In addition to using words that are vivid and appeal to the reader's senses, an author will use many literary devices in order to bring the characters to life and engage the reader in the story. If you pay attention, you will notice that you use these devices in your everyday conversations.

You were introduced to literary devices in Theme 4, L22 — A1, when you were learning about storytelling techniques. You will remember the most common literary devices that are used are similes and metaphors.

       

Let’s review these devices, starting with similes:


By using a simile to compare Alberta to an ice cube, the reader gets a sense as to just how cold it can be.



Metaphors do the same job, but more directly, by actually identifying something as something else:


The reader subconsciously thinks of a blue sky, which makes it clearer just how blue the boy's eyes are.

Another very commonly used literary device is onomatopoeia. You probably don't realize it, but you often use this device in your speech. This term refers to how a specific word reflects a specific sound. Consider the following:

In each sentence, the same word, roar, was repeated, but each time it suggested a different sound.

These are just three of the literary devices that an author will use to try to recreate an experience for the reader. Click here to see the examples of other literary devices once again.