Literary or rhetorical figures (explanation and examples)

What are literary figures:

Literary figures, also known as rhetorical figures, are unconventional ways of using words to give them expressiveness, liveliness or beauty, in order to surprise, excite, suggest or persuade.

Literary figures are typical of literary discourse and its different genres (poetry, narrative, essay, drama), in which language is an end in itself, and is transformed to enhance its expressive possibilities.

However, literary figures are not exclusive to literature, but are also used in our colloquial language, even some are already assimilated to it, in certain expressions or turns.

Next, we will refer to some of the most used literary figures and their examples.

1. Metaphor

The metaphor is the subtle relation of analogy or similarity that is established between two ideas or images.

Examples:

• "Your eyes are jungle green." To indicate that the color of the eyes resemble the color of the jungle: "It was her dark hair / made of night and pain", in the poem "Song of Autumn and Spring", by Rubén Darío. The color of the hair is related to the darkness of the night.

2. Simile or comparison

The simile or comparison consists of establishing a relationship of similarity between two elements that is introduced by an explicit relational element.

Examples:

• "You are cold as ice." " He threw himself on her like an eagle on his prey."

You may also be interested: 60 examples of simile.

3. Hyperbole

Hyperbole occurs when an aspect or characteristic of a thing is exaggeratedly increased or decreased.

Examples:

• "I apologized a thousand times." It is a way of explaining that apology was repeatedly asked: "I love you to infinity and beyond." It expresses a love if it ends. "He cried rivers of tears when he left." It means that the person cried a lot.

4. Metonymy

Metonymy consists of designating one thing with the name of another, with which it has a relationship of presence or closeness.

Examples:

• "He always drinks a sherry after lunch," referring to the wine produced in that region. "The young people swore allegiance to the flag," to indicate that allegiance was sworn to the country.

5. Synecdoche

The synecdoche is a literary figure in which a thing is called in relation to the whole by the part (or vice versa), the species by the genus (or vice versa) or the material by the name of the thing.

Examples:

• "He used steel for combat," in reference to the sword. "I'm looking for a roof to live in," in reference to a house.

6. Anaphora

Anaphora is the rhythmic repetition of certain sounds or words at the beginning of a verse or phrase.

Examples:

• " Here everything is known, here there are no secrets." " Neither false hope, nor unjust works, or undeserved punishment" of the poem "In peace" by Amado Nervo.

7. Prosopopeia or personification

Prosopopeia or personification is the rhetorical procedure that consists in attributing qualities proper to a rational or animate being to another inanimate.

Examples:

• "The Moon smiled at me from high in the sky." "The clock screams the time at us."

8. Epithet

The epithet is the adjective that is used to attribute qualities to the accompanying noun.

Examples:

• " Rough path" refers to a difficult path. " Sweet wait", to indicate that the wait to know something is not over yet. " Tender joy", to refer to that feeling of tenderness.

9. Allegory

Allegory is a complex rhetorical procedure in which, through a set of metaphorical associations, a broader concept or idea is constructed.

Examples:

• The myth of Hercules is an allegory about force or heroic effort. The poem "I cultivate a white rose", by José Martí, which is an allegory of friendship.

10. Alliteration

Alliteration consists of the repetition of the same sound or similar sounds, especially consonants, in the same phrase or sentence in order to produce a certain sound effect in reading.

Examples:

• "Infamous tur ba noc tur nas birds." Fable of Polyphemus and Galatea , Luis de Gongora y Argote "What s s u s piro s s e e s Capan of s u mouth fre s a" of the poem "Sonatina" Ruben Dario, the sighs are emulated with the repetition of the fricative sound of the s .

11. Hyperbaton

The hyperbaton is a literary figure in which the conventional order of words is altered for expressive reasons or, in the case of poetry, to adjust it to the metric, rhythm or rhyme of the phrase.

Examples:

• “If I remember correctly”, to refer to “if I remember correctly.” “From the living room in the dark corner, / of its owner perhaps forgotten, / silent and covered in dust, / you could see the harp”. "Rima VII", by Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer.

12. Irony

In irony, one thing is implied by expressing the opposite of what is actually meant or thought.

Examples:

• "What a good dancer you are!" Refers to someone who does not know how to dance. "I am so intelligent that sometimes I do not understand a word of what I am saying", Oscar Wilde.

13. Paradox

The paradox involves the use of expressions, ideas, concepts or phrases in which there is a supposed contradiction that, in reality, is intended to emphasize or give new meaning to what it is talking about.

Examples:

• "Just I know that I do not know anything." "If you crave the peace, prepare for war ".

14. Oxymoron

The oxymoron is a literary figure that consists of generating contradiction, irony or inconsistency in a sentence by placing contrary words or ideas.

Examples:

• "There was a deafening silence." "Sometimes less is more."

15. Onomatopoeia

The onomatopoeia is the written representation of a sound such as: clic, crack, plaf, puff, pss, etc. It is a way of vocalizing the sounds that can be generated by certain objects or animals.

