Literary Devices Quiz

Examples of point of view

Example # 1 Hamlet, the protagonist, explains the feeling of melancholy, which afflicts him after his father's death in the following lines (from Shakespeare's "Hamlet", Scene II of Act II). "I have of late,—but wherefore I know not,—lost all my mirth, forgone all custom of exercises; and indeed, it goes so heavily with my disposition that this goodly frame, the earth, seems to me a sterile promontory." This is one of the best first person point of view examples. The use of first person point of view gives us a glimpse into the real inner feelings of frustration of the character. The writer has utilized the first person point of view to expose Hamlet's feelings in a detailed way. Example # 2 Notice how William Wordsworth uses the first person point of view to express his subjective feelings about the scene of daffodils in his famous poem "Daffodils". "I gazed-and gazed-but little thought What wealth the show to me had brought." The use of the pronoun "I" gives a special quality to the feelings expressed in these lines. The reader can see that the poet has employed first person point of view to share with us his own personal emotions. Example #3 Ernest Hemingway in "The Sun also Rises" employs the first person point of view which is peculiar to his style. "I could picture it. I have a habit of imagining the conversations between my friends. We went out to the Cafe Napolitain to have an aperitif and watch the evening crowd on the Boulevard." The use of two first person pronouns "I" and "We" gives these lines the quality of having a first person point of view. The reader can feel like he/she is hearing the dialogue directly from the characters. Example #4 Read the following lines from "Bright Lights, Big City" by Jay Mclnemey: "You are not the kind of guy who would be at a place like this at this time of the morning. But here you are, and you cannot say that the terrain is entirely unfamiliar, although the details are fuzzy." The writer illustrates the use of second person point of view by using the pronoun "you". This technique may be a little rare but you can realize that it has its own strength of hooking the reader right from the start. Example #5 Have a look at the following lines from "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen: "When Jane and Elizabeth were alone, the former, who had been cautious in her praise of Mr. Bingley before, expressed to her sister how very much she admired him." "He is just what a young man ought to be," said she, "sensible, good humoured, lively; and I never saw such happy manners! — so much ease, with such perfect good breeding!" These lines demonstrate a fine use of the third person point of view. The excerpt shows the reader two different ways of the use of the third person point of view. Jane Austen first presents two leading characters Jane and Elizabeth, from the third person point of view and then shows us that the two characters are talking about Bingley from their own third person point of view. This can be a good example of the use of dual third person point of view — first by the author and then by the characters.

Prose examples in literatuew

Example #1 "It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen." 1984 - George Orwell Example #2 "Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show." David Copperfield - Charles Dickens Example #3 "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy These examples of prose have been taken from novels where writers have employed their imaginations. They are examples of fictional prose.

Examples of resolution in literature

Example #1 Capulet: O brother Montague, give me thy hand. This is my daughter's jointure, for no more Can I demand... Montague: But I can give thee more, For I will raise her statue in pure gold, That whiles Verona by that name is known,... As that of true and faithful Juliet... Capulet: As rich shall Romeo's by his lady's lie, Poor sacrifices of our enmity..... Prince: A glooming peace this morning with it brings. The sun, for sorrow, will not show his head.... (Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare) This is the final dialogue which takes place between Lord Capulet and Lord Montague. Seeing their beloved children, Romeo and Juliet, committing suicide for love, both the heads of the family regret their long enmity. Now both of them agree to end the dispute between their tribes to avoid and future tragedy. Example #2 "They're a rotten crowd," I shouted across the lawn. "You're worth the whole damn bunch put together....." (The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald) Concluding the story "The Great Gatsby," Nick makes his mind to return to Minnesota as an escape from the rich people. He knows that the rich people are engaged in morally worthless activities. That is why he is convinced that people in Gatsby's circle are unfaithful. Example #3 ".....That's all I'm going to tell about. I could probably tell you what I did after I went home, and how I got sick and all, and what school I'm supposed to go to next fall, after I get out of here, but I don't feel like it. I really don't. That stuff doesn't interest me too much right now..... I mean how do you know what you're going to do till you do it? The answer is, you don't. I think I am, but how do I know? I swear it's a stupid question....." (The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger) The resolution in this story takes place in the final part of the novel. Holden, the protagonist, while living in a psychiatric facility, recounts the story. He provides readers with the details of his future plans. He informs us that he will go back home and attend school, meet his parents but only after enjoying the ride of a merry-go-round in Phoebe. Example #4 Gentleman: One that gives out himself Prince Florizel/ Son of Polixenes, with his princess, she/ The fairest I have yet beheld, desires access... Leontes: What with him? he comes not/ Like to his father's greatness: his approach,... Florizel: Most royal sir, from thence; from him, whose daughter His tears proclaim'd his, parting with her: thence/ A prosperous south-wind friendly, we have cross'd... Leontes: My lord, Is this the daughter of a king? ... His tears proclaim'd his, parting with her: thence... Leontes: My lord, Is this the daughter of a king..." (The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare) In these extracted lines from "The Winter's Tale", the resolution occurs when Polixenes follows Florizel and Perdita to Sicily. After he finds out the true identity of Paulina, Polixenes and Leontes reconcile and both the families become happy. Leontes is also reunited with his family and discovers that Hermoin is alive.

Falling action examples

Example #1 Falling action in Star Wars occurs when rebels and Luke Skywalker discover a vulnerable section in the Death Star of Vader. It is up to Luke Skywalker to destroy the space ship following several failed attempts. Vader virtually hits Luke's ship; however, Han Solo saves his ship by shooting at Vader. Then, Luke uses force and destroys Death Star against all odds, and saves the rebels. Yet the story does not end here. The audience then sees the return of Han and Luke to the rebels, who receive congratulations for making heroic efforts. Then the falling action takes place when these two characters win rewards and medals from Princess Leia for saving the day. (Star Wars by George Lucas) Example #2 In Maupassant's story, "The Necklace", the rising action happens when Mathilda Loisel and her husband get invitation to a fancy ball. She then borrows a beautiful necklace from Madame Forestier, her friend. The story reaches its climax when Mathilda sees herself in full glory and realizes that she is not having it anymore. The falling action takes place when this couple is forced to live a poor life to pay the debt of the fake necklace they borrowed earlier. ("The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant) Example #3 Another good example is in the famous story of Poe, "The Cask of Amontillado." Following his wicked plan, Montresor invites Fortunato to his vault to taste the rare flavor of Amontillado, a type of wine. He makes a plan to keep Fortunato inebriated, ensuring that his glass remains full. When Fortunato starts coughing, Montresor asks him if he wants to go back, but intoxicated Fortunato insists on tasting more. The climax of the story reaches when Montresor chains him and buries him alive in a brick wall. Then falling action follows this climax, where Fortunato regains consciousness and struggles to get free of chains to call for help. Before sealing the wall, Montresor throws a torch to see if Fortunato is alive to end the story. ("The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe) Example #4 Another example of falling action is from The Fault in Our Stars, a novel by John Green. The story revolves around two teenage lovers, Hazel Grace Lancaster and Augustus Waters, who are cancer patients. The rising action takes place, when they start liking each other and the climax reaches with their tour to Amsterdam where they express their feelings and consequently their love blossoms. Nevertheless, their whirling romance comes to a halt, because Augustus' health worsens, and he sees very few chances of his survival. The falling action follows with their return to Indianapolis, where Hazel decides to be with him to take good care of him. But, deep down she is aware of this reality that he has not enough time to live. Augustus, on the other hand, thinks how he had thought that he would write eulogy for Hazel, but the situation reverses instead. (The Fault in Our Stars by John Green) Example #5 The falling action of "Romeo and Juliet" begins following rising action and climax which is reached when the lovers are killed. Then the parents and Prince discover the bodies of two lovers, and they agree to put aside their animosity in the best interest of peace. ("Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare)

Dynamic character Examples

Example #1 Harry from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets The most important conflict in this novel is the inner conflict of Harry — the reason of his being a dynamic character. He perceives that he shares some abilities similar to Tom Riddle, who becomes evil Lord Voldemort, and this makes him worried that he might also turn out to be an evil character. Dumbledore mentions Harry's presence in Gryffindor House, and Tom Riddle's in Slytherin House. Harry, in a defeated tone, says, "It only puts me in Gryffindor" because Harry did not want to go in Slytherin. Beaming again, Dumbledore says, "exactly ... Which makes you very different from Tom Riddle. It is our choices, Harry ... far more than our abilities." Harry learns this lesson about the importance of the choices one makes. It resolves around his inner conflict, making him a good example of a dynamic character. Example #2 Hamlet from Hamlet by William Shakespeare Throughout the play, Hamlet is worried about life and death, which has made him a dynamic character. The greatest fear of Hamlet is afterlife, which is quite understandable, because his father's Ghost comes out of purgatory and tells him about the horror and terror awaiting it. Because of his preoccupation with this fear, Hamlet does not act out on his desire to avenge upon Claudius. Nevertheless, when he visits graveyard and holds dead skull of the person he knows, then he becomes conscious about the inevitability of death and thinks that even great men such as Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar could not escape it. This philosophical change in his perspective about death lets him finally take revenge on King Claudius. Example #3 Jack from Lord of the Flies by William Golding There are four dynamic characters Jack, Ralph, Simon and Piggy in this novel. However, Jack is prominent among them, who is an important dynamic character, as he goes through a lot of changes during the course of the novel. On the island, he encounters life-changing experiences that develop and change him forever. He has never thought that he would live the way he lives on the island. His authoritative figure, violence and instinctual behavior make him a dynamic character. Example #4 Sydney Carton from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens Sydney Carton is another good example of a dynamic character. At the very beginning of the story, Carton thinks of himself as, "I am a disappointed drudge, sir. I care for no man on earth, and no man on earth cares for me." He throws himself in a depressed state; digging into a hole from where, he thinks, he could never come out. He is frustrated, and thinks his purpose in life is only to serve C.J. Stryver. The only beautiful part of his life is his love for Lucie Manette, hearing her news of marrying Charles Darnay, heartbroken man goes to her and reveals his feelings to her. This conversation brings a turning point in his life and he start taking care of himself and people around him.

