Literary Devices essays

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No matter who we are – our skin color, race, or religion – we are all beautiful. However, society fails to accept that and only portrays white beauty. There is an image of how to be beautiful to fit into society's norms and their category of beauty. Society teaches that beauty is racist, valuing white beauty; white beauty will always be at the top of the social hierarchy. It sets standards for women to look a certain way; if you...
3 Pages 1244 Words
Introduction In the realm of poetry, literary devices serve as the building blocks that breathe life into the written word, allowing poets to convey complex emotions and ideas. Robert Hayden's poem, 'Those Winter Sundays,' exemplifies the skillful use of literary devices to enhance its themes and evoke a profound emotional response. In this literary criticism essay, we will explore the various literary devices employed in 'Those Winter Sundays' and analyze how they contribute to the poem's overall impact and meaning....
1 Page 572 Words
The story entitled Young Goodman Brown is about Goodman Brown himself. The protagonist in the story is Goodman Brown, who was three months married to Faith. He is a religious person who went on an errand, leaving his wife alone. His errand became a journey in a forest where he met an old man holding a staff, which was the devil. It is a journey of choosing between good and evil; a journey that cannot be identified if it is...
1 Page 625 Words
It has been argued that motherly love has challenged the horrors of the institution of Slavery. Examine Harriet Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin (1850) and Toni Morrison's Beloved (1987) in light of this view. Toni Morrison illustrates Beloved as 'reflecting the harrowing legacy and long-term effects of Slavery as it chronicles the life of a Black woman'. Morrison's description reflects the dehumanization of African American slaves and how it continuously affects descendants of Slavery as shown through Paul D, who was...
2 Pages 905 Words
title More than any other art form, poetry permits its writers to articulate their emotions and express the inner workings of their minds, body, and soul. Specifically, metaphors and symbolism give an extra sense of depth to said words and ideas, and give poetry a subjective lens that allows the reader to resonate more with the art. Symbolism in poetry uses indirect suggestions and symbolic images to further the intensity of meaning. Its style has influenced many famous poets, including...
3 Pages 1159 Words
Main Characters: Ponyboy Curtis: The novel's narrator who is fourteen years old and a greaser. He has 'light-brown, almost-red hair, and greenish-gray eyes,' and wears his hair 'longer than a lot of boys wear theirs, squared off in the back and long at the front and sides.' Darry Curtis: A muscular, tall man who has broad shoulders and dark brown that sticks out in the front of his head with a cowlick in the back. His eyes 'are like two...
5 Pages 2489 Words
Jane Austen was an English novelist at the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century. She wrote famous novels like Sense and Sensibility (1811) and Pride and Prejudice (1813 ). This extract is the beginning of chapter one ( volume 1) from the novel Emma written by Jane Austen and published anonymously in December 1815. Sir Walter Scott considered this book as heralding a new genre of novel (more realistic). At the time, this book had...
1 Page 480 Words
Elie Wiesel expresses his views and his experiences through his memoir Night and in “The Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech Delivered by Elie Wiesel in Oslo on December 10th, 1986.” In Night, Elie explains the struggles and hardships he faced during the Holocaust. Elie reflects on his experiences and exposes the world to many lessons during his Nobel Peace Prize speech. Both the memoir and the speech express themes relating to taking action and remembering the past. The theme introduced...
2 Pages 809 Words
‘Lord of the Flies’ is an allegorical novel produced by author William Golding that has a large variety of literacy techniques that correlate towards making the reader feel intrigued about what is upcoming. The use of symbolism, themes, and allegory boosts the experience of how the reader may reflect on these instances, delivering a clear understanding of the natural order. The novel is based on an unsettled tropical island located within the Pacific Ocean, where a large group of schoolboys...
2 Pages 751 Words
In section 24 of Walt Whitman’s poem ‘Song of Myself’, Whitman announces himself as the speaker of the poem. This is the first time that he announces himself as the author and speaker in the poem and it is 24 sections in. Whitman calls himself a ‘kosmos’, meaning that he is very knowledgeable, especially about things that most people are not. He makes it seem as if he is capable of knowing everything and represents everyone in the world. He...
