...it can be used to convey words in a more detailed way.In Beowulf the author utilizes diction to create more descriptive phrases that shows the juxtaposition between good and evil. In view of authors,there are many thoughts that come to mind that have a part in the expression of their theme.To interpret their views many different styles are used,with a big one being literary devices,through The use of literary devices the author can provide a more powerful insight of their theme.Diction is one of the ways the author can use to express their message by their choice of words which establishes imagery into their writing.In Beowulf the author utilizes diction to emphasize the imagery and to convey the meaning behind the text. The quote “A powerful...
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...Remarque emphasizes soldiers’ despondent reflections of their broken past and changing beliefs and values on the ethics of killing through the use of situational irony and juxtaposition to depict how war drastically affects a soldier’s moral compass by permanently distorting their vision of death and the future. To begin, by applying situational irony, Remarque portrays the soldiers’ lack of belief in a future, and how despite their young age, they seek nothing from life — instead they run from it, unable to view life beyond the war. While sitting in their bunks after an encounter with their commanding officer, Paul and his fellow soldiers discuss what their futures hold in store for themselves. However, they are unable to imagine a profession or life after the war. Alongside Paul’s melancholy notions, Albert, one of Paul’s friends, bitterly admits, “‘The war has ruined us for everything.’ He is right. We are not youth any longer. We don’t want to take the world by storm. We are fleeing. We fly from ourselves. From our life. We were eighteen and had begun to love life and the world; and we had to shoot it to pieces. The first...
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...Owen began The Sentry while he was receiving hospital treatment at Craiglockhart in 1917. He made further alterations at Scarborough in 1918, when he was training to return to France. The Sentry was finally completed in France in September 1918, a few weeks before his death. The sentry was a very personal poem, therefore, the eighteen month gap between the experience and its translation into words suggesting an experience of great intensity. The setting is an old Boche dug-out’ which a party of English troops has taken, but not without being seen: consequently, it comes under enemy fire, ‘shell on frantic shell’ pounding its position. The co-opted dug-out is a ‘hell’ on earth, not only because of the artillery bombardment, but also because of the bad weather. It is raining heavily: into the dug-out pour ‘waterfalls of slime’ with the result that the men stand in ‘slush waist-high’ and cannot climb out. The first line “We'd found an old Boche dug-out, and he knew,” owen uses “he” as a derogatory term for all the soldiers of the opposition. This line is also an enjambment as the first line and its thought continues to the next line. The second and third line describe the “shells” or bombs “And gave us hell, for shell on frantic shell Hammered on top, but never quite burst through” – here owen describes how the shells never penetrated into the place they were, but the shells were close. He also uses a figure of speech, namely personification, to describe the shells...
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...of nature, and the speaker’s use of the words “roaming” and “uneasily” suggest aimlessness and anxiety. This aimlessness, however, could be evoke the way that violent storms (particularly hurricanes, which often occur in the poems tropical setting) travel along unpredictable paths of destruction, often veering off their projected course to make landfall somewhere unexpected. The anxiety suggested in “unease” could be that of the people caught in the storm’s path. In the next line, the speaker uses a simile likening the storm to a “dog looking for a place to sleep in.” Once again, the speaker utilizes unexpected figurative language by comparing typically wild and violent storms to an animal often portrayed as domesticated and docile; the fact that the dog is looking for a place to sleep furthers this unexpected juxtaposition, as storms are events that crackle with energy and do anything but rest. But the idea of the storm, like the dog, “looking” for a place suggests that it is searching for somewhere to unload its rain and bolts of lightning. The final line, “listen to it growling,” provides an auditory image. The speaker’s use of “it” seems ambiguous at first, as the sound is left without a specific noun as its source. It becomes apparent, however, that both the storm’s thunder and the dog are growling. The choice to use the word “growling” also casts the dog – and, by extension, the storm -- in an aggressive light, as dogs hardly ever growl in contentment. ...
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...The story switches back and forth to Roy’s and Curly’s adventures, which gives us an in-depth look at the differences between their characters and stories. Curly is too concerned with losing his job to care about the owls, and denies anything mentioned about the owls even existing on the lot. On page 214, his boss says, “There are no owls on that property and don’t you forget it, Mr. Branitt [Curly]. Zero owls. Nada. Somebody sees one, you tell him it’s a- I don’t know, a robin or a wild chicken or something.” Curly knows something is wrong, and that owls live on the property, but he is too afraid to say something. This is extremely different to Roy, a young man who doesn’t back down without a fight no matter what. Roy never stopped trying to help the helpless, and you can bet that Roy would’ve fought back if he was in Curly’s position. The juxtaposition of Curly’s commentary only highlights Roy’s strong and determined...