Imagery examples in literature

Example #1 Imagery of light and darkness is repeated many times in Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet". Consider an example from Act I, Scene V: "O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear;" Romeo praises Juliet by saying that she appears more radiant than the brightly lit torches in the hall. He says that at night her face glows like a bright jewel shining against the dark skin of an African. Through the contrasting images of light and dark, Romeo portrays Juliet's beauty. Example #2 John Keats' "To the Autumn" is an ode rich with auditory imagery examples. In the last five lines of his ode he says: "Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies; And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn; Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft The redbreast whistles from a garden-croft, And gathering swallows twitter in the skies." The animal sounds in the above excerpt keep appealing to our sense of hearing. We hear the lamb bleating and the crickets chirping. We hear the whistles of the redbreast robin and the twitters of swallows in the sing. Keats call these sounds as the song of autumn. Example #3 In prose, imagery aids writers to accomplish a vivid description of events. Below is an example of an effective use of imagery from E.B. White's "Once More to the Lake": "When the others went swimming my son said he was going in, too. He pulled his dripping trunks from the line where they had hung all through the shower and wrung them out. Languidly, and with no thought of going in, I watched him, his hard little body, skinny and bare, saw him wince slightly as he pulled up around his vitals the small, soggy, icy garment. As he buckled the swollen belt, suddenly my groin felt the chill of death." The images depicting the dampness of clothes, in the above lines, convey a sense of chilly sensation that we get from wet clothes. Example #4 In "The Great Expectations" written by Charles Dickens, Pip (the hero of the novel) uses many images to describe a damp morning in a marsh: "It was a rimy morning, and very damp. I had seen the damp lying on the outside of my little window... Now, I saw the damp lying on the bare hedges and spare grass,.... On every rail and gate, wet lay clammy; and the marsh-mist was so thick, that the wooden finger on the post directing people to our village—a direction which they never accepted, for they never came there—was invisible to me until I was quite close under it." The repeated use of the words "damp" and "wet" makes us feel how rough it was for him in that damp and cold morning. The thick "marsh-mist" aids our imagination to visualize the scene of mourning in a marshland.

Examples of rising action in literature

Example 1 In her short story, Revelation, Flannery O'Connor has used a great deal of rising action. The moment when Mrs. Turpin comes into the waiting room, she becomes offensive at the surroundings around her, and considers herself higher than the homely and dirty looking patients. We see a girl, Mary Grace in a waiting room, in intense action showing her dislike towards Mrs. Turpin where she finally makes a physical attack on her by throwing a book at her. Mrs. Turpin consequently responds negatively, crying and showing anger. Example 2 The conflict begins in J.R.R. Tolkien's novel, The Hobbit, as Gandalf meets Bilbo and asks him to play the role of a burglar of dwarves' expedition to recover treasure of Thorin from Smaug. Rising action occurs as he agrees to live up and act as a burglar during this adventure. His heroism begins merely by shouting to wake up Gandalf, who rescues company from goblin, and then action slowly intensifies when he finds out the magic ring. Gradually, he overcomes difficulties by killing a big spider, and establishes his potentials as a hero and leader. Example 3 Tolstoy in his novel, Anna Karenina, draws two major stories. Rising action of major storyline begins when Vronsky starts having passionate feelings for Anna instead Kitty. Vronsky and Anna meet each other in the train station and start their secret relationship. The action further rises while their obsession turns into a love affair, and Anna decides to live with Vronsky and leave her son and husband. The second storyline is about refusal of Kitty to the marriage proposal of Konstantin Levin. Further action rises, as she moves back to the countryside in order to think about life and faces inner conflict while considering her decision. Example 4 The rising action in Stephenie Meyer's novel, Twilight, occurs as Cullen family plays vampire baseball game where Bella is looking as a spectator. During the play, some rogue vampires like James, Laurent and Victoria approach them. James feels the smell of Bella, and action rises. James chases Bella while Cullen family strives to defend her. This heightened action ultimately creates a huge climax that consequently brings many things to a head, leading to the end. Example 5 Alyson Noel has written a number of novel series and, Evermore, is the first one among them. This novel follows ventures of leading character, Ever along with a man Damen, who helped her become an immortal. Through the novel, readers learn that Damen being first immortal fell in love with Ever centuries ago. His ex-wife, however, continues trying to kill Ever's incarnations in order to keep Damen apart from Ever. Her attempts for doing this develop novel's rising action that strengthens the love story of Damen and Ever, and creates suspense towards their final combat with Drina. Example 6 In Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm' novel, Snow White and Seven Dwarfs, the rising action occurs when magic mirror of Queen warns her that she is no more the fairest lady in the land, instead it is now Snow White. Then envious Queen orders her huntsman to take her stepdaughter Snow White away from the palace in the forest and secretly kill her. Fortunately, they cannot kill and lose her in the forest where seven tiny dwarfs find her. They bring her up in their home, however, action rises another time when mirror tells the Queen that Snow White is alive.

Examples of dystopia

Example 1 Suzanne Collins depicts a government Panem and future society in her novel, The Hunger Games. Consisting of a central Capitol and twelve remote districts, Panem displays a model of dystopian society due to harsh separation and discrimination between the unkind Capitol and the poor, enslaved outlying districts. We notice throughout the novel that right from the Games to the physical reminder of the Avox servants, Panem's Capitol makes use of intimidation and violence to control its people living in the Districts. Though Capitol itself might appear utopian due to availability of great quantity of consumer goods; however, its abundance of riches comes at the expenditure of the remote Districts. Example 2 In his classic novel, 1984, George Orwell shows a dystopian society. He has written this novel to describe the future and the ways government takes advantage of new technologies in order to rule and control the people. Leading character, Winston Smith, falls in a trap where Big Brother, a leader of the party always watches him and other low-grade members of that society. Inner party members live a luxury life, while outer members live in dirty apartments. Besides, there is no emotional and mental freedom. The party does not allow anyone to rebel, even by using their minds. We see violence everywhere in the society, and majority of people are poor which further proves it as a fine example of dystopia. We notice everything goes decrepit, and its scenes are often dreary and dark. Example 3 Aldous Huxley, in his most challenging novel, Brave New World, depicts a futuristic society where individual sacrifices for the cause of state, science controls and subjugate, all types of history, and arts are outlawed. Shortly, this book perfectly fits into a classic form of dystopian literature. Huxley draws dystopia on emotional and political events. He brings dystopian setting by the mention of technology and higher authorities. With the increased use of technology, the need of human work force decreases, leaving them with a great deal of depression. The novel explores dark side of apparently successful world, where everyone looks satisfied and contented with excessive pleasures of technology, which they achieve by sacrificing their personal freedom. Example 4 Lois Lowry wrote a dystopian fiction, The Giver, because she thought it could be the best way to express her dissatisfaction about the unawareness of human beings about their dependence upon each other, their surroundings and their environment. By using ironical situations of the utopian appearances, she exposes dystopian realities in order to provoke the readers to raise questions and value their individual identities and freedom. In this novel, Jonas community has no starvation, poverty, lack of housing, unemployment and prejudice and everything seems perfect. However, as the novel advances, Jonas gets insight into people's personal lives and notices that they have given up their individualities and freedom. Besides, community is a hypocrite conforming to false ideas and becoming a bad place to live in.

Exposition examples

Exposition in movies Example #1 There are countless examples of exposition in many great movies and one of them, which comes across particularly well is from Star Wars. The exposition in this movie is the opening title sequence that gives information about the past events to the viewers. The crawling text on the screen at the beginning of each part gives the audience every piece of information they need to understand the upcoming events in the film. The opening lines usually begin like this: "A long time ago in a galaxy far away, far away..." Exposition in Literature Example #2 An exposition is typically positioned at the beginning of a novel or a movie because the author wants the readers to be fully aware of the characters in the story. The famous story for children titled "The Three Little Bears" applies this technique of exposition. Once upon a time, there were three bears. There was a Daddy Bear, who was very big, a Mama Bear, who was middle-sized, and a Baby Bear, who was very small. They all lived together in a little cottage in the middle of the woods. Their favorite breakfast was porridge. One morning, after they made their porridge, Daddy Bear said, 'Let's go for walk in the woods until it cools.' Mama Bear and Baby Bear liked the idea, so off they went. While they were away, a little girl named Goldilocks came walking through the forest and smelled the porridge... With the help of a single passage, the author of the story has given us an overview of the bear family, their residence and information on how the story sets in motion. All of Shakespeare's writings contain excellent exposition examples. Take Othello, Romeo and Juliet, Henry V, and Richard III, and you will see how exceptionally he has used the art of expository writing. Here, two examples from Othello have been taken to elaborate the point. Example #3 Act I: the opening scene of Othello shows a fierce argument between Roderigo and Iago, which helps build the interest of the readers. The readers/audiences realize that Iago is persistently trying to convince Roderigo to be his accomplice in destroying Othello. The exposition in this scene plays the following roles: It explicates Iago's treacherous, spiteful and scheming nature. The main conflict of the play is revealed here. It revolves around Iago's concealed bitterness towards his boss Othello who, in Iago's opinion, is overloooking him for promotion. It ascertains two basic themes of the play: racism and that appearance is not always the same as reality. Example #4 End of Act 1: this part of the play tells the audience a few facts about Othello that include: He is a very respectable man. He had run off with Desdemona, Brabantio's daughter. He is a great general who is sought by Venice to defend it in the war against the Turks. As it is evident from the examples given above, exposition always gives us an insight into the characters' personalities and adds a flavor to the tragedy and drama we see towards the end of the play.