2 Pages 681 Words
Introduction In Ray Bradbury's science fiction short story, "The Veldt," various literary devices are employed to enhance the narrative and convey the underlying themes. Published in 1950, the story delves into the dark side of technology and the potential consequences of its misuse. In this literary criticism essay, we will examine the effective use of literary devices such as foreshadowing, symbolism, and imagery in "The Veldt," highlighting their impact on the story's meaning and readers' interpretation. Foreshadowing Foreshadowing is a...
1 Page 582 Words
The author uses the influence of storytelling to communicate religious persecution as a key concern to their audience. Wyndham uses religious persecution as the main issue to show how it caused individuals to live in fear and its cruel punishments. John Wyndham wrote the Chrysalids during the 1950s. He displayed speculative fiction to the audience by analyzing world trends and problems to contemplate future problems. John Wyndham served for his country during the war showing patriotism and loyalty for his...
2 Pages 902 Words
Well-written poetry has the ability to stir up deep emotions, plumb the depths of the human conscience, and even cause for reflection on existence itself. The usage of many literary devices contributes to the greatness of a poem and determine the impact it has, as can be seen in ‘Nature’ by Henry W. Longfellow. Longfellow implies a fleetingness to life and a lack of understanding in the human race; that nature herself is the all-knowing mother gently guiding humans through...
1 Page 662 Words
‘The Great Gatsby', a ‘great’ American novel written by none other than F. Scott Fitzgerald. This classic novel takes a close look at the American Dream as it existed in Fitzgerald's time. The book was set out in America in the 1920s which was also known as the Jazz Age. The American Dream is the belief that anyone, regardless of race, class, gender, or nationality, can be successful in America if they just work hard enough. However, Fitzgerald’s novel represents...
1 Page 580 Words
Suetonius uses a variety of literary techniques in order to portray Caligula’s character in a negative light, which primarily revolve around the establishment of superficial praise for Caligula, in order to more strikingly condemn him later. In order to demonstrate this, we must observe the way in which Suetonius structures the Life of Caligula to maximize this effect, before noting the stylistic techniques which emphasize this structural criticism, and the use of specific language to maximize the contrast. In this...
5 Pages 2200 Words
‘Macbeth’, first performed in 1606, is an Elizabethan tragedy written by William Shakespeare. He details the anarchy that greed brings rise to, having Macbeth being driven by both himself and extrinsic figures to murder Scotland’s king, ultimately leading to his own anguished death. Shakespeare utilizes a myriad of literary devices to communicate the ideas of fate, natural and unnatural, and guilt and conscience, though how these ideas are construed relies significantly on the societal context of the audience – particularly...
2 Pages 859 Words
Shades of meaning can refer to the subtleties and degrees of meaning that can be developed in a text. Australian novelist Tim Winton’s story, ‘Cloudstreet’, does not simply explore love, family, spirituality or human value, it addresses deeper concepts with graduations of meaning that develop over the course of the text, and are unique to each reader. Winton utilizes an array of literary strategies to manipulate the readers to grow alongside his characters, the story, and the ideas imbued in...
3 Pages 1325 Words
‘The Landlady’ is a very weird and unusual story. This short horror story is by author named Roald Dahl. The story is about a lady who owns a house that does bed and breakfast in the middle of nowhere. Billy Weaver aka Mr. Weaver is a businessman that is looking for a place to stay for the night, he first looked at the ‘First Bell Dragon’. The bed and breakfast pulled him in like some magnetic force field dragging him...
1 Page 562 Words
Section1. hyperbole- In rhetoric, hyperbole is a method of composing that makes a person or things sound bigger, better than they are. anecdote- An anecdote is a tale or a short story to make audience members laugh. It is a short portrayal of any occasion that makes the reader giggle over the subject displayed for reason. analogy - An analogy is a rhetoric device that makes one thing clear regarding another to feature the manners by which they are indistinguishable....
2 Pages 793 Words
Potter Stewart once said, “Censorship reflects a society’s lack of confidence in itself”(Brainyquote.com). Ray Bradbury wrote a book called Fahrenheit 451. In Fahrenheit 451, the government has banned books, making those that live in this society ignorant of the ways of the world. Books and knowledge are looked at as things that just cause more confusion and distress; therefore, they should not exist. The main character Guy Montag is a fireman who's job is to burn the censored books. Later...
