AP+Glossary

  AP Literature & Composition Literary Terms Glossary Formatting your entries: Alphabetize! Put your term in **boldface**. Add definition(s). Add image(s) by uploading files. (20KB maximum!) Provide additional descriptions/summaries of your device at work in literature. Provide a verbatim excerpt/example of your device at work in literature. Put your last name in [brackets] at the end of your entry. Add a line break between entries.


 * Alliteration**

Definition: **Alliteration** (which is sometimes called initial rhyme) is the repetition of an initial sound in two or more words of a phrase, line, or sentence. It is usually constant and marks the stressed syllables in a line of poetry or prose. **Alliteration** may be considered ornamental or as a decoration which appeals to the sense of hearing.

-Its use in poetry really shows what alliteration can do for adding depth of meaning. The repetition of a particular sound adds resonance.

Examples in Literature:

 1) In //A Midsummer Night’s Dream//, Shakespeare makes satirical use of alliteration in order to demonstrate the artisan-acting troupe’s lack of poetic skill. In the play within the play, //Pyramus and Thisbe// , Quince says as prologue: > Whereat, with blade, with bloody blameful blade, > He bravely broached his boiling bloody breast. > Act V, scene i : lines 155 – 156 > > 2) There are many examples of alliteration in Beowulf, often three examples in every line. Like rhyme, alliteration makes a poem easy to remember. Examples from Beowulf are: > *Cunningly creeping, a spectral stalker > *Hot-hearted Beowulf was bent upon battle > *How glutted with gore he would guzzle his fill > > 3) Hear the loud alarum bells-- >  Brazen bells! > What a tale of terror, now, their turbulency tells  --Edgar Allen Poe, "The Bells"



[Campbell]

An **anaphora** is the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of two or more verses, clauses, or sentences in a row. An anaphora is used to emphasize whatever phrase is repeated; I just used an anaphora by repeating the phrase "An anaphora is" two sentences in a row.
 * Anaphora**

Examples from literature Charles Dickens is well-known for using anaphora often:

— Charles Dickens, //A Tale of Two Cities//
 * It was** the best of times, **it was** the worst of times, **it was** the age of wisdom, **it was** the age of foolishness, **it was** the epoch of belief, **it was** the epoch of incredulity, **it was** the season of Light, **it was** the season of Darkness, **it was** the spring of hope, **it was** the winter of despair, **we had** everything before us, **we had** nothing before us, **we were all going direct** to Heaven, **we were all going direct**the other way...

Against infection and the hand of war, Which serves it in the office of a wall, Or as [a] moat defensive to a house, Against the envy of less happier lands; Dear for her reputation through the world, Is now leas'd out — I die pronouncing it — Like to a tenement or pelting farm. —John of Gaunt in Shakespeare's //Richard II// (2.1.40-51; 57-60
 * This** royal throne of kings, **this** sceptred isle,
 * This** earth of majesty, **this** seat of Mars,
 * This** other Eden, demi-paradise,
 * This** fortress built by Nature for herself
 * This** happy breed of men, **this** little world,
 * This** precious stone set in the silver sea,
 * This** blessed plot, **this** earth, **this** realm, **this** England,
 * This** nurse, **this** teeming womb of royal kings [. . .]
 * This** land of such dear souls, **this** dear dear land,

//Charles Dickens is well-known for his prolific use of anaphora//

[Titus]


 * Anthropomorphism**

//Definition:// the act of lending a human quality, emotion or ambition to a non-human object or being a) often employed in order to endear the latter to the readers or audience and increase the level of relativity between the two while also lending character to the subject.

//Examples in literature// //-And there is another charm about him, namely, that he puts animals in a pleasing light and makes them interesting to mankind. For after being brought up from childhood with these stories, and after being as it were nursed by them from babyhood, we acquire certain opinions of the several animals and think of some of them as royal animals, of others as silly, of others as witty, and others as innocent.// Apollonius of Tyana -Zephyrus, the west wind, carries Psyche away. Later an ant feels sorry for her and helps her in her quest. Cupid and Psyche

//In Modern Literature// Playing off of mid-nineteenth century works, primarily fairy tales, modern writers use anthropomorphism to exaggerate fantastic and mythological tales. Separately, modern sports mascots generally maintain anthropomorphic traits.




 * Antihero**

//Definition:// a protagonist whose character is at least in some regards conspicuously contrary to that of the archetypal hero, and is in some instances its antithesis in which the character is generally useless at being a hero when they're supposed to be one a) Simply, a protagonistwholackstheattributesthatmakeaheroic figure

//Examples in Literature// a) Hamlet (in William Shakespeare’s //Hamlet//) – it takes hamlet especially long to avenge his father b) Holden Caulfied (J. D. Salinger’s //Catcher in the Rye//) – unsure of himself and a wavering persona c) Hannibal Lector (Thomas Harris’s //Silence of the Lambs//) - despite his intentions to help with the FBI investigation, Lector is a man of sin, manipulation, and ultimately evil

//Description in Literature and Pop Culture:// Antiheroism has evolved through time, though its beginnings are rotted with Faust and Shakespeare. Unlike the “unlikely hero” (an everyman protagonist who prevails in extraordinary circumstances), antiheros do not act accordingly when a situation calls for greatness. They may lack the moral reserve or the physical prowess that is normally associated with heroes. In modern cinema, antiheroes are widely portrayed through many different characters. Clint Eastwood’s Harry in Dirty Harry is a prime example. Despite being a cop, he maintains a rebellious and wild nature.



[Cartun]

-The direct opposite -the placing of a sentence or one of its parts against another to which it is opposed to form a balanced contrast of ideas
 * Anthithesis**





“Give me liberty or give me death.” Patrick Henry “They were the best of times, they were the worst of times;” Charles Dickens “Cake or death?” Eddie Izzard [Dubin]


 * Assonance**

Definition: The repetition of the same or similar vowel sounds in words of a phrase or sentence. -creates internal rhyming and is used with alliteration and consonance to make verse

Examples:

The campaign slogan for Eisenhower uses assonance to make the phrase memorable and easy to identify with the party.

"The silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain," Edgar Allen Poe: //The Raven//

[Srinivas]

Definition: A verbal pattern in which the second half of an expression is balanced against the first half of the same expression, with the idea having been reversed. It is found primarily in Greek and Latin literature. Chiasmus can be exercised through phrase reversal, letter reversal, sound reversal, and word reversal.
 * CHIASMUS**

Examples from Literature: "There is a man present of the highest authority, duty, and faith, M. Lucullus who (will testify) that he himself does not believe but knows, did not hear but saw, was not only present but did it himself." (Pro Achia Poeta) In this passage, there are three examples of chiasmus. “Does not believe but knows,” “did not hear but saw,” and “was not only present but did it himself.” Through this use of chiasmus, the author dispels popular belief in the first segment, and displays his own beliefs in the second.

