Term Definition Example from Text
(cite with a page number) Explanation
1. imagery Descriptive words and phrases that re-create sensory experiences for the reader “I saw the blaze of love and anguish that had come so often into her face.” (392). This sentence uses descriptive words such as blaze and anguish to describe and set an image for someone who is “cheery”. The sentence was describing May’s presence before she had passed.
2. metaphor A comparison of two things (does not contain like or as)
“My hair was black like my mother’s but basically a nest of cowlicks, and it worried me that I didn’t have a chin.” (36). This sentence compares two things, Lily’s hair and a nest of cowlicks. This section was Lily basically describing
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simile A comparison where one thing is said to be like another (contains “like” or “as”)
“My mind became naturally calm, as if part of me had lifted right up out of my body and was sitting on a tree limb watching the spectacle from a safe distance.” (299). This paragraph uses the word “as” to compare her feeling of calmness to a feeling of lacking presence. This is a scene where all the bees have been released and were surrounding Lily.
4. personification A figure of speech in which human qualities are given to an object, animal, or idea “His boots whispered Uncle all the way down the hall.” (41). Giving T-Ray’s boots qualities of speaking, personification is used in this sentence to portray the sound of him walking through the hall.
5. onomatopoeia The use of words whose sounds echo their meanings, such as buzz “The trash can was full of banana peels, and the electric percolator bubbled into the tiny glass nozzle on top of it. Bloop, bloop. I loved the way it sounded, the way it smelled.” (209). Onomatopoeia happens when Bloop, bloop is used to describe the noise of the percolator. This happened one morning for breakfast.
6. situational irony A contrast between what a reader or character expects and what actually
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Let’s go get her.”…After we walked from one end of the wailing wall to the other, we went back and walked it again, like this time we were going to get it right. Walked slower, looked closer, call louder. This time May would be there kneeling with the flashlight batteries burned out…August looked at me, and then moved her flashlight beam out to the water. The light swept across the surface making a spatter of ink gold splotches before it stopped abruptly. May lie in the river, just beneath the surface. Her eyes were wide open and unblinking, and the skirt of her dress was fanned out and swayed into the current…River reeds clung to her hair braids. I looked away. I knew then. May was dead.” (373-380). Situational irony is used in this part of the story for May’s death. May had left the house, having everyone think (including the reader) that she was going to her pebble wall to add another piece of paper because Ricky went to jail, but instead the sisters had found out that May had gone to attempt suicide, creating the reader to expect one thing, but the outcome is completely
Figurative language is in most well written novels. It helps develop the overall theme the author is trying to portray. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, I noticed Harper Lee distinctively used two types of figurative language. The first is symbolism, Lee used this twice during the novel with the mockingbird representing beauty innocence and Boo Radley representing the good in people. The second is motifs, Lee used this to emphasize the small town life in Maycomb, Alabama and helps give a better understanding of the people in the town.
reacts to the crosser. At the beginning of the poem, the speaker’s first impression of the swamp
In the short story “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi” there are many onomatopoeias. An onomatopoeia is a word that is spelt like it is sound. An example from the story is, “Scratch, scratch.” (80). This is important to the story because it's shows that Rikki-Tikki feels the presence of Nag and Nagaina.
A symbol in literature is an object that stands for a word, cause, belief, or another object. A metaphor is a figure of speech where a word of phrase is applied to something but it should not be taken literally. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, the mockingbird symbolizes innocence. The mockingbird is innocent, singing for people to hear its music. In the book Atticus says to Scout, “Remember it is a sin to kill a mockingbird.” When Scout asked Miss Maudie about it, Miss Maudie tells her, “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy… but they sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” Killing something so innocent would be a sin because it had never done anything to hurt you.
An example of personification is, “Do you think a snake killer kills muskrats?” said Rikki-Tikki scornfully. (paragraph 34). This is an example of personification because animals can not talk and do not have human-like qualities. This personification proves my theme because when Rikki-Tikki does this it shows his bravery to talk to Nagaina in that kind of tone. Another piece of evidence is “ “Then Rikki-Tikki came up and cried: ‘Turn round, Nagaina; turn and fight!’” (para 88). This is an example of personification because it gives the animals human-like qualities and that Rikki Tikki is talking to Nagaina as if they were people. He shows that he is brave by wanting to start a conflict between Nagaina. By using personification, it gives the text more exaggeration to show the fighting between Rikki-Tikki and
"I'd rather you shoot at tin cans in the backyard, but I know you'll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want , if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." This is what Atticus Finch tells his children after they are given air-rifles for Christmas. Uniquely, the title of the classic novel by Harper Lee, To Kill A Mockingbird, was taken from this passage. At first glance, one may wonder why Harper Lee decided to name her book after what seems to be a rather insignificant excerpt. After careful study, however, one begins to see that this is just another example of symbolism in the novel. Harper Lee uses symbolism rather extensively throughout this story, and much of it refers to the problems of racism in the South during the early twentieth century. Harper Lee's effective use of racial symbolism can be seen by studying various examples from the book. This includes the actions of the children, the racist whites, and the actions of Atticus Finch.
