Diction

Diction refers to the writer's choice of words. Diction is extremely important because it is the fundamental structure of any work. All other literary devices are based off of diction because diction describes the actual words. For example, personification gives human traits to an object. The choice of words enables personification to take place. Thus, without proper word choice, literary devices are not capable of occuring. Word choice can also affect the setting of a play. For example, if a very dark and threatening setting is described and all of a sudden a man comes into the scene saying "That's what aaa haammmmburgerrr's alllll aboutt.", the setting would be looked upon in a humorous way vs a scary way. Overall, diction is the foundation of any work.