...Tyian Thomas English 110 3-27-15 1500 words The use of Theme and Literary Elements Literary devices are specific techniques and methods that authors use to convey an idea they are trying to tell the reader.When an author is writing,, they often try to give the reader certain ideas that would help them to understand the tale indirectly without giving away the idea or moral of the story. For example, the theme of isolation and loneliness. The theme of isolation is a very popular idea in many works of literature like Bartleby the Scrivener by Herman Melville, The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner, and even Acquainted with the night by Robert Frost. These four works of literature all carry the theme of loneliness and isolation, whether it is Bartleby refusing to interact with anyone and shutting himself away from the rest of the world, Emily who seemed to isolate herself from the rest of her village after her father’s death, the narrator of The Yellow Wallpaper having to spend all her time in the a room she hates because of her disease, or the narrator of Acquainted with the Night strolling through the nightly city all by herself in solitude. All of these stories contain the very popular theme of loneliness and isolation,which are shown using various literary devices of each author’s choosing. Throughout the whole story of A Rose for Emily, the setting seemed to be very eerie and unnatural; the author gave the...
Words: 968 - Pages: 4
...Bradbury’s use of literary devices Ray Bradbury uses unique literary device to help form his stories, which gives us a better understanding of what he is trying to convey in his stories.Ray Bradbury's writings all originate with an idea.After this idea has been established, he creates character to personify this idea. To better understand the close relationship between his characters, also his major ideas or a theme which appears throughout his stories is Bradbury's imagery. One example of literary devices is personification, which gives non-human things human-like qualities. An example of this is in Bradbury's story The Veldt when Bradbury writes , "Until this day, how well the house had kept its peace. How carefully it had inquired, "who goes there?...
Words: 1014 - Pages: 5
...People use literary devices in their everyday conversations whether they notice it or not. Sometimes people will exaggerate, compare their situations to something else, or hint towards something. For example if someone wanted a necklace for their birthday they might talk about how their neck feels empty and how they love necklaces, so their friends could take a hint. Similarly, authors use literary devices in writing to convey the same thing. A couple examples of literary devices are hyperbole, simile, and foreshadowing. Richard Connell uses literary devices such as irony, foreshadowing, and imagery in the short story “The Most Dangerous Game” to add an effective message. In the short story “The Most Dangerous Game” the author, Richard...
Words: 987 - Pages: 4
...A Glossary of Literary Devices Allegory A symbolic narrative in which the surface details imply a secondary meaning. Allegory often takes the form of a story in which the characters represent moral qualities. The most famous example in English is John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, in which the name of the central character, Pilgrim, epitomizes the book's allegorical nature. Kay Boyle's story "Astronomer's Wife" and Christina Rossetti's poem "Up-Hill" both contain allegorical elements. Alliteration The repetition of consonant sounds, especially at the beginning of words. Example: "Fetched fresh, as I suppose, off some sweet wood." Hopkins, "In the Valley of the Elwy." Antagonist A character or force against which another character struggles. Creon is Antigone's antagonist in Sophocles' play Antigone; Teiresias is the antagonist of Oedipus in Sophocles' Oedipus the King. Assonance The repetition of similar vowel sounds in a sentence or a line of poetry or prose, as in "I rose and told him of my woe." Whitman's "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer" contains assonantal "I's" in the following lines: "How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick, / Till rising and gliding out I wander'd off by myself." Character An imaginary person that inhabits a literary work. Literary characters may be major or minor, static (unchanging) or dynamic (capable of change). In Shakespeare's Othello, Desdemona is a major character, but one who is static, like the minor character Bianca. Othello...
