets - lyrical poetry with a 14-line arrangement
• Haiku - traditional Japanese poetry
• Acrostic - mixes letters and phrases
• Free verse - no set meter
• Epic - from oral traditions
• Rhymed - creates specific rhyme pattern
• Descriptive - uses descriptive language to express a message
• Narrative - tells a story

Prose vs. Poetry Examples

The real proof of prose vs. poetry is in the examples . When you look at examples of prose and poetry side-by-side, their structural differences come to light. To view apples-to-apples, check out a prose poem vs. a sonnet.

Information by David Ignatow

This tree has two million and seventy-five thousand leaves. Perhaps I missed a leaf or two but I do feel triumphant at having persisted in counting by hand branch by branch and marked down on paper with pencil each total. Adding them up was a pleasure I could understand; I did something on my own that was not dependent on others, and to count leaves is not less meaningful than to count the stars, as astronomers are always doing…

In Ignatow’s work , first notice the use of complete sentences in his work. Additionally, he breaks up the work into a paragraph form. While the writing is creative and unique, the format is definitely a prose piece.

Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost

Nature’s first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf’s a flower; But only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay.

In this Frost poem , the structure is much different. The lines of the poem follow the AB rhyme scheme throughout. Additionally, each line begins with a capital letter regardless of whether it is starting a new sentence.

Difference Between Prose and Poetry

Once you see a prose and poem together, it is easier to see the difference. Just to make sure everything is clear, this table offers a useful guide.

Similarities and Differences Between Poetry and Prose

Since poetry and prose are forms of literature, they have a few similarities like being used creatively and having different types. However, when it comes to their structure and purpose, they are quite different. Since you know how to spot prose vs. poetry, you might give essay writing a try.

Definition of Genre

When I fall in love, it will be forever.

Difference Between Style and Genre

Common examples of genre, common examples of fiction genre.

Here are some common examples of genre fiction and their characteristics:

Examples of Writers Associated with Specific Genre Fiction

Famous examples of genre in other art forms, examples of genre in literature.

As a literary device, the genre is like an implied social contract between writers and their readers. This does not mean that writers must abide by all conventions associated with a specific genre. However, there are organizational patterns within a genre that readers tend to expect. Genre expectations allow readers to feel familiar with the literary work and help them to organize the information presented by the writer. In addition, keeping with genre conventions can establish a writer’s relationship with their readers and a framework for their literature.

Example 1: Macbeth by William Shakespeare

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow , Creeps in this petty pace from day to day To the last syllable of recorded time, And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out , brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage And then is heard no more: it is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.

The formal genre of this well-known literary work is Shakespearean drama or play. Macbeth can be sub-categorized as a literary tragedy in that the play features the elements of a classical tragic work. For example, Macbeth’s character aligns with the traits and path of a tragic hero –a protagonist whose tragic flaw brings about his downfall from power to ruin. This tragic arc of the protagonist often results in catharsis (emotional release) and potential empathy among readers and members of the audience .

Example 2: The Color Purple by Alice Walker

All my life I had to fight. I had to fight my daddy . I had to fight my brothers. I had to fight my cousins and my uncles. A girl child ain’t safe in a family of men. But I never thought I’d have to fight in my own house. She let out her breath. I loves Harpo, she say. God knows I do. But I’ll kill him dead before I let him beat me.

Example 3: A Word to Husbands by Ogden Nash

To keep your marriage brimming With love in the loving cup, Whenever you’re wrong, admit it; Whenever you’re right, shut up.

Synonyms of Genre

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Undergraduate Announcement 2023 - 2024

Comparative literature, general information, program offerings:, program offerings.

The Department of Comparative Literature invites students to approach literature from a broad, cross-cultural perspective. The curriculum encompasses literatures, languages and cultures from around the world — including those of Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia and the Middle East — as well as interdisciplinary work of many types. While each student in the department is expected to focus their studies on a particular language and literature, an interest in the way different literatures illuminate one another, or enter into dialogue with other disciplines, media or forms of art, is fundamental to our work. Students motivated by a desire to understand literature in the broadest terms, as well as those interested in particular examples of literary comparison, will find an intellectual home in the Department of Comparative Literature.

