...In literature, society has portrayed women in a negative light compared to their male counterparts. In the typical novel, short story, or poem, the female is always the foil of the man who is usually the protagonist or hero in some way; she is perceived as either being weak and fragile, violent, and viciously brutal, or she just does not fit society’s image of the perfect woman. Examples of the negative portrayal can be seen in literature such as Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, in which Edna is a weak and conforming wife having an affair with another man; William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, in which Lady Macbeth is an evil, conniving woman who degrades her husband by questioning his strength and masculinity; and Ernest Gaines’ A Lesson Before Dying, in which Vivian Baptiste cannot seem to simultaneously satisfy her family, her ex-husband, her boyfriend, Tante Lou, or Tante Lou’s friends while staying true to her religion, even though Grant has none at all. Through imagery, tone, and figurative...
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...A TEACHER’S GUIDE TO THE SIGNET CLASSIC EDITION OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S MACBETH LINDA NEAL UNDERWOOD S E R I E S E D I T O R S : W. GEIGER ELLIS, ED.D., ARTHEA J. S. REED, PH.D., UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA, EMERITUS and UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA, RETIRED A Teacher’s Guide to the Signet Classic Edition of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth 2 INTRODUCTION William Shakespeare developed many stories into excellent dramatizations for the Elizabethan stage. Shakespeare knew how to entertain and involve an audience with fast-paced plots, creative imagery, and multi-faceted characters. Macbeth is an action-packed, psychological thriller that has not lost its impact in nearly four hundred years. The politically ambitious character of Macbeth is as timely today as he was to Shakespeare's audience. Mary McCarthy says in her essay about Macbeth, "It is a troubling thought that Macbeth, of all Shakespeare's characters, should seem the most 'modern,' the only one you could transpose into contemporary battle dress or a sport shirt and slacks." (Signet Classic Macbeth) Audiences today quickly become interested in the plot of a blindly ambitious general with a strong-willed wife who must try to cope with the guilt engendered by their murder of an innocent king in order to further their power. The elements of superstition, ghosts, and witchcraft, though more readily a part of everyday life for the Renaissance audience, remain intriguing to modern teenagers. The action-packed...
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...Some definitions of literary devices, techniques and style from searching via http://www.ferretsoft.com/ LITERARY DEVICES http://mrbraiman.home.att.net/lit.htm Literary devices refers to any specific aspect of literature, or a particular work, which we can recognize, identify, interpret and/or analyze. Both literary elements and literary techniques can rightly be called literary devices. Literary elements refers to aspects or characteristics of a whole text. They are not “used,” per se, by authors; we derive what they are from reading the text. Most literary elements can be derived from any and all texts; for example, every story has a theme, every story has a setting, every story has a conflict, every story is written from a particular point-of-view, etc. In order to be discussed legitimately, literary elements must be specifically identified for that text. Literary techniques refers to any specific, deliberate constructions of language which an author uses to convey meaning. An author’s use of a literary technique usually occurs with a single word or phrase, or a particular group of words or phrases, at one single point in a text. Unlike literary elements, literary techniques are not necessarily present in every text. Literary terms refers to the words themselves with which we identify and describe literary elements and techniques. They are not found in literature and they are not “used” by authors. Allegory:...
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...Ivan Caicedo Professor field English College Now 21 May 2014 THE LORD OF THE RINGS: FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING Vocabulary 1. Unobtrusive - inconspicuous, unassertive, or reticent; not noticeable or conspicuous 2. Perilous - involving or full of grave risk or peril; hazardous; dangerous 3. Imbibed - to absorb liquid or moisture; to absorb or soak up, as water, light, or heat 4. Warren - a building or area containing many tenants in limited or crowded quarters 5. Commodity - an article of trade or commerce, especially a product as distinguished from a service; something of use, advantage, or value. 6. Pavilion - a light, usually open building used for shelter, concerts, exhibits 7. Scintillating - animated; vivacious; effervescent; witty; brilliantly clever 8. Phalanx - (in ancient Greece) a group of heavily armed infantry formed in ranks and files close and deep, with shields joined and long spears overlapping; a number of individuals, especially persons united for a common purpose. 9. Provender - dry food, as hay or oats, for livestock or other domestic animals; fodder; food 10. Waistcoat - a man's body garment, often quilted and embroidered and having sleeves, worn under the doublet in the 16th and 17th centuries. 11. Perfunctory - performed merely as a routine duty; hasty and superficial; lacking interest, care, or enthusiasm; indifferent or apathetic 12. Spasm - a sudden, abnormal, involuntary muscular contraction, consisting of a continued...