Words: 2758 - Pages: 12
...Literary Devices and Terms Literary devices are specific language techniques which writers use to create text that is clear, interesting, and memorable. Alliteration - repeated consonant sound at the beginning of words or within words; used to establish mood and rhythm in a story; true alliteration has three words beginning with the same sound (two words beginning with the same sound would be called alliterative) Examples: bucking bronco; miserable morning; Bed, Bath, and Beyond Allusion - a reference in one story to a well-known character or event from another story, history, or place Examples: the rise of the baseball team from last place to first was a real Cinderella story; at times teachers need the wisdom of Solomon to make decisions Ambiguity - when a single event or expression can mean two different things to two different people Example: When it is announced that another baby is on the way, Father remarks, “That could create some problems.” He means problems with money, but his young son thinks, “You’re right, dad! I don’t want to share my room and toys with anybody!” Analogy - comparing one thing to another very different thing in order to explain it better Examples: a school is like a garden, where children are lovingly raised and cared for; the rabbit shot from its hole like a rocket; the confetti fell like snow in a blizzard as the parade passed through the city streets (these three analogies are all written as similes) Aphorism - a brief...
Words: 2840 - Pages: 12
...Kitty Liu Mrs. Estrada World Lit., Per. 3 11 December 2013 Growing Up In the Environment Authors often use literary devices to make their writings more attractive. Literary devices always help readers have deeper understandings of characters and have better connections to them. Sandra Cisneros, the author of The House on Mange Street, also choses to use literary devices to give readers a clear picture of her character—Esperanza. Literary devices that she uses make this novel more infectious. Sandra Cisneros uses metaphor to emphasize the character’s struggle with growing up and employs personification to describe the character’s connection to their environments. Cisneros uses metaphor to highlight Esperanza’s struggle with growing up. Esperanza has a little sister named Nenny. As an older sister, she has the responsibility to take care of Nenny and make sure she does not play with bad children in the neighborhood. Esperanza does not have any friends her own age. She feels lonely and states, “Until then I am a red balloon, a balloon tied to an anchor” (Cisneros 9). By describing Esperanza as a red balloon, Cisneros shows the character’s attitude about growing up. She wants to socialize with girls who she can easily relate to. Cisneros shows that Esperanza does not have the freedom like a balloon. The metaphor Cisneros uses demonstrates that Esperanza’s responsibility with her family is an anchor tying her down. It stops her from going outside with friends and feeling independent...
Words: 563 - Pages: 3
...I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud William Wordsworth uses many literary devices in his poetry; especially in “I wandered Lonely as a Cloud”. In this work, Wordsworth uses personification, metaphors, and repetition. Wordsworths uses these three literary devices to get the reader interested in what he has to say . Wordsworth even shows how he feels when he uses these in a certain way. By doing these things Wordsworth begins to build a picture of his surroundings in the audience’s mind. “I Wandered as Lonely as a Cloud” becomes more than just a poem it becomes art. The first line portrays a wonderful use of personification “I wandered lonely as a cloud”(line 1) immediately creates a sense of melancholy.Wordsworth compares himself to a cloud, a cloud being lonely and wandering across the sky. He starts his poem bold by immediately making the reader wonder if he might be sad. Being compared to a cloud is like being compared to the air, a whole bundle of nothing. He makes readers understand that he is more of a serious writer “his style tends more toward an Arnoldian “High Seriousness” than toward a playful tour de force of language” (Joplin 1). Personification is used once more in the first stanza he writes of floating over hills and valleys and looking down and seeing “A host of daffodils...fluttering and dancing in the breeze”.(line 4-6 ) It starts to show that daffodils have significance to him it makes the reader wonder “why?”. When Wordsworth talks of the host or crowd of daffodils...
Words: 1024 - Pages: 5
...from Leaden Sieves” by Emily Dickenson tells us about nature and its experiences that beautify the life and death of humans. Nature here means seasonal weather such as winter and summer. The word “it” is symbolic, representing the speaker in this poem. This poem talks about the nature of snow and its effects on the environment: “To Stump, and Stack – and Stem – A Summer’s empty Room” (13, 14) However, this poem lurks deeper and also talks about woman’s beauty: “It powders all the wood.” (2) The author expresses a cold and gloomy tone and the mood derived from the poem is rather dark, empty and mysterious. The theme of this poem is that nature provides experiences that can beautify or discriminate the life of humans. Dickenson uses many literary devices that enhance the reader such as: Rhythm, Metaphors, Personification, Metonymy, and Rhyme which are used to emphasize nature’s beauty. The rhythm in this poem creates shifts which attract the reader’s attention to what’s happening. There is a rhythmic pattern in stanzas one and two: 7,6,8,6. This is not a coincidence because the author is trying to express change in the poem. These two stanzas are separated from the rest. Stanzas one and two prove that they are talking about one main thing: beauty of the woman as well as the snow falling on the road and mountains. The illusion in line three suggests the color and size of the snow droplets. In the first two stanzas she is doing one thing: looking at her reflection in the mirror while...