The flexibility of the major has always been one of its strong points. With the guidance of the director of undergraduate studies and the junior and senior faculty advisers, each student creates a program of study tailored to their intellectual interests, choosing courses and independent projects that contribute to the whole.

Graduates successfully pursue many diverse careers, including law, medicine, business, overseas service, computing and technology, international investments and banking, creative writing, publishing and journalism, filmmaking and education at the secondary and university levels. Many comparative literature students have gone on to graduate study in the field and now teach at a wide range of institutions in the United States and abroad.

Goals for Student Learning

The Department of Comparative Literature trains students in the analysis and interpretation of texts. Historically, comparative literature was a place where students used linguistic proficiencies in different languages, English among them, to compare literary artifacts in diverse cultures. In addition to English, the proficiencies of most early academics in the discipline were usually in French, Italian, Latin and German. Our students often attain high proficiencies in these languages, but now they and their professors’ specializations reach far beyond this range to include texts in East Asian languages, Semitic languages and classical languages from places outside Europe. Linguistic proficiency nonetheless remains the backbone of the training the department offers.

We return to the words “texts” and “literary” here because the historical definition of the discipline is now outmoded. Our students still work with literary texts (that is, narrative, drama and poetry), but the discipline has progressed to the consideration of texts that are not primarily “literary” as well. Thus, we train students to analyze Marx’s Capital or Plato’s Timaeus . Or they might look at Baudelaire in the context of artistic criticism he did of Delacroix, for example. As a corollary, then, students learn how to criticize texts of many different types, not only to discern what they say, but also how they say it, and what is at stake in saying it one way rather than another.

Additionally, students learn how to analyze other cultural objects to interpret not only what is being conveyed, but also how the means by which it is conveyed incorporates different assumptions about the subject in question. In such a context, we find fertile ground for “textual” analysis of music and other performance arts as well.

Comparative literature departments — and Princeton’s is no exception — have also become productive communities for the consideration of criticism, whether post-structuralist or classical, linguistic or anthropological.

We train students in all the above approaches to the study of texts, and we have seen increasing interest in work that didn’t originate in Western Europe. Latin American Spanish texts have a high prominence in the discipline and work in Portuguese, both Peninsular and South American, is now prominent in students’ work. We have also seen increasing interest in South Asian texts (notably in Bangla and Urdu).

Throughout the work students do in comparative literature is a pervasive concern for writing, in both analytical and discursive contexts. Because of the work students do in foreign languages in the major, translation also holds a persistent place in their curricula. Some students choose to pursue creative writing with the Lewis Center for the Arts in combination with their more academic work. The kind of training described above is brought to bear in the students’ independent work, in two substantial papers in their junior year. This culminates in the senior thesis, a polished engagement on a text or set of texts that incorporates multiple techniques previously mentioned.

Prerequisites

Language requirement.

To enter the department, students must be sufficiently knowledgeable in one language other than English to take an upper-level course in it during their junior year.

Plan to read a second language before graduation. Proficiency in only one non-English language is required for admission to the department. However, students who major in comparative literature are also expected to study at least one other non-English language and to be able to read in the language by the time they graduate. Such language study may take place before or during their years as departmental majors. Some students demonstrate their competency by taking an upper-level course in the literature of that language. Other students gain this competency by taking three terms of language study at Princeton, or two terms and an intensive language course in the summer, or (especially in the case of languages that are no longer spoken) an intensive language course in the summer. A few take a language test administered by the relevant department during the summer.

Introductory Courses

Students who wish to major in comparative literature are advised (though not required) to take COM 205-206, HUM 216-219 or TRA 200 in their sophomore year or earlier.

