Literary Devices

Literary devices are choices that authors make when writing and include, but are not limited to: simile, metaphor, personification, onomatopoeia, hyperbole, symbolism, tone, and irony.

Standard 3

Progression 

objectives in chronological order with shifts bolded

Students will find examples of literary devices:

● simile 

● alliteration

● onomatopoeia 

Students will find examples of literary devices: 

● personification

● hyperbole

● simile 

● alliteration 

● onomatopoeia 

Students will find textual evidence of literary devices: 

● metaphor

● idiom

● personification 

● hyperbole 

● simile 

● alliteration 

● onomatopoeia 

Students will determine how literary devices contribute to the meaning of a text:

● imagery

● metaphor 

● idiom 

● personification 

● hyperbole 

● simile 

● alliteration 

● onomatopoeia

Students will analyze how literary devices contribute to the meaning of a text: 

● figurative language (i.e., simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, imagery, symbolism, idiom) 

In grade 6, students extend from determining literary devices and how they contribute to the meaning of a text to analyzing, or closely examining, how literary devices contribute to the meaning of a text. Students connect how figurative language and sound devices work to contribute to meaning.  At this level, students are introduced to the literary device of symbolism and  the term figurative language to represent terms they have previously learned, such as simile, metaphor, personification, and imagery. Similarly, students learn the term sound devices to represent onomatopoeia and alliteration, terms they first learned in second grade.

Students think about what the author wished to express and consider how each device the author used contributed to that purpose. Students make inferences about why the author chose to use a specific device.

Students will analyze literary devices to support an interpretation of a text:

● figurative language (i.e., simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, imagery, symbolism, idiom) 

● sound devices (i.e., onomatopoeia, alliteration) 

In grade 7, students shift from analyzing how literary devices contribute to meaning to analyzing literary devices to support a specific interpretation of a text. At this level, students are introduced to the literary device verbal irony. Students continue to analyze figurative language and sound devices, as well as verbal irony.  Students make inferences about why the author chose to use specific devices for a particular effect and use those inferences and analyses to build their support of an interpretation of a text.

Students will analyze literary devices to support interpretations of a text:

● figurative language (i.e., simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, imagery, symbolism, idiom)

● sound devices (i.e., onomatopoeia, alliteration)

Students will evaluate how literary devices impact theme, mood, and/or tone, using textual evidence:

● figurative language (i.e., simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, imagery, symbolism)

● sound devices (i.e., onomatopoeia, alliteration, assonance)

At the high school level, students move beyond analyzing how literary devices support a text into evaluating the impact of these choices on the text.  In particular, students assess how literary devices impact the theme or central message of the text, as well as its mood and/or tone by providing evidence from the text to justify their thinking. By this level, students recognize that the mood (overall feeling or atmosphere created by the author) may be different than the tone (writer’s attitude toward a subject).

Students also expand their knowledge of literary sound devices to include assonance (intentional repetition of vowel sounds within words that begin with different consonants) and recognize the effect it can have on a text (e.g., creates rhythm, sets mood, stimulates reader’s sensation). 

Lastly, at the high school level, students expand their knowledge of irony to include dramatic irony. Dramatic irony occurs when the audience or reader’s understanding of events or individuals surpasses those of the characters and can be used to create tension, suspense, curiosity, and/or humor. Through evaluating the impact of literary devices, students gain autonomy of employing the devices in order to develop their own writing further.