Conflict

In literature, a conflict is a literary element that involves a struggle between two opposing forces usually a protagonist and an antagonist. -can be external or internal

Mood

In literature, mood is a literary element that evokes certain feelings or vibes in readers through words and descriptions.

Common examples of personification

Look at my car. She is a beauty, isn't it so? The wind whispered through dry grass. The flowers danced in the gentle breeze. Time and tide waits for none. The fire swallowed the entire forest.

Types of gnre

Poetry, non fiction, fiction, prose, drama

Internal conflict

An internal or psychological conflict arises as soon as a character experiences two opposite emotions or desires; usually virtue or vice, or good and evil inside him. This disagreement causes a character to suffer mental agony. Internal conflict develops a unique tension in a storyline marked by a lack of action.

Bildungsroman

Bildungsroman is a special kind of novel that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of its main character from his or her youth to adulthood

Types of conflict

Character vs. Character This type of conflict occurs when a character struggles against other characters in the story, for instance in Harry Potter series. Harry engages himself in a battle against Harry Lord Voldemort. Character vs. Society This external conflict occurs when the main character stands up to support his beliefs and struggles against the social forces, for instance Sophocles' "Antigone." Character vs. Nature In this type of external conflict, the protagonist struggle against the forces of nature or external environment, like in the short story, "To Build a Fire", Jack London tells a story of an anonymous narrator and his dog, traveling through wilderness of Yukon Trail.

Dystopia

Dystopia is a world in which everything is imperfect and everything goes terribly wrong. Dystopian literature shows us a nightmarish image about what might happen in the near future. Usually the main themes of dystopian works are rebellion, oppression, revolutions, wars, overpopulation and disasters. On the other hand, utopia is a perfect world exactly opposite to dystopia.

Foil examples

Example #1 Milton's "Paradise Lost Book I" is based on the comparison of two contrasting characters: God and Satan. Satan, in the entire work, appears as a foil to God. The negative traits of Satan and the positive traits of God are frequently compared which consequently brings to the surface not only the contrast between the two characters but also "justify the ways of God..." We reach a conclusion that it is only just for Satan to be expelled from the paradise because of his refusal to give in to the will of God. Example #2 In "Wuthering Heights", Emily Bronte depicts two contrasting settings that are foils to each other. The entire action of the narrative takes place in two neighboring houses i.e. Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. While describing Wuthering Heights in chapter 12, the narrator says: "There was no moon, and everything beneath lay in misty darkness: not a light gleamed from any house, far or near all had been extinguished long ago: and those at Wuthering Heights were never visible..." The description of Thrushcross Grange, in contrast to the Wuthering Heights, creates a calm and peaceful atmosphere. "Gimmerton chapel bells were still ringing; and the full, mellow flow of the beck in the valley came soothingly on the ear. It was a sweet substitute for the yet absent murmur of the summer foliage, which drowned that music about the Grange when the trees were in leaf." The foils in the settings also help in the development of the foils in the characters i.e. the people from Wuthering Heights are unsophisticated and thus are foils to those from Thrushcross Grange who have a refined disposition. Example #3 In his novel "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", Robert Louis Stevenson explores the theme of doppelganger in which "Hyde" is not only an evil double of the honorable Dr. Jekyll but also qualifies as his foil. "Jekyll" creates "Hyde" by a series of scientific experiments in order to prove his statement: "Man is not truly one, but truly two." He means that the human soul is a mixture of evil and good. In other words, every man's foil exists in himself. Hyde is the manifestation of the evil that existed in otherwise honorable Dr. Jekyll. Being a respectable Victorian gentleman, Jekyll can never fulfill his evil desires. Therefore, he separates his "evil-self" and gave him a separate identity and thus invents his own foil. Example #4 Foil examples are also found in plays. We notice in William Shakespeare's play "Julius Caesar" a twofold foil. Cassius is a foil to Brutus and Brutus is a foil to Antony. Both Cassius and Brutus conspire to kill Caesar but Cassius is more prone to treachery than Brutus is and thus easily gives in to his evil ambition. Brutus, on the other hand, hesitates to join the plot without careful analysis of the whole scenario. Cassius even goes to the extent that he does not shy away from writing phony letters to convince Brutus to join the plot. Brutus, in contrast, is bent on relying on his own reason and his awareness of his dignified obligations as a Roman to do the inevitable. Moreover, Brutus is a foil to Antony because Brutus's honesty and simplicity are in clear contrast to Antony's qualities of deception and over-ambition.

Irony

Irony is a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words. It may also be a situation that may end up in quite a different way than what is generally anticipated. In simple words, it is a difference between the appearance and the reality.

Metaphor

Metaphor is a figure of speech which makes an implicit, implied or hidden comparison between two things that are unrelated but share some common characteristics. In other words, a resemblance of two contradictory or different objects is made based on a single or some common characteristics.

Common examples in of simile

Our soldiers are as brave as lions. Her cheeks are red like a rose. He is as funny as a monkey. The water well was as dry as a bone. He is as cunning as a fox.

Point of view

Point of view is the angle of considering things, which shows us the opinion, or feelings of the individuals involved in a situation. In literature, point of view is the mode of narration that an author employs to let the readers "hear" and "see" what takes place in a story, poem, essay etc.

Prose

Prose is a form of language that has no formal metrical structure. It applies a natural flow of speech, and ordinary grammatical structure rather than rhythmic structure, such as in the case of traditional poetry.

Common examples of symbolism in everyday life

The dove is a symbol of peace. A red rose or red color stands for love or romance. Black is a symbol that represents evil or death. A ladder may stand as a symbol for a connection between the heaven and the earth. A broken mirror may symbolize separation

Symbolism

The use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities by giving them symbolic meanings that are different from their literal sense

External conflict

marked by a characteristic involvement of an action wherein a character finds himself in struggle with those outside forces that hamper his progress. The most common type of an external conflict is where a protagonist fights back against the antagonist's tactics that impede his or her advancement.

Static character

one that does not undergo inner changes or undergoes a little change. It is a character that does not develop or grow such as Sherlock Holmes and James Bond.

Common Examples of Connotation

A dog connotes shamelessness or an ugly face. A dove implies peace or gentility. Home suggests family, comfort and security. Politician has a negative connotation of wickedness and insincerity while statesperson connotes sincerity. Pushy refers to someone loud-mouthed and irritating. Mom and Dad when used in place of mother and father connote loving parents.

Protagonist

A protagonist is the central character or leading figure in poetry, narrative, novel or any other story. A protagonist is sometimes called a "hero" by the audience or readers. The word originally came from the Greek language and in Greek drama which refers to the person who led the chorus. Later on, the word started being used as a term for the first actor in order of performance.

Diction

Diction can be defined as style of speaking or writing determined by the choice of words by a speaker or a writer.

Dynamic character

Like a round character, a dynamic character also undergoes changes throughout the narrative due to several conflicts he encounters on his journey. A dynamic character faces trials and tribulations and takes time to learn from encounters, other characters, experiences, and mistakes he/she commits. Sometime a character learns a lesson and gains maturity such as Prince Hal in Henry IV. Some characters discover mistakes in their point of view, and some others discover an important aspect of their personalities, such as Neville Longbottom did in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." These all changes make a character dynamic, but they are implied ones, and not stated outright.

Stream of consciousness

a method of narration that describes in words the flow of thoughts in the minds of the characters.

Flashback

an interruption of the chronological sequence (as of a film or literary work) of an event of earlier occurrence

Falling action

occurs right after the climax, when the main problem of the story resolves. It is one of the elements of the plot of the story, while others are exposition, rising action, climax, and resolution. Besides, it wraps up the narrative, resolves its loose ends and leads towards the closure.

Characteristics of dystopia

-Generally there is no government, or if there is, it is an oppressive and controlling government. -Either there is a huge income gap between the poor and the rich, or everyone faces extreme poverty. -Propaganda takes control of human minds.

Types of irony

Dramatic, situational, and verbal irony A verbal irony involves what one does not mean. When in response to a foolish idea, we say, "what a great idea!" it is a verbal irony. A situational irony occurs when, for instance, a man is chuckling at the misfortune of the other even when the same misfortune, in complete unawareness, is befalling him. Dramatic irony is a kind of irony in a situation, which the writers frequently employ in their works. In dramatic irony, the characters are oblivious of the situation but the audience is not. For example, in "Romeo and Juliet", we know much before the characters that they are going to die. In real life circumstances, irony may be comical, bitter or sometimes unbearably offensive.

Stream of consciousness in literature

The Stream of Consciousness style of writing is marked by the sudden rise of thoughts and lack of punctuations. The use of this narration mode is generally associated with the modern novelist and short story writers of the 20th Century. Let us analyze a few examples of the narrative technique in literature: 1. James Joyce successfully employs the narrative mode in his novel "Ulysses" which describes the day in life of a middle-aged Jew, Mr. Leopold Broom, living in Dublin, Ireland. Read the following excerpt: "He is young Leopold, as in a retrospective arrangement, a mirror within a mirror (hey, presto!), he beholdeth himself. That young figure of then is seen, precious manly, walking on a nipping morning from the old house in Clambrassil to the high school, his book satchel on him bandolier wise, and in it a goodly hunk of wheaten loaf, a mother's thought." These lines reveal the thoughts of Bloom. He thinks of the younger Bloom. The self-reflection is achieved by the flow of thoughts that takes him back to his past. 2. Another 20th Century writer that followed James Joyce's narrative method was Virginia Woolf. Let us read an excerpt from her novel " Mrs. Dalloway": "What a lark! What a plunge! For so it always seemed to me when, with a little squeak of the hinges, which I can hear now, I burst open the French windows and plunged at Bourton into the open air. How fresh, how calm, stiller than this of course, the air was in the early morning; like the flap of a wave; the kiss of a wave; chill and sharp and yet (for a girl of eighteen as I then was) solemn, feeling as I did, standing there at the open window, that something awful was about to happen ..." By voicing their internal feelings, the writer gives freedom to the characters to travel back and forth in time. Mrs. Dalloway went out to buy flower for herself and on the way her thoughts moves in past and present giving us an insight into the complex nature of her character. 3. We notice the use of this technique in David Lodge's novel "The British Museum Is Falling Down". It is comic novel that imitates the stream of consciousness narrative techniques of the writers like Henry James, James Joyce, and Virginia Woolf. Below is an excerpt from Chapter 3 of the novel: "It partook, he thought, shifting his weight in the saddle, of metempsychosis, the way his humble life fell into moulds prepared by literature. Or was it, he wondered, picking his nose, the result of closely studying the sentence structure of the English novelists? One had resigned oneself to having no private language any more, but one had clung wistfully to the illusion of a personal property of events. A find and fruitless illusion, it seemed, for here, inevitably came the limousine, with its Very Important Personage, or Personages, dimly visible in the interior. The policeman saluted, and the crowd pressed forward, murmuring 'Philip', 'Tony', 'Margaret', 'Prince Andrew'." We see the imitation of the typical structure of the stream-of-conscious narrative technique of Virginia Woolf. We notice the integration of the outer and inner realities in the passage that is so typical of Virginia Woolf, especially the induction of the reporting clauses "he thought" and "he wondered" in the middle of the reported clauses.

