Literary Devices Essay Assignment

Directions: Writers use literary devices to breathe life into their stories. Characterization, setting, mood,
personification, imagery, etc., are just some of the tools writers have at their disposal. Examine how the
authors in this unit employed literary devices to entertain, educate, and marvel their readers. Present your
analysis in a formal five-paragraph essay that addresses the following question: How do the authors in this
unit use literary devices to bring their pieces to life?

Note: This assignment requires a careful review of this unit’s work including a review of literary devices.
Use the prewriting portion of the drafting process to consider the works that most gripped you and why. For
example, how did Sir Arthur Conan Doyle use mood to enhance suspense in The Hound of the Baskervilles? What
imagery guides the poetry of Pablo Neruda? How does the tone in Sarojini Naidu’s The Call to Evening Prayer
complement the text? Let these types of questions guide your prewriting. Once you have completed your initial
reflection, consider how you will organize your essay. Will you organize your paragraphs by story or by
literary device? At a minimum you must discuss three literary devices and three different works. A guideline
of the five-paragraph essay structure is included for your quick reference. A more complete resource is
available from Purdue University at: http:/owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/

Essay checklist. Does your essay?

Thoughtfully answer the essay question
Show understanding of the author’s use of literary devices
Appraise a minimum of three literary devices and three texts
Prepare an introductory paragraph complete with thesis, background information, and broad guiding question or
idea
Include three body paragraphs each with a topic sentence, three pieces of evidence, proper citation, clear
logic, and a concluding sentence
Provide a concluding paragraph with argument summation and a restating of the thesis.
Employ the standards of good written English