Macbeth: “Fair is foul and foul is fair.” (Shakespeare I.i) Shakespeare uses chiasmus to display irony in this passage. Fair and foul are considered opposite one another. Rather than just stating “fair is foul,” Shakespeare continues the statement in saying foul is fair. Therefore, through the use of chiasmus, the he portrays both ends of fair and foul in a balanced fashion.

Othello: “//Who dotes, yet doubts; suspects, yet strongly loves.”// (Shakespeare III, Scene iii) In this quote, chiasmus is displayed once again, but in two different ways. In the first segment, it says, “who dotes, yet doubts.” This is a sound chiasmus because both words sound similar, but are different. The four lines also follow the ABBA pattern seen sometimes in chiasmus. (A is positive, B is negative, B is negative, A is positive)

This is an example of chiasmus because in the childhood story, it is the boy who cries wolf that is annoying. Yet, in this example, the wolf that cries boy is what is annoying. There is phrase reversal, popular in chiasmus.

[Budzinski]

**Colloquialism**

//Definition:// **Colloquialism** is a style of writing or speaking in which informal words or phrases are used. In literature, the pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary of everyday, informal speech can give a sense of conversation. This helps the author forge a connection between the reader and the characters and make the literary work seem more realistic.

Colloquialism includes slang, jargon, and dialect. While slang and jargon are used just by specific social groups and dialect in certain regions, colloquialism uses all three of these styles.

//Examples in Literature://

“<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth." (Salinger 3)
 * <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">In //Catcher in the Rye,// J.D. Salinger uses a distinctive colloquial style to make the reader feel as if he/she is having a conversation with Holden. Since Holden is narrating his own story and disillusionment with the world, the novel is written in the informal language that he would most probably use. The usage of words like “phony,” “lousy,” and “crap” emphasizes the vernacular of that time period and generation; it helps illustrate the feelings of a young boy as he struggles to come of age.

“<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Well, you see, it ‘uz dis way. Ole missus-dat’s Miss Watson-she pecks on me all de time, en treats me pooty rough, but she awluz said she wouldn’ sell me down to Orleans. But I noticed dey wuz a nigger trader roun’ de place considable lately, en I begin git oneasy. Well, one night I creeps to de do’ pooty late, en de do’ warn’t quite shet, en I hear old missus tell de wider she gwyne to sell me down Orleans, but she didn’ want to, but she could git eight hund’d dollars for me, en it ‘uz such a big stack o’ money she couldn’ resis’. De wider she try to git her to say she wouldn’ do it, but I never waited to hear de res’. I lit out mighty quick, I tell you.” (Twain 25)
 * In //The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn//, it is easy for the reader to identify that the setting is in the South and Jim is the speaker. Jim’s colloquial and informal style of speaking emphasizes that he is a slave in the 1800s and not that well educated. Jim’s voice sounds very natural and conversational, since the words written in the text don’t follow the normal spelling and grammar rules but are written out as they would be pronounced. “‘Uz” is used instead of was, “git” instead of get, and “dey” instead of they. The replacement of apostrophes for unpronounced letters and flowing sentences reflect the rhythm and intonations of speaking. Lastly, the frequent use of the n-word helps develop the setting and story, showing the era they lived in and what struggles they went through.

“<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">We could live offa the fatta the lan'.” (Steinbeck 14)
 * In //Of Mice and Men//, John Steinbeck writes in the simple, colloquial language that his characters would use. Since the characters are working class ranch-hands, they have not had much schooling – this is evident in their simple conversations that don’t use grandiloquent vocabulary to communicate with each other. Moreover, Lennie’s childlike-behavior is illustrated in his informal style of speaking.

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">This cartoon illustrates the colloquial language used today. The man frequently uses “y’know” when he stumbles and can’t think coherently. This term doesn’t really mean anything, but is understood by most people as something that we just naturally say in conversations.

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">[Basuroy]


 * Conceit**

An elaborate and sometimes far-fetched image which extends a metaphor into as many layers of meaning as possible. It often compares objects or emotions that seem nothing alike. It usually uses unlikely metaphors, similes, hyperboles, and contradictions.

In English Literature, it is mainly found in metaphysical poetry. When used, the metaphors have a much more conceptual relationship between the things being compared. There is also the Petrarchan conceit. This is found in love poetry and is often described as an oxymoron. It uses a particular sat of images to compare a lover with his idolized mistress.

Examples in Literature:

Richard II, Act V "I have been studying how I may compare this prison where I live unto the world:"

Romeo and Juliet "Love is heavy and light, bright and dark, hot and cold, sick and healthy, asleep and awake-its everything except what it is!" (I.I)

Hey Diddle Diddle Rhyme Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle, The cow jumped over the moon. The little dog laughed to see such fun And the dish ran away with the spoon!

Richard II Here, cousin, seize the crown; Here cousin: On this side my hand, and on that side yours. Now is this golden crown like a deep weel That owes two buckets, filling one another, The emptier ever dancing in the air, The other down, unseen and full of water: That bucket down and full of tears am I, Drinking my griefs, whilst you mount up on high. (4.1.2)

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; text-align: left;">[Falk]


 * Dialect**

The unique language of a certain group, region, or class of people. It branches off from the traditional base language and had its own sounds, grammar, and diction that distinguishes someone from others either socially or geographically.

Usage/Function in Literature:

Primarily utilized as a characterization technique, indicating a character's social or geographical status and distinguishing them from other characters. Also used by authors to make character seem more authentic and real.

Examples in Literature:

//The Grapes of Wrath// "Use' ta be the family was fust. It ain't so now. It's anybody." (ch 30, para 48)

"They's gonna come somepin outa all these folks goin' wes' – outa all their farms lef' lonely. They's gonna come a thing that's gonna change the whole country." (ch 16, para 111)

Steinbeck utilizes the strong Okie dialect to characterize the migrant farmers in the novel. This establishes their position within society and also makes the conversations seem more real. //Huckleberry Finn// "I ain’ gwyne to len’ no mo’ money ’dout I see security. Boun’ to git yo’ money back a hund’d times, de preacher says! Ef I could git de ten cents back, I’d call it squah, en be glad er de chanst." (Jim) "House to rob, you MEAN," says I to myself; "and when you get through robbing it you'll come back here and wonder what has become of me and Jim and the raft – and you'll have to take it out in wondering." (Huck)

Twain uses multiple dialects in order to differentiate characters. Jim, as a black man, has a far stronger dialect that reflects his class and southern roots. Huck, on the other hand, still has a southern dialect, but it is a little better and also sounds a little childish at times because he is still young.

This cartoon shows linguistic profiling, which is the examination of someone's dialect in order to determine their origins.

