Literary Devices Workshop 2010

8/3/2019 Literary Devices Workshop 2010

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Literary Device Glossary

Every discipline employs a special vocabulary; literary criticism is noexception. Literary criticism is based in part on the assumption that writing isa purposeful activity and that excellent writing resulting in works ofliterary merit is not merely a happy accident. During the year you will

familiarize yourself with some of the terminology that is used in literarycriticism, and you will analyze specific instances when an author hasemployed a literary device. You will be creating a glossary of literary devices,complete with your specific analysis of the effect of the device on the text asa whole.

The specific devices you will need to use for your entries over the course ofthe year are discussed in more detail in a separate handout. To summarize:you must complete entries for the five principal tropes:

Metaphor Simile Metonymy SynecdochePersonification

You must also select devices from the list below for your remaining entries.Any device that you wish to use that is not included this list will need to becleared by me first.

Alliteration Allusion Ambiguity Anaphora Apostrophe AsideAssonance Antithesis Asyndeton Metaphysical Conceit ConnotationCacophony Caesura Consonance Chiasmus Denotation EnjambmentEuphony Flashback Form (poetic form) Hyperbole Litotes MeiosisMotif Foreshdowing Imagery Paradox Irony (Situational, Verbal,Dramatic) Simple Metaphor Extended Metaphor MalapropismOnomatopoeia Oxymoron Paradox Paralipsis Periphrasis PolysyndetonRhyme Symbol Synesthesia Tragic Flaw Zeugma

Over the course of the semester youll be asked to complete a number ofliterary device entries. Any time you encounter a device from the above list,whether it is in your outside reading or it is in a text we are studying as aclass, you can use that device for a glossary entry. You will eventuallyaccumulate a total of 100 points worth of terms each semester if you wantfull credit.

Guidelines

You may only submit two (2) entries per weekYou are responsible for keeping all of your lit devices once theyhave been graded

AP English Literature and Composition |Johnson


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You will turn all of your graded devices two weeks before the endof the semesterAll entries must be typed, edited, and in the correct format inorder to be gradedYou will only be able to revise an entry once

Texts from your previous English classes are not acceptablePlagiarized entries will result in a zero (0) for the entire semesterliterary device assignment

The FUNCTION discussion is the most important part of your literary device.Unfortunately, it is also the most difficult (isnt that just typical?). However, ifyou are certain to include the Three Cs in your function discussion, you willalways find success.

Every literary device function discussion needs to include:

1. Context: This sets up the text portion you are about to discuss. In otherwords, you need to BRIEFLYintroduce the general circumstances in yourexample. This does not mean you need to summarize the entire plot of anovel. For example, if you were using an example from the third chapter ofAll the Pretty Horses you would not need to explain the John Grady had lefthis home in Texas and had found work in Mexico as a rancher, etc., etc. Youwould merely need to say When John Grady Cole hears the short pop of agun, and Belvins fails to get back on the truck

2. Concept: What is the specific device that you are addressing? Use it inthe present tense and use the active voice (i.e. This symbolizes the...)when referring to the literary device. Make certain you discuss it directly andare specific rather than general. Also make sure you have correctly identifiedthe device.

3. Connection: Discuss in clear and specific terms exactly how the literarydevice contributes to the passage/poem/novel as a whole. In other words,how does the literary device reinforce and contribute to what is occurring inthe larger context? Make sure you address the artistic effect when

appropriate. When discussing the connection, artistic or otherwise, makecertain that you address how this language device operates within thepassage.

For example, it is typical for students to say that a device gives a passageflow. This is not a helpful comment unless that flow is connected tosomething specific in terms of the effect. All writing should flow to some



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extent -- addressing what there is about the flow that the shapes the textis the key.

Remember that merely pointing out a literary device does not meanthat you understand its effect on the passage as a whole. You have

to be specific about its function. If you are certain to include theThree Cs, then you will be successful.