Examples:

• "When I squeezed the plastic, it sounded crack, indicating that I had broken it." "Miiiaaauuu! That's how the cat greeted me. ”

16. Synesthesia

Synesthesia consists of attributing a sensation (auditory, olfactory, visual, gustatory, tactile) to an object to which it does not correspond conventionally.

Examples:

• "The bitter past that I do not forget". It refers to a difficult experience. “It softened the night of silver sweetness ”, in a poem “Nocturno” by Rubén Darío. It refers to a moment of tenderness.

17. Pleonasm

In pleonasm, redundancy occurs by using words that might be unnecessary to understand the full meaning of a phrase, usually in order to intensify its meaning.

Examples:

• "I count on each and everyone present." The idea of ​​everyone participating in the lake is reinforced: "I saw you with my own eyes." It is emphasized that he saw with his eyes.

18. Periphrasis

As a periphrasis, it is called a certain way of expressing yourself by detouring or using more words than would normally have been necessary to communicate an idea or concept.

Examples:

• "He gave his last breath this morning," to indicate that someone passed away. "The Supreme Being, creator of heaven and earth," to say God.

19. Etopeya

The etopeya is used to make the description of the character, actions and customs of the personality of an individual.

Example:

"Paula was a dreamy girl, like everyone at her age, with an immense desire to help others."

20. Prosopography

Prosopography is used to describe the external characteristics of a person or animal.

Example:

"He was an old man with an aquiline profile and a thin face."

21. Polysyndeton

The polysyndeton consists of the repeated use of conjunctions with the aim of increasing the expressive force of the speech.

Example:

"Oh great and fruitful and magnetic slave", Pablo Neruda. In this case it is about enhancing the female figure described.

22. Ellipsis

The ellipsis consists of avoiding the unnecessary repetition of words to give greater emphasis to a segment of the sentence, to generate greater fluidity and rhythm, without affecting the grammatical construction of the sentence.

Examples:

• "He wants a hug." It is omitted (he) "Pedro knows how to drive, but I don't." In this case it is omitted (I know how to handle).

23. Antithesis

Antithesis is a literary figure that consists of the opposition that can exist between two ideas or expressions, phrases or verses in order to achieve a more effective expression and the development of new knowledge.

Example:

"I strive to forget you and inadvertently remember you." In this example, the ideas of forgetting and remembering take precedence.

24. Asyndeton

The asyndeton is the literary figure that omits the conjunctions and links of the sentences, phrases or statements, in order to generate greater dynamism and mobility to expression.

Example:

"I think of you, your smile, your gaze, the chocolate-flavored kisses, you ran, you left, we got lost." As can be seen in the example, no conjunctions are used.

25. Description

The literary description consists of the detailed explanation of the characters, objects, locations or situations to evoke in the reader a plausible mental image about the element of the story.

Example:

"The 'newbie', who had stood in the corner behind the door so that he was barely visible, was a country boy, about fifteen years old, and taller than any of us. He wore the hair cut into bangs like a village sacristan, and he looked formal and very embarrassed. " Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary .

26. Calambur

The calambur is the rhetorical figure consists of the regrouping of syllables or words in order to modify the meaning of a sentence, hide a double meaning or generate ambiguity.

Examples: In these examples you can see how altering the word order completely changes the meaning of the sentence.

• “Aitor Tilla / There is an omelette.” “If I saw / If it rained”.

27. Apostrophe

The apostrophe is a literary figure characterized by addressing an interlocutor, real or imagined, during a speech, dialogue, or narrative. It is common in prayers and soliloquies.

Example:

"Little pieces of child, / Blue with cold, / How they see you and don't cover you, / My God!". Excerpt from the poem "Piececitos de niño", by Gabriela Mistral.

28. Gradation

The gradation is a literary figure that consists of organizing the elements of the discourse according to their importance, either ascending or descending, the latter also known as anticlimax.

Examples:

• "We both counted the hours, days, and weeks to see each other again." "On land, in smoke, in dust, in shadow, in nothing." Fragment of the poem "While to compete for your hair", by Luis de Góngora.

29. Pun or commute

The pun or commutation is a literary figure characterized by the repetition of a sentence or phrase in the opposite direction and by the reorganization of the elements, in order to reinforce an idea or promote reflection.

Examples:

• "There is no way for peace, peace is the way." Phrase by Mahatma Gandhi: “Is there not to be a brave spirit? / Do you always have to feel what is said ? / Is it never necessary to say what you feel ? ”. Francisco de Quevedo.

30. Chiasm

Chiasm is a literary resource that consists of the repetition of ideas, but exchanging their order without the sentence or phrase losing its meaning.

Examples:

• "When I want to cry, I can't, but many times I cry without meaning to." "Don't ask yourself what your country can do for you, ask yourself what you can do for your country."