Stylistic Devices of Identity

co-occurring notions: A ≠ B
Climax is gradation of emphatic elements growing in strength: What difference if it rained, hailed, blew, snowed, cycloned? (O΄Henry).
Anti-climax is back gradation, in which case the final element is obviously weaker in degree, or lower in status than the previous: But today I have other memories. Dark, searing images of desperation, hopelessness and decline.
Pun is play upon words based on polysemy or homonymy, e.g. What steps would you take if an empty tank were coming toward you? –Long ones.
Disguised tautology is semantic difference in formally coincidental parts of a sentence, repetition here does not emphasise the idea but carries a different information in each of the two parts. E.g. For East is East, and West is West…(Kipling)

of co-occurring notions:
A ?→ B
Antithesis is based on logical and relative opposition which arises out of the context through the expansion of objectively contrasting pairs. It is anti-statement, active confrontation of notions used to show the contradictory nature of the subject described:
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times (Dickens);
Youth is lovely, age is lonely,
Youth is fiery, age is frosty; (Longfellow)
Oxymoron This is a device which combines, in one phrase, two words (usually: noun + adjective) whose meanings are opposite and incompatible: a living corpse; sweet sorrow; a nice rascal; awfully (terribly) nice; a deafening silence; a low skyscraper.

opposite order of elements ( a reversed version of syntactic parallelism:
As high as we have mounted in delight
In our dejection do we sink as low (Wordsworth).
high – delight
dejection – low
This chiasmus is built on the basis of lexical and syntactical opposition.
Syntactical chiasmus:
Down dropped the breeze,
The sails dropped down (Coleridge);
Lexical chiasmus:
In the days of old men made the manners;
Manners now make men (Byron)

or more units of meaning actually following one another: A + B + C + D
Repetition: Lexical repetition is often used to increase the degree of emotion:
Alone, alone, all, all alone,
Alone on a wide, wide sea (Coleridge).
The repetition of the same elements at the beginning of several sentences is called anaphora.
The repetition of the same elements at the end of several sentences is called epiphora: I am going to the sea again. To the lonely sea again, to the stars and lonely sea again.
Framing is repetition of some element at the beginning and at the end of a sentence, paragraph or stanza.
E.g. Never wonder. By means of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, settle everything somehow, and never wonder. (Dickens)
Anadiplosis –the final element of one sentence, paragraph, stanza is repeated in the initial part of the next sentence, paragraph, stanza.
E.g. Three fishers went sailing out into the West.
Out into the West, as the sun went down. (Kingsley)

A special variant of this device is
Syntactic parallelism, which means repetition of similar syntactic constructions in the text in order to strengthen the emotional impact or expressiveness of the description:
There were real silver spoons to stir the tea with, and real china cups to drink it out of, and plates of the same to hold the cakes. (Dickens)
Syntactic tautology is the repetition of the subject of a sentence, which is typical of English folklore:
Ellen Adair she loved me well,
Against her father̕s and mother΄s will. (Tennison)

before several parts of the sentence, which increases the emotional impact of the text:
E.g. The heaviest rain, and snow, and hail, and sleet, could boast of the advantage over him in only one respect. (Dickens)
Polysyndeton makes a text more rhythmical:
E.g. And the coming wind did roar more loud,
And the sails did sigh like sedge;
And the rain poured down from one black cloud;
The Moon was at its edge.

characteristic of the object, based on the interplay of emotive and logical meaning. The epithet points out to the reader some of the properties or features of the object with the aim of giving an individual perception and evaluation of these features or properties. The epithet is markedly subjective and evaluative: wild wind, loud ocean, a cutting smile. The logical attribute is purely objective, non-evaluating: round table, white snow, blue skies.

to the objects they describe: fantastic terrors, dreary midnight, careful attention.
Unassociated epithets are attributes used to characterize the object by adding a feature not inherent in it: sullen earth, bootless cries, etc.
Fixed epithets are conventional, standing epithets mostly used in ballads and folk songs: true love, dark forest, sweet Sir, green wood, good ship, brave cavaliers.

Structural:
Simple epithets are ordinary adjectives: silvery laugh, thrilling story.
Compound epithets are built like compound adjectives: heart-burning sigh, spinster-aunt-like envy.
Phrase epithets are phrases or whole sentences attributive used: I-am-not-that-kind- of –girl look; To produce facts in a Would- you-believe-it kind of way.