In Medias Res

in medias res: beginning a narrative in the middle of the action. Often this technique will be accompanied by flashback or dialogue that explains what has gone before. (May be used in the narrative essay)

"A throng of bearded men, in sad-colored garments and gray, steeple-crowned hats, intermixed with women, some wearing hoods, and others bareheaded, was assembled in front of a wooden edifice, the door of which was heavily timbered with oak and studded with iron spikes."
                                                                                            -The Scarlet Letter
                                                                                         by Nathaniel Hawthorne

The passage above is the first paragraph in The Scarlet Letter. Though it is not necessarily "action-packed" there is no background knowledge given previously. The reader is just dropped into the story without knowing what is really happening. This has multiple affects. The reader is automatically engaged; it is an attention grabbing beginning. The reader wonders "Why are the people waiting there?" "Where are they exactly?" and "Who are they?" among other things. This builds suspense, albeit a very small amount. This passage also sets the atmosphere of the novel right away. By starting in the middle of a scene the reader is immediately notified that the story will not be a happy, care-free one. This also helps to build suspense as the reader asks "Why is everyone, and everything, sad?" 

Analogy

analogy: a similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them. The comparison is often between two things in which the complex is explained in terms of the simple, or something unfamiliar is associated with something more familiar. The comparison suggests that if two things are alike in certain respects, they will probably be alike in other ways as well. Analogies can make writing more vivid, imaginative, or intellectually engaging. They must be used effectively to persuade, but logically they prove nothing

"Oftentimes they were asleep, but occasionally might be heard talking together, in voices between speech and a snore, and with that lack of energy that distinguishes the occupants of alms houses, and all other human beings who depend for subsistence on charity, on monopolized labor, or anything else but their own independent exertions. These old gentle men were Custom House officers"
                                                                                            -"Custom House Sketch"
                                                                                                by Nathaniel Hawthorne

In the passage above the amount of energy the Custom House officers speak with is compared to the amount of energy freeloaders exert. By doing this he seeks to not only help the reader better understand how the officers speak, but also to suggest that the Custom House officers are freeloaders. This also emphasizes the author's description of Salem by describing yet another part of it that is virtually useless.
                                                                                                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                                           

                                                    

Anecdote

anecdote:a brief recounting of a relevant episode, frequently personal or biographical. Anecdotes are often inserted into fiction or nonfiction as a way of developing a point or injecting humor

"He had of course...ashamed of his purposes"
                                        -The Red Badge of Courage
                                                     by Stephen Crane

This anecdote tells the story of  "the youth's" enlisting and leaving home for war. The passage characterizes him and shows his background, or where he came from. This anecdote also serves to illustrate his naivety. The passage shows "the youth" eager to enlist and leave home for the glorious war which contrasts with "the youth's" mature state of mind at the end of the book. The anecdote gives the reader a starting point with which to measure how the war grew and changed "the youth" throughout the book.

Allusion

allusion: a direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art. Allusions can be historical (like referring to Abraham Lincoln), literary (like refereeing to Chillingworth in The Scarlet Letter), religious (like referring to Noah and the flood), or mythical (like referring to Atlas). There are, of course, many more possibilities, and a work may simultaneously use multiple layers of allusion

"You talk as if you thought you was Napoleon Bonaparte."
                                                                       -The Red Badge of Courage
                                                                                 by Stephen Crane

In this passage the allusion is to Napoleon Bonaparte, the great French military leader. Crane does not explain who he is, just compares "the youth" to him. This reference shows how "the youth" is seen, it characterizes him a little; it shows that he seems brave and fearless on the outside. However, this reference also emphasizes, through contrast, the true feelings of "the youth," which are fear and despair. Through this allusion the reader realizes that though "the youth" is utterly fearful, he seems brave and fearless to his comrades.

Symbol/Symbolism

symbol/symbolism: generally, anything that represents, stands for, something else. Usually a symbol is something concrete--such as an object, character, action or scene--that represents something more abstract. However, symbols and symbolism can be much more complex. One system classifies symbols in three categories: (1) Natural symbols use objects and events in nature to represent ideas commonly associated with them (e.g. dawn symbolizing hope or a new beginning). (2) Conventional symbols have been invested with meaning by a group (religious symbols such as a star of David, national symbols such as a flag, or a group symbols such as a skull and crossbones for pirates). (3) Literary symbols may also be conventional in the sense that they are found in a variety of works and are generally recognized. However, a work's symbols may more complicated, as is the whale in Moby Dick.

"There has Cousin Hepzibah been standing in the shadow of the door-way, this quarter of an hour past!"
                                                                    -The House of the Seven Gables
                                                                          by Nathaniel Hawthorne

In this section the shadow is a symbol. Cousin Hepzibah is standing in the shadow literally; she really is in a shadow. However, the shadow also represents the darkness in her life. Throughout the novel, The House of the Seven Gables, dark and light are contrasted, with light representing all that is young and good and new, and darkness representing the opposite. Cousin Hepzibah is not necessarily bad, but she is old and lives in an old state of mind. She is depressed and worrisome; her character depresses others, despite her efforts. She is standing in the darkness of a shadow here, as her emotional state is in darkness throughout the novel.