“The Dwarf” By Ray Bradbury p. 283 “Ralph sat cold and waxen in his glass coffin, laying out the cards, his eyes fixed, his mouth stiff.”
This passage compares Ralph’s ticket booth to a coffin. It’s an effective use of a metaphor because it foreshadows something bad to happen (perhaps the death of Ralph or the death of the dwarf, or even the death of Ralph’s friendship with Aimee). It also makes us picture Ralph as “cold and waxen” inside the “coffin.” He’s not a warm, lovable character but a creepy one that you’d rather not meet at the end of an empty pier. Since he continues playing cards in this scene even after Aimee approaches, it helps confirm the readers’ feeling that Ralph is comfortable being the “cold” and heartless person that he is.
Passage: She craved the smell of the studio’s wood floors and felt the reborn the second she inhaled the clean, crisp air that hummed from the ceiling vents. She loved being surrounded by mirrors and pretending that she was a professional dancer. (pg#1)
Response: The author uses sensory language. This helps the reader feel what Alicia is feeling, seeing, and smelling. This also helps introduce were the character is and who the character is. A dancer in a dance studio.
"Elinor spent a couple of miserable days and nights in her cellar. The man built like a wardrobe brought them something to eat morning and evening----- at least, they assumed it was morning and evening, always supposing that Darius's watch was still keeping time. When the bulky figure first appeared with bread and a plastic bottle of water, she had thrown the bottle at his head. Or rather, she'd tried to, but the colossus ducked just in time and the bottle burst against the wall."
This passage compares a man to a wardrobe. It's a really great simile because wardrobe's are sort of closed off and silent. This suggests that the man is quiet, and maybe even living in his own world, not really caring about anything or anyone. After reading on, I found that he doesn't really talk, and shows hardly any emotion except in causing pain and misery to others. He's a boring character to read about, almost as boring as a description of a wardrobe.
“The Jiet River lay before them, as thick and turgid as a gorged snake, its crosshatched surface reflecting the same ghastly hue that pervaded the Burning Plains. Even when a splotch of undiluted light happened to fall upon the river, the water appeared chalky white, opaque and opalescent—almost as if it were the milk of some fearsome beast—and seemed to glow with an eerie luminescence all its own.”
This is using at least three different literary techniques—imagery, simile and tone. I’m going to focus on tone, however, because this entire scene gave me the creeps. The subtle use of words such as ‘turgid,’ ‘ghastly,’ ‘splotch,’ or ‘eerie’ made me shiver without even realizing it. Christopher Paolini paints an absolutely grotesque scene of a ‘river’ in your mind; however, while reading, I didn’t think about is as a river. To me, and because of the use of words, similes and tone, this river seems more like a malevolent being than anything, an evil, cruel god that would wreak havoc and misery at the slightest chance. By comparing it to the ‘milk of some fearsome beast’ I conclude that this river is a thoroughly unappetizing, unhealthy thing—like no one would want to drink it or bathe in it. I certainly wouldn’t, after a description like that. The river seems to be some creepy thing that people shy away from, like the neighborhood ‘haunted’ house or that one hotel room that someone supposedly died in. It occurs to me that those situations are similar to the Jiet River; no one wants to go near them, just as it seems people avoid the river. It’s almost supernatural. –Helene F, 3B
“And then I remembered something- a morning of internet research that seemed a lifetime ago now. Sitting at the old desk in my room at Charlie’s house with grey light glowing dully through the window staring at my ancient , wheezing computer, reading avidly through a website called ‘Vampires A-Z’.”
This is an example of Imagery. It uses very descriptive vocabulary to paint a picture in your mind. Think back to when computers were huge monsters that “wheezed” and gave off an ominous glow based off a grayscale. When I read this passage, I saw it in my head as a black and white film where the camera is outside the house and looks in the window and goes in to where the character is. This makes the already tumultuous sub-plot from the context of this passage, even more eerie. This passage is a very descriptive cinematic part of the story.
“The Book Thief” By Markus Zusak Pg. 208 “Next to the wall, The Standover Man sat, numb and gratified, like a beautiful itch at Liesel Merminger’s feet.”
