...Beso, Luiz Miguel B. BSE EN 2-1 Literature Students are asked to write literary analysis essays because this type of assignment encourages you to think about how and why a poem, short story, novel, or play was written. To successfully analyze literature, you’ll need to remember that authors make specific choices for particular reasons. Your essay should point out the author’s choices and attempt to explain their significance. Another way to look at a literary analysis is to consider a piece of literature from your own perspective. Rather than thinking about the author’s intentions, you can develop an argument based on any single term (or combination of terms) listed below. You’ll just need to use the original text to defend and explain your argument to the reader. Allegory - narrative form in which the characters are representative of some larger humanistic trait (i.e. greed, vanity, or bravery) and attempt to convey some larger lesson or meaning to life. Although allegory was originally and traditionally character based, modern allegories tend to parallel story and theme. William Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily- the decline of the Old South Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde- man’s struggle to contain his inner primal instincts District 9- South African Apartheid X Men- the evils of prejudice Harry Potter- the dangers of seeking “racial purity” Character - representation of a person, place, or thing performing traditionally human activities...
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...How to PEE (literature, writer’s choice, D.O.S, Gatsby.....) Things to consider: Language Device – Alliteration, Simile, Personification, Antithesis, Epigram, Paradox, Juxtaposition, Metaphor, Rhetorical Question, Dramatic Irony, Hyperbole, Onomatopoeia E.g of Antithesis: • "Love is an ideal thing, marriage a real thing." (Goethe) • "Everybody doesn't like something, but nobody doesn't like Sara Lee." (advertising slogan) • "Hillary has soldiered on, damned if she does, damned if she doesn't, like most powerful women, expected to be tough as nails and warm as toast at the same time." (Anna Quindlen, "Say Goodbye to the Virago." Newsweek, June 16, 2003) • "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." (Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities) • "I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dryrot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use...
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...This supports the theme of doing what you believe is right because evidence is shown in the play of Antigone and Creon using their beliefs to do what they are able to do, while having consequences of their actions. The first use of the dramatic irony in “Antigone” that supports the theme is when the Sentry and King Creon find out that Polyneices has been buried against King Creon’s decree. The Sentry expresses his confusion in lines 199-211, “CREON: A comprehensive defense! More effective, perhaps, If I knew its purpose. Come: what is it? SENTRY: A dreadful thing… I don’t know how to put it–– CREON: Out with it! SENTRY: Well, then; The dead man, Polyneices…. out there… someone, new dust on the slimy flesh! Someone has given it burial that way, and Gone … CREON: And the man who dared do this? SENTRY: I swear I Do not know! You must believe me!” (199-211) This uses the use of dramatic irony because the audience knows who buried Polyneices, which was Antigone, but the characters in the story, for example, King Creon and the Sentry, have no idea who has buried Polyneices. It was Antigone’s decision to bury Polyneices and it was her choice to go against King Creon’s decree and do what she believed was the right thing to do. There were consequences that were involved, but Antigone was clear about her beliefs...
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...Oedipus the King – STUDY GUIDE Section 1 – Greek Culture Home of the Greek Gods & Goddesses… Mount Olympus King of the Gods… Zeus Type of politics that began in Athens… Democracy God of War & Wisdom… Athena Peloponnesian War between… Athens & Sparta Wealthy landowners… Aristocrats Women were appreciated in… Sparta Most famous artist… Sculptor Women treated like slaves in… Athens City that liked poetry, writing and art… Athens Military state… Sparta Another word for slaves… helots Type of poetry written… lyric Word comes from a small harp called… lyre Greek kept literature alive by… singing Popular sports competition still done today… Olympics Winner of Olympics won… Olive Branch Section 2 – First Readings Oedipus the King Writer of Oedipus the King… Sophocles Write 120 plays but only ____ survived… Seven Tragedy means… Goat God of wine… Dionysus Lyrics chanted called dythrims chanted to… Dionysus To become king, Oedipus solved… the riddle of the sphinx Contrast between audience and character… Dramatic irony City is suffering from… plague The plague causes… Stillborn children Animals to die Crops to die Women/mothers dying Who did Oedipus send to Delphi too figure out the problem… Creon Apollo says the cause of affliction is that… the murderer of Lauis is in Thebes Blind prophet who says Oedipus is the murderer… Tiresius Oedipus says Tiresius is worthless prophet because… should have solved the riddle and saved the city Who...