"You know the truth, and the truth is this: some Negroes lie, some Negroes are immoral, some Negro men are not to be trusted around women—black or white. But this is a truth that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men. There is not a person in this courtroom who has never told a lie, who has never done an immoral thing, and there is no man living who has never looked upon a woman without desire." (273) Whether a man is black or white, Atticus Finch knows that all men have done immoral things. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, many of the characters and objects portray deeper meanings than what meets the eye. Atticus Finch represents upstanding morals and rational philosophy, the Mockingbird represents innocence, and the snowman represents that white and black people are the same.
In "Elegy for Jane", Theodore Roethke uses personification by describing the way that the leaves, the wren, the branches and twigs, the shade and the mold all moved in some way or another. He gave them
In 1960, a novel was written to outline injustices and racism against those who were innocent, though unfairly judged because of social expectations and prejudiced beliefs. This novel not only presented these issues, but is also considered a revolutionary piece of literature, still being read by many people today, more than 50 years later. The novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, has caused some controversy about the intents of the book and the way certain people or groups are presented. Whether To Kill a Mockingbird as a narrative outshines the issue it presents is a debatable argument. However, I believe that the narrative of the novel supports the concerns exhibited for numerous reasons. In what follows, some of these are presented: the historical
This excerpt is an example of irony, since the readers know that Mrs. Clutter is preparing for bed for the last time, but Mrs. Clutter does not.
There is no doubt that Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is a famous novel known for its themes, most of them containing wise life lessons, racial inequality being an obvious and important one. Firstly, racism illustrates the lack of justice and people’s views on prejudice in Tom Robinson’s case. Secondly, the novel touches base on diction notably the racial slurs used. Finally, with racism being a theme of the novel, it affects the characters’ personalities. Harper Lee uses life lessons, diction and characters throughout the novel because it develops the main theme of racism in To Kill a Mockingbird.
Symbolism. Why is it important in a novel? Why do authors incorporate symbols into their writing? Symbolism aids the reader in understanding what the author wants to portray. In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird, she writes about the racism in a small town in Alabama named Maycomb set in the 1930’s and about two children growing up and learning that their town is not as perfect as they thought. The theme topic appearance versus reality helps to get a better understanding of the symbols used in the novel and that you should not judge something by their appearance, you should judge by the reality of what it is. “As Atticus once advised me to do, I tried to climb into Jem’s skin and walk around in it.” (Scout page 77) In her novel, there are many symbols throughout the narrative that relate to the theme topic appearance versus reality. Harper Lee writes symbols into her novel, such as the snowman, Mrs. Dubose’s Camellia flower and Dolphus Raymond’s Coca-Cola bottle to help reinforce the theme topic of appearance versus reality throughout the novel.
the reader into the book with the use of imagery, syntax, and figurative language. Also, the story was good, Atticus was like a modern story about the Prodigal Son Parable. The book was interesting to read and enjoyable. However, the book was all over the place. It started off with Scott coming over and then Scott dying and then finding Scott and then Scott’s point of view of what caused him to fake his death. If the reader was not able to fully understand what was going on throughout each chapter, the reader would have been lost. The shift of point of view confuses the reader for a little bit but then it all starts to click. This book will have a lasting effect on me
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper lee, there is a form of Southern dialect. It varies by certain characters and their families, according to their economic class and lack of education. They talk in a certain way depending on where they have grown up, or where they live at the moment. Mirroring the dialect of those who would actually speak that way in the past, and reality.
Harper Lee uses symbolism extensively throughout To Kill a Mockingbird,, and much of it refers to the problems of racism in the South during the early twentieth century. Harper Lee's effective use of racial symbolism and allegory can be seen by studying various examples from the book, namely the actions of the children, of the racist whites, and of Atticus Finch.