[McBride]

Epigraph An epigraph is a phrase, quote, or poem at the beginning of a piece of literature. It often correlates to a theme or character in the work, but can be put for many other reasons. The epigraph can be fictional, but more often than not, the epigraph came from a previous source and not the author. //“As the tide washed in, the Dutch Tulip Man faced the ocean: “Conjoiner rejoinder poisonor concealer revelator. Look at it, rising up and rising down, taking everything with it.”// //“What’s that?” Anna asked.// //“Water,” the Dutchman said. “Well, and time.”// //-Peter Van Houton, __An Imperial Affliction__//
 * **Fictional Epigraph from John Green’s //The Fault in Our Stars//:**


 * **Epigraph from Jane Smiley’s //A Thousand Acres//:**

//The body repeats the landscape. They are the source of each other and create each other. We were marked by the seasonal body of earth, by the terrible migration of people, by the swift turn of a century, verging on the change never before experienced on this greaning planet.// //-Meridel Le Sueur, “The Ancient People and the Newly Come”//

[Marsh]

**Epistrophe** //Definition//: Epistrophe is the repetition of a concluding word or group of words in successive clauses or sentences.

Epistrophe is also known as epiphora. This technique is used to emphasize certain words, sounds, and/or ideas toward the end of a sentence. The repetition helps capture the audience’s attention and drive home a strong and specific message. Authors often use it for rhetorical or poetic effect. It almost helps establish an end rhyme scheme in the passage. The last few words create a sense of unity in the passage and are easier to remember than a string of words in the first part of a sentence.

//Examples://

“........ and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” - Lincoln's Gettysburg Address


 * In his Gettsyburg address, Lincoln utilized epistrophe in the last line. The repetitive use of the words “the people” helps establish a rhythm and elicit a powerful response from the audience. In the last lines of his speech honoring the dead after the Battle of Gettysburg, Lincoln tries to attain the full support of his people against the Confederacy. The general public is requested to promote democracy ; Lincoln achieves this by emotionally appealing to the people to join forces together for the sake of the nation’s welfare (“for the people”).

"Then I'll be all aroun' in the dark. I'll be ever'where--wherever you look. Wherever they's a fight so hungry people can eat, I'll be there. Wherever they's a cop beatin' up a guy, I'll be there. . . . . An' when our folks eat the stuff they raise an' live in the houses they build--why, I'll be there.” (Steinbeck 421)


 * After Jim Casy's death in //The Grapes of Wrath//, Tom is transformed completely. He takes the onus to carry on Jim's mission himself. Since Ma is worried about Tom’s safety, he assures her that this task needs to be completed even if that means he needs to risk his life for the workers’ movement. Regardless of his success or failure in the end, Tom promises Ma that his spirit will continue on in the world no matter what. “I’ll be there” indicates that Tom will be omnipresent in every event, even if he is not physically present. His ideas will always be present.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...” (Dickens)


 * Charles Dickens uses epistrophe (“of times”) in the opening line of //A Tale of Two Cities//. This sets up a powerful contrast between the two cities of London and Paris during the French Revolution (settings of the book).

“Hourly joys be still upon you! Juno sings her blessings upon you....Scarcity and want shall shun you, Ceres' blessing so is on you.” (Shakespeare)


 * Repetition of “upon you” in //The Tempest// in Act IV, Scene I, lines 108-117).



[Basuroy]


 * E****pithet**

An epithet is a word or phrase that is used to describe someone or something. It is so characterizing and commonplace that it can be used in place of the actual name; e.g. "Catherine the Great" or "William the Conqueror". Epithets are not just used as part of names, however; they can also be adjectives like "rosy-fingered dawn". Both Shakespeare and Homer were fond of using epithets. Epithets can also be used in a deragatory manner, i.e. racial epithets

Examples: "Rosy-fingered dawn" (Homer) "swift-footed Achilles" (Homer) "gray-eyed Athena" (Homer) "the wine-dark sea" (Homer) "Star-crossed lovers" (Shakespeare Romeo & Juliet) "Richard the Lion-Hearted" (Richard I)



A **foil** is a character who contrasts with another character (usually the protagonist) in order to highlight various features of that other character's personality.
 * Foil**

Examples from Literature: In Dicken's //A Tale of Two Cities//, Sydney Carton and Charles Darnay are foils of one another. They are both intelligent, attractive, and the same age. Also, both have been exiled from their original homes, and both are in love with Lucy. However, whereas Charles is charming, well-groomed, and successful, Sydney is a gloomy alcoholic who wears dirty clothes. By creating this foil, Dickens is able to show Sydney's kindness and potential for good. Dickens creates another less-developed, physical characteristic-driven foil between Miss Pross and Madame Defarge. The two women are both plump, middle age, and willing to fight for what they believe in. However, while Defarge champions revolution and social upheaval, Miss Pross is very much dedicated to maintaining the status quo and caring for her mistress. Again, Dickens uses foil to highlight just how radical Defarge is, and just how conservative Miss Pross is.

Shakespeare is also well known for his use of foils: In //Romeo and Juliet//, Mercutio's outgoing and brash personality highlights foils his personality with that of the sullen and depressed Romeo. In //Othello//, Michael Cassio's calm, level-headed nature contrasts Othello's erratic and mercurial nature. In //Hamlet//, Laertes and Fortinbras are both foils to Hamlet. All three have recently lost their fathers and are faced with the challenge of avenging them. Laertes and Fortinbras' decisiveness serves to highlight Hamlet's indecisiveness.



[McDaniels]


 * Foreshadowing**


 * Foreshadowing** is to show or indicate beforehand by using hints or clues to suggest plot developments that might come later in the story. It is the notion of a shadow thrown before that is suggestive of what is to come later.

Examples in Literature: In "Little Red Riding Hood" the mother tells Red to take food to her sick grandma. She warns her to "stay on the path otherwise she might fall and break the glass". Her mother's warning foreshadows the big bad wolf that Little Red Riding Hood runs into later in the story.

<span style="display: block; font-family: arila,verdana,tahoma; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">In //Of Mice and Men//, there are many examples of foreshadowing. The death of the mice and pup foreshadow the death of Curly's wife. The most significant example is Candy's old dog. Candy knows the dog must be put to death but he cannot bring himself to do it because he loved the dog and it was his only family. This dog foreshadows Lennie's death because he is basically George's pet that he must kill although he does not want to. However, he knows he must kill Lennie in order to save him from the other men. George struggles killing him because Lennie is his only family and close friend.

<span style="display: block; font-family: arila,verdana,tahoma; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">//Romeo and Juliet// is full of examples of foreshadowing. The first example is in the prologue. "From forth the fatal loins of these two foes, A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life." The reader know how the story is going to end because Shakespeare uses foreshadowing to foretell the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. They also mention death and murder or suicide throughout the entire play. Juliet says, "My grave is like to be my wedding bed" Shakespeare is foreshadowing Juliet's marriage and death all at once. Another example is when both Romeo and Juliet tell each other they look pale. Juliet says "Methinks I see thee, now thou art below, As one dead in the bottom of a tomb: Either my eyesight fails, or thou look'st pale." Romeo answers "And trust me, love, in my eye so do you." Their pale color foreshadows being dead and having lost all color of life.





