...Patty Cake ____ ENG 4U0 July 17, 2011 Allusion | Literal meaning | How it develops theme | Sources | I would have such a fellow whipped for o’erdoing Termagant (III,ii,14) | In this quote, Hamlet says that he would have whipped whoever was playing the role in the play, if they overdid their part. A “termagant”, is a deity often worshipped by Muslims, who was described as violent, overbearing personage in long robes. (dictionary.com)Everything must go exactly to plan of his father’s murder reenactment, hence why Hamlet is being so strict towards the actors. | This quote really shows how mentally insane Hamlet is going. If he threatens to whip actors for doing their job and over exaggerating a little, then perhaps this develops the theme of “mental issues”, which Hamlet seems to be carrying, and they seem to be getting worse and worse according to the passage. Throughout the play, his mental condition seems to be worsening, or he is doing a better job at pretending, either way, he seems more insane than ever. | "t”termagant." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 17 Jul. 2014. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/termagant>. | It out herods Herod (III,ii,14) | This allusion is from the bible, and specifically King Herod. King Herod was a ruthless king, who did anything and everything he could to get what he wanted, so this passage is alluding to, if the actor screws up, he would have out did King Herod, and that is not easy to achieve, as...
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...mythological and biblical allusions informs us of Hamlet’s inevitable fall. Throughout the play, Hamlet uses many mythological allusions to show his feelings towards other characters such as Claudius, Gertrude and the old king as well as inform us of his “fall”. After Queen Gertrude is re-married to Claudius, Hamlet shows his feelings when he compares the late King Hamlet to Claudius. Hamlet tells his mother, "So excellent a king, that was to this / Hyperion to a satyr." (Ham. I ii 139-40). This allusion shows Hamlet's high praise for his dead father as well as his extreme hatred for Claudius. Hyperion is the Greek sun god. By comparing his dead father to Hyperion, Hamlet does not just connect his father to a titan, but also the source of light and with that hope and happiness. The sun is what also sustains life. Hamlet is alluding to how his father was a great king, a strong and dynamic leader that cared for his family and strength of Denmark. The sun also symbolizes warmth and glory which are qualities reflected upon his father. A good king, like the sun, is also a keeper of the peace who watches from above. It is evident that Hamlet greatly loved his father and is stunned by how his mother quickly moved on after his death to marry Claudius who Hamlet refers to as a satyr. Hamlet depicts Claudius as a satyr, which in Greek mythology is a half human and half goat creature that indulges in drinking and lust. These allusions prove to us how much Hamlet...
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...Chasing down Allusions in Hamlet “Look here upon this picture, and on this,— The counterfeit presentment of two brothers. See what a grace was seated on this brow; Hyperion's curls; the front of Jove himself; An eye like Mars, to threaten and command; A station like the herald Mercury New lighted on a heaven-kissing hill: A combination and a form, indeed, Where every god did seem to set his seal, To give the world assurance of a man; This was your husband.” (3.4, 61-71) So excellent a king; that was, to this, Hyperion to a satyr; so loving to my mother, That he might not beteem the winds of heaven Visit her face too roughly. Heaven and earth! (1.2, 139-142) Act III is abounding with allusions. During Scene IV, Hamlet confronts his mother and candidly expresses his dismay with his mother’s irreverence to his father. He uses a multitude of allusions to describe his father. In particular, Hamlet references his father twice to Hyperion, the Greek god of the Sun. Hamlet illustrates his father as god-like, possessing their finest features like Hyperion’s curls. He also represents his father as the sun god Hyperion. The sun represents a central body around which the earth and planets rotate and are held in orbit. The sun also sustains life. Hamlet is alluding to the fact that his father was a great king, a strong and dynamic leader that cared for his family and populace. The sun symbolizes warmth, glory, triumph and inner light, all fine qualities reflected upon...