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...Stylistic devices Repetition and Variation |stylistic device |definition |translation |example |effect | |alliteration |recurrence of initial sound |Alliteration |“The fair breeze blew, |to convey auditory images | | | | |the white foam flew.” | | |accumulation |series of expressions (adjectives, cliches, |Anhäufung |“He came, saw, fought and won” |to make the language livelier | | |examples, images) that contribute increasingly to | | | | | |meaning | | | | |anaphora |repetition of first word(s) of line/clause |Anapher |In every town, in every house...
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...|stylistic device |definition |translation |example |effect | |alliteration |recurrence of initial sound |Alliteration |“The fair breeze blew, |to convey auditory images | | | | |the white foam flew.” | | |accumulation |series of expressions (adjectives, cliches, |Anhäufung |“He came, saw, fought and won” |to make the language livelier | | |examples, images) that contribute increasingly to | | | | | |meaning | | | | |anaphora |repetition of first word(s) of line/clause |Anapher |In every town, in every house in every man, in every|to stress the main point ...
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...Idioms 1) “Absence makes heart grow fonder” :- Our feeling for those we love increases when we are apart from them . 2) “Armed to the teeth” :- To be heavily armed. 3) “Back-handed compliment” :- A compliment that also insults or put down at the same time. 4) “Bleed like a stuck pig” :- To bleed heavily. 5) “Blow off some steam” :- To enjoy oneself by relaxing normal formalities. 6) “Blowing smoke” :- To be boasting without being able to back it up ; talking about action without intent to follow through. 7) “Bouched up” :- Substandard; Messed up; Make a shamble of. 8) “Brand Spanking New” :- New and Unused. 9) “Break A Leg” :- A wish of good luck, do well. 10) “A burnt child dreads the fire” :- One does not repeat a painful lesson twice. 11) “Bust your balls” :- To harass with the intent to break one’s spirit. 12) “Busting your chops” :- To say things intended to harass. 13) “Can’t hold a candle to” :- To be far less competent or have far less skills than someone else. 14) “Cat bird seat” :- A highly advantaged position, to have it all. 15) “Chew the fat” :- To talk about unimportant things. 16) “Clean bill of health” :- To be found healthy. 17) “Clear as a Bell” :- Clearly understood. 18) “Close, but no cigar” :- Nearly achieving success, but not quite. 19) “Cold Turkey” :- To Quit something abruptly. 20) “Cooking with gas” :- To be working fast, proceeding rapidly. 21) “ In the Crapper” :- In...
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...Idioms 1) “Absence makes heart grow fonder” :- Our feeling for those we love increases when we are apart from them . 2) “Armed to the teeth” :- To be heavily armed. 3) “Back-handed compliment” :- A compliment that also insults or put down at the same time. 4) “Bleed like a stuck pig” :- To bleed heavily. 5) “Blow off some steam” :- To enjoy oneself by relaxing normal formalities. 6) “Blowing smoke” :- To be boasting without being able to back it up ; talking about action without intent to follow through. 7) “Bouched up” :- Substandard; Messed up; Make a shamble of. 8) “Brand Spanking New” :- New and Unused. 9) “Break A Leg” :- A wish of good luck, do well. 10) “A burnt child dreads the fire” :- One does not repeat a painful lesson twice. 11) “Bust your balls” :- To harass with the intent to break one’s spirit. 12) “Busting your chops” :- To say things intended to harass. 13) “Can’t hold a candle to” :- To be far less competent or have far less skills than someone else. 14) “Cat bird seat” :- A highly advantaged position, to have it all. 15) “Chew the fat” :- To talk about unimportant things. 16) “Clean bill of health” :- To be found healthy. 17) “Clear as a Bell” :- Clearly understood. 18) “Close, but no cigar” :- Nearly achieving success, but not quite. 19) “Cold Turkey” :- To Quit something abruptly. 20) “Cooking with gas” :- To be working fast, proceeding rapidly. 21) “ In the Crapper” :- In...