[Falk]

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">**Hyperbole** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">A **Hyperbole** is a rhetoric device or figure of speech that is used to exaggerate. This device is most commonly seen in poetry as well as conversation between people. A hyperbole is used merely as an exaggeration of a condition or characteristic, and therefore, should not be felt literally. Through the use of hyperbole, an author is able to get his point across in a stronger way, through exaggeration.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">Examples in Literature:

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">"What, ho! you men, you beasts,/ That quench the fire of your pernicious rage/ With purple fountains issuing from your veins!..." (Shakespeare I.i 82-84) <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">In this passage, the prince compares the hatred between the Capulets and the Montagues, declaring it a fire. He also describes the men as beasts. Shakespeare's fierce verbiage can be considered a hyperbole.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">"People moved slowly then, there was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, nothing to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb County." (Lee 5) <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">In this passage, Lee uses hyperbole to exaggerate the emptiness of the town. By using the words "nothing, nowhere, and no," Lee describes the county in an intensified way. Obviously there are places to go, and things to buy, but due to Lee's verbiage, it paints the picture of a sleepy town.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">Examples in Speech:It is very common for hyperbole to be used in conversation. it is often in casual speech, that one uses hyperbole in order to better get their point across to the audience <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">"I'm about to starve to death""If my parents find out about this, I'm dead"Death is one of the most-used forms of hyperbole in language. Obviously a person isn't about to starve to death, they are merely hungry. Also, a person's parents would never kill their child for doing something wrong.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">In this example, a person threatens to die if a hyperbole is used incorrectly. This is clearly an exaggeration, because it is utterly unreasonable to kill yourself over a misuse of words.[Budzinski]

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">**Imagery** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">The use of vivid or figurative language to represent objects, actions, or ideas. All together there are seven types of imagery, the first five are based directly off senses (//sight//, //smell//, //sound//, //touch//, and //taste//) and are each able to create a mental idea of the image. There are also two other kinds of imagery: //organic// and //kinesthetic//. //Organic imagery// creates an internal sensation like hunger or sleepiness. //Kinesthetic imagery// uses words to communicate movement or tension.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">Usage/Function in Literature: <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">Used in many descriptions within novels and other literature, but most prevalent in poetry because imagery can be used as both a powerful descriptor and tone tool.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">Examples in Literature:

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">"My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">**Coral is far more red than her lips' red**; --> visual imagery <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">**If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head**. --> tactile imagery <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">I have seen roses damask'd, red and white, <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">But no such roses see I in her cheeks; <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">**And in some perfumes is there more delight --**> olfactory imagery <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">**Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">I love to hear her speak, yet well I know <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">**That music hath a far more pleasing sound**; --> auditory imagery <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">I grant I never saw a goddess go; <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">**My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground**: --> kinesthetic imagery <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">As any she belied with false compare." <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">-William Shakespeare

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">In the above sonnet, almost every line is a form of imagery. I highlighted a few of the examples.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">"When all at once **I saw a crowd,** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">**A host, of golden daffodils**" <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">-"I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" by William Wordsworth

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">There is a vivid image formed the visual imagery in the excerpt from Wordsworth's poem. This picture is close to what the words cause you to imagine.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">[McBride]


 * Irony**
 * Irony** is a statement or situation in which the meaning is contradicted or the opposite of the literal meaning. There are three forms of irony, including verbal, dramatic and situational. Verbal irony is when an author says one thing but means something else. Dramatic irony is when the reader knows something the character does not. Situational irony is when a what actual happened and what was expected contradict.

Examples:

//Verbal//: from //Othello-// "Honest Iago" and "Iago, thy honesty and love doth mice this matter." (Shakespeare II.iii) Shakespeare is actually trying to say that Iago is not honest and is the evil mastermind behind Othello's problems. This can also be an example of //dramatic// irony because Othello thinks that Iago is his best and most trusted friend, but the readers know that this is not true. //Situational//: from //Romeo and Juliet//- Juliet intended her fake death to help her and Romeo elope. However, Romeo thinks she is dead and kills himself and Juliet follows.

Irony in general: School is supposed to be a place to learn. Misspelling the word 'school' gives the opposite connotation.

[Srinivas]

Juxtaposition places two different things (physical or abstract) near one another to compare and contrast them. The different words, beliefs, objects, etc. have to “fit” together and cannot be random; they are often the “yin and yang”. Juxtapostition is also known as the “father” of the oxymoron, and also plays a part in dramatic foils. Ex: individual/society; youth/age; nature/culture; calm/chaos
 * Juxtaposition**

Literary Examples:

//Romeo and Juliet (//III.iv.57-62) Tybalt: Romeo, the hate I bear thee can afford No better term than this,--thou art a villain.

Romeo: Tybalt, the reason that I have to love thee Doth much excuse the appertaining rage To such a greeting: villain am I none; Therefore farewell; I see thou know'st me not.
 * Tybalt and Romeo are examples of juxtaposition as Tybalt is keen on fighting Romeo, whereas Romeo only wishes to make Juliet happy by loving Tybalt as his brother. Tybalt is fiery, and Romeo is love-stricken.

//The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (pg. 408)// Ef it wuz him dat ‘uz bein’ sot free, en one er de boys wuz to git shot, would he say, ‘Go on en save me, nemmine ‘bout a doctor f’r to save dis one? Is dat like Mars Tom Sawyer? Would he say dat: You bet he wouldn’t! Well, den, is Jim gwyne to say it? No, sah--I doan ‘budge a step out’n dis place, ‘dout a doctor; not if it’s forty year!
 * The juxtaposition in this example is the difference between Jim as a slave and Jim as a human being. Jim risks death or being sent back to the plantation for helping save Tom’s life, but as a human being he realizes that a child’s life is important.

I don't know why my pictures won't upload, just type juxtaposition into google images.

[Marsh]


 * Local Color**

Definition: **Local color** is fiction and or poetry that focus on the characters, dialect, customs, topography, and other features particular to a specific region. It is argued that **local color** is different from regional literature in that regional literature focuses on the broader concept of sectional differences while **local color** focuses on more exotic and or isolated characteristics. Aside of this one indefinite difference, **local color** and regionalism are essentially identical.

