In W.P. Kinsella’s novel, Shoeless Joe, Kinsella developed his story on the famous baseball player Shoeless Joe Jackson and the famous Black Sox Scandal. Kinsella used many literary devices throughout the story. The main literary device used is, imagery. In the novel, Kinsella uses imagery to enhance the reader's experience. There are three prominent imagery scenes in this novel.
In her memoir, The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls describes her unique childhood through motifs, complex symbolism, and progressive tones in order to demonstrate how one’s past positively influences their future. Throughout her writing, Jeannette implements the rhetorical device of a motif in order to demonstrate to her audience how the recurring themes affected her future. Beginning when Jeannette was only three years old and continuing into her time as an adult, the Walls family used the phrase, “doing the skedaddle” (10) to represent their need to move. Seeing as most children and families do not move as frequently as the Walls did, “doing the skedaddle” was their way of turning a normally tragic thing into something lighthearted, if not almost humorous.
The Facade of Gatsby’s Parties The figurative language and syntax on page 41 conveys the fallacy of the people at Gatsby's parties. Page 41 begins to describe one of Gatsby’s parties using many forms of figurative language. People arrive with their “hair shorn in strange new ways, and shawls beyond the dreams of Castile,” decked out in their fancy clothes, desperate to be the center of attention.
Gatsby hosts extravagant parties in an effort not only to boost his social status, but also to look for Daisy. Many wealthy, and often wild people attend these large social events held by Mr. Gatsby. Some of the guests even come lacking an invitation, “Sometimes they came and went without having met Gatsby at all, came for the party with a simplicity of heart that was its own ticket of admission.” (41)
The 1920s was a time of flamboyance and wealth in the upper class. Jay Gatsby, a man of old money, threw over the top parties, in which he would spend his money very nonchalantly. The ambiance of his parties greatly illustrated the upper class of the time. The author uses symbolism and characterization to support the central idea that the upper class was very careless, wealthy, and extravagant. Gatsby’s parties are luxurious, glamorous, and over the top.
This incredibly humorous idea, of the stag and hen night before the wedding, gives the audience a clear and simple over view of the lifestyles present in the 1980s, as characters throughout the play give out continuous hints regarding: sexual references, alcohol and sexism, which could have been a personal choice by Rourke to present
In the short story, “Marigolds,” the author, Eugenia Collier, acknowledges the universal theme that people can create beauty in even the most dreariest of places. The story takes place in Maryland during the Great Depression. Lizabeth, the main character, is an adult looking back to the time when she had transitioned from childhood to womanhood. Miss Lottie, an old woman who lived in a shabby, broken down house, planted marigolds. As a child, Lizabeth had thought Miss Lottie to be a witch and despised the marigolds because it did not match the poverty and sadness that surrounded her.
INTRODUCTION Descriptive and figurative language is a way for an author to express and bring their characters’ life and experiences to life. Descriptive language is used to create images that appeal to the reader’s senses. Helping the reader to get a clear picture of how the subject looks, feels, smell or taste. In Vertigo, Amanda Lohrey uses descriptive language to bring the characters to life. She uses this to layer the emotions as they lead up to the climax.
The story opens with Mrs. Wright imprisoned for strangling her husband. A group, the mostly composed of men, travel to the Wright house in the hopes that they find incriminating evidence against Mrs. Wright. Instead, the two women of the group discover evidence of Mr. Wright’s abuse of his wife. Through the women’s unique perspective, the reader glimpses the reality of the situation and realizes that, though it seemed unreasonable at the time, Mrs. Wright had carefully calculated her actions. When asked about the Wrights, one of the women, Mrs. Hale, replies “I don’t think a place would be a cheerful for John Wright’s being in it” (“A Jury of Her Peers” 7).
According to the Webster Dictionary, the definition of a superstition is an “excessively credulous belief in and reverence for supernatural beings”. In The Article, “Embrace the Supernatural” by Thorin Klosowski, Dr. Vyse talks about ways superstitions can be helpful and damaging. Even though sometimes people think superstitions are crazy, they can give a sense of control when we are nervous. Dr. Vyse states, “Superstitious rituals can give us a sense of control when we’re feeling anxious or when we don’t have a lot of control over a situation. This illusory feeling of control can enhance real control and boost performance in some situations” (lines 211-217).
As soon as Isabel notices her parents are attending the same show as her and her new boyfriend, she intricately details their current state and, in turn, this detail-orientation creates amusement. Isabel begins her description by comparing her mother’s outfit to a “willow tree”. De Botton uses this simile disguised as an insult to portray Isabel’s mother’s character as one of whom Isabel does not approve; it additionally implies her old age from which Isabel wishes to distance herself. Furthermore, de Botton foreshadows family crisis and turmoil in his introduction suggesting that Isabel’s mother has multiple “gentleman friends” as Isabel hopes “she didn’t come with one” of them. Not only is her mother unfaithful to her father, but, “with any luck, they’ll be too busy arguing to glance up” at Isabel and her date indicating an unhappy marriage.
In order to portray this shift to the reader, she relied on details she experienced through touch or thought, and in doing so, kept the reader engaged throughout her
Tom’s and Gatsby’s party differed in almost every aspect possible. While Tom’s party was a small party to assert his dominance to his mistress and friends, Gatsby’s party was to lure and impress the love of his life. Tom’s party displayed his snobby old money ideals by not spending much money and effort, while Gatsby’s party symbolized new money with its excessive and flaunting spending and grandiose show. The level of intimacy at both parties differed significantly. Despite Tom’s party being small, it was far from intimate with all the guests budging into all conversations, Nick couldn’t even have a talk with Catherine long enough without Ms. Mckee budging in.
In the short story “Birthday Party” by Katharine Brush, may literary devices are used to achieve a purpose. Brush uses devices such as imagery, diction, oxymoron, and repetition to convey a birthday surprise gone wrong. In addition to the birthday surprise, Brush also uses these devices to convey feelings. First, the short story begins with a third person point of view.
Authors use Imagery, Simile and Metaphor to put a clear picture in the reader's head. In the “Pedestrian” Simile, Imagery and metaphor are used to put a clear picture in the reader's head as well as developing the mood at the same time. In the "Pedestrian" Bradbury uses imagery, simile and metaphor to develop the futuristic setting and the mood so that the reader better understands where Mr.Mead is and what he see's.
