21st century literature

1. FIGURES OF SPEECH AND
OTHER LITERARY TECHNIQUES
IDENTIFY THE FIGURES OF SPEECH AND OTHER LITERARY TECHNIQUES AND DEVICES
IN THE TEXT

2. PRE-TEST
1. The clouds are soft cottons in the sky.
A. Simile B. Metaphor C. Hyperbole D.
Personification
2. I ask for your hand to marry me.
A. Metonymy B. Hyperbole C.
Synecdoche D. Simile

3. PRE-TEST
3. He is running faster than the wind.
A. Oxymoron B. Paradox C. Alliteration
D.Hyperbole
4. Black bug bit in a big black bear is an
example of
A. Alliteration B. Hyperbole C.
Onomatopoeia D. Simile

4. PRE-TEST
5. My hair is like a satin.
A. Simile B. Metaphor C.
Hyperbole D.
Personification

5.  1, B
 2. A
 3. C
 4. D
 5. A

6. SIMILE
COMPARES TWO UNLIKE THINGS WITH A
COMMON QUALITY
LIKE, AS
EXAMPLE
MY LOVE IS LIKE A RED ROSE
(LOVE IS BEING COMPARED TO A ROSE)

7. METAPHOR
A COMPARISON THAT IS DONE BY STATING THAT
ONE THING IS ANOTHER IN ORDER TO SUGGEST
THEIR SIMILARITY OR SHARED QUALITIES
EXAMPLE
THE CLOUDS ARE SOFT COTTONS IN THE SKY.
(CLOUDS ARE COMPARED TO SOFT COTTONS)

8. PERSONIFICATION
GIVES HUMAN QUALITIES TO OBJECTS
AND THINGS
EXAMPLE
THE RAIN GENTLY KISSED MY CHEEKS.
(CAN RAIN KISS?ONLY A PERSON KISS)

9. METONYMY
REFERS TO USING A THING OR IDEA THAT IS
NOT REFERRED TO BY ITW OWN NAME BUT BY
A DIFFERENT ONE, A NAME OF SOMETHING
WITH WHICH IT IS CLOSELY ASSOCIATED
EXAMPLE
“WHITE HOUSE DECLARED….”
(RATHER THAN “THE PRESIDENT DECLARED”)

10. SYNECDOCHE
USES A PART OF SOMETHING TO
REPRESENT THE WHOLE OR THE
WHOLE TO REPRESENT A PART.
EXAMPLE.
ASK FOR A HAND
(REFERS TO ASKING FOR A WOMAN TO
MARRY)

11. HYPERBOLE
USES INTENTIONAL EXAGGERATION TO
ACHIEVE EMPHASIS OR PRODUCE A
COMIC EFFECT.
EXAMPLE
HE’S RUNNING FASTER THAN THE
WIND.

12. OXYMORON
IS A WORD OR A COMBINATION OF
WORDS WITH CONTRADICTORY
MEANINGS, AS IN BITTERSWEET AND
OPEN SECRET
EXAMPLE
DURIAN IS DISGUSTINGLY DELICIOUS.

13. PARADOX
IS A STATEMENT THAT APPEARS TO
HOLD CONTRADICTORY IDEAS BUT
MAY ACTUALLY BE TRUE.
EXAMPLE
JOHN IS NORMALLY ABNORMAL

14. ALLITERATION
REFERS TO THE USE OF CLOSELY
SPACED WORDS THAT HAVE THE
SAME INITIAL SOUNDS.
EXAMPLE
BLACK BUG BIT A BIG BLACK BEAR.

15. ONOMATOPOEIA
IS THE USE OF WORDS THAT IMITATE
THE SOUND OF WHAT THEY ARE
REFERRING TO.
EXAMPLE
MACHINE NOISES-
HONK,BEEP,VROOM,CLANG,ZAP, BANG

16. LITERARY
TECHNIQUES

17. What are literary techniques/ devices?
Literary techniques or devices
refer to specific methods writers
employ in their works to convey
messages.