In the United States, the Civil War and the differences between the North and the South played a major role in the **local color** literature movement. A specific example of **local color** and or regionalism would be //Swallow Barn// by John Pendleton Kennedy. //Swallow Barn// was a fictional sketch that was meant to examine plantation life and accurately express the thinking process and views of Southern planters. While Kennedy was born and grew up in the North, he mimicked a decidedly Southern perspective through his characters, using typical characteristics of the South and using supposedly proper logic. For instance, in the excerpt bellow, Kennedy adopts the ideology of the South in order to argue in favor of slavery. Specifically, his mention of the negro’s “intellectual feebleness” and inherent inferiority are ideas that would be typical in the South when arguing the inability of slaves to adapt to and be part of civilization.
 * Local Color** in Literature:

An Excerpt from //Swallow Barn//:

“I am sure they could never become a happier people than I find here…No tribe of people has ever passed from barbarism to civilization whose progress has been more secure from harm, more genial to their character, or better supplied with mild and beneficent guardianship, adapted to the actual state of their intellectual feebleness, than the negroes of Swallow Barn. And from what I can gather it is pretty much the same on the other estates in this region.”

// Swallow Barn // was one of many sketches that Kennedy worked on during his time as a writer. //Swallow Barn// and //A Soujourn in the Old Dominion// are some of his better known works.

[Metelus]


 * Metaphor (dead)**

__ Definition: __ A figure of speech that has lost its force and imaginative effectiveness through frequent use. Contrast with creative metaphor.

__Image:__

(That's Greek to me or It's (all) Greek to me is a dead metaphor in English, claiming that an expression is incomprehensible, either due to complexity or imprecision).

__Additional Description:__ A dead metaphor is a metaphor which has lost the original imagery of its meaning due to extensive, repetitive popular usage. Because dead metaphors have a conventional meaning that differs from the original, they can be understood without knowing their earlier connotation. Dead metaphors are generally the result of a semantic shift in the evolution of a language. A distinction is often made between those dead metaphors whose origins are entirely unknown to the majority of people using them (such as the expression "to kick the bucket") and those whose source is widely known or symbolism easily understood but not often thought about (the idea of "falling in love").

There is debate among literary scholars whether so-called "dead metaphors" are dead or are metaphors. Literary scholar R.W. Gibbs noted that for a metaphor to be dead, it would necessarily lose the metaphorical qualities that it comprises. These qualities, however, still remain. A person can understand the expression "falling head-over-heels in love" even if they have never encountered that variant of the phrase "falling in love." Analytic philosopher Max Black argued that the dead metaphor should not be considered a metaphor at all, but rather classified as a separate vocabulary item. If the verb "to plough" retained the simple meaning of "to turn up the earth with a plow," then the idea of a car "ploughing through traffic" would clearly be a metaphor. The expression would be a comparison between the motion of the plow cutting through the soil and a car speeding through traffic. In order to understand it, one would need to grasp the comparison. However, "to plough" has taken on an additional meaning of "to move in a fast and uncontrolled manner," and so to say that a car "ploughed through the traffic" is a literal statement. No knowledge of the original metaphorical symbolism is necessary to understanding the statement.

__Examples:__ There are many examples of dead metaphors in the English language - a brief list is given below.


 * flower**bed**
 * **head** teacher
 * fore**runner**
 * to **run** for office
 * to lose **face**
 * to lend a **hand**
 * to **broadcast**
 * **pilot** -- originally meant the rudder of a boat.
 * **flair** -- originally meant a sweet smell.
 * a computer **mouse**
 * **fishing** for compliments
 * **seeds** of doubt
 * **catch** her name
 * world wide **web**
 * **tulip** -- originally meant the eastern headdress, the turban.
 * **turn-on**
 * **flared** jeans
 * he **ploughed** through the traffic lights
 * **foot**hills or the **foot** of a mountain
 * **brow** of the hill
 * **branches** of government
 * **windfall** gain
 * **fly**
 * **kidney** beans
 * **nightfall** -- originally from the growing shade under an object which occurs when the object is dropped or falling

__Direct Excerpt:__ "Kansas City is //oven hot//, dead metaphor or no dead metaphor."

(Zadie Smith, "On the Road: American Writers and Their Hair," July 2001)

[Quis]

Metonymy is a figure of speech in which a thing or concept is not called by name, but by the name of something intimately associated with that thing or concept. Examples: “Lend me your ears.” This common phrase means to give someone your attention. Ears is used as a metonym for attention. This metonym is seen in //Hamlet//, when Polonius tells Laertes to “give every man thy ear.” Another example is the saying “the pen is mightier than the sword.” In this case, the pen represents literature and writing, while the sword represents conflict and violence. All 'Hands' on deck refers to all of the sailors, not literally hands. [Zeng] ====
 * Metonymy**

====

====__Definition:__A type of metaphor where there is a single main subject to which additional subjects and metaphors are applied. The extended metaphor may act as a central theme, for example where it is used as the primary vehicle of a poem and is used repeatedly and in different forms.====

[[image:http://betterbibles.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/image8.png]]
==== (Sorry Ms. Henderson, I could not resist. This is an extended metaphor because the sentence begins with Henderson as the main subject of the sentence which then continues and adds an additional subject…his or her brain). ====

[Teehee -- that only holds true for extended metaphor if "Henderson" in this case is a metaphorical brain, so...thanks! :P Miss H]
==== __Additional Description:__ The power of an extended metaphor is in the hammer blows that it applies, demonstrating the passion and commitment of the author. Done well, an extended metaphor drives the point home. Done badly, it either confuses people, for example through conflicting vehicles, or annoys them, for example through excessive elaboration or too many metaphors for a single subject. An extended metaphor is sometimes called a 'conceit', for example where the metaphoric theme of a poem is called its conceit, perhaps signifying the arrogance of the poet in assuming command of the language to the point of redefinition of terms that may be beyond many readers.====

====__Direct Excerpt:__ "In a few minutes there were dozens of them, standing in a wide circle round the lighthouse, staring, laughing, clicking their cameras, throwing (as to an ape) peanuts, packets of sex-hormone chewing gum..." "The ape had spoken; there was a burst of laughter and hand-clapping."====

[Quis]

 * Mood**

Definition- Mood is the emotions conveyed by the story through its characters, setting, and events. It is also the emotions displayed by the audience in response to the story. In contrast, tone is the attitude that the author puts forth into his/her writing. Examples of mood are joyful, suspenseful, romantic, and sorrowful.

