1. Literary Elements Review for Whirligig
“She wore a gold necklace, fine as spider’s silk…” (Fleischman).
simile
“The brakes sighed” (Fleischman).
personification
“He felt himself a departing sailor…” (Fleischman).
metaphor

2. “…recent past” (Fleischman).
oxymoron
“We never know all the consequences of our acts. They reach into places we can’t see. And into the future, where no one can” (Fleischman).
theme
“…Mrs. Zamora…a heavyset redhead in an India print skirt…Her wavy hair flowed exuberantly over her shoulders; the rest of her seemed only half-alive” (Fleischman).
characterization

3. “…murderous machine…” (Fleischman).
alliteration
“The headaches, like a wrecking ball working on his skull…” (Fleischman).
simile
“Why not Hunk o’Love and my phone number?” (Fleischman).
allusion
“I think we can rule out the Pilgrims. How should I know?” (Fleischman).
tone

4. “He was a leper now” (Fleischman).
metaphor
“He played on, chewing up the minutes…” (Fleischman).
idiom
“You’re incredibly intelligent, funny, loyal, another Marie Curie…” (Fleischman).
allusion
“I’m sure it’s because of the whirligig…all unseen forces” (Fleischman).
symbol

5. “Either I say yes or freeze to death arguing”
hyperbole
“Hadn’t Hercules likewise performed his labors to cleanse himself…” (Fleischman).
allusion
“He disliked being seen in his neighborhood, where the glances he drew were too long or too short...their blind assumption that he was one of them made him wince inside”
Internal conflict
“Every site was a separate country…every family was a universe” (Fleischman).
metaphor

6. “Sunset flared orange on the water” (Fleischman).
imagery
“A teacher lives forever through his students”
aphorism
“…he saw the summer triangle following him…” (Fleischman).
personification
“He considered giving the whale her face, then painting her in the belly as Jonah…”
Allusion

7. “…a shearwater. I wished that I could be that…live alone, far away…very peaceful” (Fleischman).
symbol
“…he spoke over and over, then wailed miserably…” (Fleischman).
tone
“…then caught a flash of movement and turned. Behind him, a scruffy teenager had a hand on his backpack...realized they were a team” (Fleischman).
External conflict