The technique used here is a simile, though I believe it is highly unusual. The author compares a book –or rather, a homemade “book” called The Standover Man written and given to Liesel by the Jew hiding in her basement- to an itch at her feet. The similarity between the two is not especially obvious. But perhaps the book is a sort of a sublime thing to Liesel; something so profound and noticeable in feeling, like an itch. It’s strange because we think of an itch as being irritating, but the author describes this particular itch to be beautiful. Max gave it to Liesel in return for the hug she gave him on her birthday. He was very grateful for this gesture. So maybe this beautiful itch is a symbol of their friendship, lying there seemingly conspicuously as they both sleep side by side, Liesel’s hand on Max’s shoulder. This book could also be an itch in Liesel’s life, like all books must have been to her. She experienced tragedy earlier in the book: with her brother dead and her parents possibly persecuted for being communists. Once she learned to read in her new foster home, it became a practice of placation in a chaotic world. She built a relationship with her Papa on her reading, and always treasured books. She already stole a couple. The narrator of The Book Thief, Death, assures us that this is only the start of Liesel’s career, hence the title of the novel. Liesel’s love for books may be the most prominent theme in the story. Her love for books is like an itch, but not irritating in that it needs a response or a scratch, but provocative in that it demands attention.
“Uncle Tom’s Cabin” by Harriet Beecher Stowe p. 359
“These words, sung by voices of a peculiar and melancholy sweetness, in an air which seemed like the sighing of earthly despair after heavenly hope, floated through the dark prison-rooms with a pathetic cadence, as verse after verse was breathed out,”
This passage compares lyrics to the sighing of earthly despair after heavenly hope. It’s a great simile because they women singing the words are slaves about to be sold at a slave auction. They may have thought that they would be separated but will meet again in heaven or that they will be sold to the same master, but after these thoughts they remember that they still have to live through the despair or hurt on earth. The way they sing is beautiful and sweet even though they are about to live through great terror. Their feelings are reflected in the air or tone of the slave warehouse.
Passage: “…I remember his standing in front of the cabin with his horse saddled, his gun in his scabbard, and his bedroll tied on back of the cantle. I remember how tall and straight and handsome he looked, with his high-crowned hat and his black mustaches drooping in cow-horn curves past the corners of his mouth.”
Response: This passage uses the literary technique of imagery or figurative language. I can see Travis’ papa clearly in my head just by the little details the author gives us. Therefore, this is making a picture in our mind so that we can have a little movie of how the characters look. This is a very important passage because it shows us the character’s personality in a unique way. By adding a gun in a scabbard, it shows he is prepared to herd cattle or hunt. It may also show he is prepared to protect himself, in case of the event of an Indian attack. When the author describes Papa with his mustaches drooping in cow-horn curves past the corners of his mouth, he illustrates the fashion of men during the post civil war. In conclusion, imagery was a massive literary technique in this passage.
"Eclipse" By Stephanie Meyer pg.400 “The wolf’s muzzle fell open, pulling back over his teeth. It would have been a frightening expression, except that his tongue lolled out to the side in a wolfy grin.”
This passage is showing Bella witnessing the meeting between the Cullen family and Sam’s pack. She is looking at Jacob, the wolf that is being described in the passage. The passage is an example of imagery. I think that Stephanie Meyer’s writing is enhanced much more through her style of writing due to her use of expression. Her use of describing these fantasy-like characters, such as, vampires and werewolves, I believe is what intrigues her reader’s. Her usage of description is very clever in writing the Twilight series.
“Though the hand of faith still held to the eternal rock, it was with a numb, despairing grasp”
The passage shows strong personification. It is showing that Tom’s faith and optimism still hold strong in his heart and soul but, they are being silently masked or replaced by an unknown mindset. The way Harriet Beecher Stowe refers Tom’s undying faith as a hand and how it is “still held to the eternal rock” shows the strength and importance religion is in Tom’s life. Also the ending section of the quote shows how the trails in Tom’s present livelihood are slowly releasing the strength of his faith. It also shows that slowly Tom situation is making it difficult for his faith remaining present. By referring to the oncoming stress in his life to a numb and despairing grasp shows the reader how even Tom’s faith is clearly affected by his unbearable situation. This quote makes me fear for Tom’s future because, if this extreme hostility between Tom and his Master continues and Tom looses all faith in himself and his religion, his life could come to a tragic and complete close.