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...books should all be available at your local library or bookstore (you may also order online). *If you do not already own a copy of How to Read Literature Like a Professor, you should get a copy. We will be referring to it throughout the year as we dissect and discuss literary works. ^^I have provided .PDF copies of these works through Edmodo. Please do NOT print copies of these works. #This book is a great resource to have for college, particularly if you are going to be an English major. To help you retain the content of the summer reading, annotate each work thoroughly and take analytical notes using whatever method works best for you. There will be a summer reading test at the start of the school year based on the Mythological Allusion list provided for you as well as on the plot and characterization found within MacBeth (it will be...
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...Drew Hayden Taylor, an Ojibway writer, achieves the role of literature by challenging the common beliefs of society in his essays. He takes the role of defending First Nations from the common criticisms and assumptions of Canadian society, in an attempt to change people’s perspectives. This is the purpose of many of his essays, each having their own problem or question. These essays raise the problems and issues First Nations people face that society may be unfamiliar with. Throughout his essays, he uses multiple logical strategies in his writing to support his arguments. Many of his essays deal with the concept of stereotyping. Taylor argues against these stereotypes and issues directed at First Nations people by using allusions, factual evidence,...
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...Figurative Language The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, has quite a bit of figurative language, which contributes to its popularity. Examples include figures of speech, symbolism, allusions, imagery, similes, metaphors, personification and hyperboles. These elements are of my group’s interest. The first figurative language example I’d like to explain is the figure of speech. Lee uses many figures of speech throughout the book. One example which captured my interest was on when Atticus finds the flaw in Mayella’s account of the Tom Robinson case. “Somehow, Atticus had hit her hard in a way that was not clear to me, but it gave him no pleasure to do so” (188). Here, Atticus discovers the hole in Mayella’s testimony, and proves that...
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...Figures of Speech (Stylistic Devices) What are stylistic devices? In literature and writing, a figure of speech (also called stylistic device or rhetorical device) is the use of any of a variety of techniques to give an auxiliary meaning, idea, or feeling. Sometimes a word diverges from its normal meaning, or a phrase has a specialized meaning not based on the literal meaning of the words in it. Examples are metaphor, simile, or personification. Stylistic devices often provide emphasis, freshness of expression, or clarity. A simile is a figure of speech comparing two unlike things, often introduced with the word "like" or "as". It takes the form of: * X is (not) like Y * X is (not) as Y * X is (not) similar to Y Examples of simile: * He fights like a lion. * He swims as fast as a fish. * He slithers like a snake. * "My dad was a mechanic by trade when he was in the Army, When he got the tools out, he was like a surgeon." What is a metaphor? Unlike simile, metaphor (from the Greek language: meaning "transfer") is language that directly compares seemingly unrelated subjects. It is a figure of speech that compares two or more things not using like or as. In the simplest case, this takes the form: X - is - Y Examples of metaphor: All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; (William Shakespeare, As You Like It, 2/7) Example: “Henry was a lion on the battlefield”. This...
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... This corruption of nature, of faith is possibly the greatest crime, as stated by Shelley in her introduction to the 1831 edition of Frankenstein; “those who endeavour to mock the mechanism of the creator” will suffer grave consequences. This concept is a main idea of the novel, and the graphic consequences of Victor’s hubris are evident. The monster he creates is eloquent and rational, but corrupted by his lack of compassion is ravages his friends and family. This shirking of responsibility is most evident in the creature’s biblical allusion, “I ought to be thy Adam but I am rather thy fallen angel.” By referencing Lucifer, the creature has isolated the source of his violence, the irresponsibility of his creator. This relationship between creator and creation is mirrored in Blade Runner during the meeting between Tyrell and Roy. The awkward detachment of Roy from his masterpiece is shown through formal, scientific language and biblical allusions are also used, “nothing the god of biomechanics wouldn’t let you into heaven for.” This statement is suggestive of both Tyrell’s status as a god in this new society and of the decline of morality evident by this usurping of the creator. By examining this lack of responsibility, we can view it as a metaphor for any scientific development, its implications for both humans and nature. This reflection on the dangers and pitfalls of science on morality and humanity is evident, and serves as...
