Literary Devices Lesson: Mastering Similes, Metaphors & More!

Lesson Overview

• What Are Literary Devices?
• Simile: Comparing Using "Like" or "As"
• Metaphor: Direct Comparison WITHOUT "Like" or "As"
• Alliteration: Same Starting Sounds
• Foreshadowing: Hints of Things to Come
• Cliffhanger: Leaving You Hanging!
• Mood: The Atmosphere or Feeling of a Story
• Conflict: Internal vs. External – The Story's Problems

Have you ever read a story that made you feel scared, happy, or excited? Have you heard funny tongue twisters or comparisons like "busy as a bee"? If so, you've already experienced literary devices! 

Literary terms and devices are special tools authors use to make their writing more interesting and meaningful. In this lesson plan, we'll explore some common literary devices in a fun and engaging way. 

What Are Literary Devices?

Literary devices are like the special effects in books. They are techniques or figures of speech that writers use to make their stories more vivid, fun, or powerful. Think of them as tricks that make reading more exciting​

For example, instead of saying "He runs fast," an author might say "He zoomed like a rocket," which paints a stronger picture in your mind. The rocket comparison is a literary device (a simile). Literary devices help readers imagine scenes, feel emotions, and understand ideas in creative ways.

Why learn them? 

Knowing literary devices helps you become a better reader and writer. When you recognize a device, you can understand the story on a deeper level – like catching an author's hidden clues or jokes. 

Note: If a sentence doesn't make sense literally (word-for-word), the writer is probably using a literary device​

Take This Quiz:

Literary Terms and Devices Quiz Questions With Answers

Simile: Comparing Using "Like" or "As"

A simile is a comparison between two unlike things using the words "like" or "as." In other words, if you see "like" or "as" linking two ideas, it's probably a simile. Similes make descriptions more colorful by showing how two things are similar in a creative way. For example:

• "She was as busy as a bee." – This compares a person to a bee using "as." It suggests she was very busy, just like bees who are always buzzing around.
• "The clouds were like cotton candy in the sky." – This uses "like" to compare clouds to cotton candy, meaning they were fluffy and soft-looking.

Similes help readers imagine things better. Saying "busy as a bee" gives a clear image of just how busy she is – more than simply saying "very busy." It adds flavor to writing. 

Metaphor: Direct Comparison WITHOUT "Like" or "As"

A metaphor also compares two unlike things, but it does so without using "like" or "as." Instead of saying something is like something, a metaphor will say it is something. It's a direct comparison. Metaphors often sound a bit more poetic or stronger because they say one thing is another.

For example:

• "Brian was a wall, bouncing every tennis ball back over the net." – Brian isn't literally a wall, but this metaphor compares Brian to a wall. Why? Because a wall would bounce tennis balls back, and Brian returned every ball, just as a wall would. 

This metaphor shows Brian is an amazing, unstoppable defender in tennis (nothing got past him!). It's stronger than just saying "Brian was a really good player."

• "Tammy is a hog when it comes to pizza." – Tammy isn't actually a pig, but calling her a "hog" is a metaphor meaning she eats very quickly or greedily (like a pig might). 

This device paints a funnier, more vivid picture of Tammy's eating habits than simply "Tammy eats a lot."

Note: To interpret a metaphor, think about the qualities of the thing used in the comparison. (Why a hog? Because hogs eat fast, meaning Tammy ate fast.) A good strategy is to ask: "What is the special trait of the thing in the metaphor, and does the character share it?" Here, a wall is solid and bounces things back (Brian was solid in defense), a hog eats a lot (Tammy ate a lot).

Simile vs. Metaphor – Telling Them Apart

Here's a helpful table to quickly understand the key differences between similes and metaphors. 

Alliteration: Same Starting Sounds

Alliteration is a literary device that deals with sound. It's the repetition of the same starting sound in a series of words, especially close together in a sentence​

It's often used in poetry, tongue twisters, or catchy phrases to create rhythm or emphasis. Alliteration can make sentences fun to say and hear!

For example:

• "Sally sells seashells by the seashore." – Hear the "s" sound repeating at the start of almost every word? That's alliteration! The repeated s sound makes it tongue-twisting and memorable.
• "Wild and woolly walrus." – Repeating the "w" sound at the start of each word is alliteration, giving the phrase a fun rhythm.

Tip: A great way to remember alliteration is to think of the alphabet. Alliteration = same starting letters (or sounds). Try making a silly alliterative phrase with your own name, like "Brave Bobby battled bullies" or "Cautious Carla crawled carefully." It's fun and helps you remember how alliteration works.

Why Use Alliteration? 

Alliteration makes language musical and memorable. Poets use it to give their lines rhythm. Advertisers use it so you won't forget their slogans. As a reader, it can draw your attention to those words. 

In a story, "the dark, dreary dungeon" sets a mood (lots of harsh "d" sounds can feel ominous). Alliteration mostly is just a stylistic spice to make writing enjoyable.

Foreshadowing: Hints of Things to Come

Have you ever read a story where early on you get a sneaky feeling about what might happen later? If so, you encountered foreshadowing. Foreshadowing is a device where the author gives hints or clues about events that will happen later in the story​

It's like the story is whispering to you, "Something is coming, get ready!" This creates suspense because you start guessing what might occur.