Program of Study

Students in comparative literature select courses from a wide range of offerings throughout the University and are encouraged to construct a program of study to match their individual interests. Nine departmental courses are required of each student, chosen according to the type of comparative work pursued. COM 300, the junior seminar, counts as one of the nine. This course is especially designed to introduce students to the history and methodology of the field as well as to different avenues of comparative study. Majors must take the course in the fall term of their junior year, unless they are studying abroad, in which case the course may be taken in their senior year instead. Two other courses must be taken within the Department of Comparative Literature with core faculty (i.e., listed or cross-listed as a COM course).

Regardless of the area of study elected, all majors must take four reading-based courses in non-English-language literature departments. These courses must move beyond a primary focus on grammar and vocabulary, and entail study of texts in the language, not in translation. Students in the department have studied language literatures in French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German, Russian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Arabic, Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Swahili, Hindi, Persian, Urdu, Turkish, Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian, Syriac and Armenian. Upper-level courses, generally 300- or 400-level courses, are encouraged, but reading-intensive 200-level courses may be counted.

The remaining two courses are taken in appropriate departments throughout the University according to the student's area of study. Course selections generally fall into one of the areas described below. Each represents the study of literature in a different comparative context and includes all nine required courses.

Path A . Comparative work in literatures in at least two languages. Students in this track choose four reading-based courses in non-English-language literature; three courses listed or cross-listed with comparative literature (one of which is COM 300); and two upper-level courses in literature in any other language (including English and courses on readings taught in translation).

Path B . Comparative work in literature and a traditional textual discipline (that is, in the humanities [e.g., philosophy, art and archaeology, classics or religion] or social sciences [e.g., anthropology, history, psychology, sociology, politics, economics or public policy]). Students in this track choose four reading-based courses in non-English-language literature; three courses listed or cross-listed in comparative literature (one of which is COM 300); and two upper-level courses in the relevant textual discipline.

Path C . Comparative work in literature and another medium (that is, photography, film, art, art history, architecture or music). Students in this track choose four reading-based courses in non-English-language literature; three courses listed or cross-listed in comparative literature (one of which is COM 300); and two upper-level courses in the relevant medium. Both courses must be in the same medium.

Path D . Comparative work in literature and regional or ethnic studies (that is, African [AFS], African American [AAS], American [AMS], East Asian [EAP or EAS], European [ECS or EPS], Hellenic [HLS], Judaic [JDS], Latin American [LAS], Latino [LAO], Near Eastern [NES] or South Asian [SAS]). Students in this track choose four reading-based courses in non-English-language literature; three courses listed or cross-listed in comparative literature (one of which is COM 300); and two courses in the relevant region or ethnicity.

Path E . Comparative work in literary study and the creative arts (that is, creative writing [poetry, the novel, short stories, drama, memoir], screenwriting, translation, dance, theatrical performance, visual arts, film or video). Students choose four reading-based courses in non-English-language literature; three courses listed or cross-listed with comparative literature (one of which is COM 300); and two courses in the relevant creative art. Both courses must be in the same area of study. Students entering the department select this program provisionally. Final admission depends upon the acceptance of the creative thesis proposal by the department and by an adviser from the relevant creative arts program.

Departmental Distribution Requirement. One course, which may or may not be one of the nine courses taken for the major, must be dedicated in its entirety to historical periods, literature or cultures before 1800 C.E.

Theory and Methods of Comparative Literature. Theoretical issues naturally arise in the study of comparative literature. They may also function as the main focus of a student's work. Theoretical issues are specifically addressed in two departmental courses: COM 303, Comparative History of Literary Theory and COM 301, Theory and Methods of Comparative Literature: Critical and Literary Theory. Upper-level courses in theory, methodology and criticism are offered by other humanities and social science departments as well.

Independent Work

Junior Year . Majors must write two junior papers. The first paper, some 3,000 words in length, will normally involve the close study of a work from one of the non-English-language literatures in which the student has linguistic competence. Its purpose is to develop the student's basic skills as a reader of complex texts. The second paper should be wider in scope, and might serve as the beginnings of a senior thesis. It will normally be some 8,000 words in length.