Turnabout By: Margaret Peterson Haddix page# 10 Passage: “Melly went through the paces as stoically as a lab rat.” Response: This passage is comparing Melly to a lab rat through a metaphor. It is relating her experience to the fact that she goes through a series of tests without emotion. Also, this is routine for her and she feels like a lab rat because she is under observation by scientists and doctors. She has been this way for about half of her life after agreeing to be tested on in an experiment for a scientific breakthrough. This is important to the story because it describes Melly’s feelings that have most likely changed very little because she had donated her body to science. The scientists closely observe her as a subject of one of their experiments, much as they would a lab rat. They run her through a routine of tests to continue to observe the effects of their experiment on her. Thus in the end, Melly is treated and more or less feels like a lab rat.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin By Harriet Beecher Stowe Page 459
Passage:
“The child lay panting on her pillows, as one exhausted,-the large clear eyes rolled up and fixed. And, what said those eyes, that spoke so much of heaven? Earth was past, and earthly pain; but so solemn, so mysterious, was the triumphant brightness of that face, that it choked even the sobs of sorrow. They pressed around her, in breathless stillness. ‘Eva,’ said St.Clare, gently. She did not hear. ‘Oh, Eva, tell us what you see! What is it?’ said her father. A bright, a glorious smile passed over her face, and she said, brokenly,-‘Oh, love,-joy,-peace!’ gave one sigh and passed from death unto life! ‘Farewell, beloved child! The bright eternal doors have closed after thee; we shall see thy sweet face no more. Oh, woe for them who watched thy entrance into heaven, when they shall wake and find only the cold gray sky of daily life, and thou gone forever!”
Response:
After reading this passage, I found that the literacy technique tone was used to help emphasize important things about Eva’s death. To start with, I would like to say that I believe Harriet Beecher Stowe could go both ways with the mood Eva’s death using language. She could either make the death a woeful, sorrowful thing or make it gentle, and a heavenly thing, which I think she did. I would also like to say that you should notice how I said her death and not the emotions of others, including her father, towards her death, because in that case it would be a sorrowful and woeful moment. But I believe this was a gentle and heavenly moment in this book because of the language Stowe used to manipulate this situation. Just for background knowledge, Eva had had a disease and knew she was going to die, but was happy because she longed to go to heaven and did not fear death. And when Stowe describes her of ‘triumphant brightness of the face, that choked even the sobs of sorrow’ and said that she had a ‘bright, glorious smile….over her face’ you know that she felt no emotional pain or fear which gives this scene a sense of stillness and gentleness. Eva also says, when asked, what she sees, and she answers, ‘love, joy, and peace’ which gives her death a sense of glory, because you know she is close to heaven. The passage also says “Earth was past, and so was earthly pain,” which you can gather that Eva is at a heavenly place, where she no longer is of human pain or emotional pain but of enlightenment. Reading this passage, may I dare say due to my major masculinity, made me even shed a tear or two which I know Mrs. Stowe would smile at if she knew she made a stone, or should I say mountain, crack like that.
Thank you, and with all due respect, your student, Tim S, 3b
"Simon's voice became ice-cold. "I wouldn't say any more if I were you, Fox. Don't want yourself Consumed, do you?"
This is a metaphor when it says that Simon's voice became "ice-cold." It is comparing his voice to the feeling of ice cold. This implements that the following phrases that Simon would say would be very stern and would be important. As I was reading this, it also gave me a creepy sort of feeling for Simon.
“Uncle Toms Cabin” Harriet Beecher Stowe pg. 320 “Have you ever made any provisions for your servants, in case of your death?”
Harriet Beecher Stowe in this book uses many literary devices in her book Uncle Tom’s Cabin but I feel the most important to the story as of now would be, foreshadowing. This is Miss Ophelia speaking to St.Clare. They go on to talk about what would happen to the servants if he were to die. In the passage Miss Ophelia knitting and then suddenly says this to St.Clare, which he is taken back by. This becomes important later because he is murdered by a group of people who come into his house. It is interesting to see that the question is so sudden and his death is as well. I think it is sad that St.Clare never makes provisions because after he dies the slaves are sold to a slave warehouse by Marie. You could even say Harriet foreshadows things of Marie because after Eva’s death she “begins to have hysterical spasms”(309) and is concerned only about her feelings and not the sadness and suffering of the rest of them because of Eva. It is not surprising that she sell the slaves after St. Clare dies be cause she is selfish.