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...Musings on Caliban and colonialism In the Tempest, the audience’s first introduction to Caliban is preceded by Prospero’s exchange with Ariel. Ariel’s passive servitude, respectful attitude and general compliance and integration into the human world contrast deeply with Caliban, and this juxtaposition continues throughout the play and serves to illustrate the theme of colonialism, and its different levels, that his character embodies and explores. There are a number of qualities that set Caliban apart from the rest of the characters in the text. Prospero calls him names such as ‘demi-devil’, ‘hag-seed’ and ‘strange fish’ are myriad. While they might appear pejorative, and were probably meant that way by Prospero, these names also link Caliban to the island of his origin. Caliban is, indeed, a spirit of non-human form and the son of a powerful witch. Yet it could be argued that Prospero has projected his own prejudices onto these terms and appropriated their true concepts to highlight his own authority. Some choose to read this as Shakespeare’s response to Montaigne’s oxymoronic vision of the noble savage. Shakespeare’s contemporary, Montaigne argued that the uncivilised societies of the indigenous American tribes were in fact naturally noble, which he believed was superior to the artificial constraints of the civilised, western world. In his essay, Of Cannibals, he explores the perpetually conflicting relationship between nature and nature, and the intersectionality...
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...and we can gain other certain feelings such as security, happiness, pride, sense of value and acceptance by others as social human beings. It gives us an awareness of identity and builds our self-confidence and self-esteem as we feel part of something bigger. There are also implications for not belonging, our inability to connect can lead to isolation, alienation, vulnerability and dislocated from society. These universal experiences are explored through the poetry of Peter Skrzynecki’s “Immigrant Chronicle”, in particular, Migrant Hostel where barriers limited the migrant’s experience of belonging and Feliks Skrzynecki which portrays the father and son’s contrasting experiences to belonging in a new land. Sean Penn’s 2007 film Into the Wild also examines a person’s quest for a sense of...
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...David Malouf author of An Imaginary Life and Sean Penn auteur of Into The Wild, explore the diverse ways in which individuals establish a sense of identity. The concept of identity further extends to encompass the impact and importance of solitude and the influence of societal constructs and pressures. The two respective texts illustrate the journey of a male who experiences separation from society and embarks into the wild. Literary and filmic techniques are used to illustrate each protagonist’s personal growth along their expedition. Both Malouf and Penn literally and symbolically associate Mother Nature and the wild with the concept of freedom, and freedom as an essential aspect of identity. The protagonist of the text Into The Wild...
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...William Faulkner’s The Sound and The Fury gives a take on the decline of the old south not often seen. His discussion of racism and southern ideals leads the reader to understand more of what the old south was truly like. His novel centers around scenes of death, bringing the themes of the book to light through flashbacks. The juxtapositions of death with scenes of life showcase the themes of the decline of the old south, and corruption within southern families. The death of the Compson’s grandmother, DaMuddy, is the first step in the decline of the Compson family. She is the oldest matriarch of the family, and with her death, comes the decline of the family, the decline of their ideals, and the decline of the Compson family legacy. In Benjy’s section, her death is...
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...Maestro by Peter Goldsworthy follows the life of Paul Crabbe through his struggles and successes of growing up. In learning about Herr Keller’s haunting past Paul discovers more about himself in the process. This essay will explore how Keller’s experiences in life affect and influence but also inhibit Pauls growth, this will be explored by analysing the prescribed text Maestro and related text “I Remember When I Was Young” by Matt Taylor. Upon moving to Darwin Paul experiences a new side to life that he couldn’t of found in Adelaide. The juxtaposition of the two cities intends to show two different sides to Paul, one of his childhood and another to his developing character. A major experience in moving to Darwin was the meeting of Herr Keller, “First impressions? Misleading, of course.” The first meeting of Keller led to Paul’s immature response to implement Keller as being a “Nazi”. The intertextuality of “Nazi” describes Keller’s attitude and chosen exile from others while also alluding to...
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...A Spiritual Timeline Symbolism holds a crucial role in understanding and interpreting the different themes within Franz Kafka’s “A Hunger Artist”. In this story, the act of fasting is a symbol for spirituality. The “hunger” mentioned throughout the story can be interpreted as a thirst for spiritual enlightenment. The first instance in which fasting can be perceived as a symbol for spirituality lies within the very first line of the story. “During the last decade the interest in professional fasting has markedly diminished” (Kafka 507) just as the interest in professional spirituality i.e. structured religious beliefs has diminished within modern society. Therefore, the hunger artist, in his quest to achieve the ultimate fast, is symbolic of the monk, in his vocation to achieve the ultimate insight into the world beyond. In continuing this motif, there exist skeptics to the concept of spiritual enlightenment just as “suspicions…[are a] necessary accompaniment to the profession of fasting.” (509) Just as we hold only ourselves accountable for our own spiritual growth, “only the artist himself…[is] bound to be the sole completely satisfied spectator of his own fast.” (509) Also the fact that Kafka made “the longest period of fasting [as] fixed by the impresario at forty days” (509) furthers fasting as a symbol for spirituality since it alludes to Jesus, a central figure of Christian beliefs, literally fasting for forty days and nights. This allusion to the hunger artist as a Christ-like...