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...Frankenstein Biblical Allusions Essay Marco Ng Mrs. Hawes English 11 14 January 2016 To what extent does one’s collective intellect and diligence increase his/her capacity to achieve greatness? Is it feasible to believe that humanity—with adequate knowledge and wisdom— may be capable in imitating the abilities and power of God? These questions are flamboyantly revealed in the novel, Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelly, as a result of numerous biblical allusions focusing on the relationship between Victor Frankenstein and the monster. Through the biblical allusions in Frankenstein, Victor and the monster are utilized to emphasize the terror of uncertain human boundaries and also portray the duality of the two questionable protagonists in the novel. The duality depicted serves to critique the dominant religious beliefs developed up to the time period of the novel and challenge the axioms formed due to religious faith towards the Bible. The primary biblical allusion illustrated in Frankenstein is the reflection of Victor and the monster as creator and creation. In other words, Victor represents God and the monster represents Adam. By forming this allusion, Shelley illustrates the uncertain boundaries of human capability and arouses fear towards the power of human achievement. This biblical allusion inducing fear in human achievement first appears in chapter four through implicative dialogues involving the reanimation of life. While Victor defines reanimation, he accentuates...
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...eight Alabama clergymen, the term outsiders is used. Early on, this creates a label for Martin Luther King, outsider. Throughout his Letter From Birmingham Jail, King is able appeal to ethos in order to refute his title of “outsider” and generate a connection with his audiences, the clergymen and the people of America. King is able to do such a thing by alluding to multiple passages from the Bible as well as the figures it contains, which is done so that he may identify with the clergymen. When not speaking in reference to the Bible, King makes allusions and references to specific points and people in American history, which allows him to connect to his larger audience, the people of America. By demonstrating his practical wisdom, through the use of allusion, King attempts to strengthen his character with a visible appeal to ethos. King alludes to the Bible multiple times throughout his Letter From Birmingham Jail. These allusions are notable in paragraph three, where king refers to the biblical figures “Jesus Christ” and “the Apostle Paul.” The context in which these two are used is to reiterate the story of Paul leaving Tarsus, which King also mentions, to spread the word of Christ. In paragraph sixteen, King alludes to a few things within religion itself, including “St. Thomas Aquinas” and “Jewish philosopher Martin Buber.” In paragraph twenty-one, King alludes to the Bible story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego when he wrote “It was evidenced sublimely in the refusal...
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...Shelley condemns humanity’s intrusive assumption as creator. Similarly, Scott responds to Shelley warning by also spurning man’s ruthless ambition. However, the film’s 20th century context of capitalist greed and mass industrialisation shifts the criticism onto the pursuit of commercial dominance. Both texts employ techniques such as allusions and characterisation to depict similar dystopian visions ensuing from man’s dereliction of nature. Composed during the Industrial Revolution and radical scientific experimentation, Shelley typifies the Romantic Movement as she forebodes her enlightened society of playing God. Her warning permeates through the character of Victor, whose self-aggrandising diction “many excellent natures would owe their being to me” represents a society engrossed with reanimation. Shelley moreover questions the morality her microcosm’s pursuit of omnipotence through Victor’s retrospection “lost all soul or sensation but for this one pursuit”, as the juxtaposition of “all” and “one” emphasises Victor’s cavernous obsession to conquer death; akin to scientists of her time such as Erasmus Darwin. Moreover, recurring mythical allusions to Prometheus, “how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge” further portray Victor as an Aristotelian Tragic Hero; a noble character whose hamartia of blind ambition foreshadows his own downfall and dehumanisation, “swallowed up every habit of my nature”. In addition, Victor’s impulsive denunciation of his grotesque creation,...
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...Shelley condemns humanity’s intrusive assumption as creator. Similarly, Scott responds to Shelley warning by also spurning man’s ruthless ambition. However, the film’s 20th century context of capitalist greed and mass industrialisation shifts the criticism onto the pursuit of commercial dominance. Both texts employ techniques such as allusions and characterisation to depict similar dystopian visions ensuing from man’s dereliction of nature. Composed during the Industrial Revolution and radical scientific experimentation, Shelley typifies the Romantic Movement as she forebodes her enlightened society of playing God. Her warning permeates through the character of Victor, whose self-aggrandising diction “many excellent natures would owe their being to me” represents a society engrossed with reanimation. Shelley moreover questions the morality her microcosm’s pursuit of omnipotence through Victor’s retrospection “lost all soul or sensation but for this one pursuit”, as the juxtaposition of “all” and “one” emphasises Victor’s cavernous obsession to conquer death; akin to scientists of her time such as Erasmus Darwin. Moreover, recurring mythical allusions to Prometheus, “how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge” further portray Victor as an Aristotelian Tragic Hero; a noble character whose hamartia of blind ambition foreshadows his own downfall and dehumanisation, “swallowed up every habit of my nature”. In addition, Victor’s impulsive denunciation of his grotesque creation,...