Climax

a Greek term meaning "ladder", is that particular point in a narrative at which the conflict or tension hits the highest point. -turning point in a storyline at which the rising action turns around into a falling action. Thus, a climax is the point at which a conflict or crisis reaches its peak that calls for a resolution or denouement (conclusion). In a five-act play, the climax is close to the conclusion of act 3. Later in the 19th century, the five-act plays were replaced by three-act plays and the climax was placed close to the conclusion or at the end of the play.

Personification

a figure of speech in which a thing, an idea or an animal is given human attributes. The non-human objects are portrayed in such a way that we feel they have the ability to act like human beings.

Simile

a figure of speech that makes a comparison, showing similarities between two different things. Unlike a metaphor, a simile draws resemblance with the help of the words "like" or "as". Therefore, it is a direct comparison

Foreshadowing

a literary device in which a writer gives an advance hint of what is to come later in the story.

Allusion Examples

-"Don't act like a Romeo in front of her." - "Romeo" is a reference to Shakespeare's Romeo, a passionate lover of Juliet, in "Romeo and Juliet". -The rise in poverty will unlock the Pandora's box of crimes. This is an allusion to one of Greek Mythology's origin myth, "Pandora's box". -"This place is like a Garden of Eden." - This is a biblical allusion to the "garden of God" in the Book of Genesis. -"Hey! Guess who the new Newton of our school is?" - "Newton", means a genius student, alludes to a famous scientist Isaac Newton. -"Stop acting like my ex-husband please." - Apart from scholarly allusions we refer to common people and places in our speech.

Allusion

A brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance. It does not describe in detail the person or thing to which it refers. It is just a passing comment and the writer expects the reader to possess enough knowledge to spot the allusion and grasp its importance in a text.

Conflict examples

Conflict Examples in Literature: Example #1 Hamlet's internal conflict is the main conflict in William Shakespeare's play "Hamlet". This internal conflict decides his tragic downfall. He reveals his state of mind in the following lines from Act 3, Scene 1 of the play: "To be, or not to be-that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune Or to take arms against a sea of troubles And by opposing end them. To die, to sleep..." The conflict here is that he wants to kill his father's murderer Claudius but he also looks for proof to justify his action, ultimately ruining his life and the lives of his loved ones. Due to his internal conflict, he spoils his relationship with his mother and sends Ophelia (Hamlet's love interest) into such a state of despair that she commits suicide. Hamlet's internal conflict, which is regarded as indecisiveness, almost got everyone killed at the end of the play. The resolution to the conflict came when he killed Claudius by assuming fake madness so that he would not be asked for any justification. In the same play, we find Hamlet engaged in an external conflict with his uncle Claudius. Example #2 Another example of an internal conflict is found in the character of Doctor Faustus in Marlowe's "Doctor Faustus". Faustus has an ambitious nature. In spite of being a respected scholar, he sold his soul to "Lucifer" by signing a contract with his blood for achieving ultimate power and limitless pleasure in this world. He learns the art of black magic and defies Christianity. After the aforementioned action, we see Faustus suffering from an internal conflict where he thinks honestly about repenting, acting upon the advice of "the good angel" but "the bad angel" or the evil inside him distracts him by telling that it is all too late. In conclusion, the conflict is resolved when devils take his soul away to Hell and he suffers eternal damnation because of his over-ambition. Example #3 The most straightforward type of external conflict is when a character in a story struggles against another character physically. In William Golding's novel "The Lord of the Flies" for example, Ralph (the leader of the "good guys") steadily comes into conflict with Jack (a bully who later forms a "tribe" of hunters). Jack and his "tribe" give in to their savage instinct and make attempts to hunt or kill the civilized batch of boys headed by Ralph. Example #4 Another kind of external conflict sets a character against the evil that dominates a society. In such kind of conflict, a character may confront a dominant group with opposing priorities. For instance, in Harper Lee's novel "To Kill a Mockingbird", an honest lawyer Atticus Finch goes up against the racist society in which he lives. Atticus has the courage to defend a black man, Tom Robinson, who has been falsely accused of a rape. Though Atticus has the support of a few like-minded people, most of the town express their disapproval of his defense of a black man.

Denotation

Denotation is generally defined as literal or dictionary meanings of a word in contrast to its connotative or associated meanings.

External conflict examples

Example #1 "Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare One classic example of character vs. society external conflict occurs in Shakespeare's play "Romeo and Juliet." The two major characters fall in love, despite their belonging to the feuding families, which do not want them to be together. They constantly struggle and strive to get together throughout the play, as they are under the pressure of society, which wants them to hate each other. Thus, it is a struggle between individuals and society that eventually causes their tragic deaths. Example #2 "The Old Man and The Sea" by Earnest Hemingway A major external conflict is between the old man, Santiago, and the fish, marlin. There is fighting back and forth, and a tug of war between them that lasts for several days and none of them gives up. Santiago's struggle is also against nature to catch a giant fish, and the sharks, which attack his precious marlin. The old man tries to catch marlin though it fights back pretty hard. Old man struggles against the views of his villagers too, as they think he has run out of his luck and wasted eighty four days without catching a fish. Nevertheless, he is still determined to not give up. We can clearly see his dilemma of catching marlin and his conflict with marlin when he says, "Fish, 'I love you and respect you very much. But I will kill you dead before this day ends." Example #3 "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad Marlowe takes an adventure to the Congo Bay in Africa, and feels surrounded by imperialistic forces there. There are both conflicts; of the character vs. nature and character vs. society. In fact, Marlowe reaches in a place where people are mentally crazy, and kill each other just to follow their nonsense rituals. Hence, even average people become savages. He also sees a civilized man, Kurtz, who due to his prolonged stay over there, starts behaving like the local savages. Though Marlowe could not stand a lie, and does not forgive others for this fault when he meets Kurtz's fiancée, he tells her a lie about her fiancés last words. Being a protagonist, Marlowe faces numerous external conflicts over there. Example #4 "Macbeth" by William Shakespeare Macbeth faces character vs. society conflict. Initially, he struggles with his internal conflict, which is his ambition that turns him into a violent person, pushing him to kill the king to dethrone him. However, during all these circumstances, he encounters several external conflicts. Following the murder of the king, the people stand up against him, and he has to engage himself in fight with them. These external conflicts occur between Macbeth and other characters.

Genre

Genre means the type of art, literature or music characterized by a specific form, content and style. For example, literature has four main genres; poetry, drama, fiction and non-fiction. All of these genres have particular features and functions that distinguish them from one another. Hence, it is necessary on the part of readers to know which category of genre they are reading in order to understand the message it conveys, as they may have certain expectations prior to the reading concerned.

Common Rhetoric examples

How did this idiot get elected? - A rhetorical question to convince others that the "idiot" does not deserve to be elected. Here comes the Helen of our school. - An allusion to "Helen of Troy" to emphasize the beauty of a girl. I would die if you asked me to sing in front of my parents - A hyperbole to persuade others not to use force to make you do something which you don't want to do. All blonde-haired people are dumb. - Using a stereotype to develop a general opinion about a group.

Rhetoric

Rhetoric is a technique of using language effectively and persuasively in spoken or written form. It is an art of discourse, which studies and employs various methods to convince, influence or please an audience.

Setting

Setting is an environment or surrounding in which an event or story takes place. It may provide particular information about placement and timing, such as New York, America, in the year 1820. Setting could be simply descriptive like a lonely cottage on a mountain. Social conditions, historical time, geographical locations, weather, immediate surroundings, and timing are all different aspects of setting. It has its three major components; social environment, place and time. Moreover, setting could be an actual region, or a city made larger than life, as James Joyce characterizes Dublin in Ulysses, or it could be a work of imagination of the author as Vladimir Nabokov creates imaginative place, space-time continuum in Ada.

Nostalgia

The term "nostalgia" or the feeling of homesickness has been derived from a Homeric term, nostos, which means homecoming. Homer used this term in his epic, Odyssey, to show how homesick Odysseus grew when he freed himself from the war. However, the modern derivative of this modern term is a medical research. A student, Johannes Hofer, coined this term during his study over the homesickness of the mercenaries, associated anxiety and mental pain he observed among them. However, in literature, it is employed to discuss a general interest in the past, or the personalities of the past and subsequent feelings of pleasure or pain. Online Merriam-Webster dictionary defines nostalgia as, "pleasure and sadness that is caused by remembering something from the past and wishing that you could experience it again." Therefore, it means that it is not only sadness or sickness, but also the pleasure of remembering the past or taking interest in the past. That is why the Romantic Movement in English literature has a special association with nostalgia due to this pleasure and pain of remembering the past.