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...this paper I want to show that time is an essential element not just to the subject of Second Time Painting, but it is also critical in the way one observes the work. Second Time Painting is a work of art that invites a constant change of focus and an examination of detail. Created in 1961, Second Time Painting is a combine painting created with paper, fabric and oil paints on a canvas that is approximately 65.75 x 42 inches large. Rauschenberg uses his bricolage style of working where he takes objects from his daily environment, that have non-art identities and uses a collage technique to bring them together in a work of art, erasing the disparity between art and life. Rauschenberg's collages made plenty of surrealist disassociate juxtapositions. He tops Second Time Painting with a classic surrealist symbol - a disabled clock, which is positioned upside down over a slashed open pair of shorts, a sweatshirt, and a brash array of paint strokes. This painting is part of a series in which the notion of time, found in the title, is the origin of its conception. The first of the three artworks of the series, First Time painting, Second Time painting and Third Time painting, was created during the performance “Homage to David Tudor” that took place at the American Embassy theatre in Paris in 1961.[1] The painting was set up with its back to the audience so no one could see it being created. Viewers were deprived of observation; however, a microphone was attached to the painting...
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...The Necklace Around the world, values are expressed differently. Some people think that life is about the little things that make them happy. Others feel the opposite way and that expenses are the way to live. In Guy de Maupassant’s short story, “The Necklace”, Madame Loisel, a beautiful woman, lives in a wonderful home with all the necessary supplies needed to live. However, she is very unhappy with her life. She feels she deserves a much more expensive and materialistic life than what she has. After pitying herself for not being the richest of her friends, she goes out and borrows a beautiful necklace from an ally. But as she misplaces the closest thing she has to the life she dreams of and not telling her friend about the mishap, she could have set herself aside from ten years of work. This is a story that shows the true irony in life. “The Necklace” ends up to be a very ironic story as it explains why valuing the more important things in life can be very effective towards a person’s happiness. One example of the story’s irony is when she is at the party dressed as a beautiful and fancy woman. ‘She danced madly, wildly, drunk with pleasure, giving no thought to anything in the triumph of her beauty, the pride of her success…’ .(Maupassant) This is a form of irony because Guy explains earlier that Mme. Loisel is just a middle class woman who dreams of a wealthy life, but she is just alluding herself as a luxurious woman. Another example of irony in the story is when Madame...
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...An inability to be at peace with oneself is a defining connection between the central characters of The Namesake and Into the Wild, written and directed respectively in 2003 and 2007 by Jhumpa Lahiri and Sean Penn. The notion of nomenclature as a means of redefinition is something with which we become familiar in The Namesake, as we observe Gogol Ganguli's ongoing struggle to identify with the Bengali culture of his parents, rather than the American culture in which he is immersed. Similarly, in an act of defiance against his family and the materialistic American society, Christopher McCandless in Into the Wild establishes a new identity for himself when he abandons all possessions and changes his name before venturing into the isolation of the Alaskan wilderness. Aided by devices, notably setting, symbolism, narrative technique, juxtaposition of minor characters and imagery, Lahiri and Penn endeavour to demonstrate the effects of culture, childhood and family, in particular, on shaping individuality. Diverse settings are employed by Lahiri and Penn to portray culture and its influence on the personas of the central characters. A ceremonial setting is common to both texts and foreshadows the protagonist's desire to retreat from his traditions. Gogol's 'annaprasan' is a customary Indian rice ritual for newborn children, who 'confront [their] destiny' by selecting a 'clump of soil ... ballpoint pen, [or] ... dollar bill' from a plate, respectively representing 'a landowner, scholar...
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...relationship is automatically seen as one where she is like a pet and this is constantly reinforced with the animal references. This allows for the reader to infer that she is something he owns and he simply sees her as a trophy wife; there for entertainment rather than a life partner. Ibsen’s choice of using animals that are wild foreshadows her running away and leaving Torvald. Ibsen also does this to show how women of that time were oppressed and forced to live in a patriarchal society. Torvald asserts his dominance and authority over her especially in the very beginning of the play and Ibsen does this to show the patriarchal society in which they lived in. ‘You musn’t disturb me!’- the exclamation point used here emphasises his assertiveness which ultimately forces Nora to be the subjugated partner and submissive in the relationship. At the beginning, Torvald says ‘No debts! Never borrow!’; showing how is quite commanding in the relationship and treats her like a child but later he uses personal pronouns like ‘we’ and states how they have ‘stuck it out’; like they are now equal- this shows how he has contradicted his own point. Ibsen uses this juxtaposition of two conflicting ideas to show how Torvald is pretending like they are equal in the relationship. Nora finds comfort in financial security and the reader can infer that she is obsessed with the idea of money. ‘You’ve...
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