"lucy's head popped up. "I wake up" she chirped. Yes you did and Im glad. Said martha..." I two," Lucy said emphatically. With a bounce , she rose to her feet, holding out both hands, ten fingers displayed. "two" "Almost three," said martha " and how old am I?" "two." No, I'm Twelve, say twelve" "telve" lucy replied."
This passage uses Dialect with Martha's two year old sister, lucy. It leaves out some letters to make it sound much like a two year old wouldin real life, and how they would speak. For example leaving the 'w' out of twelve creates the correct dialet, as many young children around the age of two, do not pronounce their 'W's or "J's.
“Roran twisted in the saddle, searching the camp for his next opponent. His muscles vibrated with frantic excitement; every detail around him was as sharp and clear as if it were etched in glass. He felt invincible, invulnerable. Time itself seemed to stretch and slow, so that a confused moth that fluttered past him appeared to be flying through honey instead of air.”
There are two examples of literary techniques used in this passage and I’d like to touch on both of them. One of them is a simile and the other is sensory language. I’ll start with sensory language. The passage uses sensory language by describing his muscles vibrating and time stretching, both exemplifying the sense of touch. This really helps us see clearer what is going on in this situation and lays out for us how confident Roran must’ve been at this moment to be battling all of these men of Galbatorix’s army. This shows us that Roran is very strong and true to what he believes in, and if this means killing this small army of Galbatorix’s men, he’ll do it because that’s the kind of person he is. Also, there is an example of a simile. The details around Roran are compared to etches in glass. This tells us that Roran was very alert in this situation and he was ready more than ever to fight until death and charge those men to make them wish they never were born. I think both of these literary techniques are very effective because they are written very well and flow well with the rest of the story. Also, their message that they enhance is very clear to anyone who reads the passage. Since Roran and the others do defeat Galbatorix’s men, this confirms that Roran really is dedicated to what he believes in.
"I remembered the first day I'd come to Forks High School-how desperately I'd wished that I could turn gray, fade into the wet concrete of the sidewalk like an oversized chameleon."
This is an example of a hyperbole. Bella is expressing how much she just wanted to disappear from everything around her. She uses this to emphasis the feeling that she was experiencing. Her explanation was obviously an exaggeration.
"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" By J.K. Rowling pg. 255
“Dumbledore now took out his wand and tapped three times upon the top of the casket. The lid creaked slowly open. Dumbledore reached inside it and pulled out a large, roughly hewn wooden cup. It would have been entirely unremarkable had it not been full to the brim with dancing blue-white flames.”
This passage represents imagery by describing the appearance of the Goblet of Fire. I think that this passage is a climax point to set the reader’s mood. This is leading up to Dumbledore explaining the Triwizard Tournament. It also leads up to the beginning of the tournament. So she uses this passage as a descriptive way to lead up to one of the most important events in this book.
Breaking Dawn, Stephenie Meyer, page 90 Passage: "I wrapped my fingers around his wrist and tried to pry his arm off his face, but i could have been yanking on a sculpture for all the good it did me." Response: this is an example of a metaphor, because it is comparing one thing as if it were something else in order to help the reader understand the situation. i liked this passage because it is showing how Edward is so much stronger than Bella and how all of her stregnth isn't enough to make him budge. Also, the mentioning of how Edward is like a sculpture refers to other characteristics of Edward. for example how Bella describes his skin is as smooth, tough, and cold as stone can be resembled to a sculpture aswell.
The Swiss family Robinson Johann Whyss pg#109 Carson.w 3B
Passage: “it’s awfully high! I wish one would fall down! Scarcely as he had uttered these words than, as if by magic, down plumped a huge coconut at his feet.”
Response: this is a great example of irony because as Edmund wishes a coconut to fall and it does, and later you find out it was a monkey throwing it at him almost like he understood.
20 comments:
“The Dwarf” By Ray Bradbury p. 283
“Ralph sat cold and waxen in his glass coffin, laying out the cards, his eyes fixed, his mouth stiff.”
