Literary Devices, Diction, and Style in Prose

Match each extract from African and Non-African prose texts to the dominant literary device or stylistic technique demonstrated in the passage.

Read the prose extract below:

"The old mansion stood at the edge of the town like a lonely sentinel watching over the silent valley."

Which literary device is used in the phrase 'like a lonely sentinel'?

Read the prose extract below:

"In the quiet chaos of the market square, Chief Ebuka walked with an agonizing pleasure, knowing that his long-awaited chieftaincy victory had cost him the loyalty of his only son."

Which literary device is prominently demonstrated in the expressions "quiet chaos" and "agonizing pleasure"?

Read the prose extract below:

"As the drought worsened, the old village chief looked at his parched fields and declared to his council that a leader must lose his life to truly save it, and that their present poverty was their greatest wealth."

Which literary device is prominently demonstrated in the chief's declaration?

Match each prose extract below to the dominant literary device or stylistic technique it demonstrates.

Read the prose extract below:

"Throughout the harsh Harmattan season, the dried riverbed became a winding highway of scorched earth and white pebbles."

Which literary device is employed in the phrase "the dried riverbed became a winding highway"?

Match each prose extract below to the dominant literary device or figurative element it demonstrates.

Read the prose extract below:

"In the quiet stillness of the ruined compound, Uncle Nnamdi spoke with a bitter sweetness, recounting the triumphs of a war that had left his household in ashes."

Which literary device is exemplified by the expression "bitter sweetness" in the passage?

Match each prose extract below to the dominant literary device or stylistic feature of diction it demonstrates.

Read the following prose extract:

"When the former minister returned to his ancestral village after decades in power, he found himself surrounded by a crowd of wealthy beggars—men whose bank accounts overflowed even as their moral integrity had completely withered away. Sitting beneath the shade of the ancient baobab tree, he remarked bitterly to the village elders, 'Indeed, the only absolute certainty in our modern political landscape is that everything is entirely uncertain.'"

Which pair of literary devices is illustrated by the expressions "wealthy beggars" and "the only absolute certainty... is that everything is entirely uncertain" respectively?

Match each prose extract on the left to the dominant literary device or stylistic feature it demonstrates on the right.

Match each prose extract below to the dominant literary device or stylistic feature of diction demonstrated within it.

Pair each short prose excerpt on the left with the correct literary device or feature of diction it demonstrates on the right.

Read the following prose extract:

"The news of the harvest reached the drought-stricken village like a sudden shower of cool rain, reviving the withered spirits of the farmers."

Which literary device is prominently used in the extract above to compare the news to a sudden shower?

Read the following prose extract:

"The exiled king walked through the silent halls of his former palace. Though surrounded by a throng of cheering subjects during his brief clandestine visit, he felt utterly alone in the crowded courtyard, contemplating how he must lose his crown to truly gain his soul."

Which literary device is employed in the underlined expression "lose his crown to truly gain his soul"?

Match each short prose excerpt on the left with the dominant literary device or feature of diction it demonstrates on the right.

Read the prose extract below:

"The magistrate leaned over the bench, his voice cold and measured like iron falling on stone: 'The law does not bend to tears, nor does justice barter with remorse.' In the gallery, a shiver ran through the accused's family as silence weighed upon the courtroom."

In the excerpt above, which of the following best describes the distinction between the narrator's presentation of the magistrate's tone and the overall mood of the scene?

Match each prose excerpt on the left with the dominant literary device or feature of style it demonstrates on the right.

Match each prose excerpt on the left with the primary literary device it demonstrates on the right.

Associate each of the following prose excerpts with the appropriate literary device or narrative technique illustrated.