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...message from the previous. “Out, out—” works at showing the disengagement viewers of death experience. The poem turns objective in the last eight line which helps the reader to see neither they nor the narrator can see something as individual and internal as death shown through the sudden callous narration in lines 32-34, “Little—less—nothing!—and that ended it./No more to build on there. And they, since they/ Were not the one dead, turned to their affairs.” Contrasting this, the preceding twenty-six lines are alive with vivid figurative language, especially in regards to the buzz saw. The poem opens with personification, “The buzz saw snarled and rattled in the yard”, and later in line 15, “At the word, the saw,/As if to prove saws knew what supper meant,/Leaped out of the boys hand…” The title of this poem also promotes a story. It comes from a line by Shakespeare, his play Macbeth. A play where a young boy is also killed for the work of an older man, further conveys the...
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...English - Final Exam Terms to Know The following link is very helpful: Examples Glossary from Your Dictionary Alliteration In alliteration, the first consonant sound is repeated in several words. A good example is “wide-eyed and wondering while we wait for others to waken”. Alliteration can be fun, as in tongue twisters like: “Kindly kittens knitting mittens keep kazooing in the king's kitchen 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Alice’s aunt ate apples and acorns around August. Becky’s beagle barked and bayed, becoming bothersome for Billy. Carries cat clawed her couch, creating chaos. Dan’s dog dove deep in the dam, drinking dirty water as he dove. Eric’s eagle eats eggs, enjoying each episode of eating. Examples of Alliteration Allusion “I was surprised his nose was not growing like Pinocchio’s.” This refers to the story of Pinocchio, where his nose grew whenever he told a lie. It is from The Adventures of Pinocchio, written by Carlo Collodi. “When she lost her job, she acted like a Scrooge, and refused to buy anything that wasn’t necessary.” Scrooge was an extremely stingy character from Charles Dickens’, A Christmas Carol. “I thought the software would be useful, but it was a Trojan Horse.” This refers to the horse that the Greeks built that contained all the soldiers. It was given as a gift to the enemy during the Trojan War and, once inside the enemy's walls, the soldiers broke out. By using trickery, the Greeks won the war. “He was a real Romeo with the ladies.” Romeo was a character...
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...Quick List of Common Literary Terms Abstract Language—Language describing ideas and qualities rather than observable or specific things, people, or places. The observable or "physical" is usually described in concrete language. Allegory—A narrative or description having a second meaning beneath the surface one. A story, fictional or nonfictional, in which characters, things, and events represent qualities or concepts. The interaction of these characters, things, events is meant to reveal an abstraction or a truth. These characters, etc. may be symbolic of the ideas referred to. Alliteration—The repetition at close intervals of initial identical consonant sounds. Allusion—An indirect reference to something (usually a literary text) with which the reader is expected to be familiar. Allusions are usually literary, historical, Biblical, or mythological. Ambiguity—An event or situation that may be interpreted in more than one way. Also, the manner of expression of such an event or situation may be ambiguous. Artful language may be ambiguous. Unintentional ambiguity is usually vagueness. Anachronism—Assignment of something to a time when it was not in existence, e.g., the watch Merlyn wore in The Once and Future King. Analogy—An analogy is a comparison to a directly parallel case. When a writer uses an analogy, he or she argues that a claim reasonable for one case is reasonable for the analogous case. Anecdote—A brief recounting of a relevant episode. Anecdotes are...
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...ENGLISH HANDBOOK -“Welcome to my evil lair…” -Mr. Braiman Brooklyn High School of the Arts www.mrbraiman.com http://handbook.mrbraiman.com “EVIL” Welcome to my evil classroom lair. In order to become full-fledged evil “minions,” you need to read this handbook carefully. It explains everything you need to know. “English,” as you may know, is shorthand for “English Language Arts.” Being that we are in an Arts school, but one where academics must and always do come first, it is important that we approach the subject as what it is: an art form. How does one study the arts? What exactly do we do when we study drawing, sculpture, music, or dance? Well, anyone who has studied the arts will tell you that studying the arts essentially involves two things: • Learning about, and developing an awareness of and appreciation for, existing works of art in that particular form; • Developing the skills and techniques associated with the art form, in order to create our own works. In the case of language arts, much like any other art form, we will be studying existing works of art (i.e., reading books, stories and poems), and developing the skills to produce our own (i.e., writing). That’s what English Language Arts is. We will also be preparing ourselves for New York State’s Regents Comprehensive Examination in English, which we’ll all be taking in June. This two-day, six-hour, four-part exam requires no specific knowledge or content, but it does require the skills to listen, read,...