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...Metaphor A metaphor asserts that one thing is something that it literally is not. For example: * This bedroom is a prison. * He's a real gannet. * He listened with a stone face. * We don't need dinosaurs in this company. Simile A simile likens one thing to another (usually achieved by the use of the wordlike or as). For example: * He eats like a gannet. * This sandwich tastes like sawdust between two doormats. * She sings like an angel. * It's like water off a duck's back. Personification Personification is when non-human objects are given human traits. For example: * The tide waits for no man. * My car tends to give up on long hills. * Summer's healing rays Hyperbole Hyperbole is an exaggeration or extravagant statement used for effect. For example: * I have a million problems. * We won a tonne of cash. * I'll die if I don't finish this crossword. Idiom An idiom is commonly used expression whose meaning does not relate to the literal meaning of its words. For example: * Be careful not to miss the boat. * This is the last straw. * You can't pull the wool over my eyes. * Don't sit on the fence. Say what you mean. Euphemism A euphemism is the use of agreeable or inoffensive words to replace rude or offensive ones. For example: * kicked the bucket = has died * knocked up = is pregnant * letting you go = you're fired * lost his marbles = is mad Famous Metaphors (Examples) Here are...
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...Name: Instructor: Course: Date: The Irony in “The Metamorphosis” by Frank Kafka It is true that anyone and everyone who writes can be considered a writer; it is not necessarily true that those whose writings follow a certain ideal structure are writers. According to Smith, what a writer openly says through his writing is not necessarily important; however, what a writer or an author whispers is what is of great importance (Morrel and Niles 128). What this implies is that anything whatsoever can be written to satisfy what readers and the audience are expected to see and feel (Anthony Collins 54). However, the messages in such writings can be continually nurtured in order to increase the power of the emotions and the images communicated if the story is relayed via a deeper message. This means that authors and writers can opt not to put a vivid face in the true significance and purport; this eventually expands the force field of their story’s meaning (Collins 34). Further, this prospers the capacity of the readers and the audience to interpret and explore; particularly, when the author employs the use of writing devices that prompt the readers to explore the writing in very different light. This is the kind of technique that Frank Kafkas employs in his novel, “The Metamorphosis”, in which he presents readers with a story of how a man mutates into a bug – a cockroach. “The Metamorphosis” is not just an intriguing tale, it is also a perfect example of an author employing various...
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...the tragic hero, Oedipus sets out to find the solution to the mystery at hand ,being to locate the murderer of King Laius to relief the city of Thebes from a plaque. From the get-go, Oedipus’s hubris is a factor that would surely affect the investigation considering how he possess as a victim of the plaque : “You have not roused me like a man from sleep / know that I have given many tears to this,” (page 13). Oedipus’s hubris influences the form he views the investigation as time goes on. Individuals such as Teiresias, forewarned Oedipus about “how terrible” wisdom is , specially “when it brings no profit to the man that’s wise!’’ In addition, Teiresias also emphasized how Oedipus’s journey to find Laius’s assassin may result in him stumbling upon a prophecy that would alter his perception towards life. Besides the warning, Teiresias mentions that the “murderer of the king whose you seek” is Oedipus himself. Dramatic irony adds on to situation since Oedipus is clearly in denial of the answer to the mystery (“Not twice you shall say calumnies like this and stay unpunished.”) and pursues on to find out what the prophecy entails. In total, while the initial purpose for the expedition was to uncover the murderer of King Laius, the mystery took a distinct turn as the idea of a pre-existing prophecy was thrown into the mix. The mystery in order to unravel the truth behind the murderer of the king as well as the well-hidden prophecy and acknowledge the harsh truth builds the stage...
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...Glenn McVey WLAC Ms. Goncher 3/10/2015 Gender studies throughout Okonkwo’s life You should not mistake Okonkwo’s rough exterior for his true feelings. The reader’s privileged vantage position reveals many puzzling inward emotions. Achebe repeatedly frames Okonkwo’s thoughts with the condition, ‘inwardly’. His ‘slight stammer’ reveals much more of his “Chi” than his father’s skillful speech ever would. All of this contradiction drives the reader to investigate the truth of Okonkwo. To understand a man’s Chi, one must understand where his story begins. Just as Okonkwo’s fall begins in Umuofia, it is the same story of his father, Unoka, framed within Okonkwo’s life. The reader first learns that Okonkwo’s father was a creative and loving man, with a great potential for happiness. In the environment of the Igbo culture, however, he struggled; he was considered a failure. And so Unoka retained his passion for beauty and joy, but became familiar with sadness and pain. Through it all, the man never let the scorn of others control his behavior. Unoka literally takes his flute to his humiliating grave. Okonkwo’s pride makes him vulnerable where his father was not. He vividly remembers a playmate call his father a name, bringing shame upon Okonkwo. This part of his story hints at not only the psychological origin, but the cultural significance behind Okonkwo’s “Chi”. Okonkwo’s pride makes him vulnerable to succumb to his great consuming fear of rejection and disapproval. He then...
