As opposed to fiction literature, nonfiction writing is not traditionally viewed as literary Carl Perkins held this common viewpoint. I believe that any piece of literature that is written using techniques to convey a story or produce an emotional response within the reader is literary. Based on the book The Witches by Stacy Schiff I believe that nonfiction writing can be literary. In her book Schiff uses figurative language, gives vivid descriptions of the setting and people, and includes details that invoke sympathy for individuals within the book which are all elements used in fiction writing to create a story.
In The Witches Schiff uses figurative language in a way that helps to illustrate a story within the fact based information she is writing about. She uses metaphors like “she was a sterling amalgam of modesty, piety, and tireless industry” (131) and “on every count the village was a seething, muddy morass” (45) to describe the people in the book and the setting in which it takes place. By using metaphors and other figurative language Schiff adds an element to the writing that would not exist if she just reported the basic facts. She allows the readers to create and image of Salem in their mind and to draw conclusions about the
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personalities of people in the book. Schiff creates a nonfiction book that tells the story of the people of Salem. Schiff also gives detailed descriptions of the setting within the book.
Like when she describes the courtroom where the trials took as “bathed in anemic, late winter light [and] far from orderly” (52) instead of simply stating the location and what took place there. By choosing to add descriptive details Schiff enhances the reader’s experience and gives them a vivid image of the Salem trials. This is similar to what a reader would experience while reading a fiction text. While at times Schiff does only provide simple descriptions of the setting, these simple descriptions are usually either shortly before or shortly after she has given an elaborate description of the same location just like what would be seen in fiction
writing. Schiff also gives in depth descriptions of and creates sympathy for people who were a part of the Salem trials and turns them into characters in a story instead of just people in a report. An example of this is when Schiff describes George Burroughs as “[holding] firm to his faith” (274) and “express[ing] himself easily” (274) in the courtroom. By using descriptions that give insight into the personalities of the real people in the book like Burroughs she gives them relatable personas that allow readers to begin to imagine them as characters in the story of Salem. Schiff also invokes sympathy for Burroughs when she lists the large amount of evidence presented against him and the “brainteaser of a question that left Burroughs without an answer” (275). Schiff creates sympathy for Burroughs and other individuals by including details that shed light on what they experienced during the Salem trials. By including details about what accused witches experienced Schiff encourages readers to have concern for these men and women and form attachments to them as if they were characters she had created. She also accomplishes an important part of creating a story which is getting a reader emotionally involved. Schiff also occasionally uses general, fact based descriptions of people in the book. But these individuals are the equivalent of supporting characters in a fiction text. Schiff gives in depth details about prominent or important individuals and limits details about people who have less of a role in the overall story. This is just like main and supporting characters in a fiction book. Schiff includes many elements that make writing literary into her book. The blending of these elements with the facts of the Salem trials is what creates a story. The way that Schiff uses figurative language and detailed descriptions in The Witches to transform the book from a nonfiction report into an intriguing story is what makes this writing literary. Perkins’ statement is simply proven false by the writing in Schiff’s report.
Being such a narrative, when I was reading about the details of Kate’s attacks I was actually scared. It gave a sense of spookiness to the book that I hoped for. I remember visiting the city of Salem, and the same chills I had walking through the town was relived while reading the book. However one difference about this book compared to the historical teachings of Salem was that in Kate’s trail it was less of a he said she said event and more on the cold hard facts. In GodBeer testimony, he examines much of what Jonathan Selleck notes on how to determine a witch is guilty because he knew how serious of an offense it truly was. I sometimes found myself wondering if this was a fictional story because of how elaborate it was or however, when he used experts from documents such as the petition for Elizabeth Clawson. The last two chapters is much about the trial process than I expected, which helped me to understand this book as a narrative with much historical
The Salem, Massachusetts Witch Trials have generated extensive evaluation and interpretation. To explain the events in Salem, psychological, political, environmental, physical, and sociological analysis have all been examined. The authors Linnda Caporael, Elaine Breslaw, Anne Zeller, and Richard Latner all present differing perspectives to speculate about the events of the Salem Witch Trials. This changing interpretation and perspective has resulted in an extensive historiography to explain the
The title of the short story, “Four Directions” is symbolic for Waverly’s inner misconceptions. As she goes about her life, she is pulled in different ways by her past and her present. She is torn between her Chinese heritage and her American life. She never thought that instead of being pulled in four directions, she could take all of her differences and combine them. In the end she realizes this with the help of her mother. “The three of us, leaving our differences behind...moving West to reach East” (184), thought Waverly. Her whole life she misconceived her mother’s intentions. Lindo never wanted Waverly to solely focus on her Chinese heritage, but rather combine it with her new American ways. The idea of being pulled in four
We have all heard the tales and seen the movies of evil witches cooking little kids up for supper. For the people of salem in 1692-1693 this was a reality. In the matter of less than a year more than two hundred people were accused of witchcraft and more than twenty were executed. In these historic events author Arthur Miller wrote a play about the people and events in this play there is a man, Reverend Hale is well versed in the study of witchcraft and has come to try and save the girls that have been gripped by the Devil. Miller has Hale change very much throughout the event of this play. In the beginning he believes that the Devil is at work in Salem, how ever near the climactic ending of this play he realises that this witch talk has gotten completely out of hand
In the novel, “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien, he describes parts of his war experiences through the stories told throughout the book. O’Brien discusses the gory detailed chaos of the Vietnam war and his fellow “soldiers.” As O’Brien gives detail of the his “fictional” experiences, he explains why he joined the war. He also describes a time where his “character” wanted to escape a draft to Canada.