Term: Definition of the literary device selected

Example: Quotation, followed by source, including title, page/line number

Function: Authors purpose in employing this language resource at this point inthe work. How does this particular device enhance what the writer isconveying? You may comment on theme, character, setting, or

whatever else is important in explaining how this device functions inthis particular instance.

Symbol: In the simplest sense, a symbol is anything that stands for or representssomething else beyond itoften an idea conventionally associated with it.

The term symbolism refers to the use of symbols, or to a set of relatedsymbols.

Example: Like him she was lefthanded or she played chess with her left hand . . . Heleaned forward and moved his bishop and mated her in four moves (133-137).

Function: This chess game between John Grady and Alejandras godmother symbolizesthe competition that they are in for Alejandra herself. This game of chess,which takes place as John is trying to gain approval of his relationship withAlejandra, represents the greater chess game between these two competingcharacters. Although John Grady wins the first couple of games and seems to


Exam le

Format


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be well on his way to achieving his goal, in the end it is the godmother whotriumphs. This directly mirrors John Gradys and the godmothers lives:although John Grady wins Alejandras affections initially, in the end he losesher. When he takes her queen (133) he is literally winning the chess matchby taking the queen, but he is also on a symbolic level attempting to take thegodmothers true queen, Alejandra, whom the godmother is determined to

keep from suffering the same misfortunes she endured. The lack of dialoguebetween the characters during the match further reinforces the quietcompetition they are engaging in; one that is not violent but is indeed fierce.

The intellectual nature of the chess match also enhances the choice thatAlejandra ultimately makes near the end of the novel: leaving John and optinginstead for the security and wealth of her family. This choice reflects the cooland calculating logic of a chess match rather than the passions of the heart.

Please note that the author first provides context for the discussion(context), discusses the term itself (concept) and then carefullydiscusses how the literary device specifically functions both in thepassage and within the context of the novel as a whole (connection).The author is also careful to use the term in the active voice within

the function discussion.

General Guidelines

My expectations are that you write with precision and depth of analysis. I also

require that you

adhere to standard guidelines for written English, including citing your sources

using MLA format.

Please review the following notes, and keep them in mind as you write your

entries.

1. Citation: When you cite your quotes, remember to do the following:

a. Always include the page number when your source is a novel, the line

number if it is a poem, and the act/scene/line number if it is a

play. You must include the author and title of the piece within

your discussion.



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b. Put quotation marks around the entire quote, but not around the

citation, and put the period outside of the citation.

c. Always imbed your quotes within your function discussion, making sure

that the sentence into which you integrated your quote is

grammatically correct. If you need to change the case of a

letter, do so by using brackets.

d. Only use ellipses when omitting words from the middle of a quote, not

at the beginning or the end of a quote.

Examples:

This is what your example quote would look ilke. Notice the correct

citation, and the brackets around the letter with the case change

[T]he forest stood up spectrally in the moonlight (95).

This is how that same quote could be imbedded in the function

discussion. The author (Conrad) and the title of the work (Heart of

Darkness) would have already been mentioned in the discussion.

The descriptions of nature often belie the sinister quality Marlow

attributes to the natural world. At one point, he observes that the

forest stood up spectrally in the moonlight (95).

2. Function Discussion: Remember to keep the Three Cs Context,

Concept, Connectionin mind when you write your function

discussion. Submissions that do not discuss each of these areas

will not receive full credit.

3. Revisions: Please staple your original device to the back of the revision

and write Revision on your new version.



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4. Conventions: I will not grade a device that does not cite the quote

properly. Furthermore, if I encounter more than one

conventional error, I will put a checkmark next to the line that

contains the error and return it without a grade. I will not note

other errors, even if they are present. In order to receive credit

In these instances, you will need to fix the error(s) and resubmit

the device as if it were a revision.

5. Using Test From the Quote: Whenever possible, remember to use text

from your example in your function discussion. It may help you

achieve the elusive (and some say mythical) 6.