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...ANALYZING NOVELS & SHORT STORy Good feedback is kind, thorough and timely. It’s professional and focused. It leaves the writer feeling challenged to do better but great about their strengths. Even if that just means the location they chose was cool. Give your feedback relative to the skill set of the writer. Never lie or obfuscate. Just serve it up gently. An upset writer isn’t going to hear your points anyway. But an encouraged one will. Trust me on this. — Julie Gray PRINTER FRIENDLY PAGE Literary analysis looks critically at a work of fiction in order to understand how the parts contribute to the whole. When analyzing a novel or short story, you’ll need to consider elements such as the context, setting, characters, plot, literary devices, and themes. Remember that a literary analysis isn’t merely a summary or review, but rather an interpretation of the work and an argument about it based on the text. Depending on your assignment, you might argue about the work’s meaning or why it causes certain reader reactions. This handout will help you analyze a short story or novel—use it to form a thesis, or argument, for your essay. Summary Begin by summarizing the basic plot: “Matilda by Roald Dahl is about a gifted little girl in small town America who learns to make things move with her mind and saves her teacher and school from the evil principal.” This will help ground you in the story. (When you write your paper, you probably won’t include a summary because your readers...
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... 1 The Philosophy of Socrates: A Lover of Wisdom (2052 Words) THE PHILOSOPHY OF SOCRATES 2 The lessons of life that are delivered by Socrates act as a basis for Western philosophy. Plato, the writer of The Apology, significantly respects Socrates and his dialogues act as a framework for our understanding in the passages. Our only record of his life comes from his associates, as Socrates never documented his opinions. A clear expression of Socrates’ philosophy is represented in The Apology. The purpose of this paper is to establish a clear demonstration of Socrates’ philosophy using The Apology as reference, and also explain my personal view on philosophy. In the first section of this paper, the famous statement from Socrates, “The unexamined life is not worth living”, will be connected when explaining three principle components of his philosophy: Irony, Method and Ethos. The second section of this paper will reveal my personal view on philosophy. Rahut’s claim on philosophy being the study of “open questions” will be supported by examples and descriptions. In the case that a question cannot be accurately answered or proven with our existing knowledge, I demonstrate that it should be classified as an ‘open question’. Throughout section 17-18 of The Apology, Socratic irony is apparent. He clearly presents himself as a man whom is delivering...
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...of Justice to portray powerful messages, providing not just a contrast to the deterioration within the play but an explanation for the anguish witnessed. The notion of ‘Poetic Justice’ or deserved retribution is arguably denied by Shakespeare in ‘King Lear’, revealing the dangers of ‘unnatural evils’ and their far reaching consequences through its absence. The uncomfortable dramatic irony throughout Gloucester’s journey to his attempted suicide as he calls out for his ‘dear son Edgar,’ unaware that he stands before him, leaves the audience desiring union and peace for the victim of a horribly vivid crime. Despite this, resolution is never achieved, the eventual union causes only further death and is reported alongside Edgars regret, ‘’Never - O fault - revealed myself’, and bitter comments about Gloucester's ‘flawed heart’. As a result Shakespeare builds pity for the character of Gloucester to an unbearable level, denies the audience an opportunity for ‘catharsis’ and hence Gloucester's fate feels poetically unjust. In a society that saw suicide as a deadly sin, synonymous with questioning God’s wisdom and an ingratitude for the sacrifice of Christ, the real significance of Gloucester’s hopeless situation lies in it serving as a warning against the destructive and evil nature of despair. An element of Poetic justice is achieved however by the death of the ‘she-wolves’ Goneril and Regan: the combination of suicide, poisoning and jealousy establish the women, in the words of McCluskie...