How to Spot Foreshadowing

Writers might use descriptions, dialogue, or symbols as hints. For example, if a character sees dark clouds gathering, it might foreshadow a coming storm or trouble ahead (in stories, stormy weather often hints conflict is near). In a mystery, if a writer mentions a locked drawer early on, it might foreshadow that its contents will be important later. Good readers pick up on these clues and make predictions. In fact, you probably do this naturally!

Example: In The Wizard of Oz, there's a part where a mean neighbor, Mrs. Gulch, takes away Dorothy's dog, Toto. Later, Mrs. Gulch is revealed to become the Wicked Witch. This early event foreshadows that Mrs. Gulch was going to be a villain (Wicked Witch) all along​

The story gave a hint: a nasty person in Kansas later shows up as an even nastier witch in Oz – no surprise!

Why Use Foreshadowing?

Foreshadowing keeps readers engaged and guessing. It can also make events feel more believable. For you as a reader, foreshadowing makes you an active participant – you start anticipating outcomes, which is exciting!

(Bonus Tip: Don't confuse foreshadowing with flashback. Foreshadow looks forward (hints at future), while a flashback looks backward (a scene that shows past events). They're opposites in timeline – flashback shows what already happened, foreshadow hints at what's going to happen.)

Cliffhanger: Leaving You Hanging!

Imagine you're watching your favorite show, and it ends right at the most exciting part with a "To be continued…" What?! You desperately want to know what happens next, but you have to wait. That is a cliffhanger. In literature (or TV or movies), a cliffhanger is a suspenseful, unresolved ending to a chapter, episode, or story that leaves the audience eager to find out what happens next​.

It's called a cliff-hanger because it's like the story stopped while you're hanging off a cliff – it's that tense!

Cliffhangers are often used at the end of chapters or books (especially in a series) to keep readers hooked. Think of a time you read a story or chapter that ended right before something big happened – you probably had to read on!

Cliffhanger vs. Foreshadowing

These two can feel similar because both create suspense, but they're used differently. 

Mood: The Atmosphere or Feeling of a Story

When you read a story, how does it make you feel? Mood is the overall feeling or atmosphere that a piece of writing creates for the reader​

It's the emotional environment of the story. Authors set the mood through their choice of setting, words, and details. As a reader, mood is your reaction (e.g., happy, creepy, peaceful, tense).

Think of mood as the vibe of the story. For example:

• A story describes a haunted house on a dark, moonless night with spooky whispers in the wind. The mood is likely scary or eerie. You might feel tense or goosebumpy reading it.
• Another story describes a beautiful castle covered in gold trim with gardens of lollipops glistening in the sparkling sun. The mood here is bright, cheerful, and magical – it feels happy or whimsical​.

Authors create mood with setting and word choice. Describing a sunny field with birds chirping likely creates a joyful or peaceful mood, whereas a dark forest with strange noises might set a mysterious or scary mood. For example, "A sunny field feels different from a dark forest" – just reading that, can you sense the change in feeling? Weather, time of day, and place all affect mood​.

Tip: To identify mood, pay attention to how you feel while reading a passage. Also look at the adjectives and description: are they pleasant, harsh, colorful, gloomy? Those are clues. Mood is often described with emotion words (happy, angry, tranquil, gloomy, etc.).

Sometimes mood is confused with tone, but you don't need to worry too much about tone right now (tone is the author's attitude, mood is the reader's feeling). 

Theme: The Big Idea or Lesson of the Story

The theme is the big idea, message, or lesson that a writer wants to share through the story​. Think of it as the deeper meaning – not just what happened (that's plot), but why it matters. A theme can be a moral (like a fable's lesson: "hard work pays off"), or a general insight about life or human nature ("friendship is more valuable than money," for example).

Theme is usually not stated outright in the story – you figure it out from the events and characters. It's an abstract idea, but every good story has at least one theme.

For example, consider "The Tortoise and the Hare." What's the theme or lesson? "Slow and steady wins the race." That's the message the author wanted to convey – that perseverance and consistency can beat arrogance and speed.

In a novel about a superhero who learns to work with a team, a theme might be "the importance of teamwork." In a story where a character overcomes great odds, a theme could be "never give up" or "courage."

One way to find the theme: ask "What did the main character learn?" or "What idea does this story teach me about life or people?"

Conflict: Internal vs. External – The Story's Problems

Every good story has a conflict – that's the problem or struggle the characters face. Without conflict, stories would be pretty boring (everyone just happy all the time doesn't make an exciting plot!). In literature, there are two main types of conflict to know: internal conflict and external conflict.

• Internal Conflict – a struggle inside a character (internal = inside). It's usually a character vs. themselves situation. This means the character is dealing with some personal issue: a tough decision, fear, loneliness, guilt, or competing desires. It's a mental or emotional battle.

For example, if a character is trying to overcome their fear of the dark, that's an internal conflict. The fight is within their own mind – bravery vs. fear.

• External Conflict – a struggle between a character and an outside force (external = outside). This could be character vs. character (like Harry Potter vs. Voldemort – hero vs villain), character vs. nature (trying to survive a hurricane or wild animal), character vs. society (like standing up against unjust rules), or any outside obstacle. 

For instance, a kid trying to climb a mountain (character vs nature) or two friends in an argument (character vs character) are external conflicts. The key is something outside the character is the problem.

How to remember: The word internal has "in" (inside) and external has "ex" (which can mean out, like exit is out). So internal = inside, external = outside.

Take This Quiz:

Literary Devices Quiz For Students