For each of the passages printed below, identify the most dominant literary device and explain why it is
1. Wilson and I are different species: he’s an early bird and I am a night owl. The problem is if I move him to his own cage, who will I get to clean up the droppings?
2. A woman came home to find her husband in the kitchen, shaking frantically with what looked like a wire running from his waist towards the electric kettle. Intending to jolt him away from the deadly current, she whacked him with a handy plank of wood by the back door, breaking his arm in two places. Till that moment he had been happily listening to his iPod.
3. Only the champion daisy trees were serene. After all, they were part of a rainforest already two thousand years old and scheduled for eternity, so they ignored the men and continued to rock the diamondbacks that slept in their arms. It took the river to persuade them that indeed the world was altered.
4. People moved slowly then. There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, nothing to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb County.
5. “A single flow’r he sent me, since we met.
All tenderly his messenger he chose;
Deep-hearted, pure, with scented dew still wet-
One perfect rose.”
6. At night, he would watch a “single green light, minute and far away, that might have been at the end of a dock.”
7. “A wealthy peasant marches
Weakly across a blazing glacier
As the stars in the cloudy sky
Glisten grimly.”
8. As the cave's roof collapsed, he was Jonah, swallowed up, and only his frantic scrabbling behind a wall of rock indicated that there was anyone still alive.
9. “Mary sat musing on the lamp-flame at the table
Waiting for Warren. When she heard his step. . .”
10. “Let us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky
Like a patient etherised upon a table;“
1. Analogy - The dominant literary device in this passage is analogy because it compares Wilson and the speaker to different species, emphasizing the stark differences in their sleep patterns and habits.
2. Irony - The dominant literary device in this passage is irony because the situation is unexpected and results in a humorous or tragic outcome. The woman's attempt to save her husband from electrocution ironically leads to him being injured.
3. Personification - The dominant literary device in this passage is personification because the champion daisy trees are given human-like qualities, such as being serene and ignoring the men around them. Personification helps to create a vivid and engaging image.
4. Imagery - The dominant literary device in this passage is imagery because it paints a picture of the slow, small-town life in Maycomb County. The vivid descriptions create a sense of place and atmosphere.
5. Symbolism - The dominant literary device in this passage is symbolism because the single rose represents the sender's love and affection for the recipient. The rose becomes a symbol of the relationship between the two characters.
6. Symbolism - The dominant literary device in this passage is symbolism because the green light symbolizes Gatsby's hopes and dreams for the future. The light represents his aspirations and desire for something greater.
7. Imagery - The dominant literary device in this passage is imagery because it creates a clear visual image of a wealthy peasant struggling across a glacier. The detailed descriptions evoke a sense of desolation and harsh conditions.
8. Simile - The dominant literary device in this passage is simile because it compares the cave's collapse to the biblical story of Jonah being swallowed by a whale. The comparison helps to convey the intense and dire situation.
9. Foreshadowing - The dominant literary device in this passage is foreshadowing because Mary's anticipation of Warren's arrival hints at future events that may unfold. Foreshadowing creates tension and suspense in the narrative.
10. Simile - The dominant literary device in this passage is simile because it compares the evening sky to a patient etherised upon a table. The comparison creates a sense of stillness and desolation in the setting.