This passage compares Ralph’s ticket booth to a coffin. It’s an effective use of a metaphor because it foreshadows something bad to happen (perhaps the death of Ralph or the death of the dwarf, or even the death of Ralph’s friendship with Aimee). It also makes us picture Ralph as “cold and waxen” inside the “coffin.” He’s not a warm, lovable character but a creepy one that you’d rather not meet at the end of an empty pier. Since he continues playing cards in this scene even after Aimee approaches, it helps confirm the readers’ feeling that Ralph is comfortable being the “cold” and heartless person that he is.
Revenge Of The Wannabes. by: Lisi Harrison
Passage: She craved the smell of the studio’s wood floors and felt the reborn the second she inhaled the clean, crisp air that hummed from the ceiling vents. She loved being surrounded by mirrors and pretending that she was a professional dancer. (pg#1)
Response: The author uses sensory language. This helps the reader feel what Alicia is feeling, seeing, and smelling. This also helps introduce were the character is and who the character is. A dancer in a dance studio.
"Inkspell" by Cornelia Funke p. 283
"Elinor spent a couple of miserable days and nights in her cellar. The man built like a wardrobe brought them something to eat morning and evening----- at least, they assumed it was morning and evening, always supposing that Darius's watch was still keeping time. When the bulky figure first appeared with bread and a plastic bottle of water, she had thrown the bottle at his head. Or rather, she'd tried to, but the colossus ducked just in time and the bottle burst against the wall."
This passage compares a man to a wardrobe. It's a really great simile because wardrobe's are sort of closed off and silent. This suggests that the man is quiet, and maybe even living in his own world, not really caring about anything or anyone. After reading on, I found that he doesn't really talk, and shows hardly any emotion except in causing pain and misery to others. He's a boring character to read about, almost as boring as a description of a wardrobe.
~ betsyl, 3b
"Eldest" Christopher Paolini
Page 581
“The Jiet River lay before them, as thick and turgid as a gorged snake, its crosshatched surface reflecting the same ghastly hue that pervaded the Burning Plains. Even when a splotch of undiluted light happened to fall upon the river, the water appeared chalky white, opaque and opalescent—almost as if it were the milk of some fearsome beast—and seemed to glow with an eerie luminescence all its own.”
This is using at least three different literary techniques—imagery, simile and tone. I’m going to focus on tone, however, because this entire scene gave me the creeps. The subtle use of words such as ‘turgid,’ ‘ghastly,’ ‘splotch,’ or ‘eerie’ made me shiver without even realizing it. Christopher Paolini paints an absolutely grotesque scene of a ‘river’ in your mind; however, while reading, I didn’t think about is as a river. To me, and because of the use of words, similes and tone, this river seems more like a malevolent being than anything, an evil, cruel god that would wreak havoc and misery at the slightest chance. By comparing it to the ‘milk of some fearsome beast’ I conclude that this river is a thoroughly unappetizing, unhealthy thing—like no one would want to drink it or bathe in it. I certainly wouldn’t, after a description like that. The river seems to be some creepy thing that people shy away from, like the neighborhood ‘haunted’ house or that one hotel room that someone supposedly died in. It occurs to me that those situations are similar to the Jiet River; no one wants to go near them, just as it seems people avoid the river. It’s almost supernatural. –Helene F, 3B
Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer, page 125
“And then I remembered something- a morning of internet research that seemed a lifetime ago now. Sitting at the old desk in my room at Charlie’s house with grey light glowing dully through the window staring at my ancient , wheezing computer, reading avidly through a website called ‘Vampires A-Z’.”
This is an example of Imagery. It uses very descriptive vocabulary to paint a picture in your mind. Think back to when computers were huge monsters that “wheezed” and gave off an ominous glow based off a grayscale. When I read this passage, I saw it in my head as a black and white film where the camera is outside the house and looks in the window and goes in to where the character is. This makes the already tumultuous sub-plot from the context of this passage, even more eerie. This passage is a very descriptive cinematic part of the story.
“The Book Thief” By Markus Zusak Pg. 208
“Next to the wall, The Standover Man sat, numb and gratified, like a beautiful itch at Liesel Merminger’s feet.”