Words: 1088 - Pages: 5
...In each of Thomas Hardy’s poems, he uses many literary devices to express different concerns. One of the main concerns which are commonly displayed in his poems is the portrayal of death and the supernatural. Hardy often uses dark and depressing references to create the image for this concern. Hardy would also use various literary devises such as personification, similes and alliteration to get the main point across for his poems. In Tomas Hardy’s poems, “God’s Education”, “The Darkling Trush”, “The Moth Signal”, “The Phantom Horsewoman” and “Life and Death at Sunrise”, he would often use metaphors to clearly express one of his main concerns which are the portrayal of death and supernatural. Frequently in the poem, “God’ Education” which portrays a young woman dying and her love one watched her die. The obvious theme of the poem is death which assists the development of the tone. The tone of this poem is showing great sadness and lividness about her death, but most importantly, it is displaying the young man’s disappointment with God for taking the young girl’s life away. Hardy also created a tone for God which seems to be amusement. One of the first metaphors which is revealed is “I saw him steal the light away:” (V-1, L-1) When talking about the light in someone, imagine life, joy and meaning but God has apparently stole the light away from her life leaving her to be just a being without a purpose or reason. Also “That haunted in her eye:” (V-1, L-2) The light which vanished...
Words: 634 - Pages: 3
...poem was written in 1978, I feel as if anyone can relate to it even in this time period. Everybody experiences discrimination at some point in their lives, and this poem teaches readers to have pride and hope in their selves in order to overcome any obstacle that comes their way. There are quite a few poetic devices in the poem I will be focusing on such as similes, metaphors, repetition and imagery. All of these devices create an overall powerful poem. Angelou incorporates several similes throughout her poem. The first simile is at the end of the first stanza, where she compares herself to dust; "But still, like dust, I'll rise." This particular simile also depicts imagery, as it creates a picture of a rising cloud of dust in his or her mind. Another simile is "Just like moons and like suns", found on the first line of the third stanza. This compares how Angelou continues to raise herself emotionally every day to stay strong, just like how the sun and the moon both rise every day no matter the circumstance. The writer's use of similes deepens the meaning of the poem by giving the reader a perceptible connection to the profound themes of the poem. The second poetic device Angelou uses in her poem are metaphors. Oil wells, gold mines, and diamonds are some of the metaphors she uses and they are known to be expensive and valuable. The writer is relating these valuables to her self-worth. She is worth just as much as everybody else, which is why she should receive just as much...
Words: 629 - Pages: 3
...Hamlet A6 - Assignment 3 due Apr 13, 2012 - Apr 13, 2012 ENG4UZ-S-English-Gr.12-University Prep NS-Winter2012 ENG4U: English, Grade 12, University Preparation Unit 3: Values and Worldviews - Hamlet Activity 6: Chasing down Allusions in Hamlet Overview | Expectations | Content | Assignment | | Assignment Assignment 1 Complete the following assignment and submit your work to the dropbox. Complete the following chart, relating each reference or allusion given from Act III, below, to the purpose or theme of the play. Submit to the dropbox. Select another one yourself and post it to the discussion board. | If you would like to see how a close reading for allusion and other literary devices is executed, refer to the multimedia presentation “A Guided Tour of Close Reading”. | Allusion | Literal meaning | How it develops theme | Sources | I would have such a fellow whipped for o’erdoing Termagant (II,ii,14) | | | | It out herods Herod (III,ii,14) | | | | “For O, For O, the hobbyhorse is forgot” | | | | | | | | Assignment 2 Discussion Post your choice of allusion from Act III, its literal meaning, its implicit meaning and a statement about how it develops theme to the drop box. Document your sources using correct MLA notation. Enter the discussion here. Rubric View the rubric for this assignment. View the long description of the rubric for this assignment. Assignment 3 Enrichment | Why is this a play about a dead King, and an unresolved hierarchy? Document...