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...In the late 1700´s Patrick Henry delivered a speech called ¨Give Liberty Or Give Death¨ in Virginia in which he asked to fight back against Britain that had been defecting on promises of helping their citizens with all their needs for a long time. Henry was able to persuade the men around him to believe that the United States’ liberty was a cause worth fighting for. Throughout his speech, he appealed to the emotions of his audience giving it some diction and allusions. Henry used a lot of emotional appeals through diction during his speech in order to persuade more and more his audience. At the beginning of his speech, he captured the attention of the people in the convention by saying “Should I keep back my opinions at such a time through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country’’ (line 15). This authorative tone made the audience fearful and anxious about what he was going to say. The emotional appeals in this speech are also formed with the use of figurative language which made his diction different from the usual. The audience can see this when he said, “We must fight! I repeat it sir, we must fight!”. His use of repetition and hyperbole emphasized that no matter what they will fight and they should be prepared. Also Henry took advantage of the feelings of his audience by using rhetorical questions, for example, in line 23 he asked that if the citizens should act like those who have eyes and don’t see, have ears and...
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...The Haunting Despair in Gordon’s “Can We Love Our Battering Fathers?”: How it is created by Literary Devices and Devices of Emphasis In the essay by Helen H. Gordon, Gordon illustrates that her father is the primary cause of her despair. It is a reflective essay that shows how the relationship of Gordon to her father suffers from his beating of the mother. She expresses her haunting despair through the use of diction, parallelism, and allusion. The choice of words that Gordon uses paint an image of her despair. “What my sister and I have not been able to reconcile, is Dad’s treatment of Mother—gentle, loving Mother, who lived for her family and adored her husband, the quintessential traditional woman, domestic and submissive even to the point of martyrdom” (par. 5). She describes her mother as the very essence of a traditional woman. An image of a warm, gentle loving woman is seen. In contrast, Gordon describes the last act of violence of the father against the mother: “We watched in terror as Dad pushed Mother down two flights of stairs and pummeled her crumpled body as we ran, barefooted and nightgowned, for help” (par. 9) An image of an evil, violent man is seen breaking the very being of the mother. A young girl seeing her warm, loving mother being broken mentally is traumatizing. Gordon alludes to popular literary works of fiction to express her despair. In the beginning of the essay while picking out a Father’s Day card, she thinks of what Cordelia says to King Lear...
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...The Relationship Between Good and Evil Torben Grodal talked of art film as possessing two basic elements, transient and permanent, but they are also seen in the novel East of Eden. Steinbeck creates scenes that at first have a transient quality, and then purposefully connects to a permanent nature. These permanent qualities, grappled with by the Trask’s and Lee, examine the never ending battle between good and evil. In the novel East of Eden, John Steinbeck constructs scenes that have an initial transient quality, but then persistently associates these with a permanent nature that examines the conflict between good and evil. Steinbeck portrays Cathy as a very evil character, someone who is just inexplicably evil and makes several allusions to her being a monster and devil. When first introducing the reader to Cathy, Steinbeck writes about the creation of monsters, an obvious parallel. He goes on to say that, “monsters are variations from the accepted normal to a greater or a less degree. As a child may be born without an arm, so one may be born without kindness or the potential of conscience” (72). He wastes no time in comparing a monster to Cathy. He believes that Cathy is not an ordinary evil either, but that she is a very abstract form of evil, the exact idea of evil and that she has no good in her body. Steinbeck does not only believe that Cathy is a monster, but also uses Cathy to show that evil can and will exist in the world without having a reason to exist. Cathy...
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