3 Pages 1175 Words
The Giver by Lois Lowry sets place in a futuristic society. It is undetermined the exact location or period that the story takes place. This society is based on a utopian community. A perfect society, where everyone is safe, they have never suffered pain, or ever heard of violence, but the citizens have no individuality, choice, or any freedom. The setting of this community is composed of a collection of houses known as dwellings were the same in shape, color,...
4 Pages 1640 Words
Animal Farm is an allegorical story with a very powerful underlying message but it does not rely entirely on historical context for narrative power, I read Animal Farm without any knowledge of the Russian Revolution and although it was confusing at first, I was still able to understand there was underlying meaning as well as many lessons to be learnt. A big part of the book that stood out to me, and that I personally believe George Orwell wanted to...
1 Page 661 Words
Carl W. Buechner once stated, “They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel”. People will not forget the interactions that are of immense value to them. Even if the person passed away they still leave a massive impression on the people they met and had interactions with. If the relationship happened during the moment and each person exposed themselves to each other, neither will forget the impact they each made on each...
3 Pages 1411 Words
Authors often use literary devices to convey their themes and express their ideas. Fahrenheit 451 is a complex story written by Ray Bradbury that takes a lot of thought to process and break down. In Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury uses comparison and symbolism to convey how an authoritarian society emerges from a lack of care for knowledge. Information in Fahrenheit 451 is highly controlled and any sort of knowledge is banned in favor of superficial entertainment. Because of this, the people...
2 Pages 943 Words
Chris McCandless was stuck in the wild. No food, no water, no compass. He was all alone. What if this was you? What if you were in this situation? In the book, Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer, this is that crazy situation. Chris McCandless was deep in the Alaskan wilderness and struggled to survive. He used his instincts and his incredible knowledge of the wild to help him. This essay will be about Krakauer’s story about how Chris McCandless...
2 Pages 1148 Words
Some people say they have dreams that feet like it are real. Make sure that you don’t have any typos. There is always a gap between reality and illusion. That is exactly what Peyton Farquhar did in the short story, “ An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge”, by Ambrose Bierce. Throughout the story, Bierce uses examples of foreshadowing, preternatural plot elements and imagery. In the short story “An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce.fragment The first thing Bierce...
1 Page 444 Words
Authors often use literary devices to subtly reveal the theme of the work. There are different types of literary devices that can be used in different types of stories including symbolism, conflict, diction, connotation, or foreshadowing. However, through the use of irony and internal conflict, Cynthia Rylant and Judith Ortiz Cofer teach important lessons to the reader. In the short story, “Checkouts,” by Cynthia Rylant , irony is the most obvious literary device being used. This story is about a...
2 Pages 900 Words
INTRODUCTION Things Fall Apart is an African novel written by famous Nigerian author Chinua Achebe. The novel chronicles the life of Okonkwo, the leader (chief) of an Igbo community. It follows the events leading up to his banishment from the community for accidentally killing a clansman, through the seven years of his exile, to his return. It also addresses problems of emergent Africa—following the intrusion in the 1890s of white missionaries and colonial government into tribal Igbo society. The novel,...
5 Pages 2252 Words
In Edgar Allan Poe’s gothic tales the use of literary devices such as setting, symbolism, and point of view are frequently used to reveal significant aspects of a central character. This can be portrayed in the short stories by Edgar Allen Poe's tell-tale heart, the black cat, the fall of the house of the usher. The gothic tales are used to portray a person’s deepest and darkest fears and the actions that are caused by them with negative repercussions. Edgar...
3 Pages 1651 Words
Introduction: William Shakespeare's play 'Julius Caesar' is a masterful work of literature known for its intricate characterization, political intrigue, and profound themes. Among the many literary devices employed by Shakespeare, parallelism emerges as a significant technique that adds depth and complexity to the play. This essay critically examines the use of parallelism in 'Julius Caesar,' exploring its role in character development, plot progression, and thematic exploration. Parallelism in Characterization: Shakespeare skillfully employs parallelism to create connections between characters and highlight...
1 Page 614 Words
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