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Figurative language and theme english 12
Figurative language and theme english 12
Symbolism as a literary tool essay
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Recommended: Figurative language and theme english 12
Controversy. A topic surrounded by a double-edged sword in which any argument made is instantly berated. However, if the topic is sustained with formidable evidence and eloquence—it draws the majority to it's favor. One such example of this is in the novel, Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo. It is an antiwar novel that sheds light upon the harrowing unjustly consequences of war through the main character, Joe Bonham. Trumbo is able to execute this claim perfectly through a distinct style composed of his eye-grabbing way of words, brilliant symbolism, and imagery. Trumbo aspires to preach the horrible effects of war. In order to do this, he manipulates his words to engender allegories and figures of speech. This is demonstrated towards the end of the story when Joe starts reminiscing all of the past girls he was involved with. One of the three main girls is called Lucky. …show more content…
His style empowers an emotional and literal bridge with the audience that gradually builds up as each chapter passes. He manipulates diction and syntax to create symbolism and allegories within the text. The symbolism was then used to embark on a helpless and solemn tone to represent his cry for help. Later, Trumbo uses imagery to paint an illustration in the reader’s mind to exhibit the consequences of war. Finally, he finishes it off with a full circle ending that completes the story by providing both a cause for why this has happened and a resolution where he finally accepts his fate. Throughout all of this, the reader is guided and taken throughout the depths of Joe’s mind where they could directly react to the tragic events that fell upon him. All in all, Trumbo’s style accomplished the impossible and defied society’s standard in an absolutely brilliant way. His use of these literary techniques may not be traditional or formal, but nevertheless he executed his theme
His perceptions change from seeking for opportunities to unrealistically believing that he can acquire wealth by becoming a traveling salesman, and later in the book, he is defeated by the Great Depression and goes back to home; his perception of the reality becomes increasingly difficult to dealt with since he tries to escape from the reality and never really solves the problems, and although he later tries again to become successful during the war, he becomes insane and loses all of his perceptions.
Typically, a novel contains four basic parts: a beginning, middle, climax, and the end. The beginning sets the tone for the book and introduces the reader to the characters and the setting. The majority of the novel comes from middle where the plot takes place. The plot is what usually captures the reader’s attention and allows the reader to become mentally involved. Next, is the climax of the story. This is the point in the book where everything comes together and the reader’s attention is at the fullest. Finally, there is the end. In the end of a book, the reader is typically left asking no questions, and satisfied with the outcome of the previous events. However, in the novel The Things They Carried the setup of the book is quite different. This book is written in a genre of literature called “metafiction.” “Metafiction” is a term given to fictional story in which the author makes the reader question what is fiction and what is reality. This is very important in the setup of the Tim’s writing because it forces the reader to draw his or her own conclusion about the story. However, this is not one story at all; instead, O’Brien writes the book as if each chapter were its own short story. Although all the chapters have relation to one another, when reading the book, the reader is compelled to keep reading. It is almost as if the reader is listening to a “soldier storyteller” over a long period of time.
Vonnegut's writing style throughout the novel is very flip, light, and sarcastic. The narrator's observations and the events occurring during the novel reflect a dark view of humanity which can only be mocked by humor. At the beginning of the novel the narrator is researching for a book he is writing. The book was to be about the day the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and the lives of the people who created the bomb. The narrator travels through the plot of the story, with characters flying in and out, in almost a daze. He is involved in events which are helplessly beyond his control, but which are inevitably leading to a destination at the end.
The opening paragraph of the story contains a metaphorical passage: "I stared at it in the swinging light of the subway car, and in the faces and bodies of the people, and in my own face, trapped in the darkness which roared outside"(349). This reference is significant because it is a contrast to the dismal society that the narrator and his brother Sonny live in. The darkness is the portrayal of the community of Harlem that is trapped, in their surroundings by physical, economic, and social barriers. The obvious nature of darkness has overcome the occupants of the Harlem community. The narrator, an algebra teacher, observes a depressing similarity between his students and his brother, Sonny. This is true because the narrator is fearful for his students falling into a life of crime and drugs, as did his brother. The narrator notes that the cruel realities of the streets have taken away the possible light from the lives of his brother and his students. The narrator makes an insightful connection between the darkness that Sonny faced and the darkness that the young boys are presently facing. This is illustrated in the following quote:
Most novels are not able to adequately present two distinct themes that oppose each other; Slaughterhouse-Five is not most novels. It is unique in almost every way, especially with respect to its themes. In Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut develops, to the surprise of the reader, the themes of both the necessity of the concept of free will and its illusion. While these themes seem to contradict each other, they are also complimentary. Kurt Vonnegut’s unique writing style enables the reader to perceive both of these themes in the text.
