Literary technique

Literary devices are perhaps one of the most important elements used in writing. The journey of Suyuan in the historical fiction novel, The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan, is characterized through the use of style, plot and motif by establishing tone, emphasizing motivation and characterizing relationships throughout the novel. Tan’s use of style is one of, if not the most, prevalent literary elements used in the selected passage. Style used in the given excerpt of, The Joy Luck Club, helps Tan to…

Some people say that ignorance is bliss. In some cases, however, that may not be true. In Sophocles’ tragic play Oedipus Rex, the author uses a motif of sight and blindness through foreshadowing, in conjunction with Oedipus, and through irony to convey the idea that when someone thinks they know what is right but are actually ignorant to the truth, that will most likely cause their downfall. Sophocles foreshadows Oedipus’ future using the motif of sight and blindness through prophecies and…

Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl is a short story that creates a wave of emotion to the reader. Mary, the protagonist, is a complex character and seems to be a different person as the story progresses. The story’s involvement with a murder scene, a gruesome story would be expected, but instead Dahl puts a twist to the story which makes it not horrifying. The story begins with Mary shown as a devoted and loving wife. This and the constant reminder that Mary is pregnant makes me feel as…

Taran Bedi Mr. Curnett English 9 Feb 17th The Correlation of Ignorance, Sight and Truth in Oedipus Rex Sophocles’ play Oedipus Rex was written over 2,500 years ago. Although this play may seem ancient and irrelevant to today’s society, its themes and actions are relevant to modern society. Sophocles’ play Oedipus revealed many ideas that are now used in western drama. Sophocles’ use of dramatic irony became a new method for artists who wanted to create tension in the plots of their work.…

“To Build a Fire” by Jack London When reading a story, it is often difficult to truly understand the message if the author cannot properly communicate it to the reader. Through the use of literary devices, authors can ensure that readers fully comprehend the meaning of the story. A general theme in literature would be that humans are flawed creatures. However, an author can communicate this in a way that makes the reader relate and understand this message. In Jack London’s short story, “To…

Irony in Good Country People Good Country People by Flannery O’Conner, touches upon the identities of Christians of Southern America and also focuses on the part played by intellectualism and physical challenges in the development of identity of individuals. The entire plot is spiced with tearing irony. There are four clear sections in the story emphasizing the relationships between four prime characters. The irony of the story encompasses the social and religious parameters and the rude outlook…

the ideas presented in How to Read Literature Like A Professor, Anne Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, consists of several literary devices and factors that develop the plot of the story and the main character, Victor Frankenstein. Due to How to Read Literature…

“The Flowers” by Alice Walker and “Désirée’s Baby” by Kate Chopin are both about race. Alice Walker exposed the world’s evil, racism, through the transition of Myop’s innocence to the acknowledgement of cruelty and made a statement that when we discover more about the world, the more injustices we are going to acknowledge; Kate Chopin revealed the class-based and racial prejudice that pervaded the attitudes of Southerners and the message of the story is that race and prejudice should not…

Guilt is an emotion associated with feelings of shame, regret, or responsibility for something a person has done. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the two protagonists, Macbeth and his wife Lady Macbeth, both suffer feelings of guilt for a heinous crime, the murder of their king. Guilt manifests itself differently in these two characters, as it does in every guilty person. Shakespeare uses blood imagery to develop the theme of guilt, as both characters struggle with and grow accustomed to the presence…

William Shakespeare, George Orwell, and Joseph Conrad compare and contrast different ideas to help bring together his or her thoughts. Light versus dark, Denmark and Norway, Memory and the Past, are examples how an author may compare and contrast situations that may be important to the meaning and understanding of their novels. Besides those meanings, corruption is also a very important theme within these novels too. It shows and explains that a certain act can happen in real life. The three…