LITERARY TERMS
Word: motif
Definition: A recurring image, word, phrase, action, idea, object, or situation used throughout a work, unifying the work by tying the current situation to previous ones, or new ideas to the theme.
Quote: “I live in New York, and I was thinking about the lagoon in Central Park, down near Central Park South. I was wondering if it would be frozen over when I got home, and if it was, where did the ducks go? I was wondering where the ducks went when the lagoon got all icy and frozen over. I wondered if some guy came in a truck and took them away to a zoo or something? Or if they just flew away.”
Title/Author: The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger
Explanation: The recurring mystery of what happens to the ducks is mentioned …show more content…
He wishes to prevent these children from losing their innocence and plummeting into the world of adulthood. This extended metaphor is not directly explained in the book, but it does give Salinger’s book its title.
Word: colloquial language
Definition: A characteristic of or appropriate to ordinary or familiar conversation rather than formal speech or writing; informal.
Quote: “All of a sudden, though, he interrupted me while I was shooting the bull. He was always interrupting you.”
Title/Author: The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger
Explanation: Holden uses colloquial language throughout the book. Many of his phrases or terms are informal and specific to the setting of the book. Holden’s phrase ‘shooting the bull’ is just an informal replacement for ‘passing the time by talking’ or ‘making small-talk’.
Word: irony
Definition: A discrepancy between appearances and reality.
Quote: “She turned to Meg. ‘I want to hear what the piano sounds like, just in case I 'm asked to sing this afternoon. Let 's try over ‘This life is Weary.’‘ "
Title/Author: The Garden Party, Katherine …show more content…
‘She had a lousy childhood. I 'm not kidding.’ That didn 't interest Stradlater, though. Only very sexy stuff interested him.”
Title/Author: The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger
Explanation: The Catcher in the Rye is one of the first books written that suggested sexuality and the use of profanity. The book did not focus on describing the setting but instead focused on the events and the character’s emotions.
Word: external conflict
Definition: The struggle between opposing forces or characters in a story.
Quote: " ‘What 's the matter? Wuddaya want?’ I said. Boy, my voice was shaking like hell. ‘Nothin ' much,’ old Maurice said. ‘Just five bucks.’ He did all the talking for the two of them… ‘Let 's go, chief,’ old Maurice said. Then he gave me a big shove with his crumby hand.”
Title/Author: The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger
Explanation: There is external conflict between Maurice and Holden when Holden refuses to give Maurice an extra five dollars. The struggle results in a fight in which Holden loses.
Word: solecism
Definition: The intentional use of incorrect grammar in written language and speech used as a stylistic
Word: motif
Definition: A recurring image, word, phrase, action, idea, object, or situation used throughout a work, unifying the work by tying the current situation to previous ones, or new ideas to the theme.
Quote: “I live in New York, and I was thinking about the lagoon in Central Park, down near Central Park South. I was wondering if it would be frozen over when I got home, and if it was, where did the ducks go? I was wondering where the ducks went when the lagoon got all icy and frozen over. I wondered if some guy came in a truck and took them away to a zoo or something? Or if they just flew away.”
Title/Author: The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger
Explanation: The recurring mystery of what happens to the ducks is mentioned …show more content…
He wishes to prevent these children from losing their innocence and plummeting into the world of adulthood. This extended metaphor is not directly explained in the book, but it does give Salinger’s book its title.
Word: colloquial language
Definition: A characteristic of or appropriate to ordinary or familiar conversation rather than formal speech or writing; informal.
Quote: “All of a sudden, though, he interrupted me while I was shooting the bull. He was always interrupting you.”
Title/Author: The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger
Explanation: Holden uses colloquial language throughout the book. Many of his phrases or terms are informal and specific to the setting of the book. Holden’s phrase ‘shooting the bull’ is just an informal replacement for ‘passing the time by talking’ or ‘making small-talk’.
Word: irony
Definition: A discrepancy between appearances and reality.
Quote: “She turned to Meg. ‘I want to hear what the piano sounds like, just in case I 'm asked to sing this afternoon. Let 's try over ‘This life is Weary.’‘ "
Title/Author: The Garden Party, Katherine …show more content…
‘She had a lousy childhood. I 'm not kidding.’ That didn 't interest Stradlater, though. Only very sexy stuff interested him.”
Title/Author: The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger
Explanation: The Catcher in the Rye is one of the first books written that suggested sexuality and the use of profanity. The book did not focus on describing the setting but instead focused on the events and the character’s emotions.
Word: external conflict
Definition: The struggle between opposing forces or characters in a story.
Quote: " ‘What 's the matter? Wuddaya want?’ I said. Boy, my voice was shaking like hell. ‘Nothin ' much,’ old Maurice said. ‘Just five bucks.’ He did all the talking for the two of them… ‘Let 's go, chief,’ old Maurice said. Then he gave me a big shove with his crumby hand.”
Title/Author: The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger
Explanation: There is external conflict between Maurice and Holden when Holden refuses to give Maurice an extra five dollars. The struggle results in a fight in which Holden loses.
Word: solecism
Definition: The intentional use of incorrect grammar in written language and speech used as a stylistic