Theme

Theme is defined as a main idea or an underlying meaning of a literary work that may be stated directly or indirectly.

Plot

a literary term used to describe the events that make up a story or the main part of a story. These events relate to each other in a pattern or a sequence. The structure of a novel depends on the organization of events in the plot of the story

Rising action

a plot is a series of relevant incidents that create suspense, interest and tension in a narrative. In literary works, a rising action includes all decisions, characters' flaws and background circumstances that together create turns and twists leading to a climax. We find it in novels, plays and short stories. Rising action is one of the elements of plot, begins immediately after its exposition.

Syntax

a set of rules in a language. It dictates how words from different parts of speech are put together in order to convey a complete thought.

Connotation

Connotation refers to a meaning that is implied by a word apart from the thing which it describes explicitly. Words carry cultural and emotional associations or meanings in addition to their literal meanings or denotations.

Climax Examples

Climax Examples in Literature Example #1 In William Shakespeare's play "Romeo and Juliet", the story reaches its climax in Act 3. In the first scene of the act, Romeo challenges Tybalt to a duel after he (Tybalt) killed Mercutio: "And fire-eyed fury be my conduct now! Now, Tybalt, take the 'villain' back again That late thou gavest me; for Mercutio's soul Is but a little way above our heads," As soon as he killed Tybalt, Romeo says: "O! I am Fortune's Fool!" He realizes that he has killed his wife's cousin. This juncture in the play is a climax as the audience wonders how Romeo would get out of this terrible situation. Similarly, it qualifies as a climax because after this act all the prior conflicts start to be resolved and mysteries unfold themselves and thus the story moves toward its logical conclusion during the coming scenes. Example #2 In Joseph Conrad's novel "The Heart of Darkness", the narrative reaches its climax when Marlowe starts his journey in his steam boat, in the direction of the inner station and his final discovery upon reaching the station and meeting "Kurtz". He was shocked to discover that Kurtz had abandoned all norms and morals of his civilization after giving in to the savage customs of the wild Congo. Following this point in the novel, the mystery surrounding Kurtz is unfolded and the questions in the mind of Marlow find their answers automatically when he sees the real situation. Climax as a Stylistic Device As a stylistic device, the term climax refers to a literary device in which words, phrases and clauses are arranged in an order to increase their importance within the sentence. The following are examples of climax as a stylistic device. Example #1 See how William Shakespeare achieves climax in the passage below, taken from his Sonnet "The Passionate Pilgrim": "Beauty is but a vain and doubtful good; A shining gloss that vadeth suddenly; A flower that dies when first it gins to bud; A brittle glass that's broken presently: A doubtful good, a gloss, a glass, a flower, Lost, vaded, broken, dead within an hour." The phrase "dead within an hour" is placed at the very end as it marks the climax of the fate of beauty which he introduces as "a vain and doubtful good". Example #2 "I Have a Dream", a memorable address of Martin Luther King: "This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable Rights of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." The aforementioned line qualifies as the climax of Martin Luther's speech which criticizes and rejects racial discrimination suffered by black Americans at the hands of white Americans.

Plot examples

Example #1 Among the examples of plot in modern literature, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (written by J.K. Rowling) is probably the most familiar to both readers and moviegoers. The plot of the story begins when Harry learns that Professor Snape is after the Sorcerer's Stone. The Professor lets loose a troll, who nearly kills Harry and his friends. In addition, Harry finds out that Hagrid let out the secret of the giant dog to a stranger in return for a dragon which means that Snape can now reach the Sorcerer's Stone. Example #2 Romantic fiction plot examples in the 1800 include the book Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. The plot of the story begins when Lizzie's sister, Jane, falls in love with Darcy's friend named Mr. Bingley. Lizzie develops and interest in for Mr. Wickham, who accuses Darcy of destroying him financially. When Lizzie goes to meet her friend, she runs into Mr. Darcy, who proposes and Lizzie rejects. She then writes him a letter telling him why she dislikes him. He writes back, clearing up all misunderstandings and accusations. Jane runs away with Mr. Wickham and Lizzie realizes that Mr. Darcy is not as bad a man as she thought him to be.

Antagonist

a character or a group of characters which stand in opposition to the protagonist or the main character. The term antagonist comes from Greek word "antagonistēs" that means opponent, competitor or rival. -It is common to refer to an antagonist as a villain (the bad guy) against whom a hero (the good guy) fights in order to relieve himself or others. In some cases, an antagonist may exist within the protagonist that causes an inner conflict or a moral conflict inside his mind. This inner conflict is a major theme of many literary works e.g. Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe, Hamlet by William Shakespeare, and A Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce etc. Generally, an antagonist appears as a foil to the main character embodying qualities that are in contrast with the qualities of the main character.

Examples of denotation in literatue

1. An example of denotation literary term can be found in the poetic work of Robert Frost's "Mending Wall": "And on a day we meet to walk the line And set the wall between us once again. We keep the wall between us as we go. To each the boulders that have fallen to each." In the above lines, the word "wall" is used to suggest a physical boundary which is its denotative meaning but it also implies the idea of "emotional barrier". 2. William Wordsworth in his poem "A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal" says: "A slumber did my spirit seal; I had no human fears- She seemed a thing that could not feel The touch of earthly years. No motion has she now, no force; She neither hears nor sees; Roll'd round in earth's diurnal course With rocks, and stones, and trees." Wordsworth makes a contrast between a living girl and a dead girl in the first and second stanza respectively. We are familiar to the meanings of the words used in the last line of the second stanza; rock, stone and tree but the poet uses them connotatively where rock and stone imply cold and inanimate object and the tree suggests dirt and thus the burial of that dead girl. 3. Look at the following lines from Shakespeare's play "As you Like It": "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts," Shakespeare moves away from the denotative meanings of words in the above lines in order to give a symbolic sense to a few words. "a stage" symbolizes the world, "players" suggests human beings and "parts" implies different stages of their lives. 4. Sara Teasdale in her poem "Wild Asters" develops a number of striking symbols by deviating from the denotative meanings of the words: "In the spring, I asked the daisies If his words were true, And the clever, clear-eyed daisies Always knew. Now the fields are brown and barren, Bitter autumn blows, And of all the stupid asters Not one knows." In the above lines, "spring" and "daisies" are symbol of youth. "Brown and barren" are a symbol of transition from the youth to the old age. Moreover, "Bitter Autumn" symbolizes death.

Exposition

Exposition is a literary device used to introduce background information about events, settings, characters etc. to the audience or readers. The word comes from the Latin language and its literal meaning is "a showing forth." Exposition is crucial to any story, for without it nothing makes sense.

External conflict

a struggle that takes place between the main character and some outside forces. Therefore, it is outside the body of the protagonist. Usually, it occurs when the protagonist struggles against the antagonist, a character that opposes the protagonist in the main body of the story. Other types of external conflicts could also arise due to some other factors such as the forces of nature, and society in which the protagonist lives.

Motif

object or idea that repeats itself throughout a literary work.

Mood examples

Creating mood through setting Example #1 Charles Dickens creates a calm and peaceful mood in his novel "Pickwick Papers": "The river, reflecting the clear blue of the sky, glistened and sparkled as it flowed noiselessly on." The depiction of idyllic scenery imparts a serene and non-violent mood to the readers. Example #2 Emily Bronte in "Wuthering Heights" creates two contrasting moods through two contrasting settings. The events of the narrative takes place in two neighboring houses: Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. A depressing mood is created whenever Wuthering Heights is described. For example, in chapter 12 the narrator says: "There was no moon, and everything beneath lay in misty darkness: not a light gleamed from any house, far or near all had been extinguished long ago: and those at Wuthering Heights were never visible..." On the contrary, the description of Thrushcross Grange creates a calm and peaceful mood: "Gimmerton chapel bells were still ringing; and the full, mellow flow of the beck in the valley came soothingly on the ear. It was a sweet substitute for the yet absent murmur of the summer foliage, which drowned that music about the Grange when the trees were in leaf." The contrast presented in the settings also helps in the development of the different characters i.e. the people from Wuthering Heights are unsophisticated while those from Thrushcross Grange are refined. Creating mood through tone Example #3 For instance, see how Robert Frost in his poem "The Road Not Taken" creates a gloomy feeling through his tone: "I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference." Frost informs us about his past with a "sigh" that gives the above lines an unhappy tone and thus evokes an unhappy mood. An unhappy mood is created because the poet convinces us into thinking that he regrets a choice he made in the past. Creating mood through diction Example #4 The following lines from Jonathon Swift's "Gulliver's Travel" is one of the great mood examples created using diction: "And being no stranger to the art of war, I have him a description of cannons, culverins, muskets, carabines, pistols, bullets, powder, swords, bayonets, battles, sieges, retreats, attacks, undermines, countermines, bombardments, sea-fights..." In order to create feelings of disgust in readers for the destructive consequences of war, the writer chooses words that are unmelodious, harsh and jarring. The diction in the above passage corresponds with the subject matter.

Literary metaphor examples

Example #1 "She is all states, and all princes, I." John Donne, a metaphysical poet, was well-known for his abundant use of metaphors throughout his poetical works. In his well-known work "The Sun Rising," the speaker scolds the sun for waking him and his beloved. Among the most evocative metaphors in literature, he explains "she is all states, and all princes, I." This line demonstrates the speaker's belief that he and his beloved are richer than all states, kingdoms, and rulers in the entire world because of the love that they share. Example #2 "Shall I Compare Thee to a summer's Day", William Shakespeare was the best exponent of the use of metaphors. His poetical works and dramas all make wide-ranging use of metaphors. "Sonnet 18,"also known as "Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day," is an extended metaphor between the love of the speaker and the fairness of the summer season. He writes that "thy eternal summer," here taken to mean the love of the subject, "shall not fade." Example #3 "Before high-pil'd books, in charact'ry / Hold like rich garners the full-ripened grain," The great Romantic poet John Keats suffered great losses in his life - the death of his father in an accident, and of his mother and brother through tuberculosis. When he began displaying signs of tuberculosis himself at the age of 22, he wrote "When I Have Fears," a poem rich with metaphors concerning life and death. In the line "before high-pil'd books, in charact'ry / Hold like rich garners the full-ripened grain", he employs a double-metaphor. Writing poetry is implicitly compared with reaping and sowing, and both these acts represent the emptiness of a life unfulfilled creatively.