In “Queens, 1963”, the speaker narrates to her audience her observations that she has collected from living in her neighborhood located in Queens, New York in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement. The narrator is a thirteen-year-old female immigrant who moved from the Dominican Republic to America with her family. As she reflects on her past year of living in America, she reveals a superb understanding of the reasons why the people in her neighborhood act the way they do towards other neighbors. In “Queens, 1963” by Julia Alvarez, the poet utilizes diction, figurative language, and irony to effectively display to the readers that segregation is a strong part of the American melting pot.
When one evokes The Salem Witch Trials of 1692, the image that comes to most peoples minds are that of witches with pointed hats riding broomsticks. This is not helped by the current town of Salem, Massachusetts, which profits from the hundreds of thousands of tourists a year by mythologizing the trials and those who were participants. While there have been countless books, papers, essays, and dissertations done on this subject, there never seems to be a shortage in curiosity from historians on these events. Thus, we have Bernard Rosenthal's book, Salem Story: Reading the Witch Trials of 1692, another entry in the historiographical landscape of the Salem Witch Trials. This book, however, is different from most that precede it in that it does not focus on one single aspect, character, or event; rather Rosenthal tells the story of Salem in 1692 as a narrative, piecing together information principally from primary documents, while commenting on others ideas and assessments. By doing so, the audience sees that there is much more to the individual stories within the trials, and chips away at the mythology that has pervaded the subject since its happening. Instead of a typical thesis, Rosenthal writes the book as he sees the events fold out through the primary documents, so the book becomes more of an account of what happened according to primary sources in 1692 rather than a retelling under a new light.
The author wrote about this specific subject because of his profession, where he lives, and to clarify any confusions about the actual events of the Salem Witch Trials. The author wrote about the specific people and places mentioned in the book to establish the events of the trial through more than one point of view. By using an unprecedented format for writing, and by retelling the accounts of different people, places, and how they compare, Baker established a sense of confident understanding for his readers to
The Salem Witch Trials marks a vulnerable era in history. The play allows us to see that uncontrolled rage, pride, and even religion at times, can lead to destruction and mayhem. With these factors, it’s quite clear to see why Salem was vulnerable to these
The punishment of witches is an example of irony in the book. After the rumors about witches started, many people were suspected as witches even though they were innocent. However, there was no good way to prove their innocence; the choices that people had are to tell the truth that they are not witches and never admit and
In the story The Stolen Party, Liliana Heker shows symbolism, figurative language, and irony. Rosaura could not understand the differences between the rich and the poor. She was accepted by the rich family and was friends with their daughter, Luciana. Even though her mom told her that they only accepted her as a maid and nothing else. Nevertheless, she was eager to go to the party and decided to go with excitement. Symbolism, figurative language, and irony are expressed in the story and play an important role because it tells us the difference between the upper class and the lower class.
Have you ever fall in love with someone so much that you wanted to write him or her into your poetry? In the poem “A Lady”, Amy Lowell writes about her adoration to an old lady she loves by comparing and contrasting the lady with many things. Lowell describes the characteristics of the lady by using figurative languages such as similes, metaphors, hyperboles, and vivid imageries to express her admiration towards the lady.
“The Wonders of the Invisible World”, written by Cotton Mather, is an account of the Salem Witch Trials. He retells information that has been passed down to him without actually being present at the trial and simultaneously explains his theory to why witches were suddenly emerging in Salem, Massachusetts. There were quite a few holes in the Salem Witch Trials, especially regarding whether or not these events occurred the way they are said to. Mather’s book shows us how intense the Puritan ideals were, attaching anything out of the ordinary to a higher power and in doing this shows the flaws of the religion which caused to Salem Witch Trials.
The witch is both vulnerable and a powerful figure. The resulting tension between power and powerlessness as a response to laws created by those in power, rather institutionalised power: men, can be seen as expressed through such binary metaphors as that of physical strength and beauty versus weakness and ugliness, kn...
Figurative Language: 1) Present a few examples of a poet 's use of figurative language in any of the poems from the "Homelands" album. Look for metaphors, similes, analogies, or personification.