18. Readers, on the other hand,
look for several literary
techniques when examining
or analyzing a text or simply
evaluating a text’s artistic
value

19. Literary Techniques
1. Anaphora (epanaphora), refers to the
repetition of a word or phrase at the
beginning of a sentence.
 To create an artistic or heightened effect.
It adds rhythm to a particular line or
paragraph, making it easier to memorize or
remember.
used for emphasis or to stir emotions among
the audience

20. Anapora Examples:
You’re likely familiar with the
famous lyrics to Santa Claus Is
Comin’ to Town.
You better watch out
You better not cry
You better not pout…

21. Anapora Examples:
Anaphora in Speeches
In his “I Have a Dream” speech, Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. repeated the words “I have a dream” at the
start of five consecutive sentences. With each
repetition, the intensity of his belief and the inspiration
of his words increased.
I have a dream that one day even the state of
Mississippi, a state, sweltering with the heat of
injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will
be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I
have a dream that my four little children will one day
live in a nation where they will not be judged by the

22. Anapora Examples:
In his 1999 speech at the White House,
“The Perils of Indifference” Elie Wiesel
uses anaphora to emphasize the
meaning and effect of indifference.
Indifference elicits no
response. Indifference is not a
response. Indifference is not a
beginning; it is an end.

23. Anapora Examples:
1.“Every day, every night, in every
way, I am getting better and better”
2. “My life is my purpose. My life is
my goal. My life is my inspiration”.

24. Literary Techniques
2. Antihero is a fictional character
who does not possess the traits,
such as pride and valor, expected
of a hero. Often, antiheroes are
portrayed as foolish and usually
find themselves in mischief.

25. Literary Techniques
3. Cliff-hanger is a literary technique used by the
author to arouse curiosity among readers by ending
a chapter or story abruptly.
The characters are confronted with a difficult or an
unsettling situation. Instead of providing a
resolution, the author would end it.
serialized works.
 Writers utilize cliff-hangers in their works to keep
the readers focused and interested as to what will
happen next

26. Literary Techniques
4. Juxtaposition is a technique authors use
in their works to compare two different
things, or two contrasting ideas to be able
to emphasize their differences, such as
good and evil, life and death, truth and lies,
among others. This technique is also used
to develop a character, resolve a conflict, or
clarify various concepts

27. Literary Techniques
5. Foreshadowing refers to lines or dialogues
in a story which give the reader an idea of
what is about to happen without spoiling or
explicitly stating the plot’s entirety.
When writers use this technique, especially in
mystery or thriller novels, they provide “red
herrings” (misleading or false clues) to divert
the readers’ expectations.

28. A prime example of dialogue
foreshadowing occurs
in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet,
when Romeo says, “My life were
better ended by their hate, than death
prorogued, wanting of thy love.” This
line foreshadows Romeo's eventual
fate: commiting suicide over the loss of
Juliet.

29. Literary Techniques
6. Catharsis – derived from the Greek word katharsis,
which means “purification” or “purgation.”
It refers to the emotional release or cleansing of the
characters, or audience or readers, from strong
emotions usually brought by learning of the truth or
when confronted with difficult situations.
This technique is commonly found in tragedies, such
as Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and Sophocles’
Oedipus the King

30. Examples
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare is a master of catharsis, as you
can see in many of his great tragedies.
In Romeo and Juliet, the two star-crossed lovers
eventually commit suicide. The audience, often in
tears by this point, experiences a feeling of catharsis.
As the play closes, the two families in the story make
peace with one another, offering a feeling of closure.

31. Example
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Russian literature is full of examples of catharsis,
but one notable work is Anna Karenina.
In the famous novel by Leo Tolstoy, the heroine
endures the torture of being in love with one man
and married to another. Her eventual suicide leaves
the reader crying, and it offers an emotional release
for the sadness that runs throughout the story.

32. Literary Techniques
7. Stream of Consciousness “referred to
as interior monologue”
Character's thoughts, feelings, and
reactions are depicted in a continuous
flow uninterrupted by objective
description or conventional dialogue.
A literary technique that is usually
associated with Modern writers.

33. Stream of Consciousness
The plot is developed based on the characters’
reminiscence or recollection of events and
thought fragments. Instead of using dialogues to
show the characters’ reaction or emotion, writers
make use of stream of consciousness to show
each character’s complex nature.
Readers are taken into the depths of the
characters’ mind and witness how these
characters process their thoughts when faced
with a particular situation or emotion.

34. Literary Techniques
8. Hamartia or tragic flaw-found in Greek tragedies.
The tragic hero’s error in judgment, which leads to his or her
downfall.
This error is committed unknowingly, such in the case of
Oedipus when he killed his father Laius and married his
mother Jocasta. Hamartia is used to have the audience identify
themselves with the protagonist (that he or she has
weaknesses too) and to provoke pity because of the miserable
turn of events he or she went through.
Used to impart a moral objective among readers or audience
to improve or change for the better so as to avoid the tragedy
that has befallen the protagonist