Senior Year . Majors must write a senior thesis, normally between 15,000 and 20,000 words, which is comparative in nature and should reflect the student's ability to relate and analyze materials in the area chosen. Creative theses must be accompanied by a substantial critical essay.

Senior Departmental Examination

Majors must take the senior departmental examination, which is a written exam to test their ability to analyze texts and make connections among them. The student consults with their senior faculty adviser to select specific titles from a broad reading list, reads them and answers questions based on the student's particular language proficiency and chosen program of study. Students will also be asked to analyze a passage in their primary language.

Study Abroad

Summer study abroad.

There are numerous opportunities for summer study abroad, some partially supported by University funds. A summer abroad can increase fluency in the language of concentration. It may also be an effective way to satisfy the departmental requirement of acquiring reading knowledge in a second language. For further information about available programs, students should consult Princeton Summer Abroad Study Programs. Some departmental funding is available for summer language study for majors.

Summer Work Abroad

Princeton offers some excellent work abroad programs, including Princeton-in-France and the German summer work abroad program, to which qualified students from the department are encouraged to apply. The Office of International Programs also offers a selection of worldwide summer internships for which comparative literature students may be eligible.

Study and Work Abroad

The department strongly encourages its students to undertake a semester, a year or a summer abroad, in order to gain fluency in the language of concentration and to pursue further study in its literature and culture. Many opportunities are available for study abroad.

Additional Information

Certificate program in translation and intercultural communication.

Since majors in comparative literature consider texts from an international and interdisciplinary perspective, and often with an emphasis in the creative arts, questions of translation and intercultural communication often arise. Majors in the department may write translation theses, for instance, or put theoretical problems associated with translation or cross-cultural comparisons at the center of their departmental work. In these cases, they might choose to combine the major with a certificate in the Program in Translation and Intercultural Communication.

Certificates in University Programs

Students majoring in comparative literature frequently choose to combine their major with certificates from Princeton programs and centers. Majors interested in these certificates should consult with the director of undergraduate studies and the director of the relevant program.

• Wendy Laura Belcher (acting)
• Thomas W. Hare

Director of Undergraduate Studies

• Karen R. Emmerich

Director of Graduate Studies

• Claudia Joan Brodsky
• April Alliston
• Wendy Laura Belcher
• David M. Bellos
• Sandra L. Bermann
• Marina S. Brownlee
• Maria A. DiBattista
• Susana Draper
• Daniel Heller-Roazen

Associate Professor

• Benjamin Conisbee Baer

Assistant Professor

• Erin Y. Huang

Associated Faculty

• Eduardo L. Cadava, English
• Steven Chung, East Asian Studies
• Devin A. Fore, German
• Rubén Gallo, Spanish & Portuguese
• Simon E. Gikandi, English
• Anthony T. Grafton, History
• Brooke A. Holmes, Classics
• Thomas Y. Levin, German
• F. Nick Nesbitt, French & Italian
• Sara S. Poor, German
• Rachel L. Price, Spanish & Portuguese
• Efthymia Rentzou, French & Italian
• Michael A. Wachtel, Slavic Lang & Literatures
• Christy N. Wampole, French & Italian
• Max D. Weiss, History
• Daniel Hoffman-Schwartz
• Robin Kello

For a full list of faculty members and fellows please visit the department or program website.