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...Renaissance Theatre. The Protestant Reformation in northern Europe put an end to most religious drama by the mid-16th century, and a new, dynamic secular drama developed in its place. The Renaissance began at different times in different areas of Europe and was a slow process of change rather than a sudden shift in ideas and values. England The English drama of the 16th cent. showed from the beginning that it would not be bound by classical rules. Many themes and ideas can be seen in the components of the Elizabethan drama. For example, many works were influenced by other works. Themes on revenge were seen and blood and killing was evidenced in many works by, for instance, Thomas Kyd 's Spanish Tragedy (c.1586). Marlowe’s works presented deeper meanings of questioning life. Shakespeare, of course, stands as the supreme dramatist of the Renaissance period, equally skilful at writing tragedies, comedies, or chronicle plays. His great achievements include the perfection of a verse form and language that captures the spirit of ordinary speech and yet stand above it to give a special dignity to his characters and situations; a marvellous ability to unify plot, character, imagery, and verse movement. With the reign of James I the English drama began to decline until the closing of the theatres by the Puritans in 1642. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medieval_drama Comedy in Elizabethan Drama: The term "comedy" as applied to a division of the drama was not...
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...Improve your Written English Visit our How To website at www.howto.co.uk At www.howto.co.uk you can engage in conversation with our authors – all of whom have ‘been there and done that’ in their specialist fields. You can get access to special offers and additional content but most importantly you will be able to engage with, and become a part of, a wide and growing community of people just like yourself. At www.howto.co.uk you’ll be able to talk and share tips with people who have similar interests and are facing similar challenges in their lives. People who, just like you, have the desire to change their lives for the better – be it through moving to a new country, starting a new business, growing your own vegetables, or writing a novel. At www.howto.co.uk you’ll find the support and encouragement you need to help make your aspirations a reality. For more information on punctuation and grammar visit www.improveyourpunctuationandgrammar.co.uk How To Books strives to present authentic, inspiring, practical information in their books. Now, when you buy a title from How To Books, you get even more than just words on a page. Improve your Written English Master the essentials of grammar, punctuation and spelling and write with greater confidence MARION FIELD Published by How To Content, A division of How To Books Ltd, Spring Hill House, Spring Hill Road, Begbroke, Oxford OX5 1RX, United Kingdom. Tel: (01865) 375794. Fax: (01865) 379162...
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...Bloom’s Classic Critical Views W i l l ia m Sha k e Sp e a r e Bloom's Classic Critical Views alfred, lord Tennyson Benjamin Franklin The Brontës Charles Dickens edgar allan poe Geoffrey Chaucer George eliot George Gordon, lord Byron henry David Thoreau herman melville Jane austen John Donne and the metaphysical poets John milton Jonathan Swift mark Twain mary Shelley Nathaniel hawthorne Oscar Wilde percy Shelley ralph Waldo emerson robert Browning Samuel Taylor Coleridge Stephen Crane Walt Whitman William Blake William Shakespeare William Wordsworth Bloom’s Classic Critical Views W i l l ia m Sha k e Sp e a r e Edited and with an Introduction by Sterling professor of the humanities Yale University harold Bloom Bloom’s Classic Critical Views: William Shakespeare Copyright © 2010 Infobase Publishing Introduction © 2010 by Harold Bloom All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. For more information contact: Bloom’s Literary Criticism An imprint of Infobase Publishing 132 West 31st Street New York NY 10001 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data William Shakespeare / edited and with an introduction by Harold Bloom : Neil Heims, volume editor. p. cm. — (Bloom’s classic critical views) Includes bibliographical references...
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