Example of mood from literature- "I spread out my fingers, and the dark berries glisten in the sun. I give Peeta's hand one last squeeze as a signal, as a good-bye, and we begin counting. 'One.' Maybe I'm wrong. 'Two.' Maybe they don't care if we both die. 'Three.' It's too late to change my mind. I lift my hand to my mouth, taking one last look around at the world. The berries have just passed my lips when the trumpets begin to blare." -//The Hunger Games// by Suzanne Collins Collins creates a mood of suspense for the audience. The audience believes that Katniss and Peeta are going to sacrifice themselves in a joint-suicide to rebel against the Games. Their plan is played out slowly to build up the suspenseful mood.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">**Motif**

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">__Definition__: A **motif** is the use of visual or auditory repetition to exemplify a metaphorical or symbolic point in art. **Motifs** are used in music as repeated phrases and combinations of notes that are used to enhance the musical theme. In painting a **motif** is a repeated shape, color or design used in order to enhance a feeling. In literature, offers to find both uses. Thus, **m****otifs** are recurring structural elements, contrasting elements (such as good and evil), and literary devices (such as symbols) that are used to help develop, enhance and inform the work's major themes.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">__Description/Summary of__ __**Motif**__ __at work in literature:__ <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">1)A motif is any recurring element that has symbolic significance in a story. Through its repetition, a motif can help produce other narrative (or literary) aspects such as theme or mood. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman,serif; text-decoration: none;">2)A narrative motif can be created through the use of imagery, structural components, language, and other narrative elements. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman,serif; text-decoration: none;">3)There can be visual/color motifs, and sound motifs, along with more abstract concepts recurring to form a motif.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">__Example of__ __**Motif**__ __in Literature:__ <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">A) Sound: The flute in <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif; text-decoration: none;"> Arthur Miller <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">'s play //Death of a Salesman// is a recurrent sound motif that conveys rural and idyllic notions. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">B) Visual: The green light found in the novel //The Great Gatsby// by F. Scott Fitzgerald functions as both a symbol and a motif. Also geography is a major motif in the novel. East Egg represents the old aristocracy, West Egg the newly rich, the valley of ashes the moral and social decay of America, and New York City the uninhibited, amoral quest for money and pleasure. The geography creates the idea of the story being a reverse western. A journey back East, undoing the American dream. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">C) Narratives can include multiple motifs of varying types. In Shakespeare's play Macbeth uses both visual and verbal motifs. Shakespeare uses a variety of narrative elements to create many different motifs. Imagistic references to blood and water are repeated. The phrase "fair is foul, and foul is fair" is echoed at many points in the play. The phrase mixes the concepts of good and evil using auditory language. The play also features a central motif of the washing of hands. This motif combines both verbal dialogue and images with the movement of the actors.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Excerpt (From //The Great Gatsby//- geography): “ <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">That’s my Middle West. . . the street lamps and sleigh bells in the frosty dark. . . . I see now that this has been a story of the West, after all—Tom and Gatsby, Daisy and Jordan and I, were all Westerners, and perhaps we possessed some deficiency in common which made us subtly unadaptable to Eastern life.”



Shadows are prominent motifs in film noir.

[Sayen]


 * Motif**

A **motif** is a recurring object, concept, or structure in a work of literature. A motif may also be two contrasting elements in a work, such as good and evil.

- In literary works, operas,music, and even some interior decoration, such repetition almost always has at least some thematic function. It serves to call the reader's or spectator's attention to the element in question. Moreover, a motif tends to take on certain associations from the particular situations in which it emerges. It can then carry some or all of those associations into subsequent contexts in which it (re)appears.

Example in Literature:

Whose **woods** these are I think I know.

His house is in the village though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his **woods** fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the **woods** and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sound's the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake.

The **woods** are lovely, dark, and deep.

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

- In Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," the image of ‘woods’ is a recurrent motif that generally signifies ‘indecision’. Likewise it echoes the general theme of the poem-indecision. However, it also alludes to a dark vicinity/secret as removed from society. He longs to stay there briefly to enjoy the beauty of the woods, and the privacy and isolation. At once the motif of Journey transforms itself to a metaphor for Life.

Examples in Literature**:**

-In the Crucible, the motif of a twisted form of __empowerment__ is seen. In Salem, the authority belonged solely to men while the women and children were merely seen but not heard. When Abigail Williams called "witch," the power structure in Salem turned upside down and the characters ironically who end up with the most power are not only children, but girls. The children align Salem's greatest authority of all, the power of god. Because the Puritans’ greatest fear is the defiance of God, Abigail’s accusations of witchcraft and devil-worship immediately command the attention of the court. The power they wield is so absolute that with a single accusation of witchcraft these girls had some of the most well-respected citizens thrown into jail and executed.


 * -**Motifs can especially be seen in the bible and other religious scripture: In the Book of Genesis the motif of __separation__ can be seen throughout the story.

1) God separates the light from the darkness

2) Abraham and his descendants are separated from the rest of the nation as God's chosen people

3)Joseph is separated from his brothers in order that life might be preserved.

-Water is also another motif that can be seen in the bible, and it is used as a means of destroying the wicked in Genesis, and in Matthew as a means of remitting sins by the employment of baptism. Other motifs in Genesis and Matthew include blood sacrifices, fire, lambs, and goats. __A motif is important because it allows one to see main points and themes that the author is trying to express, in order that one might be able to interpret the work more accurately__



[Campbell]


 * Onomatopoeia**

An **onomatopoeia** is a word that imitates the sound of the object that it is describing. It is most commonly used to describe animal noises and action sounds. For example, 'buzz' would suggest the sound that a bee makes. The effect of an onomatopoeia can also be achieved through alliteration. For example, the repetitive use of 'z' sounds in a sentence can suggest the sounds of a bee.

Example from literature

Direct onomatopoeia

"Sea nymphs hourly ring his knell:

Hark! Now I hear them - **Ding, dong**, bell." //The Tempest// ( Shakespeare I.ii)

Shakespeare uses a direct onomatopoeia, ding dong, to describe the sound that the bell makes.

Onomatopoeia through alliteration

"such slick crossings, deep

hipholes, hummocks

that sink silently

into the black, slack" //Crossing the Swamp// by Mary Oliver

Oliver uses alliteration of the 's' sound to suggest the feeling of sinking into a swamp.



The title of this book, "The Gobble Gobble Moooooo Tractor Book", describes the sounds that turkeys and cows make.

[Lavery]

_


 * Oxymoron**

An **oxymoron** is a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction. It is a compressed paradox. There are two types of oxymora- direct oxymoron and indirect oxymoron. Direct oxymoron consists of two terms which are direct antonyms, such as “**silent sound**.” Indirect oxymoron consists of indirect antonyms, such as “**sweet sorrow**”.

Examples: **civil war**, **act naturally**, **student teacher**, **found missing**, **jumbo shrimp**, **pretty ugly**

Examples from literature:

//Romeo and Juliet//

"O **brawling love**! O **loving hate**!

O anything of nothing first created!

O **heavy lightness**! **serious vanity**!


 * Misshapen chaos of well-seeming forms**!


 * Feather of lead**, **bright smoke**, **cold fire**, **sick health**!


 * Still-waking sleep**, that is not what it is!

This love feel I, that feel no love in this."

- William Shakespeare (I, i, 166-172)

In this speech William Shakespeare’s character, Romeo, uses many oxymora. Although Romeo knows that he should not love a Capulet, he cannot help himself. For him, love is a muddle of everything bad and good. Shakespeare’s use of contradictory words helps describe Romeo's feelings towards Juliet.

//Hamlet//

“I will bestow him, and will answer well

The death I gave him. So, again, good night.


