Literary devices

Here are some literary devices you might find in a text:

Device	Example	Effect
Metaphor	‘His home was his castle.’	His home is presented as a secure and safe place to be.
Simile	‘She had a smile like the sunrise.’	Her smile seems bright and full of hope.
Personification	‘The wind screamed through the trees.’	The wind is given the human characteristic of ‘screaming’. This creates an uneasy atmosphere.
Pathetic fallacy (a type of personification)	'The clouds crowded together suspiciously overhead as the sky darkened.'	The emotion of the situation comes across through the description of the weather.
Repetition	‘Stephen tried and tried and tried to get the ball in the net.’	The repetition emphasises Stephen’s desperation at his failed attempts.
Listing	‘The choir, the altar, the old wooden pews, the heavy door…’	A clear sense of the church is conveyed by listing the features of the inside.
Alliteration	‘The suffocating steam filled the room.’	The repetition of the ‘s’ sound adds to the discomfort of the room.
Onomatopoeia	‘Howling, the cat ran through the house.’	We get a sense of the cat’s terror from the sound of the word ‘howling’.

Device	Metaphor
Example	‘His home was his castle.’
Effect	His home is presented as a secure and safe place to be.

Device	Simile
Example	‘She had a smile like the sunrise.’
Effect	Her smile seems bright and full of hope.

Device	Personification
Example	‘The wind screamed through the trees.’
Effect	The wind is given the human characteristic of ‘screaming’. This creates an uneasy atmosphere.

Device	Pathetic fallacy (a type of personification)
Example	'The clouds crowded together suspiciously overhead as the sky darkened.'
Effect	The emotion of the situation comes across through the description of the weather.

Device	Repetition
Example	‘Stephen tried and tried and tried to get the ball in the net.’
Effect	The repetition emphasises Stephen’s desperation at his failed attempts.

Device	Listing
Example	‘The choir, the altar, the old wooden pews, the heavy door…’
Effect	A clear sense of the church is conveyed by listing the features of the inside.

Device	Alliteration
Example	‘The suffocating steam filled the room.’
Effect	The repetition of the ‘s’ sound adds to the discomfort of the room.

Device	Onomatopoeia
Example	‘Howling, the cat ran through the house.’
Effect	We get a sense of the cat’s terror from the sound of the word ‘howling’.

Example

Here is an extract from Rumpole and the Blind Tasting, a short story by John Mortimer. Rumpole is a lawyer. What literary devices does Mortimer use in this extract, and what effects do they create?

It is a good few years now since I adopted the habit of noting down the facts of some of my outstanding cases, the splendours and miseries of an Old Bailey hack, and those of you who may have cast an eye over some of my previous works of reminiscence may well be muttering ‘Plus ҫa change, plus c’est la même chose’ or words to the like effect. After so many cross-examinations, speeches to the Jury, verdicts of guilty or not guilty, legal aid cheques long-awaited and quickly disposed of down the bottomless pit of the overdraft at the Caring Bank, no great change in the Rumpole fortunes had taken place, the texture of life remained much as it had always been and would, no doubt, do so until after my positively last case when I sit waiting to be called on in the Great Circuit Court of the Skies, if such a tribunal exists.

Rumpole and the Blind Tasting, a short story by John Mortimer

Analysis

The first person narrator is Rumpole. He directly addresses the reader – ‘those of you’. This creates an informal tone and makes the reader feel the narrator is talking to them.
The long sentences suggest that Rumpole likes the sound of his own voice.
Mortimer uses complex vocabulary to create the impression of an educated character. For example, ‘reminiscence’ instead of memory. This is also shown by the use of French.
The list of Rumpole’s jobs shows us how Rumpole spends his time. It suggests that he is only interested in his work.
This is supported by the final metaphor - the ‘Great Circuit Court of the Skies’. This suggests that Rumpole’s work will continue even after death.

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Language and structure – WJECLiterary devices