He brought me nothing but grief, pain, anger, solitude, sadness.

The big brown bag of mine began to beep.

"That's a nice set of legs that Robert is dating now."

the word choices made by a writer

the implied or associative meaning of a word

We called the police, ordered some food, walked the dog, and then played some poker.

I can't believe she hit me,
Hit me with the force of her words.
Her words are like knives in my heart.

I do whatever I want.
I say whatever I want.
I eat whatever I want.

a reference to something literary, mythological, or historical that the author assumes the reader will recognize

excessive pride or arrogance that results in the downfall of the protagonist of a tragedy

He watched the clouds. He watched the fog. We watched his dreams drift away from him.

Every year on the 4th of July we cook brats and play lawn darts and drink punch and go to the fireworks show at the lake.

It's raining cats and dogs!

the dictionary or literal meaning of a word

a rhetorical device in which characters or events in a literary, visual, or musical art form represent or symbolize ideas and concepts

*Said by someone who just lost all his money.* "Honey, I may have lost a couple dollars at the casino."

This new law comes down straight from the crown.

O Sun! Why dost thou shine so brightly?
O Wind! Why dost thou blow so briskly?

the use of figures of speech to create vivid images that appeal to one of the senses

the emotional atmosphere of a work

"I'm sorry sir, but we will have to let you go."

Said by someone who got a lower score on a test than he wanted: "My life is over because I totally just bombed this test!"

This was the absolute worst day in the history of the universe!

a detail, image, or character type that occurs frequently in literature and myth and is thought to appeal in a universal way to the unconscious and to evoke a response

the quality in a work that prompts the reader to feel pity