The technique used here is a simile, though I believe it is highly unusual. The author compares a book –or rather, a homemade “book” called The Standover Man written and given to Liesel by the Jew hiding in her basement- to an itch at her feet. The similarity between the two is not especially obvious. But perhaps the book is a sort of a sublime thing to Liesel; something so profound and noticeable in feeling, like an itch. It’s strange because we think of an itch as being irritating, but the author describes this particular itch to be beautiful. Max gave it to Liesel in return for the hug she gave him on her birthday. He was very grateful for this gesture. So maybe this beautiful itch is a symbol of their friendship, lying there seemingly conspicuously as they both sleep side by side, Liesel’s hand on Max’s shoulder. This book could also be an itch in Liesel’s life, like all books must have been to her. She experienced tragedy earlier in the book: with her brother dead and her parents possibly persecuted for being communists. Once she learned to read in her new foster home, it became a practice of placation in a chaotic world. She built a relationship with her Papa on her reading, and always treasured books. She already stole a couple. The narrator of The Book Thief, Death, assures us that this is only the start of Liesel’s career, hence the title of the novel. Liesel’s love for books may be the most prominent theme in the story. Her love for books is like an itch, but not irritating in that it needs a response or a scratch, but provocative in that it demands attention.
“Uncle Tom’s Cabin” by Harriet Beecher Stowe p. 359
“These words, sung by voices of a peculiar and melancholy sweetness, in an air which seemed like the sighing of earthly despair after heavenly hope, floated through the dark prison-rooms with a pathetic cadence, as verse after verse was breathed out,”
This passage compares lyrics to the sighing of earthly despair after heavenly hope. It’s a great simile because they women singing the words are slaves about to be sold at a slave auction. They may have thought that they would be separated but will meet again in heaven or that they will be sold to the same master, but after these thoughts they remember that they still have to live through the despair or hurt on earth. The way they sing is beautiful and sweet even though they are about to live through great terror. Their feelings are reflected in the air or tone of the slave warehouse.
Old Yeller
Fred Gipson
Pg. # 2
Passage: “…I remember his standing in front of the cabin with his horse saddled, his gun in his scabbard, and his bedroll tied on back of the cantle. I remember how tall and straight and handsome he looked, with his high-crowned hat and his black mustaches drooping in cow-horn curves past the corners of his mouth.”
Response: This passage uses the literary technique of imagery or figurative language. I can see Travis’ papa clearly in my head just by the little details the author gives us. Therefore, this is making a picture in our mind so that we can have a little movie of how the characters look. This is a very important passage because it shows us the character’s personality in a unique way. By adding a gun in a scabbard, it shows he is prepared to herd cattle or hunt. It may also show he is prepared to protect himself, in case of the event of an Indian attack. When the author describes Papa with his mustaches drooping in cow-horn curves past the corners of his mouth, he illustrates the fashion of men during the post civil war. In conclusion, imagery was a massive literary technique in this passage.
"Eclipse" By Stephanie Meyer pg.400
“The wolf’s muzzle fell open, pulling back over his teeth. It would have been a frightening expression, except that his tongue lolled out to the side in a wolfy grin.”
This passage is showing Bella witnessing the meeting between the Cullen family and Sam’s pack. She is looking at Jacob, the wolf that is being described in the passage. The passage is an example of imagery. I think that Stephanie Meyer’s writing is enhanced much more through her style of writing due to her use of expression. Her use of describing these fantasy-like characters, such as, vampires and werewolves, I believe is what intrigues her reader’s. Her usage of description is very clever in writing the Twilight series.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Page 399
“Though the hand of faith still held to the eternal rock, it was with a numb, despairing grasp”
The passage shows strong personification. It is showing that Tom’s faith and optimism still hold strong in his heart and soul but, they are being silently masked or replaced by an unknown mindset. The way Harriet Beecher Stowe refers Tom’s undying faith as a hand and how it is “still held to the eternal rock” shows the strength and importance religion is in Tom’s life. Also the ending section of the quote shows how the trails in Tom’s present livelihood are slowly releasing the strength of his faith. It also shows that slowly Tom situation is making it difficult for his faith remaining present. By referring to the oncoming stress in his life to a numb and despairing grasp shows the reader how even Tom’s faith is clearly affected by his unbearable situation. This quote makes me fear for Tom’s future because, if this extreme hostility between Tom and his Master continues and Tom looses all faith in himself and his religion, his life could come to a tragic and complete close.
