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Literary techniques
Literary elements or techniques
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Literary Device Glossary Cade McDonald Period 6 PERSONIFICATION: The attribution of human characteristics to nonhuman objects. CONTEXT: Careless Whisper is a song about a man who cheats on his girlfriend, who find out he cheated from his best friend. The man is thankful she found out that way because it would have been difficult and more embarrassing if he had to tell her. He then sinks back into a feeling of self pity and realizes he is alone, sad, and single. It is important to note he does not ask for forgiveness or defend his actions but own up to them. EXAMPLE TEXT: George Michael, Careless Whisper: “I feel so unsure As I take your hand and lead you to the dance floor As the music dies, something in your eyes Calls to mind the
silver screen And all its sad good-byes I'm never gonna dance again Guilty feet have got no rhythm Though it's easy to pretend I know you're not a fool Should've known better than to cheat a friend And waste the chance that I've been given So I'm never gonna dance again The way I danced with you Time can never mend The careless whispers of a good friend To the heart and mind Ignorance is kind There's no comfort in the truth Pain is all you'll find I'm never gonna dance again Guilty feet have got no rhythm Though it's easy to pretend I know you're not a fool I should've known better than to cheat a friend And waste the chance that I've been given So I'm never gonna dance again The way I danced with you Never without your love Tonight the music seems so loud I wish that we could lose this crowd Maybe it's better this way We'd hurt each other with the things we'd want to say We could have been so good together We could have lived this dance forever But no one's gonna dance with me Please stay And I'm never gonna dance again Guilty feet have got no rhythm Though it's easy to pretend I know you're not a fool Should've known better than to cheat a friend And waste the chance that I've been given So I'm never gonna dance again The way I danced with you Now that you're gone (Now that you're gone) What I did's so wrong, so wrong That you had to leave me alone” HOW THE DEVICE WORKS IN THE TEXT: The dance in the chorus of George Michael’s Careless Whisper was a reminder of the character’s guilt and forced him to accept his relationship was going to fail like it did in many cinema films. The concept of, “guilty feet have no rhythm” represents someone who feels guilty degrading themselves as a punishment for what they have done. George Michael also brings up the concept that you can try to cover your trails or hide your guilt but it will only mask your problem but it will not make your guilt go away. The character realizes that his charade is over and that he needs to accept that the girl was told by one of his friends that he was cheating on her. This creates the self-punishment represented by the lyrics, “I’m never gonna dance again”. AUTHOR’S STYLISTIC CHOICE: George Michael could have written a very simple, easily understandable song but instead wanted the listener to have to think about the song. The personification of guilty feet not having rhythm is crucial piece to understanding what this song is about. This song has a deeper meaning than what you pick up just listening to the song. This example of personification allows the reader to understand that the character in the song is regretful of his decision and punishes himself for his decision.
In The Scarlet Letter, author Nathaniel Hawthorne efficiently conveys his purpose to the audience through the use of numerous rhetorical devices in his novel. Two such rhetorical strategies Hawthorne establishes to convey his purpose of informing the audience of valuable life lessons in The Scarlet Letter are characterization and the theme of duality.
Richard Wilbur's use of imagery and extended metaphor in "The Writer" help to reveal the that an individual may run into obstacles, but perseverance will help them reach past them.
Ken Kesey incorporates figurative language into his novel, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, to illustrate the struggle to overcome the comfort of inaction, that ultimately results in the great benefit of standing up for one’s self. When McMurphy decides to stand up to Nurse Ratched, there is “no fog” (130). Kesey’s metaphor of the fog represents the haze of inaction that hovers over the patients of the ward. With the oppressive Nurse Ratched in charge, the patients are not able to stand up for themselves and are forced to be “sly” to avoid her vicious punishments (166). When the patients avoid confrontation with the Nurse, they are guaranteed safety by hiding in the fog, complaisant with their standing. The fog obscures the patient’s view of the ward and the farther they slip into it, the farther away they drift from reality.
Actions made in a moment of pain, anger or simple immaturity can take anyone to make mistakes that can change their lives completely. Everyone has something in the past that is shameful, embarrassing and regrettable that is kept present daily. Whether this event happened during childhood, adolescence or early adulthood, this event could haunt and have shaped that person’s life into what he or she is today. In a similar way, in the book The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is shaped by a tragic and eventful past that has shaped Amir’s, Baba’s, and Hassan’s life. The four literary elements that will be used in this essay that Hosseini strategically uses in this book are: irony, simile, Metaphor, and personification.
Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a book about several boys who ended up on a remote island after their plane was shot down. The story explains how they made their own society and tried to survive. Golding employs many literary devices in the novel which support a dark and violent tone. The three most important examples include diction, imagery, and detail.
The story “To kill a Mockingbird” takes place in an old tired town in Alabama during the Great Depression. In the story the main conflict involves a black crippled man, Tom Robinson, accused of raping Mayella Ewell, the daughter of Bob Ewell. The Ewells were the lowest of the low in Maycomb; they lived in the town dump and had no education. The Accusation of Tom Robinson was caused by the Ewell’s in an effort to better their lifestyle and increase their rank in the town. Although the story is told from Scout’s eyes, the whole story revolves around this questionable trial and shows that being vulnerable and innocent is a dangerous characteristic to have and can easily be taken advantage of.
Racism is a problem today, in history and most especially in the 1930’s. In the “coming of age” novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee there is a theme of racism and prejudice achieved through the use of the literary elements of foreshadowing, symbolism and dialect which is used to convey the message that people will lie to cover up their wrongs and you don’t know someone until you, “climb into his skin and walk around in it.”
At the time of his life, he was not quite ready to be obligated to such a woman. Maxwell contained lust for other women and wanted to prolong his spinster ways. He was not entirely ready for a monogamous relationship. Within their correlation, with his significant other, he had multiple sexual relations with numerous promiscuous women. He says, "You played me dirty, your game was so bad, toyed with my affliction...( Pretty Wings by Maxwell Songfacts)". Within this song, he acknowledges his unfaithfulness and untrustworthiness infliction. He concedes, in fact, that he toke his spouse for granted. He sounds remorseful as he reflects on his wrong doings. He utters, "I was wrong, you were right, I turned your love into a lie, baby believe me, I 'm sorry I told you lies (Pretty Wings by Maxwell Songfacts)". Eventually, the relationship came to a halt and ended, leaving Maxwell chastened. He liberates his significant other from the pain he has inflicted, allowing gives her the opportunity to be happy with someone other than himself who can give her the love and appreciation she requires. He articulates, "If I can 't have you, Let love set you free, To fly your pretty wings around ("Pretty Wings by Maxwell Songfacts) ". As time continues, his involvement with other women fades as his appreciation and gratitude of what he once had increases. He realized he had
This passage matters because the audience learns about Gatsby’s real past and the characterization of Gatsby is further revealed. In this section of the text Gatsby provokes Daisy and asks her to tell Tom that she never loved him. An argument then breaks out which leads Tom to unveil his his findings about Gatsby and how he acquired his riches. F. Scott Fitzgerald also uses figurative language in this passage to show the impact of what Tom says and how it affects Gatsby. After Daisy and Tom fight over whether or not she is leaving him, Fitzgerald writes, “Tom’s words suddenly leaned down over Gatsby” (Fitzgerald 140). Everything that Daisy and Tom have said in reply to Gatsby have finally had an impact on him emotionally. Their responses also
Sylvia Plath uses a diverse array of stylistic devices in "Lady Lazarus," among them allusion,
To start off, this phrase has the most meaning because it sums up the entirety of this powerful song in just one short sentence. The main meaning of this song is centered on the fact that every single person goes through life making many mistakes and regretting past decisions. Of course, it is okay to be occasionally frustrated with these mishaps, but at the same time, one cannot let these negative ordeals consume
In the book lord of the flies by William Golding where kids are all alone on an island some of them die and the lucky ones get saved. The book takes place in the 1950s when a plane crashes and only the boys on the plane survive and now they have to figure out how to survive on the island all alone. First thing the boys did was name Ralph the leader of the group but that soon changed when jack made his own group and killed a boar. Without order from jack's group people start going crazy, people start dying, and people get hunted. Thought the book the author uses many types of writing elements to develop the theme without society's rigid rules, anarchy and savagery can come to light.
In Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path,” there are several literary elements used to reveal the theme, such as setting, image, and characterization. In the first two paragraphs alone, there is an abundance of literary devices to paint the scene for the reader.
The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, is a novel about a young boy an the story of his life. It goes through how one mistake can effect the rest of your life and the choices that one makes. Literary elements are the components of a literary piece including setting plot theme and resolution. Literary elements are important in literature because they make the writing more interesting. In The Kite Runner, many literary elements are present including character traits, conflicts, and theme.
Like so many innocent, selfless girls, untouched by the world, I forgave him. The pain dispersing through my body reminded me that I was strong and all I needed to do was heal. I would cry without tears at first, the sadness inside me so intense, that the hollowness in my heart would weigh me down. My heart’s deep hollowness was so immense, that the loudest shrie...