 * I must be cruel, only to be kind**:

Thus bad begins and worse remains behind.

One word more, good lady.”

- William Shakespeare (III, iv, 179-183)



Two signs with completely different instructions are next to each other.

[Patel]


 * Paradox**

An unusual juxtaposition of contradicting ideas or statement that leads to a contradiction or a situation that defies logic if assumed true. Common themes include self-reference, or circular reasoning. Paradoxical statements do not imply a real contradiction and can be rectified by demonstrating that one or more of the assumptions are not really true or a play on words. In literature, sometimes the literal meaning is illogical, or the paradox is metaphorical with multiple possible interpretations.

(Wilde)“I can resist anything except temptation” (Chesterton)“spies do not look like spies” (Shakespeare- [|Polonius] )“though this be madness, yet there is method in’t”



[Ott] _
 * Parallel Structure**

Two or more words, phrases, or clauses that are similar in length and grammatical form. In this form, items are in a series with a noun in conjunction with a verb listed with other nouns using the same or similar type (ing with other ing etc) verb. When the items listed fail to be parallel, the result is faulty parallelism. It is used to help organize ideas or to create a rhythm using language.
 * Definition**:


 * Examples/Phrases:**

Mary needed to wash her car, to wash her clothes, and wash her kitchen that Saturday.

The parallel structure is the repetition of the phrase “to wash”

“Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal” (T.S. Eliot)

The parallel structure would be the repetition of the noun poets or the phrase “poets_” media type="custom" key="13526880"media type="custom" key="13526898"

Danny, former singer, playwright, and actor, is now a doctor at a large national hospital.

The parallel would be singer, playwright, and actor.


 * Examples in Literature:**

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood”

Martin Luther King, Jr., "I Have a Dream" speech

The repetition of “I have a dream” plays upon parallel structure to not only make the speech more memorable but to add rhythm to the speech as well.

“Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him."

William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar

In the first phrase, the nouns are in parallel structure. In the second, “to bury Caesar, not to praise him” introduces another parallel structure around Caesar.


 * Parody**:

A humorous or satirical imitation of a serious piece of literature or writing, or the genre of literature represented by such imitations. It is often meant to mock or comment on a work, subject, author, or style. Modern parodies often rely on obscenity and vulgarity for their humor.

An example of a parody in literature is Adam Mansbach's famous parody of children's books, //Go The F--k To Sleep//. It is written in rhyme and presented in the same style as a typical bedtime story; however, it is told from the perspective of an annoyed parent of a stubborn child that refuses to sleep. It is an obscenity-laden commentary of the idea of bedtime stories, ironically told in the form of a bedtime story.

"The cats nestle close to their kittens

The lambs have laid down with the sheep

You're cozy and warm in your bed, my dear

Please go the f--k to sleep.

"The eagles who soar through the sky are at rest

And the creatures who run, crawl, and creep

I know you're not thirsty. That's bulls--t, shop lying

Lie the f--k down, my darling, and sleep.

"The tiger reclines in the simmering jungle

The sparrow has silenced her cheep

F--k your stuffed bear, I'm not getting you s--t

Close your eyes, cut the crap, sleep.

"We're finally watching our movie

Popcorn's in the microwave, //Beep//

Oh s--t, goddamnit, you've gotta be kidding!

Come on, go the f--k back to sleep."

Movies are another major medium for parody. Most notably, Monty Python has parodied the King Arthur legend in //Monty Python and the Holy Grail// by making its characters incompetent, placing them in silly situations, and being absurd about its treatment of the legend. Similarly, they parodied the life of Jesus in //Monty Python's The Life of Brian// by making religion seem silly and absurd. Other film genres most prone to parody include spy movies, such as the Bond series, scary movies, and teen movies.

Below: A parody of the famous Rosie the Riveter advertisement from World War II that incorporates elements from //Buffy the Vampire Slayer//.



Below: A parody of Shepard Fairey's "Andre The Giant Has A Possy" graphic that references Andre's role in //The Princess Bride//:



[Hamilton]

_


 * Personification**

Basically it is giving human characteristics to something that is not human. Something as simple as "Oreo: Milk’s favorite cookie." is personification, because it insinuates that milk has opinions.
 * Personification** is the attribution of human characteristics to things or abstract ideas for literary or artistic effect.

Examples in literature: "I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded, not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering it things, packing up, and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night.”

-//The Kite Runner//

“It is not possible to add pesticides to water anywhere without threatening the purity of water everywhere. Seldom if ever does Nature operate in closed and separate compartments, and she has not done so in disturbing the earth’s water supply.

-//Silent Spring//

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; display: block; font-family: verdana; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; display: block; font-family: verdana; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;">

[Adamy]


 * Pun**

A **pun** is a form of wordplay that uses multiple correct meanings of words for a humorous or rhetorical effect; it uses a correct expression that alludes to another. They can arise from homophonic, homographic, metonymic and metaphorical language. In English literature they are more frequently used for non-humorous effect though Shakespeare often used them for humor.

Example from literature

“ask for me to-morrow, and you shall find me a grave man.” (Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare) In this line, Mercutio speaks this line after being stabbed playing on the word //grave// He says that tomorrow he will be dead, and in his //grave// but also that tomorrow he will be more serious and //grave.//

“Now is the winter of our discontent, Made glorious summer by this son of York” (Richard the Third, Shakespeare) In this line, Shakespeare uses the word //sun// to reference the weather in summer and the //son// of York, King Richard.



This comic is a play on the function of vacuum cleaners and the derogatory meaning of suck.

[Ott]


 * Simile **

A **simile** is a figure of speech in which two seemingly different things which are thought to be alike in one or more aspects are compared, using a preposition such as “like,” “as,” “such,” or “than,” for the purpose of explanation, allusion, or ornament. Examples of the device employed in literature: In //Hamlet//, Shakespeare utilizes simile when Rosencrantz compares the death of the King of a nation to a gulf, or a whirlpool. “The cess of majesty Dies not alone; but, **like a gulf doth draw**
 * What’s near it with it ** ” (Shakespeare 3.3.15-17)

In //Romeo and Juliet//, Shakespeare utilizes simile throughout the play, especially in Romeo and Juliet’s correspondences with each other. Similes are utilized as an attempt of wooing and showing their love for each other in this play. In this example, Romeo compares Juliet to a winged messenger of heaven. “O, speak again, bright angel, for **thou art**
 * As glorious to this night, being o’er my head, **


 * As is a winged messenger of heaven **

Unto the white-upturned wond’ring eyes Of mortals that fall back to gaze on him When he bestrides the lazy puffing clouds And sails upon the bosom of the air.” (2.2.29-35)

In this, Spongebob tells Squidward: "You and me, we're like brothers... Only closer." [Zeng]


 * Symbol**

Definition/Summary: 1) A **symbol** is an object or action that stands for something beyond itself. 2) A **symbol** can be a person, place, or thing that represents an abstract idea or concept. 3) A **symbols** is a communication element intended to represent or stand for a complex of person, object, group, or idea. 4) It is a literary device that contains several layers of meaning, often concealed at first sight. 5) A **symbol** is representative of several other aspects/ concepts/ traits than those that are visible in the literal translation alone. 6) There are certain common **symbols** in different cultures that become part of the literary fabric of the nations literature. Thus, a **symbol’s** meaning changes depending on the country or region where it is used. However there are certain universal **symbols** in literature.