Turnabout By: Margaret Peterson Haddix page# 10
Passage: “Melly went through the paces as stoically as a lab rat.”
Response: This passage is comparing Melly to a lab rat through a metaphor. It is relating her experience to the fact that she goes through a series of tests without emotion. Also, this is routine for her and she feels like a lab rat because she is under observation by scientists and doctors. She has been this way for about half of her life after agreeing to be tested on in an experiment for a scientific breakthrough. This is important to the story because it describes Melly’s feelings that have most likely changed very little because she had donated her body to science. The scientists closely observe her as a subject of one of their experiments, much as they would a lab rat. They run her through a routine of tests to continue to observe the effects of their experiment on her. Thus in the end, Melly is treated and more or less feels like a lab rat.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
By Harriet Beecher Stowe
Page 459
Passage:
“The child lay panting on her pillows, as one exhausted,-the large clear eyes rolled up and fixed. And, what said those eyes, that spoke so much of heaven? Earth was past, and earthly pain; but so solemn, so mysterious, was the triumphant brightness of that face, that it choked even the sobs of sorrow. They pressed around her, in breathless stillness.
‘Eva,’ said St.Clare, gently.
She did not hear.
‘Oh, Eva, tell us what you see! What is it?’ said her father.
A bright, a glorious smile passed over her face, and she said, brokenly,-‘Oh, love,-joy,-peace!’ gave one sigh and passed from death unto life!
‘Farewell, beloved child! The bright eternal doors have closed after thee; we shall see thy sweet face no more. Oh, woe for them who watched thy entrance into heaven, when they shall wake and find only the cold gray sky of daily life, and thou gone forever!”
Response:
After reading this passage, I found that the literacy technique tone was used to help emphasize important things about Eva’s death. To start with, I would like to say that I believe Harriet Beecher Stowe could go both ways with the mood Eva’s death using language. She could either make the death a woeful, sorrowful thing or make it gentle, and a heavenly thing, which I think she did. I would also like to say that you should notice how I said her death and not the emotions of others, including her father, towards her death, because in that case it would be a sorrowful and woeful moment. But I believe this was a gentle and heavenly moment in this book because of the language Stowe used to manipulate this situation. Just for background knowledge, Eva had had a disease and knew she was going to die, but was happy because she longed to go to heaven and did not fear death. And when Stowe describes her of ‘triumphant brightness of the face, that choked even the sobs of sorrow’ and said that she had a ‘bright, glorious smile….over her face’ you know that she felt no emotional pain or fear which gives this scene a sense of stillness and gentleness. Eva also says, when asked, what she sees, and she answers, ‘love, joy, and peace’ which gives her death a sense of glory, because you know she is close to heaven. The passage also says “Earth was past, and so was earthly pain,” which you can gather that Eva is at a heavenly place, where she no longer is of human pain or emotional pain but of enlightenment. Reading this passage, may I dare say due to my major masculinity, made me even shed a tear or two which I know Mrs. Stowe would smile at if she knew she made a stone, or should I say mountain, crack like that.
Thank you, and with all due respect, your student,
Tim S, 3b
"Flyte" by Angie Sage. pg 395
"Simon's voice became ice-cold. "I wouldn't say any more if I were you, Fox. Don't want yourself Consumed, do you?"
This is a metaphor when it says that Simon's voice became "ice-cold." It is comparing his voice to the feeling of ice cold. This implements that the following phrases that Simon would say would be very stern and would be important. As I was reading this, it also gave me a creepy sort of feeling for Simon.
“Uncle Toms Cabin” Harriet Beecher Stowe pg. 320
“Have you ever made any provisions for your servants, in case of your death?”
Harriet Beecher Stowe in this book uses many literary devices in her book Uncle Tom’s Cabin but I feel the most important to the story as of now would be, foreshadowing. This is Miss Ophelia speaking to St.Clare. They go on to talk about what would happen to the servants if he were to die. In the passage Miss Ophelia knitting and then suddenly says this to St.Clare, which he is taken back by. This becomes important later because he is murdered by a group of people who come into his house. It is interesting to see that the question is so sudden and his death is as well. I think it is sad that St.Clare never makes provisions because after he dies the slaves are sold to a slave warehouse by Marie. You could even say Harriet foreshadows things of Marie because after Eva’s death she “begins to have hysterical spasms”(309) and is concerned only about her feelings and not the sadness and suffering of the rest of them because of Eva. It is not surprising that she sell the slaves after St. Clare dies be cause she is selfish.
