Stylistic Devices Used by Charles Dickens

518 Words3 Pages
All examples are taken from “A Christmas Carol” Charles Dickens: 1) The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shriveled his cheek, stiffened his gait; made his eyes red, his thin lips blue and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice. (Ordinary repetition of the pronomen ‘his’) 2) No warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill him.( chiasmus: ‘No warmth could warm’; ellipsis:’ no wintry weather chill him’, the omission of the word could) 3) No wind that blew was bitterer than he, no falling snow was more intent upon its purpose, no pelting rain less open to entreaty. (anaphora: repetition of ‘no’ at the beginning of each part of the sentence; epithets: bitter wind, intent snow, pelting rain) 4) The heaviest rain, and snow, and hail, and sleet, could boast of the advantage over him in only one respect. (polysyndeton) 5) Though he felt the chilling influence of its death-cold eyes (epithet: death-cold eyes) 6) "Don't be angry, uncle. Come! Dine with us tomorrow." (parcelation: the verb ‘come’ could stand in the next sentence: “come to dine with us tomorrow”) 7) Piercing, searching, biting cold. (nominative sentence) 8) The chain he drew was clasped about his middle. It was long, and wound about him like a tail; and it was made of cash-boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deeds, and heavy purses wrought in steel. (simile: ‘the chain like a tail’; enumeration) 9) Also that Scrooge had as little of what is called fancy about him as any man in the city of London, even including -- which is a bold word -- the corporation, aldermen, and livery. (anticlimax) 10) The sound resounded through the house like thunder. (simile) 11) Every room above, and every cask in the wine-merchant's cellars below, appeared to have a separate peal of echoes of its own. (antithesis) 12) Up Scrooge went, not caring a button for that. (inversion: “Scrooge went up”)
Open Document