Artistic Devices

Artistic creations use Aesthetic devices. Aesthetics is the "Philosophical investigation into the nature of beauty and the perception of beauty, especially in the arts; the theory of art or artistic taste." The word comes from the Gree aisthetikos, meaning !perceptive," and was derived from aisthanesthai, which means !to feel" or !to perceive." This area of study is concerned with the appreciation and criticism of what is considered beautiful or ugly. Aesthetic philosophers as what people li e to loo at, hear, feel, smell or taste, and why they li e these things. #ncompassing poetry, short stories, novels and non$fiction, authors use a variety of techni%ues to appeal to our aesthetic values. Depending on the type of writing an author may employ rhythm, structure, time shifting, &u'taposition, imagery, fantasy, suspense, analysis, humor etc. (owever, the overall form, the message of literary wor s as a whole create aesthetic effects. Aesthetic devices are also called figurative language. )henever you describe something by comparing it with something else, you are using figurative language. *igurative language is any language that goes beyond the literal meaning of words in order to furnish new effects or fresh insights into an idea or a sub&ect. The following aesthetic devices are common used in literary wor s. A simile is a figure of speech in which two essentially unlike things are compared, often in a phrase introduced by like or as. The clouds loo ed li e cotton candy. Grandpa was as stubborn as a mule Tom+s head is as hard as a rock.

A metaphor is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between two unlike things that actually have something important in common. ,louds are cotton candy. Grandpa was a mule. Tom is a roc . Alliteration is the repetition of the same sounds or of the same inds of sounds at the beginning of words or in stressed syllables, as in "on scrolls of silver snowy sentences" (Hart Crane). -odern alliteration is predominantly consonantal. To find an alliteration, you must loo the repetitions of the same consonant sound through out a line. .ilvery snowfla es fall silently .oftly sheathing all with moonlight /ntil sunrise slowly shows .now softening swiftly.

Imagery is an appeal to the senses. The poet describes something to help you to see, hear, touch, taste, or smell the topic of the poem. Fog The fog comes on little cat feet. 0.##, (#A12 3t sits loo ing over harbor and city 0.##2 on silent haunches and then moves on. 0(#A1, .##, *##42 ,arl .andburg Hyperbole 5 An exaggerated statement used to heighten effect is a hyperbole. 3t is not used to mislead the reader, but to emphasize a point. 36ve told you a million times not to leave the dirty glass on the table. The e'aggeration in the number of times. ersonification! A figure of speech, which gives the "ualities of a person to an animal, an ob&ect, or an idea is called personification. 3t is a comparison, which the author uses to show something in an entirely new light, to communicate a certain feeling or attitude towards it and to control the way a reader perceives it. A brave handsome tree fell with a crea ing rending cry. The author is giving a tree the human %uality of bravery and the ability to cry. un $ A word is used which has two meanings at the same time, which results in humor. Diplomats lie in abroad. #xymoron $ putting two contradictory words together. 7ou have successfully failed in the test. #nomatopoeia $ the use of words to imitate the sounds they describe. The burning wood crac led and hissed. Allusion 8 A reference to a famous person or event in life or literature. .he is as pretty as the -ona 4isa.