Joseph Addison once said, “Words, when well chosen, have so great a force in them that a description often gives us more lively ideas than the sight of things themselves (416).” I like this quote because it shows the importance of words and how powerful and influential they can be. Illustrations are used the same way, they hold the attention of readers, communicate content of information, and give insight of a particular event. There are eight types of illustrations: compare/contrast, personal experiences, processes, facts, quotations, case studies, examples, and statistics. My main focus, however, will be examples, facts, and quotes.
Initially, examples are important in the writing process because it helps to build ideas. They are a direct link to what the writer is trying to say and what their point is. In “Champion of the World,” Maya Angelou talks about Joe Louis starting to lose the fight and how it signifies all of the wrong treatment that the black race has had to endure. Such as, women being ambushed and raped, another black man suffering through a lynching, and a young boy being whipped and maimed (95). Angelou used this example to show how Louis symbolizes strength and progress for his community. In Adam Mayblum’s narrative “The Price We Pay,” he discusses how America is not an image of power and democracy, but a concept. He then goes on to explain that that concept is strengthened by our teamwork and how attacking our country results in our joining together and thus the winning of democracy (48). This points out how terrorism leads to our uniting but also to the price we have to pay to remain free. Suzanne Britt’s “Neat People vs. Sloppy People,” is full of examples of why sloppy people are better than neat people. ...
... middle of paper ...
... clinch and Louis was trying to fight his way out (94). I really like this quote because it signifies a lot. Blacks were the lower species back then, and no white person would ever think about touching a black person, much less open their arms up and embrace them. To me this quote signifies the beginning of change in the South and the end of racial discrimination. And I think that’s exactly why Angelou chose to use it.
In conclusion, illustrations help set the proper mindset for your readers to accept the points you make. The perfect quote, example, or fact ties everything together for your readers and lets you continue sharing your thoughts because your readers are ready to receive them. Essentially, without the use of illustrations you are losing the opportunity to leave a strong impression on your reader and help them develop their opinions on the topic at hand.
Imagery, when a writer describes something in such great detail, the reader can imagine the writer's meaning. Ruta Sepetys writes great samples of imagery in her writing. One of the many things that make up imagery is diction, extended metaphors, and rhetorical devices. A good example of the following parts in "Between Shades of Gray" is in two paragraphs in Chapter eight. Which is when Lina is describing what she sees at the train station
“ The horizon was the color of milk. Cold and fresh. Poured out among the bodies” (Zusak 175). The device is used in the evidence of the quote by using descriptives words that create a mental image. The text gives the reader that opportunity to use their senses when reading the story. “Somehow, between the sadness and loss, Max Vandenburg, who was now a teenager with hard hands, blackened eyes, and a sore tooth, was also a little disappointed” (Zusak 188). This quote demonstrates how the author uses descriptive words to create a mental image which gives the text more of an appeal to the reader's sense such as vision. “She could see his face now, in the tired light. His mouth was open and his skin was the color of eggshells. Whisker coated his jaw and chin, and his ears were hard and flat. He had a small but misshapen nose” (Zusak 201). The quotes allows the reader to visualize what the characters facial features looked like through the use of descriptive words. Imagery helps bring the story to life and to make the text more exciting. The reader's senses can be used to determine the observations that the author is making about its characters. The literary device changes the text by letting the reader interact with the text by using their observation skills. The author is using imagery by creating images that engages the reader to know exactly what's going on in the story which allows them to
Imagery is when the author presents a mental image through descriptive words. One prime example of imagery that the author uses is in paragraph 3; where she tells of a moment between a man and a woman. In this narration she states the time, year, outfit of each character described, and what the female character was doing. These details might come across as irrelevant, or unnecessary, but this is Didions way of showing what the blueprint of notebook it. Using imagery reinforces the foundation of the essay, and what the essay’s mission was.
In 1955 a civil rights activist by the name of James Baldwin wrote his famous essay “Notes of a Native Son”. James Baldwin was born in Harlem, New York during a time where racial tensions where high all throughout the United States. In this essay he highlights these tension and his experience’s regarding them, while also giving us an insight of his upbringing. Along with this we get to see his relationship with a figure of his life, his father or more accurately his stepfather. In the essay James Baldwin says “This fight begins, however, in the heart and it now had been laid to my charge to keep my own heart free of hatred and despair”. This is a very powerful sentence that I believe
This quote exemplifies Grant’s relationship change between him and Jefferson. Throughout the trial Grant didn’t care for the case, seeing Jefferson as almost a lost cause. Now that a date for Jefferson’s death has been set, he preaches that no man has the right to kill another, specifically white people deciding the fate black people. I thought this quote was very strong as it shows how, at the time, many people were getting upset over this case and almost made Jefferson out to be sort of a hero. The fact that he died with courage was extremely strong.