"Olive's Ocean" By Kevin Henkes, Pg.11
"lucy's head popped up. "I wake up" she chirped. Yes you did and Im glad. Said martha..." I two," Lucy said emphatically. With a bounce , she rose to her feet, holding out both hands, ten fingers displayed. "two"
"Almost three," said martha " and how old am I?"
"two."
No, I'm Twelve, say twelve"
"telve" lucy replied."
This passage uses Dialect with Martha's two year old sister, lucy. It leaves out some letters to make it sound much like a two year old wouldin real life, and how they would speak. For example leaving the 'w' out of twelve creates the correct dialet, as many young children around the age of two, do not pronounce their 'W's or "J's.
Brisingr by Christopher Paolini pg.428
“Roran twisted in the saddle, searching the camp for his next opponent. His muscles vibrated with frantic excitement; every detail around him was as sharp and clear as if it were etched in glass. He felt invincible, invulnerable. Time itself seemed to stretch and slow, so that a confused moth that fluttered past him appeared to be flying through honey instead of air.”
There are two examples of literary techniques used in this passage and I’d like to touch on both of them. One of them is a simile and the other is sensory language. I’ll start with sensory language. The passage uses sensory language by describing his muscles vibrating and time stretching, both exemplifying the sense of touch. This really helps us see clearer what is going on in this situation and lays out for us how confident Roran must’ve been at this moment to be battling all of these men of Galbatorix’s army. This shows us that Roran is very strong and true to what he believes in, and if this means killing this small army of Galbatorix’s men, he’ll do it because that’s the kind of person he is. Also, there is an example of a simile. The details around Roran are compared to etches in glass. This tells us that Roran was very alert in this situation and he was ready more than ever to fight until death and charge those men to make them wish they never were born. I think both of these literary techniques are very effective because they are written very well and flow well with the rest of the story. Also, their message that they enhance is very clear to anyone who reads the passage. Since Roran and the others do defeat Galbatorix’s men, this confirms that Roran really is dedicated to what he believes in.
New Moon by: Stephanie Meyer pg.152
"I remembered the first day I'd come to Forks High School-how desperately I'd wished that I could turn gray, fade into the wet concrete of the sidewalk like an oversized chameleon."
This is an example of a hyperbole. Bella is expressing how much she just wanted to disappear from everything around her. She uses this to emphasis the feeling that she was experiencing. Her explanation was obviously an exaggeration.
"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" By J.K. Rowling pg. 255
“Dumbledore now took out his wand and tapped three times upon the top of the casket. The lid creaked slowly open. Dumbledore reached inside it and pulled out a large, roughly hewn wooden cup. It would have been entirely unremarkable had it not been full to the brim with dancing blue-white flames.”
This passage represents imagery by describing the appearance of the Goblet of Fire. I think that this passage is a climax point to set the reader’s mood. This is leading up to Dumbledore explaining the Triwizard Tournament. It also leads up to the beginning of the tournament. So she uses this passage as a descriptive way to lead up to one of the most important events in this book.
Breaking Dawn, Stephenie Meyer, page 90
Passage: "I wrapped my fingers around his wrist and tried to pry his arm off his face, but i could have been yanking on a sculpture for all the good it did me."
Response: this is an example of a metaphor, because it is comparing one thing as if it were something else in order to help the reader understand the situation. i liked this passage because it is showing how Edward is so much stronger than Bella and how all of her stregnth isn't enough to make him budge. Also, the mentioning of how Edward is like a sculpture refers to other characteristics of Edward. for example how Bella describes his skin is as smooth, tough, and cold as stone can be resembled to a sculpture aswell.
The Swiss family Robinson Johann Whyss pg#109
Carson.w 3B
Passage: “it’s awfully high! I wish one would fall down! Scarcely as he had uttered these words than, as if by magic, down plumped a huge coconut at his feet.”
Response: this is a great example of irony because as Edmund wishes a coconut to fall and it does, and later you find out it was a monkey throwing it at him almost like he understood.
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