Words: 353 - Pages: 2
...Scout what she means by Mr. Tate being right. Scout replies with this statement to protect Boo, or Arthur, Radley, who in this case, is the Mockingbird. She knows that Arthur doesn’t want the attention of all of Maycomb if they find out that he killed Bob Ewell. Along with symbolism, there are allusions. One allusion occurs in the beginning of the book. “Not exactly. The Cunninghams are country folks, farmers, and the crash hit them hardest” (21). This is an allusion to the Great Depression, or what Atticus refers to as “the crash”. Here he explains that the Great Depression affected the Cunninghams the most out of all the people in Maycomb. This allusion helps give a better idea to the state the Cunninghams are in. Imagery is another device used in this book which helps visualize a situation or object. Imagery is used very often in this book, and occurs as early as Chapter one. “...The Radley place jutted into a sharp curve beyond our house. Walking south, one faced its porch, the sidewalk turned and ran beside the lot. The house was low, was once white with a deep front porch and green shutters, but had long ago darkened to the color of the slate gray yard around it..."(8). Just by this imagery, you can picture what the Radley place looked like. The descriptions of the house and yard, tells you who the house once was, but has now become. Both allusions and imagery help visualize a situation, or compare it to something else to enhance the understanding of the situation. Similes...
Words: 728 - Pages: 3
...Several poets use literary devices to help portray the message of their poems. The message in the poem “As Is”, which is written by Nicholas Friedman, is to not believe rumors or what people say because it is most likely not true. In this poem, Friedman uses literary devices, such as similes, imagery, and symbolism in the length of the lines, to create and support the message he is trying to get across to the reader. Friedman uses several different literary devices to create the message of the poem, and imagery is one device that is used for this reason. An example of imagery in “As Is” is, “Nearby, his wife surveys the smalls: art deco bangles bright as harpsichords,...” (Line 9). This example creates an image in the reader's mind of a woman that is looking at the items in the store. Not only does this make a scene form in the reader’s head, it supports the meaning of the poem. The meaning of the poem is to not judge a book by its cover or listen to rumors, and this excerpt from the poem supports this meaning by having a woman realize that all of the “antiques” are really just random pieces of junk. As well as using imagery to convey the message of the poem to the reader, Friedman uses other literary devices to help the reader understand more about the...
Words: 609 - Pages: 3
...Amanda Karski Professor Kipple English 1202 CD 2 November 2015 Literary devices in “The Lottery” Literary devices are specific language techniques that are used in a text to make it clearer. Shirley Jackson author of infamous horror story, “The Lottery”, uses five literary devices such as symbolism, allegory, foreshadowing, theme and irony. Symbolism is the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities. This literary device is used most often throughout the short story to keep the suspenseful ending a surprise rather than a shock. Three main symbols are used in this story, the title “The Lottery”, the black box, and stones. The reader can look at the “The Lottery” title itself to see it exemplifies symbolism. A lottery typically represents...
Words: 1135 - Pages: 5
...Dat Tran Professor: Ashley Becker February 21, 2016 ENC 1102 Literary Devices in “The Fish” The poem "The Fish” by Elizabeth Bishop is one of the masterpieces to study. It is written in free verse, that is, it does not have any consistent rhyme or form. However the poem shows control of the poet over the verses as the lines are of equal length and kept short and trim. The poem is a colorful epiphany of several literary devices used by the poet to describe a fish and why, even after catching the fish, the poet let it go. To begin with, the poet has made use of imagery to describe the fish. The poem begins with an author explaining that she caught the fish, continuing on to describe the fish as “battered, venerable and homely” (8-9). In these very words, the reader gains an understanding of the empathy the poet is feeling towards the fish caught: then begins description. The brown colored skin of the fish which hung “like ancient wallpaper” (11) seems apt as it imposes an imagery of an old waning wallpaper, there by implying the old age of the fish. The age implied imagery continues in the lines which follow saying “like full-blown roses/ stained and lost through age” (14-15). Further on, the poet describes other parts of the fish- as she could see a few lime figures, the white speckled sea lice infestation, and a few green weeds clinging on. The entire description makes use of imageries to bring home the point...
Words: 739 - Pages: 3