Examples of Bildungsroman

Example #1 "The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling" by Henry Fielding This is among the famous Bildungsroman examples written in a comic mode. Squire Allworthy, a wealthy landowner, discovers a foundling, Tom Jones, on his property. Tom Jones grows up into a lusty but honest young man in contrast to his half-brother Blifil who was a personification of hypocrisy. He falls in love with "Sophia Western" but it is opposed by her father, on account that he is a "bastard".. After this loss, Tom undergoes many experiences and finally it is revealed that Tom is a son of Mr. Summer, a friend of Allworthy, and Mrs. Waters who's Allworthy's sister. Therefore, society accepts him when it is established that he is not a bastard. Example #2 "David Copperfield", a novel by Charles Dickens This can be termed as a Bildungsroman as it traces the life of David Copperfield from his childhood to maturity. His mother re-marries a man named Edward Murdstone who sends David to work for a wine merchant in London from where he runs away to finally reach his eccentric aunt Betsey Trotwood who agrees to raise him and calls him "Trot". We see a change in David's "undisciplined heart "as after Dora's death, he does some soul searching and chooses sensible Agnes as his wife, a woman who had always loved him. Example #3 James Joyce's novel, "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" This is a coming-of-age story of a character, Stephen Dedalus. The story starts with Stephen in a boarding school at the age of sixteen. One day he goes back to his room. He falls sick due to the unbearable load of his sins and decides to change himself. He goes to the church for a confession where the cleric is exceptionally kind. Thus, Stephen discovers another path in his life as he becomes a cleric. Later in the novel, Stephen's life takes another turn. He realizes that he cannot waste his life as a cleric. He needs to live in society and be innovative like an artist. Example #4 "Never Let Me Go", a science fiction novel by Kazuo Ishiguro (Japanese-born British author) This is a most recent example of a Bildungsroman novel. The novel is divided in three acts; Childhood, Adult and Donor. It traces the life of Kathy, the protagonist and narrator of the novel. She is a "donor" who is harvested for organs to be donated to clients. We see Kathy as free-spirited, kind and loving in her childhood. As a young woman she shows less emotion looking back at her past. At the end of the novel, she is a mature woman and accepts the lives of herself and her friends.

Antagonist Examples

Example #1 A classical example of an antagonist is that of King Creon in Sophocles' tragedy "Antigone". Here, the function of the antagonist is to obstruct the main character's progress through evil plots and actions. Antigone, the protagonist, struggles against King Creon, the antagonist, in her effort to give her brother a respectable burial. Through his evil designs, Creon tries to hamper her in this attempt by announcing that her brother is a traitor and decreeing that "he must be left to the elements." This protagonist-antagonist conflict becomes the theme of this tragedy. Example #2 Another example of an antagonist is the character of "Iago" in Shakespeare's "Othello". Iago stands as the most notorious villains of all time who spends all his time in plotting against Othello, the protagonist, and his wife Desdemona. Through his evil schemes, he convinces Othello that his wife has been cheating on him and even convinces him to kill his own wife despite her being faithful to him. The thing that separates Iago from other antagonists is that we do not really know why he wants to destroy Othello. Example #3 In his novel "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", Robert Louis Stevenson explores the theme of doppelganger in which "Hyde" is not only an evil double of the honorable Dr. Jekyll but his antagonist. "Jekyll" creates "Hyde" by a series of scientific experiments in order to prove his statement: "Man is not truly one, but truly two." He means that a human soul is a mixture of evil and good. In other words, every man's antagonist exists within himself. Hyde is the manifestation of the evil that existed in the honorable Dr. Jekyll. Well-known as a respectable Victorian gentleman, Jekyll could never have fulfilled his evil desires. He separates his "evil-self" and gave him a separate identity and thus inventing his own antagonist who, as a result, brings his downfall. Example #4 Bob Ewell is a malicious antagonist of Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mocking Bird". Being convinced that Mayella may have been guilty of doing the crime; Ewell is bent on making sure that someone else gets the punishment. Ewell keeps on following Atticus, Judge Taylor, and Helen Robinson even after the case is finished and goes to the extent that he almost kills the Finch kids. Heck Tate said defending Boo when he killed Bob Ewell: "To my way of thinkin', Mr Finch, taking the one man who's done you and this town a great favour an' draggin' him with his shy ways into the limelight- to me, that's a sin. It's a sin and I'm not about to have it on my head. If it was any other man, it'd be different. But not this man, Mr Finch."

Motif examples

Example #1 In Shakespeare's Hamlet, we find a recurring motif of incest accompanied by incestuous desires of some characters. Laertes speaks to his sister Ophelia in a way that is sexually explicit. Hamlet shows obsession for Gertrude's sexual life with Claudius has an underlying tone of an incestuous desire. Besides, there is a motif of hatred for women that Hamlet experiences in his relationship with Gertrude and Ophelia. Hamlet expresses his disgust for women in Scene 2 of Act I: "Frailty, thy name is woman" Example #2 In Mark Twain's "The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn", we see several motifs that support the central idea of the narrative. The motif of childhood gives the novel a lighter tone and makes it enjoyable to read despite its grave central idea i.e. slavery and racism. Both Huck and Tom are young and flexible enough to undergo a moral education and thus are more open-minded than adults. Another obvious motif in the narrative is superstitions. Jim appears silly to believe in all sorts of signs and omens but interestingly predicts the coming event. Example #3 Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" has a motif of observation and eavesdropping. Marlow, the protagonist, gets information about the world either by observing his surroundings or listening to the conversation of others. Similarly, there is another evident motif of a comparison between the exterior and the interior. Initially, Marlow is a person who keenly observes things and people from the surface but as he continues his journey into the heart of darkness, he gains an insight into his deeper nature as well as that of others. Example #4 The central idea of the co-existence of good and evil in Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mocking Bird" is supported by several motifs. Lee strengthens the atmosphere by a motif of Gothic details i.e. recurrent images of gloomy and haunted settings, supernatural events, full moon etc. Another motif in the narrative is the small town life of Maycomb, which depicts goodness and pleasantness in life.

Examples of rhetoric in literature

Example #1 John Milton's Paradise Lost has several examples of rhetoric. To quote an example from Book V: "advise him of his happy state— Happiness in his power left free to will, Left to his own free will, his will though free Yet mutable" The repetition of the phrase "free will" emphasizes the theme of human creation which is making free choices, but the phrase "yet mutable" creates ambiguity that, despite being free, Adam had to be careful, as a wrong act could make him lose his freedom. Example #2 John Donne addresses death in his Death, be not Proud (Holy Sonnet 10) by saying: Thou 'art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men, And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell, And poppy 'or charms can make us sleep as well And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then? The rhetorical question "why swell'st thou then?" serves to play down the horrific nature of death. He devalues death by calling it a "slave", and that it keeps the despicable company of "poison, war, sickness" and seeks their support. Example #3 We see Walt Whitman in his poem Crossing Brooklyn Ferry use anaphora: Flood-tide below me! I watch you, face to face; Clouds of the west! sun there half an hour high! I see you also face to face. Anaphora is a device where the same word or phrase is repeated at regular intervals to achieve a rhetorical effect.

Diction examples

Example #1 Keats in his "Ode to the Grecian Urn" uses formal diction to achieve a certain effect. He goes: "Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard Are sweeter: therefore, ye soft pipes, play on" Notice the use of formal "ye" instead of informal "you". The formality here is due to the respect the urn inspires in Keats. In the same poem he says: "Ah, happy, happy boughs! that cannot shed Your leaves, nor ever bid the spring adieu." It is more formal to use "adieu" than to say "goodbye". Example #2 In sharp contrast to Keats, John Donne uses colloquialism in his poem "The Sun Rising": "Busy old fool, unruly Sun, Why dost thou thus, Through windows, and through curtains, call on us? Must to thy motions lovers' seasons run? Saucy pedantic wretch," Treating the sun as a real human being, the poet speaks to the sun in an informal way using colloquial expressions. He rebukes the sun because the sun has appeared to spoil the good time he is having with his beloved. Further, he orders the "saucy pedantic sun" to go away. Example #3 Writers' skillfully choose words to develop a certain tone and atmosphere in their works. Read the following excerpt from a short story "The School" by Donald Barthelme: "And the trees all died. They were orange trees. I don't know why they died, they just died. Something wrong with the soil possibly or maybe the stuff we got from the nursery wasn't the best. We complained about it. So we've got thirty kids there, each kid had his or her own little tree to plant and we've got these thirty dead trees. All these kids looking at these little brown sticks, it was depressing." The use of the words "died", "dead", "brown sticks" and "depressing" gives a gloomy tone to the passage. Example #4 Sometimes writers repeat their chosen words or phrases to achieve an artistic effect. Read the following example from " A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair." By repeating the phrase "It was..." throughout the passage, the writer ensures that the readers will give more consideration to characteristic of the "age" they are going to read about in the novel.