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...They pose as a way to communicate to the audience what the other characters do not say explicitly and allow the audience to gain some insight into what the characters are unaware of, opening the door for the presence of dramatic irony within the play. Seemingly existing simultaneously in Oedipus’ world as well as that of the audience, the Chorus often breaks the fourth wall to speak directly to the audience. In times of confusion the characters are able to inquire upon the Chorus for a dose of the truth or advice. When Jocasta sees Creon and Oedipus arguing, for instance, the Chorus advises “Persuade, madam, persuade. The King to go awhile apart” (44 lines 678-679) They tell the truth with a cadence and rhythm that seems to add to their already prevalent wisdom. And their wisdom is not only directed at the characters, their most important advice is often directed at the audience, which can be seen in their last line “Then learn that mortal man must always look to his ending, And none can be happy until that day when he carries His happiness down to the grave in peace.” (68 lines 1527-1530). Their insight seems godly, in a way, as if they are more of an omniscient, all knowing group, rather than normal townspeople. While, old age may play a part in their wisdom, as they have had more life experience than others, they still seem to know a little too much for age to...
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...Through Shakespeare’s deliberate use of language in the form of listing, he is able to create several instances of positive imagery which support this passage as a piece of Pastoral Literature, as well as through spoken verse and prose. Also through Shakespeare’s use of tone, he is able to convey Duke Senior’s positive and optimistic sounding monologue as something that supports the pastoral ideal; that the country life is the ideal life. ‘Find Tongues in trees’ and ‘Sermons in stones’ and ‘Books in the running brooks’ alludes to their being knowledge in the country side; that just because the court life appears to be sophisticated with its rules, regulations and fixation on superficiality doesn’t make it the ideal life. This positive imagery then leads to the idea that the country life contains ‘good in everything’, unlike the court which is presented in this monologue as a toad, ‘ugly and venomous’. However there is mention of the ‘churlish chiding of the winter’s wind’ and the ‘icy fang’ that may deter anyone from the country life, yet Shakespeare rebuttals this with Duke Senior proclaiming that he smiles in the face of this adversity, for these complications are not complex and are plain and simple, as life should ideally be. At the end of Act 1 Scene 3, Rosalind and Celia exclaim “Now we go in content, to liberty and not banishment.” Which is immediately followed by this positive monologue by Duke Senior which wholeheartedly supports the pastoral ideas, that the country...
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...Terms – AP English Language and Composition These terms should be of use to you in answering the multiple-choice questions, analyzing prose passages, and composing your essays. allegory – The device of using character and/or story elements symbolically to represent an abstraction in addition to the literal meaning. In some allegories, for example, an author may intend the characters to personify an abstraction like hope or freedom. The allegorical meaning usually deals with moral truth or a generalization about human existence. alliteration – The repetition of sounds, especially initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words (as in “she sells sea shells”). Although the term is not frequently in the multiple choice section, you can look for alliteration in any essay passage. The repetition can reinforce meaning, unify ideas, supply a musical sound, and/or echo the sense of the passage. allusion – A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art. Allusions can be historical, literary, religious, topical, or mythical. There are many more possibilities, and a work may simultaneously use multiple layers of allusion. ambiguity – The multiple meanings, either intentional or unintentional, of a word, phrase, sentence, or passage. analogy – A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them. An analogy can explain something unfamiliar by associating...
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...Karen Conner Professor Pridgeon English 252H Spring 1993 Semester Film Production: Final Project After the astounding success of my last film endeavor [final project for ENG 251H], Townies, my production company, Gateway Productions, has con¬tracted me for a new endeavor, this time for an adaptation of Joseph Conrad's novella Heart of Darkness. The company says that I may have full creative license in this one so, as Orson Welles did in his film Citizen Kane, I intend to oversee all aspects of the process. In selecting my staff, I have decided to keep some of the old faces from the previous film. My friend Julie Weaver will once more be at my side. As you recall, I chose her previously because she is not only a good art director but a talented illustrator as well. Her ability to do on-the-spot sketches of ideas saved me a great amount of time and money on the last project. I have also decided to keep Brightwood as cinematographer and Wise as sound director, again for the same reason for which I chose them last time, because they would make good contributions to the creative aspect of the process, and I felt that these two could best translate my ideas to film. Another old face will be Joyce Nevelson, my editor. I chose her last time because she was well-known in the industry and had won many rewards, proving her talent. Changes I have made will be in the writing, sound, and music departments. I have chosen Paul Gainritch to write my screen¬play. He is...
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