The Book Thief Short Essay: The Use of Foreshadowing, Irony, and Symbolism in The Book Thief
Johnny Got His Gun starts with, Joe Bonham wakes up to the sound of a telephone ringing. He thinks that his father his father died, but it's just a dream. He also thinks, after awakening that he is in a military hospital. He can’t really tell but he is assuming by his numerous bandages. Then he realizes he is deaf, which causes him to begin freaking out, and him to slip in and out of consciousness. He begins to have a lot of dreams, many of which involve his Colorado childhood, and then his move to California. Joe then feels people touching on him, which he assumes is them working on him, which causes him to realizes his arms have been amputated. Afterwards, he becomes unconscious and remembers the time when Howey and his ex cheated on him
In this particular case, the plot is satisfying particularly due to the presentation and buildup of suspense throughout the book and also due to the usage of foreshadowing of future events. In detail, Anthony Horowitz’s use a particular presentation of suspense in the manner of building up one’s urge to read more and then releasing the demand in a series of decisive events. In other words, Anthony Horowitz builds up such urgency in the reader by first presenting events that do not reveal many details other than the environment and the character actions, which leads to the reader wanting more action. In an example, such style is used when Alex first meets the Aussies at the barbecue. The Australians, who are SAS recruits, invite Alex to an afternoon barbecue at a beach after Alex meets up with ASIS. The men, however, act strangely during the gathering and command Alex to perform bizarre acts that one would simply not think of. Furthermore, the crew landed on a restricted military operation zone, which is off limits for non-military personnel. Secondly, the same style is brought about when Alex explores the cargo ship of Scorpia entirely by himself with only his thoughts and statements. And lastly, such suspense is built up when Alex is formulating a plan to escape the snakehead hospital alone and with no M16 assistance. Evidently, by describing the character's thoughts and environment, Horowitz creates a sense of urgency and vagueness within the reader that wants the full truth of the situation. Correspondingly, Horowitz releases the urgency that is built up within the reader by disposing of the vagueness in a series of petrifying events. In this situation, Horowitz releases the suspense that is built up within the barbecue scene by allowing the area
“The turning point in the process of growing up is when you discover the core of strength within you that survives all hurt (Max Lerner).” In this excerpt from Dalton Trumbo’s novel Johnny Got His Gun, Joe, a young man, comes of age and would rather company of someone else other than his father unlike when he was seven. As he got older, the love he had for his father didn’t change but the time he spends with him does. As much as it hurts Joe’s father that Joe is hanging with someone else, he understands his son is aging yet he won’t allow it to diminish their relationship. You will learn about their deep relationship through devices like point of view, carefully described details, and syntax.
The only real way to truly understand a story is to understand all aspects of a story and their meanings. The same goes for movies, as they are all just stories being acted out. In Thomas Foster's book, “How to Read Literature Like a Professor”, Foster explains in detail the numerous ingredients of a story. He discusses almost everything that can be found in any given piece of literature. The devices discussed in Foster's book can be found in most movies as well, including in Quentin Tarantino’s cult classic, “Pulp Fiction”. This movie is a complicated tale that follows numerous characters involved in intertwining stories. Tarantino utilizes many devices to make “Pulp Fiction” into an excellent film. In this essay, I will demonstrate how several literary devices described in Foster's book are put to use in Tarantino’s film, “Pulp Fiction”, including quests, archetypes, food, and violence.
Last but not least, O’Connor confirms that even a short story is a multi-layer compound that on the surface may deter even the most enthusiastic reader, but when handled with more care, it conveys universal truths by means of straightforward or violent situations. She herself wished her message to appeal to the readers who, if careful enough, “(…)will come to see it as something more than an account of a family murdered on the way to Florida.”
Symbolism is one of the most effective and powerful elements in writing. We see various examples of this all throughout "The Things They Carried." Symbolism enables us to tell a story one way, while all along trying to say another. I believe Tim O'Brien has achieved success in doing so in "The Things They Carried."
The formalistic approach to an open text allows the reader to decide what is important about the words on the page as well as the reasons and actions of the characters themselves. The reader is then able to derive a reasonable explanation for the plot or even an overall theme of the text. "According to the Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature "when all the words, phrases, metaphors, images, and symbols are examined in terms of each other and of the whole, any literary text worth our efforts will display its own internal logic" (Guerin 75)." When practicing the formalistic approach, the reader must scrutinize the text for tools such as form, texture, style, symbolism, point of view, theme, and so on to portray the beauty of the novel. William Gibson's Neuromancer portrays many of these tools, but it is most important to focus on the overall tone of the story, which is quite evident in the setting. Concentrating on the portrayal of dystopia and the diction that is used to describe it, as well as the repetitive imagery of the color pink, the reader can detect the dark and dreary tone at a more critical level.
Effectively using these elements in a piece of literature enhances the reader’s curiosity. One prime example of such usage of these elements is seen in Kate Chopin's writing. Her use of foreshadowing and use of emotional conflicts put into few words in the short piece "The Storm" adds an element that is alluring, holding the reader's interest. In this short piece of literature, a father and son, Bobinot and Bibi, are forced to remain in a store where they were shopping before the storm, waiting for the storm to pass over them. In the meantime, the wife and mother, Calixta, whom is still at home, receives an unexpected visit from a former lover named Alicee. The two have an affair and the story starts to come together. The story shows us how we tend to want what we beli...
The narrative structure in Slaughterhouse-Five is nonlinear. One of the greatest distinctive and unique aspects of Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five is the structure to which it is written. All through the novel, Billy Pilgrim journeys irrepressibly to non-chronological moments of his life, or as Vonnegut verbalizes, “paying random visits to all events in between.” (23). The structure of the novel is eccentric and does not actually have a well-defined beginning, middle, and end in the progression of the narrative. There is continuous movement amongst the future, past, and present in erratic ways. Vonnegut’s narrative consist of rapid brief paragraphs which do not follow a straight timeline, but as an alternative jolts forward and backward