“My race groaned it was our people falling. it was another lynching, yet another black man hung on a tree. One more women ambushed and raped…” she uses hyperboles to show the readers how devastating it would be to the black community if joe lost that fight. In doing so she also gives background on the setting, and how blacks were treated during that point in time. Angelou doesn’t state it word for word, but she finally leaves room for the readers to infer why that particular fight was so important and why the mood was so tense at the start of the story. Another hyperbole shed light on a major conflict, Person Vs Society. “If joe lost we were back in slavery, beyond help. It would all be true, the accusations that we were lower types of human beings.” The fight was a symbol for hope, hope that all inferior views on the black community would disappear. Right before the radio announcers reveal that Joe won, Angelou starts to write in fragments, “we didn’t breathe we didn’t hope. we waited.” it was used to draw out the last feel of apprehension. in the conclusion of Champion of the World Maya Angelou strategically picks out vocabulary words like “Champion of the World, some black boy…” to prove what a shock it was to everyone, it reinforces her symbol of hope by saying if he won then anyone else can triumph. However Angelou ends the narrative with “it wouldn’t do for a black man and his family to be caught on a lonely country road on an night when joe louis had proved that we were the strongest people in the world.” to reinstate that no matter what they believed, the fight still didn’t end the racial
It was a remarkable articulation of the Black people voice living in the United States of America at that point of time because Black people were going through too much humiliation on physical and moral levels (Andrews, 1991, p.46). In order to get to the gist of the speech and reveal the emotional resonance it creates, a historical background timeline needs to be sketched. The period of the 1850s in the USA was especially tough for slaves due to several significant events that happened within this period of time. First of all, there was the Nashville Convention held on June 3, 1850, the goal of which was to protect the rights of slaveholders and extend the dividing line northwards. September 18 of the same year brought the Fugitive Slave Act, according to which the slave who managed to escape from his owner to the free state was to be caught and later returned back with all the consequences to follow.... ...
The ability to make the reader immersed in the story and the main character is the best thing to have when writing a piece. It helps the reader decide whether to keep reading or not. This ability is known as imagery. Imagery is writing with metaphors and the five sense, which creates a scene for the reader. Imagery is basically the way the author shows the reader what the main character or narrator is seeing. Janet Burroway, author of “Imaginative Writing”, which is a book about writing and the components of it, states that Image is, “An image is a word or series of words that evokes one or more of the five senses.” (Burroway, 15) Imagery is very important and good authors know how to use it to add more meaning and power to their literature.
The prehistoric times stand evidence to the power of language as a tool for communication and growth. Language has proven to be an effective medium and factor surrounding the evolution of man. Language has played a big role in the development of individuals and societies. What is spoken and/or written, help in the initiation of imagination, expression of feelings, and conveyance of thoughts and ideas.
"The two races have lived here together. The Negro has been here in America since 1619, a total of 344 years. He is not going anywhere else; this country is his home. He wants to do his part to help make his city, state, and nation a better place for everyone, regardless of color and race. Let me appeal to the consciences of many silent, responsible citizens of the white community who know that a victory for democracy in Jackson will be a victory for democracy everywhere” (Medgar Evers in Jackson Mississippi, 2013). This excerpt is taken from a 17 minute speech by Medgar Evers on May 20, 1963, in response to the vocal criticisms of Mayor Allen Thompson’s view of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) as being ‘outside agitators’.
The writer uses imagery, because he wants to let the readers into his mind. By describing the scene for the readers, makes the readers fell like they were there. Therefore, it gives us a better ability to emphasize with him.
...d erupts into celebratory cheers. “Joe Louis had proved that we were the strongest people in the world” (132). Angelou’s final statement in the chapter appears to refer to physical strength, when in actuality, pertains to their inner courage. Overcoming the suffering of racial and masculine prejudice is a quotidian practice. The resilience of Blacks continues and proves their strength as an equal race.
The visual description of a text is the perfect way to wrap the reader’s senses into the story.
Words can be used in a variety of different ways from giving somebody a compliment, making an observation, singing a song, or simply just talking to a friend. Words are extremely powerful, and they can be used to accomplish great things such as inspiring millions like Martin Luther King Jr. did during the civil rights movement. However, not all people use words in a responsible, respectful manner. Along with all of the great things people can achieve through the use of words, there are many cases in which words have proved to be dangerous. Words have started wars, been used to bully people, tell lies, and even discriminate against entire races of people. Despite how powerful words are; people often misuse them, or say
As children’s literature matured, so did the books. Illustrations were first made with woodcuts or on wood blocks that were colored by hand. By the late 1800s, printing had evolved and illustrations became mor...