COM 202 - Introduction to Jewish Cultures (also JDS 203/REL 203) Spring EM

Com 203 - passion fall la, com 205 - the classical roots of western literature (also hls 203/hum 205) fall cdem, com 206 - masterworks of european literature (also hum 206) spring la, com 209 - thinking translation: language transfer and cultural communication (also hum 209/tra 200) fall la, com 215 - creative writing (literary translation) (also cwr 206/tra 206) spring la, com 220 - introduction to literary theory not offered this year la, com 233 - east asian humanities i: the classical foundations (also eas 233/hum 233) fall em, com 234 - east asian humanities ii: traditions and transformations (also eas 234/hum 234) spring em, com 239 - introduction to african literature and film (also aas 239/afs 239/hum 239/tra 239) fall cdla, com 248 - topics in hindi/urdu (also hin 305/urd 305) la, com 249 - creative writing (literary translation) (also cwr 205/tra 204) fall la, com 258 - revisiting paris (also ecs 327/fre 217/urb 258) fall ha, com 300 - junior seminar: introduction to comparative literature fall la, com 301 - theory and methods of comparative literature: critical and literary theory spring la, com 303 - comparative history of literary theory (also eng 302) not offered this year la, com 304 - the east european novel of the 20th century not offered this year la, com 305 - the european novel: cervantes to tolstoy not offered this year la, com 306 - the modern european novel (also eng 440) not offered this year la, com 309 - the lyric (also eng 420/spa 349) not offered this year la, com 310 - the literature of medieval europe (also hum 312/med 308) not offered this year la, com 311 - special topics in performance history and theory (also thr 331) not offered this year la, com 312 - contemporary literary theory (also eng 305) not offered this year la, com 314 - the renaissance (also art 334) not offered this year la, com 315 - cervantes and his age (also spa 306) la, com 317 - communication and the arts (also ecs 331) not offered this year la, com 318 - the modern period (also ecs 319) not offered this year la, com 320 - masterworks of european literature: the romantic quest (also ger 320) not offered this year la, com 321 - modern drama i (also eng 361/thr 364) fall la, com 323 - self and society in classical greek drama (also cla 323) not offered this year la, com 324 - the classical tradition (also hls 324) spring la, com 326 - tragedy (also hls 326) not offered this year la, com 327 - modernism in fiction (also las 327) not offered this year la, com 328 - modernism in poetry not offered this year la, com 330 - literature and law not offered this year la, com 331 - chinese poetry (also eas 331) la, com 334 - modern transformations of classical themes (also cla 334/hls 367) not offered this year la, com 337 - really fantastic fiction not offered this year la, com 338 - forms of short fiction not offered this year la, com 340 - history of criticism (also eng 306) fall la, com 341 - what is vernacular filmmaking - rhetoric for cinema studies (also ecs 341/hum 341/vis 339) la, com 342 - topics in 18th-century literature (also eng 339/gss 438) fall la, com 344 - postwar japanese narrative: modern to postmodern (also eas 344) spring la, com 346 - modern latin american fiction in translation (also las 364/spa 346) la, com 347 - topics in german culture and society (also eng 323/ger 307) fall/spring emla, com 348 - new diasporas (also aas 397/eng 397) not offered this year la, com 349 - texts and images of the holocaust (also ecs 349/ger 349/jds 349) not offered this year em, com 352 - literature and photography (also ecs 342/eng 349) fall la, com 354 - topics in gender and representation (also las 353/spa 353) la, com 355 - advanced creative writing (literary translation) (also cwr 305/tra 305) fall la, com 356 - advanced creative writing (literary translation) (also cwr 306/tra 314) spring la, com 357 - tales of hospitality: france, north africa, and the mediterranean (also fre 327) em, com 359 - acting, being, doing, and making: introduction to performance studies (also ant 359/eng 373/thr 300) not offered this year la, com 361 - the cinema from world war ii until the present (also vis 342) not offered this year la, com 363 - philosophy of art (also hum 326/phi 326) not offered this year la, com 368 - topics in medieval and early modern spanish culture (also med 301/spa 301) la, com 369 - beyond crisis contemporary greece in context (also ecs 369/hls 369/hum 369) fall sa, com 370 - topics in comparative literature (also ecs 386/hum 371) not offered this year la, com 371 - milton (also eng 325) not offered this year la, com 372 - the gothic tradition (also eng 303) spring la, com 373 - translating east asia (also eas 304/hum 333/tra 304) fall cdla, com 378 - topics in hindi-urdu (also hin 304/tra 302/urd 304) la, com 379 - topics in 19th-century italian literature (also ita 311) la, com 380 - politics and society in the arabic novel and film (also nes 380) la, com 386 - topics in contemporary italian civilization (also ecs 318/hum 327/ita 309) cdla, com 387 - risorgimento, opera, film (also ita 314) fall hala, com 389 - cultural systems (also ecs 321/spa 333) not offered this year la, com 390 - studies in the classical tradition (also cla 335/eng 235/hls 335) spring la, com 392 - the bible as literature (also eng 390/hum 390/tra 390) fall la, com 393 - nietzsche (also phi 306) not offered this year em, com 395 - topics in hindi/urdu (also hin 303/urd 303) fall la, com 399 - topics in critical theory (also aas 391/eng 388) fall/spring la, com 400 - seminar: literary imagination and the image of history not offered this year la, com 401 - seminar. types of ideology and literary form em, com 403 - seminar. the aesthetic movement: forms of excitement not offered this year la, com 404 - literature across languages not offered this year la, com 405 - senior seminar not offered this year la, com 406 - vladimir nabokov (also eng 424/res 417/sla 417) fall la, com 409 - translation, migration, culture (also hum 400/tra 400) spring sa, com 410 - bakhtin, the russian formalists, and cultural semiotics (also sla 410) not offered this year la, com 415 - leo tolstoy, war and peace: writing as fighting (also ecs 417/res 415/sla 415) spring em, com 423 - topics in postcolonial literature (also afs 416/eng 417) not offered this year la, com 430 - film theory (also vis 442) not offered this year la, com 438 - topics in the history of modern syria (also his 419/nes 419) not offered this year ha, com 444 - cinema and the related arts (also vis 444) not offered this year la, com 446 - topics in literature and ethics (also afs 415/eng 415/jrn 415) fall cdem, com 448 - forms of literature (also eng 404) not offered this year la, com 462 - topics in london (also eng 425) not offered this year la, com 469 - seminar in italian literature and culture (also ita 401/thr 408) fall lasa, com 470 - interdisciplinary studies in the humanities (also his 287/hum 470) spring em.