Examples of theme in literature

Example #1 Love and friendship are frequently occurring themes in literature. They generate emotional twists and turns in a narrative and can lead to a variety of endings: happy, sad or bittersweet. The following are famous literary works with love and friendship themes: Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Example #2 The theme of war has been explored in literature since ancient times. The literary woks utilizing this theme may either glorify or criticize the idea of war. Most recent literary works portray war as a curse for humanity due to the suffering it inflicts. Some famous examples are: Iliad and Odyssey by Homer War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway Arms and the Man by Bernard Shaw A Band of Brothers: Stories from Vietnam by Walter McDonald Example #3 Crime and mystery are utilized in detective novels. Such narratives also include sub-themes such as "crimes cannot be hidden", "evil is always punished" etc. Some well-known crime and mystery theme examples are: The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle Bleak House by Charles Dickens Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown Example #4 Revenge is another recurrent theme found in many popular literary works. A character comes across certain circumstances that make him aware of his need for revenge. The outcome of his action is often bitter but sometimes they may end up being satisfied. Examples are: Hamlet and Macbeth by William Shakespeare The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson A Time to Kill by John Grisham

Examples of connotation in literature

Example #1 Metaphors are words that connote meanings that go beyond their literal meanings. Shakespeare in his Sonnet 18 says: "Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day" Here, the phrase "a Summer's Day" implies the fairness of his beloved. Similarly, John Donne says in his poem "The Sun Rising": "She is all states, and all princes, I." This line suggests the speaker's belief that he and his beloved are wealthier than all the states, kingdoms, and rulers in the whole world because of their love. Example #2 Irony and satire exhibit connotative meanings, as the intended meanings of words are opposite to their literal meanings. For example, we see a sarcastic remark passed by Antonio on Shylock, the Jew, in William Shakespeare's play "The Merchant of Venice": "Hie thee, gentle Jew. The Hebrew will turn Christian: he grows kind." The word "Jew" has a negative connotation of wickedness, while "Christian" demonstrates positive connotations of kindness. Example #3 George Orwell's allegorical novel "Animal Farm" is packed with examples of connotation. The actions of the animals on the farm illustrate the greed and corruption that arose after the Communist Revolution of Russia. The pigs in the novel connote wicked and powerful people who can change the ideology of a society. In addition, Mr. Jones (the owner of the farm), represents the overthrown Tsar Nicholas II; and Boxer, the horse, represents the laborer class etc. Example #4 Metonymy is another figure of speech that makes use of connotative or suggested meanings, as it describes a thing by mentioning something else with which it is closely connected. For example, Mark Anthony in Act III of Shakespeare's "Julies Caesar" says, "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears." Here the word "ear" connotes the idea of people listening to him attentively. Read the following lines form Robert Frost's poem "Out, Out": "As he swung toward them holding up the hand Half in appeal, but half as if to keep The life from spilling" In the line "The life from spilling" the word "life" connotes "blood". It does make sense as well because loss of blood may cause loss of life. Example #5 Connotation provides the basis for symbolic meanings of words because symbolic meanings of objects are different from their literal sense. Look at the following lines from Shakespeare's play "As you Like It": "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts," "A stage" connotes the world; "players" suggests human beings; and "parts" implies different stages of their lives.

Examples of static characters in literature

Example #1 Mr. Collins from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen The first example of a static character is Mr. Collins from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. He plays a vital role in the novel by making efforts to get Darcy and Elizabeth together, and contributes comedy in the story; however, his character does not change. Thus, he is a perfect example of a static character. Example #2 Scar from The Lion King Scar is another excellent example of a static character. Scar is a sly and clever brother of the Lion King. This cunning man plots to kill Simba and his father. As the film goes on, we notice that Scar does not go through any change and keeps these traits until the end. By the end of the story, he does not survive and dies due to his wicked deeds. Example #3 Draco Malfoy from Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling Draco Malfoy is another good example of a static character. Although he gets many opportunities to grow and transform for better, he prefers not to change. He also dimly senses that Lord Voldemort and Death Eaters are evil, even though he continues to believe that purebloods are only worthy and "mudbloods" and "Muggles" are to be disdained. Example # 4 Loisel from The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant In his short story "The Necklace", Guy de Maupassant introduces M. Loisel as a static character, who does not care much to develop himself. He basically appreciates little things in life, seems happy with his life and plays as a foil to his perpetually dissatisfied wife. He exists because his wife needs someone to be escorted and could not go alone on a ball by herself. Also, Mathilde could not find any way to pay back the diamond necklace herself. Therefore, all she does to help him pay for necklace is to save money in every possible way by doing all laundry work and other household labor. Example #5 Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird By Harper Lee Atticus Finch is another good example of a static character in the novel, To Kill a Mocking Bird. Though his attitude about his father changes, he shows the same fortitude in courtroom that he explains when he has shot the dog earlier in the story. He exercises the same principle of seeing the things from other people's perspective throughout the narrative. For instance, in the beginning, he gives a warning to the children to give respect to Boo's privacy and eccentric ways. Then, towards the end, he again recognizes the value of giving respect to Boo's privacy by agreeing with judgment of Heck Tate regarding Bob Ewell's death.

Examples of protagonist in literature

Example #1 Protagonist examples in many stories are not shown to be flawless. They generally undergo some change that causes a turn of events, which makes a story interesting and helps deliver a message. Sometimes, a moral weakness is highlighted that causes the fall of the protagonist. For example: in William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, the protagonist experiences terrible events because of his indecisiveness, which troubles him while murdering his evil uncle. So, Hamlet's struggle in dealing with the antagonist is what precedes the story. Example #2 A protagonist can sometimes be very controversial because of some evil traits. One of the good examples of protagonist who is controversial would be Becky Sharp from William Makepeace Thackeray's Vanity Fair, who can occasionally be very manipulative in order to achieve her own interests. Example #3 There are ensemble stories that do not particularly highlight either one of the characters more than the rest. For instance, Addie Bundren's demise in the novel As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner, results in her family traveling a long way to bury her, and they all tell the story from their own perspective, which makes them all equally important to the story. Thus, it leaves us with more than just one protagonist in the same story.

Foreshadowing examples

Example #1 Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" is rich with foreshadowing examples. One of which is the following lines from Act 2, Scene 2: "Life were better ended by their hate, Than death prorogued, wanting of thy love" In the balcony scene, Juliet is concerned about Romeo's safety as she fears her kinsmen may catch him. Romeo says, in the above lines, that he would rather have her love and die sooner than not obtain her love and die later. Eventually, he gets her love and dies for her love, too. Example #2 Charles Dickens in "Great Expectations" uses a description of weather in chapter 39 to foreshadow the momentous changes in "Pip's" life and outlook: "Stormy and wet, stormy and wet; and mud, mud, mud, deep in all the streets. Day after day, a vast heavy veil had been driving over London from the East, and it drove still, as if in the East there were an Eternity of cloud and wind. So furious had been the gusts, that high buildings in town had had the lead stripped off their roofs; and in the country, trees had been torn up, and sails of windmills carried away; and gloomy accounts had come in from the coast, of shipwreck and death. Violent blasts of rain had accompanied these rages of wind, and the day just closed as I sat down to read had been the worst of all." The above lines are Pip's observation on the weather before Magwitch's arrival. It is a foreshadowing as well as a representation of Pip's inner chaos. Just as the angry winds leaves a trail of destruction in London, Magwitch's disclosure opens a path of destruction in Pip's life. Example #3 Examples of foreshadowing are also found in mystery and detective stories. The kind of foreshadowing usually found in mystery or detective novels is "Red-Herring" - a misleading clue that distracts readers by giving them wrong hints about future events. For example, the character of "Bishop Aringarosa" in "Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown is shown to act in such a suspicious way that the readers are bound to suspect him to be the mastermind of the whole conspiracy in the church. His mysterious actions seemingly foreshadow the exposure of his crime in a later part of the narrative but later it was revealed that he was innocent and not involved in any secret action. Characters like Bishop Aringarosa contribute to the mystery and suspense of the novel. Example #4 In John Steinbeck's novel "Of Mice and Men", George killing Candy's dog foreshadows George killing Lennie because Lennie is identical to the dog. Even the nature of the death of the dog was the same as Lennie's as both were shot in the back of the head. He chooses to kill Lennie himself in order to save him from being killed by a stranger.

Personification examples in literature

Example #1 Taken from L. M. Montgomery's "The Green Gables Letters", "I hied me away to the woods—away back into the sun-washed alleys carpeted with fallen gold and glades where the moss is green and vivid yet. The woods are getting ready to sleep—they are not yet asleep but they are disrobing and are having all sorts of little bed-time conferences and whisperings and good-nights." The lack of activity in the forest has been beautifully personified as the forest getting ready to sleep, busy in bed-time chatting and wishing good-nights, all of which are human customs. Example #2 Taken from Act I, Scene II of "Romeo and Juliet", "When well-appareled April on the heel Of limping winter treads." There are two personification examples here. April cannot put on a dress, and winter does not limp and it does not have a heel on which a month can walk. Shakespeare personifies the month of April and the winter season by giving them two distinct human qualities. Example #3 A.H. Houseman in his poem "Loveliest of Trees the Cherry Now" personifies the cherry tree, "Loveliest of trees, the cherry now Is hung with bloom along the bough, And stands about the woodland ride Wearing white for Eastertide." He sees a cherry tree covered with beautiful white flowers in the forest and says that the cherry tree wears white clothes to celebrate Easter. He gives human attributes to a tree in order to describe it in human terms. Example #4 Emily Elizabeth Dickinson employs personification in her poem "Have You Got A Brook In Your Little Heart". "Have you got a brook in your little heart, Where bashful flowers blow, And blushing birds go down to drink, And shadows tremble so?" The bashful flowers, blushing birds and trembling shadows are examples of personification. Example #5 Katherine Mansfield wrote in her short story "How Pearl Button Was Kidnapped", "Pearl Button swung on the little gate in front of the House of Boxes. It was the early afternoon of a sunshiny day with little winds playing hide-and-seek in it." It personifies wind by saying that it is as playful as little children playing hide-and-seek on a shiny day. Example #6 William Blake personifies Sunflowers in his poem "Two Sunflowers Move in a Yellow Room". "Two Sunflowers Move in the Yellow Room. 'Ah, William, we're weary of weather, said the sunflowers, shining with dew. Our traveling habits have tired us. Can you give us a room with a view?" The flowers are depicting a human characteristic of weariness caused by the weather. In a human way, they make a request to the poet to put them in a room with a window with plenty of sunshine.

