Literary TermsA Review

AlliterationThe repetition of usually initial consonant

sounds in two or more neighboring words or syllables

Example: The lamb was wild and woolly.

AssonanceThe repetition of identical or similar vowel

sounds in neighboring words.Example: If I bleat when I speak it’s because

I just got…fleeced.

AllusionA figure of speech that makes a reference to,

or representation of, people, places, events, literary works, myths, or works of art.

Example: Martin Luther King, Jr. alluded to the Gettysburg Address when he stated “Five score years ago” in his “I Have a Dream” speech.

AntagonistA person who is opposed to, struggles

against, or competes with another; opponent, adversary

Example: Andy in Speak

ProtagonistThe principal character in a literary workExample: Melinda in Speak

ForeshadowingThe use of hints or clues to suggest what will

happen in the futureIn the opening of The Wizard of Oz, the

transformation of Miss Gulch into a witch on a broomstick foreshadows her reappearance as Dorothy's enemy in Oz.

MetaphorCompares two unlike thingsExample: He’s drowning in money. 

SimileA figure of speech that directly compares two

different things, usually by employing the words "like" or "as“

Example: Curley was flopping like a fish on a line.

OnomatopoeiaThe naming of a thing or action by a

vocal imitation of the sound associated with it 

Examples: Buzz, hiss

PersonificationGiving human traits (qualities, feelings,

action, or characteristics) to non-living objects.

Example: The stars danced playfully in the moonlit sky.

SatireThe use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like

, in  exposing, condemning, or scorning vice, folly, etc.

Examples: “Weekend Update” from Saturday Night LiveThe Daily ShowThe movie Scary MovieThe movies of Austin PowersMost political cartoons in newspapers and

magazinesThe songs of Weird Al Yankovic