Fiction vs. Nonfiction: Literature Types (Compared)

• by Team Experts
• July 2, 2023 July 3, 2023

Discover the surprising differences between fiction and nonfiction literature types in this eye-opening comparison.

In conclusion, literature types are an essential aspect of written works that help readers understand the content, style, and purpose of a particular piece. Fiction and nonfiction are two major literature types that differ in their narrative style and content. Fiction includes imaginary stories and creative writing, while nonfiction includes fact-based writing and informational texts. Understanding these literature types and their differences can help readers choose the right book for their needs.

What are the Different Literary Types?

Narrative style in fiction and nonfiction writing, real-life events in nonfiction vs creative writing in fiction, informational texts: understanding their role in literature, common mistakes and misconceptions.

Overall, understanding the differences in narrative style between fiction and nonfiction writing is crucial for effective storytelling . While some elements may overlap, such as plot structure and conflict, the use of characterization, dialogue, imagery, tone, mood, setting, theme, foreshadowing, flashback, symbolism, irony, and climax differ greatly between the two styles . It is important to consider these elements when choosing a narrative style and to use them effectively to engage and captivate the reader.

Overall, the key difference between real-life events in nonfiction and creative writing in fiction is the purpose of the writing and the level of fictionalization. Nonfiction aims to inform and educate readers about real-life events, while fiction aims to entertain and engage readers through creative writing. Nonfiction requires accurate and reliable information about real-life events, while fiction requires creative ideas and imaginative storytelling. Nonfiction should be based on real-life events and should not be overly fictionalized, while fiction can be completely made up or based on real-life events with varying degrees of fictionalization. Both nonfiction and fiction require editing and revision to improve the clarity, coherence, and effectiveness of the writing.

Overall, understanding the role of informational texts in literature can provide readers with valuable knowledge and insights on various topics. However, it is important to approach these texts with a critical eye and consider the potential risks of biased or false information. By analyzing the purpose, type, structure, credibility , audience, and impact of informational texts, readers can gain a deeper understanding of the world around them.