6. Submission Opportunities: There are a limited number of submission

opportunities available, so you will need to take advantage of

as many as you can. You may submit only two literary devices

plus any revisions per week.

7. Point Totals: Remember that once you have achieved the necessary

point total, you no longer need to submit literary devices for the

remainder for the semester.

I want to once again stress exactly how significant this assignment is

to your grade. It is in some ways the heard of our study of style

analysis, so it carries quite a bit of weight as far as your grade is

concerned. This has the potential of helping your grade considerably,

or hindering it. Remember that in college it is precisely these types of

long-term assignments that put the responsibility on you that will

comprise most of your coursework.

Grading Literary Device Submissions



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One of the goals of this grading approach is to provide feedback that is

meaningful to your

students without spending hours poring over each set of device submissions.

Using a numeric

grading system and telling students what the numbers mean ahead of time

instead of proving

written feedback makes the grading less time consuming for you. It also puts

more responsibility

on the student to figure out what is missing, creating a necessity for the

student to take a more

metacognitive approach to revision.

The Basics

Each device is worth a possible 5 points broken down the following way:

1 point for the correct definition of the device

1 point for the example, provided it is an example of the device

3 points for the function discussion (1 for the context, 1 for the concept, 1 for

the connection)

Grading

Rev = There was one (or more) error in citation or conventions. I will not read

a device that has

conventional errors or is cited improperly. If a student gets Rev at the top,

then that student

knows that he or she must find and then fix the errors. They must then staple

the revision to the

original, highlight the changes on the revision, and submit them together.



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0= The device or example was not correct. This is different from a revision

because it signals to

the student hat the device and the example do not match, or that the

definition is incorrect. They

need to find out what the problem is in order to fix it.

2 = Device and example were correct, but the function discussion was not

adequate.

3-4 = Device and example were correct, but only 1 or 2 or the 3 points

required in the function

discussion were addressed. They need to figure out which point(s) is/are

missing and revise the submission.

5 = Bravo!

Imagery: Imagery is language that appeals to the five senses. It is used

to represent objects, actions, feelings, thoughts, states of mind

and any sensory or extra-sensory experience.

Example: In the gray twilight those retching seemed to echo like the

calls of some rude provisional species loosed upon that waste.

Something imperfect and malformed lodged in the heart of

being. A thing smirking deep in the eyes of grace itself like a

gorgon in an autumn pool(71).

McCarthy, All the Pretty Horses



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Function: McCarthys novel All the Pretty Horses explores the notion of

sin. At this point in the novel, two young men have been out

drinking heavily and are coping with the consequences,

spending time retching into a small pond. The imagery used to

describe this scene explores the notion of sin and reinforces a

biblical connection that runs throughout the novel. Drinking,

though perhaps not a serious act of sin, is nonetheless

something that boys are not supposed to be doing at this age.

Their innocence has already been tested numerous times up to

this point, and this is yet another moment when they have

fallen from a state of grace. The imagery describing the

retchings of a rude provisional species loosed upon that

waste like a gorgon evoke the sinful nature of the boys

actions. This sound is coming from these boys in the still of

night they are then linked to this gorgon. The sounds seem

to come from the heart of being, and are hiding behind the

innocent faces of the boys. Even in the eyes of grace itself, a

place of purity and forgiveness, there is that thing smirking.

As a man (or in this case the boys) looks to graces for

forgiveness of sings, there lies the gorgon, mocking all attempts

at redemption with the mythical power of the gorgon turning

the heart to stone and prolonging the cycle. Here McCarthy

subtly melds contemporary religious beliefs with a Greek myth

to explore the concept of sin and humankinds nature. This

connects to the novels consistent exploration of the process of

life and the role that sin plays. This progresses from John

Gradys loss of innocence to his ultimate revelation: the idea

that understanding the nature of sin is necessary for



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enlightenment. His understanding of the role of sin as a part of

his nature ultimately leads John to live with the fact that he too

will sin.


Documents

Literary Devices Workshop 2010