Description/Summary of **Symbolism** at work in literature: 1) **Symbolism** is used in literature in order to express the internal meaning of a situation using metaphorical language. Some common **symbols** are: colors, nature, directions, weather/season/time, animals, walls, and human body parts Examples: 1) Colors- White= innocence, purity, hop 2) Nature- Flowers= beauty, youth, strength, gentleness 3) Directions- East= land of birth or rebirth; of the Sun and Venus; it is associated with renewal, youth, feasting, song and love 3) Weather/Season/Time- Fog/Mist= prevents clear vision or thinking; represents isolation; mist is often the symbol of the indeterminate phase in development when shapes have yet to be defined; they are preludes to important revelations or prologues to manifestations 4) Animals- Raven= death, destruction; they often play prophetic roles or function as a conductor of the soul 5) Walls= barriers between people, both physical and mental; a barrier that shuts out the world 6) Human body parts- Blood= symbolizes all the integral qualities of fire and the heat and vitality inherent in the sun; it also corresponds to vital and bodily heat

Example of **Symbolism** in Literature: The Lord of the Flies: 1) The island was **symbolic** of our world and the way the characters dealt with the various situations was a **symbol** for the way many people live their lives. Every character **symbolizes** something, for example, Ralph is a **symbol** of good intentions, Piggy **symbolizes** intelligence and civilization, the conch stands for democracy, Jack **symbolizes** savagery and anarchy, and the beast represents the darker side of human nature. Excerpt: "Ralph made a step forward and smacked Piggy's head. Piggy's glasses flew and tinkled on the rocks. Piggy cried in terror:"My specs!"..."One sides broken"' (P. 75) -Analysis of **symbol**: Piggy is the most intelligent, rational boy in the group, and his glasses represent the power of science and intellectual endeavor in society. The specs’ **symbolism** is clear from the start of the novel when they are used focus the sunlight and start a fire. Therefore, these glasses also led to the unity of the boys and their civilization. However, when one side is broken everything starts to disintegrate and savagery starts to take over the group.



[Sayen]

//Definition:// Synaesthesia in literature is the use of a description that incorporates one of the five senses (touch, sight, sound, smell, and taste), in order to describe a different sense.
 * Synaesthesia (or Synesthesia)**

2. The blade appeared to have a //sharp// point. ( In both sentences the word //sharp// is used as a touch adjective to describe both sound and sight.)
 * Examples:** //1.//The professor’s voice was //sharp// and it was painful for the students to listen to his lectures.

//Examples in Literature://

<span style="background-color: #fffff0; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> (1) He ate and <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: -webkit-center;"> drank the <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: -webkit-center;"> precious Words – <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: -webkit-center;"> His Spirit grew <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: -webkit-center;"> robust – <span style="background-color: #fffff0; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">(The first stanza of //He Ate and Drank the Precious Words// by Emily Dickinson)

<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Then will I not repine <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> Knowing that Bird of min <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> Though flown <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> Shall in a distant tree <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> Bright melody for m <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> Return. <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">(The last stanza of //I have a Bird in spring// by Emily Dickinson)

//An example of artistic synaesthesia in which the feeling of being underwater is expressed through a visual effects.// [Taylor]


 * Synecdoche**

__Definition__: a figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole or the whole for a part. It goes from the specific to the general and vise versa.

__Common Examples/Phrases:__

The phrase “all hands on deck” refers to the hands, but in actuality means for all the sailors to whom those hands are attached to go on deck

The phrase “Friends, Romans, countrymen: lend me your ears” by Shakespeare is not asking for your ears, but asking you as a whole to lend yourself to them

The motto "e pluribus unum" or out of many, one clearly illustrates the concept of many different parts representing on whole thing



__Examples in Literature__

Shakespeare liked to use synecdoche a lot seen in the previous example as well as this one: "So the whole ear of Denmark”

Hamlet (I, V, 41) where the ear stands for all of Denmark.

In Beowulf, the word "keel" is a part of a ship but it is used as a supplement for ship.

In the Bible, this device is frequently used, exhibited by “He who has clean hands and a pure heart who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false” (Psalm 24:4). Clean hands and a pure heart stand for a whole person.

[Klimak]


 * Syntactic Permutation**

Definition: A sentence structure which is extraordinarily complex and difficult for the reader to follow.

Example of its use in literature:

“They were ready to go to church; the beautiful bride, Mr. Lorry, and Miss Pross – to whom the event, through a gradual process of reconcilement to the inevitable, would have been one of absolute bliss, but for the yet lingering consideration that her brother Solomon should have been the bridegroom.” Dickens, //A Tale of Two Cities//.

As you can see, you have to read this sentence approximately three times to fully understand what it is saying because the **Syntactic Permutation** makes it difficult to understand.



In this picture, we see that Dickens, yet again, demonstrates his mastery of **Syntactic Permutation**.

[Dubin]


 * Vernacular**

Definition: Vernacular is the everyday language spoken by the people of a specific region. It is distinguished from the literary language (national, standard language).

Vernacular literature is literature written in the speech of the "common people". Vernacular is often used by an author in order to create a specific setting for his or her novel. For example, E. M. Forster uses dialect specific to India throughout his novel. With the help of venacular, the setting of Chandrapore, India is believable.

Examples from literature:

//The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn// “I hadn’t had a bite to eat since yesterday, so Jim he got out some corn-dodgers and buttermilk, and pork and cabbage and greens—there ain’t nothing in the world so good when it’s cooked right—and whilst I eat my supper we talked and had a good time. . . .We said there warn’t no home like a raft, after all. Other places do seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft don’t. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft.” <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">- Mark Twain

//The Grapes of Wrath// “Wherever they’s a fight so hungry people can eat, I’ll be there. Wherever they’s a cop beatin’ up a guy, I’ll be there. If Casy knowed, why, I’ll be in the way guys yell when they’re mad an’—I’ll be in the way kids laugh when they’re hungry n’ they know supper’s ready. An’ when our folks eat the stuff they raise an’ live in the houses they build—why, I’ll be there. See? God, I’m talkin’ like Casy. Comes of thinkin’ about him so much. Seems like I can see him sometimes.” <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">- John Steinbeck



May un Mar lady is a cartoon strip written in Potteries dialect, which first appeared on July 8, 1986 in the North Staffordshire The Sentinel (Britain).

[Patel]

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