This document defines and provides examples of various literary elements and devices found in stories, including characters, setting, conflict, theme, point of view, tone, metaphor, irony, and symbolism. It analyzes these elements in Rudyard Kipling's short story "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi", identifying the mongoose Rikki-Tikki as the protagonist defending the family against the cobra Nag and Nagaina as antagonists. The document provides definitions and examples to help readers identify and understand common literary techniques.

1. Literary Elementsand Devices
Literary Elements
 Referstoan aspectof a whole text
 Notcharacteristicof the author,but presentthroughoutall worksof literature
o Theme,conflict,setting,characters,pointof view,etc…
Literary Elements
Literary Elements
Let’sidentifytheseelementsinthe storyyouread:“Rikki-tikki-tavi”
Characters
Who isthe protagonist,the maincharacter?
Rikki-tikki-tavi
How wouldyoudescribe him?
Brave
Smart
Curious
Fast
Characters
Who isthe antagonist?Whoopposesthe protagonist?
Nag/Nagaina
How are theydescribed
inthe story?
Evil
Dangerous
Protective (of eachotherandeggs)
Minor Characters
The Family
Teddy
The Big Man
Alice (Teddy’sMother)
Rikki’sFriends
Darzee
Darzee’sWife
Chuchundra(The muskrat)
Setting

2. Where didthe story occur?
In andaround a large bungalowinSegowlee,India
Pointof View
From whatpointof viewwasthe story told?
First-Person?
Was the story toldby one of the characters, onlyrevealinghis/hersightsandthoughts?
Third-Person Objective?
Is the narrator an outsiderwhocan onlyreportwhathe seesand hears(cannotreportthe feelingsof others)?
Third-PersonLimited?
Is the narrator an outsiderwhocan see intothe mindof onlyone character?
Omniscient?
Is the narrator an outsiderwhoseemsall knowing,capable of lookingintothe mindsof all characters?
Pointof View
The followingpassage illustratesthe pointof view:
“He wasafraid forthe minute;butit isimpossibleforamongoose tostay frightenedforanylengthof time,andthough
Rikki-tikki hadnevermetalive cobrabefore,hismotherhadfedhimondeadones,andhe knew that all a grown
mongoose'sbusinessinlifewastofightandeat snakes.Nag knew thattoo, andat the bottomof hiscoldhearthe was
afraid.”
The narrator can see intothe headsof both characters,reportingtheirthoughtsandfeelings.
Conflict
Typesof Conflict
Man vs.Man
External conflictbetweentwolike beings;herovs.villain
Man vs.Nature
External conflictbetweenacharacterand forces of nature
Man vs.Society
External conflictbetweenacharacteror characters and social traditions/concepts
Man vs.Self
Internal conflictbetweenacharacter and hisownwill,confusion,orfears;self-discovery;redemption
Conflict
What isthe conflictinthisstory?
The cobras want to regaincontrol andsuperiorityinthe gardenandplanto do so bykillingthe familyandthenRikki.
Rikki wantsto protecthimself andthe familybykillingthe snakes.
Theme
A theme isthe mainideaor message conveyed bythe piece
What were the central ideasof the story?
Courage – The story emphasizedthe courage of Rikki andcontrastedthatwiththe cowardice of Chuchundrathe
muskrat
Loyalty– Rikki displaysloyaltytowardsthe familyaswell astohisdutyas a mongoose
Survival – Survival isthe motivatingfactorbehindthe actionsof all charactersinvolved.Eventhe cobraskilledonlyfor
foodand to protecttheirwayof life.
Theme
Was there a lessonormoral tobe learned?
Self-reliance,loyalty,courage,andcommonsense willhelpyouovercomeobstacles
Mood
Mood referstothe general sense orfeelingthe readerissupposedtogetfromthe text.Itdoesnot describe the author’s
or characters’ state of mind.
What kindof mood doyou sense inthe story?
The bulk of the storyis suspenseful asthe conflictdevelops,butthe enddeliversrelief andjoyasthe gardenand the
familycelebratethe endof Nagand Nagaina
Tone
Tone describesthe apparentattitude of the speakerornarratortoward the subject.Itrefers onlytothe narrative voice;
not to the authoror characters
What tone isdisplayedin“Rikki-tikki-tavi”?
The tone is at timesseriousandfrightening,butalsoreflectsRikki’splayful side
LiteraryDevices
Literarydevicesare techniquesusedbythe authortoconveyideasandemotionstothe audience
Unlike literaryelements,theyare notnecessarilypresentinall worksof literature
Metaphors,similes,foreshadowing,etc…
LiteraryWorksheet
Splitstudentsintosmall groupsandhave eachgroupcome up withexamplesforafew of the literarydevices.
Foreshadowing
Foreshadowingoccurswhenfuture eventsinastoryare suggestedbythe authorbefore theyactuallyhappened.
For example,in“Rikki-tikki-tavi”:

3. "He'll dono such thing,"saidthe father."Teddy'ssaferwiththatlittle beastthanif he hada bloodhoundtowatchhim.If
a snake came intothe nurserynow--"
The statementbythe fatherforeshadowsthe conflictwithNagandNagainathat occurs laterinthe story
Flashback
A flashbacktakesthe narrative backintime to an earlierpointinthe story.
Oftenusedtocreate suspense ordevelopacharacter
Two TypesinLiterature
Internal:flashbackto an earlierpointinthe narrative
External: flashbacktobefore the narrative started
Flashback
Examplesof Flashback:
“Palmertriedtoholdthe momentthere,butitwouldnotstay. It tunneledbackthroughtime andburstupintothis
same fieldthree yearsbefore,the firstSaturdayinAugust, whenthe grasswasstreakedwithredandgunswere
boomingandbirdswere falling.” (p. 17) Wringer (JerrySpinelli)
In the televisionshow Lost, flashbackshelptotell the storiesof mostof the characters
Irony
Ironyis a literarydevice inwhichastatement,person,orsituationisnotas itseems
Types
Verbal:whena speakersaysone thingbutmeansanother(Sarcasmis a commonexample)
Dramatic: givingthe audience piecesof informationthatsome charactersinthe storyare not aware of
Situational:discrepancybetweenexpectedresultsandactual results
Irony
Examples
Verbal:
Julius CaesarbyWilliamShakespeare
"Yet Brutussays he wasambitious;
AndBrutus isan honourable man".
Mark AntonyreallymeansthatBrutusisdishonorable
Dramatic
Romeo and Juliet by WilliamShakespeare.
WhenRomeofindsJulietinadruggedsleep,he assumeshertobe deadand killshimself.Uponawakeningtofindher
deadloverbeside her,Julietthenkillsherself.
Irony
Situational
The Rime of theAncient Marinerby Coleridge
“Water, water,everywhere,
Andall the boardsdidshrink;
Water,water,everywhere,
Nor anydrop to drink“
It isironicthat wateris everywhere butnone of itcan be drunk
Figurative Language
Descriptive languagethatisnotmeantto be takenliterally,buttocreate imagery
Metaphor – directcomparisonof unrelatedsubjects
Equatestwoideasdespite theirdifferences
“All the World’sa Stage”- Shakespeare
Simile – useswordssuch as “like”or“as” to compare ideas
Allowstwoideastoremaindistinctinspite of theirsimilarities
“My love islike ared,redrose” – RobertBurns
Symbolism
Symbolismisthe use of specificobjectsorimagestorepresentabstractideas
For example,in“Rikki-tikki-tavi”,Rikki’s“redandhot”eyesrepresent hisanger
Repetition
There are several kindsof repetitionwherewords,phrases,orsoundsare repeatedforastrongeremphasisbythe
author.
Anaphora – repetitionof wordorphrase at beginningof everyclause
"We shall fightonthe beaches,we shall fightonthe landinggrounds,we shallfightinthe fieldsandinthe streets,we
shall fightinthe hills,we shall neversurrender.“ (WinstonChurchill)
Repetitition
Alliteration- the repetitionof similarsounds,usuallyconsonants,atthe beginningof words.
"PeterPiperpickedapeckof pickledpeppers…"
Assonance – repetitionof vowel soundswithinphrasesorsentences
On a proud roundcloud ina white highnight - E.E. Cummings,
Consonance – repetitionof consonantswithdifferentvowel sounds

4. “A windblewoutof a cloud,chilling
My beautifulAnnabel Lee;
So that herhighbornkinsmancame
Andbore her awayfrom me”– AnnabelLee byEdgar AllenPoe
Hyperbole/Understatement
Hyperbole – exaggeration;usedto create emphasis
“Here once the embattledfarmersstood Andfiredthe shotheardroundthe world.”
—RalphWaldoEmerson, TheConcord Hymn
Understatement– writerdeliberatelymakesasituationseemlessimportantthanitis
“It isn'tveryserious.Ihave thistinylittle tumoronthe brain.” —J.D.Salinger, TheCatcherin the Rye
Personification
Type of figurative language thatdescribessomethingwhichisn’thumanashavinghumanqualities
“Fear knockedonthe door. Faithanswered.There wasnoone there.” – Englishproverb
Anthropomorphismis a literarydevice thattakesthisideaalittle bitfurther,givinguniquelyhumancharacteristicsto
non-humans
“Rikki-tikki-tavi”isbasedentirelyonthisdevice.
The animalsall talk,plan,andare evenimplicatedasbeinggoodorevil
Allusion
Figure of speechthatmakesa reference toa place,event,literarywork,myth,orworkof art, eitherdirectlyorby
implication
Questions?
Credits
All Rikki-tikki-tavi picturesare fromhttp://www.fantasykat.com/shows/rikkitikki.html
Literaryelementsdiagram:http://kimskorner4teachertalk.com
Quietirony:http://www.thefreedictionary.com/irony
No smoking:http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Situational_irony.jpg
Jonahand the Whale:http://www.flickr.com/photos/benjamin_marra_illustrations/2416100795/