Flashback examples in literatuee

Example #1 The Bible is a good source of flashback examples. In the Book of Matthew, we see a flashback has been used when Joseph, governor of Egypt, sees his brothers after several years, Joseph "remembered his dreams" about his brothers and how they sold him into slavery in the past. Example #2 Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" uses flashback to narrate Willy Loman's memories of the past. At one moment, Willy talks with his dead brother while playing cards with Charley. He relives a past conversation in the present. This demonstrates a character that is physically living in the present but mentally living in the memories and events of the past. Example #3 Another example is the ballad of "The Cruel Mother." A mother remembers her murdered child. While going to a church, she remembers her child's birth, growing up, and death. Later, she thinks back further to a distant time in her past to remember how her own mother was ruthless to her. Example #4 "Wuthering Heights" (a novel written by Emily Bronte) starts off with Cathy, one of the main characters dead. Mr. Lockwood sees Cathy's name written all over the windowsill and then has a vexing dream about her. When he talks about the dream to Heathcliff, Heathcliff becomes too distressed. Mr. Lockwood wants to know why the mention of Cathy upsets him. The flashbacks are means to 'bring Cathy back to life' so Mr. Lockwood has a better perception of why Heathcliff was so upset. The Flashbacks show the development of the love that Heathcliff and Cathy had for each other grew and how their poor decisions separated them. It would not have the same effect, if Ellen had only told Mr. Lockwood that Cathy was a person that Heathcliff loved and that she died. Example #5 Robert Frost, in his poem "Birches", employs flashback. In this poem, a character sees swaying birch trees and says, "So was I once myself a swinger of birches. And so I dream of going back to be." He goes back to the days of his childhood, and then returns to the present and says, "I'd like to get away from earth awhile, and then come back to it and begin over." The narrator remembers and desires for the freedom and joy he experienced as a child swinging on birch trees and wishes to return to that moment of his childhood.

Examples of irony in literature

Example #1 We come across the following lines in Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet", Act I, Scene V. "Go ask his name: if he be married. My grave is like to be my wedding bed." Juliet commands her nurse to find out who Romeo was and says if he were married, then her wedding bed would be her grave. It is a verbal irony because the audience knows that she is going to die on her wedding bed. Example #2 Shakespeare employs this verbal irony in "Julius Caesar" Act I, Scene II, CASSIUS: "'tis true this god did shake" Cassius, despite knowing the mortal flaws of Caesar, calls him "this god". Example #3 In the Greek drama "Oedipus Rex" written by "Sophocles", "Upon the murderer I invoke this curse - whether he is one man and all unknown, Or one of many - may he wear out his life in misery to miserable doom!" The above lines are an illustration of verbal and dramatic irony. It was predicted that a man guilty of killing his father and marrying his own mother has brought curse on the city and its people. In the above-mentioned lines, Oedipus curses the man who is the cause of curse on his city. He is ignorant of the fact that he himself is that man and he is cursing himself. The audience, on the other hand, knows the situation. Example #4 Irony examples are not only found in stage plays but in poems too. In his poem "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner", Coleridge wrote: "Water, water, everywhere, And all the boards did shrink; Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink." In the above stated lines, the ship, blown by the south wind, is stranded in the uncharted sea. Ironically, there is water everywhere but they do not have a single drop of water to drink.

Examples of symbolism in literature

Example #1 We find symbolic value in Shakespeare's famous monologue in his play As you Like It: "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts," The above lines are symbolic of the fact that men and women, in course of their life perform different roles. "A stage" here symbolizes the world and "players" is a symbol for human beings. Example #2 William Blake goes symbolic in his poem Ah Sunflower. He says: "Ah Sunflower, weary of time, Who countest the steps of the sun; Seeking after that sweet golden clime Where the traveler's journey is done;" Blake uses a sunflower as a symbol for human beings and "the sun" symbolizes life. Therefore, these lines symbolically refer to their life cycle and their yearning for a never-ending life. Example #3 Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights presents almost every character, house, surroundings and events in a symbolic perspective. The word "Wuthering", which means stormy, represents the wild nature of its inhabitants. The following lines allow us to look into the symbolic nature of two characters: "My love for Linton is like the foliage in the woods. Time will change it; I'm well aware, as winter changes the trees. My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath a source of little visible delight, but necessary." The phrase "foliage of leaves" for Linton is a symbol for his fertile and civilized nature. On the contrary, Heathcliff is likened to an "eternal rock" which symbolizes his crude and unbendable nature. Example #4 Sara Teasdale in her poem Wild Asters develops a number of striking symbols: "In the spring, I asked the daisies If his words were true, And the clever, clear-eyed daisies Always knew. Now the fields are brown and barren, Bitter autumn blows, And of all the stupid asters Not one knows." In the above lines, "spring" and "daisies" are symbols of youth. "Brown and barren" are symbols of transition from youth to old age. Moreover, "Bitter autumn" symbolizes death.

Examples of simile in literature

Example #1 Written by Joseph Conrad, "I would have given anything for the power to soothe her frail soul, tormenting itself in its invincible ignorance like a small bird beating about the cruel wires of a cage." The lines have been taken from Lord Jim. The helplessness of the soul is being compared with a bird in a cage beating itself against the merciless wires of the cage, to be free. Example #2 In her novel To the Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf compares the velocity of her thoughts about the two men with that of spoken words. ". . . impressions poured in upon her of those two men, and to follow her thought was like following a voice which speaks too quickly to be taken down by one's pencil . . ." She says both are difficult to follow and cannot be copied in words by a pencil. Example #3 Taken from a short story Lolita written by Vladimir Nabokov, "Elderly American ladies leaning on their canes listed toward me like towers of Pisa." This simile produces a humorous effect by comparing old women leaning on walking sticks with the ancient leaning tower of Pisa. Example #4 Robert Burns uses a simile to describe the beauty of his beloved. "O my Luve's like a red, red rose That's newly sprung in June; O my Luve's like the melodie That's sweetly played in tune." He says that his love is a fresh red rose that blossoms in the spring. Example #5 Taken from the poem the Daffodils. "I wandered lonely as a cloud that floats on high o'er vales and hills." The poet envisions himself as a free lone cloud that floats in a blue sky above valleys and the mountains. By choosing this simile, Wordsworth describes his loneliness. Example #6 A significant thing to consider here is that at times simile is drawn without using "as" or "like". Consider the following example, "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? / Thou art more lovely and more temperate" (William Shakespeare, Sonnet 18) In the above example, we see a comparison being drawn between the poet's darling and "a summer's day" not using "as" or "like". However, it is not a metaphor. The use of the word "compare" makes the comparison a simile.

Examples of setting in literature

Example 1 In Emily Bronte's novel Wuthering Heights, its setting plays a vital role, as it reflects the mood of major characters and their actions, while contributing to its overall atmosphere. The novel has three main settings; first is moors, second is Wuthering Heights and third is Thrushcross Grange. Moors symbolize wilderness, freedom as nobody owns them, and everyone can freely move anytime, while name Wuthering Heights depicts weather around this house is stormy and gloomy and its characters are cruel and extremely passionate. Thrushcross Grange, on the other hand, is contrary to Wuthering Heights, because its weather is calm, while its inhabitants are dull and weak. Example 2 Christopher Marlowe's poem, The Passionate Shepherd to His Love, is set in the countryside. The poet has focused on the setting of countryside during springtime. The springtime has a double purpose, as it refers to baby animals and budding flowers, and fifth month of the year. Then the month of May sets the scene as well as emphasizes fertility and new life linked with springtime. Thus, poet has idealized the image of rural life in the background of his personal emotions, while time is stationary in the poem. Example 3 In Joseph Conrad's novel, Heart of Darkness, the leading character Marlow goes to different places and settings that influence his imagination and adds to the themes of the story. The title, Heart of Darkness, refers to center of the jungle in African continent, where Marlowe travels to find Kurtz. The darkness not only applies to shadowy jungle, it also applies to the behavior and actions of the civilized people it affects, and they become savage like Kurtz. The setting is also symbolic of imperialistic forces that have made the black men their slaves. Example 4 In William Golding's novel, Lord of Flies, weather plays a very important role, as it represents mood, behavior and attitudes of young boys throughout the storyline. During the day, beach looks bright, while the ocean is calm and there is no conflict. Author describes the dense areas of the jungle as scary and dark. One night when Simon is killed, there comes a violent storm, and the ocean looks very rough in that black night. Thus, its setting includes weather conditions and ocean representing dark forces of nature present in human nature.

Examples of nostalgia in literature

Example# 1 It was roses, roses, all the way, With myrtle mixed in my path like mad. The house-roofs seemed to heave and sway, The church-spires flamed, such flags they had, A year ago on this very day! (Patriot into Traitor by Robert Browning, Lines 1-5). These are the opening lines from Robert Browning's famous poem "Patriot into Traitor", which shows how nostalgic the king has become about his past when he is given a heroic welcome. The people gather everywhere to have his glance. However, after a time span of a year, everything changes. The people, who were happy to welcome him at that time, are now eager to see him going to gallows. That is why he becomes nostalgic about the past. Example# 2 For I must now confess to you that I suffer from home-sickness — that I long so ardently and earnestly for home, as sometimes, when no one sees me, to pine for it. ... So dearly do I love the scene of my poverty and your kindness. O so dearly, O so dearly! (Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens) These lines are from Charles Dickens' novel, Little Dorrit. This is Amy Dorrit's dialogue, who cannot forget her past. On the other hand, all her family members pretend to have forgotten their past. Amy Dorrit has been so involved with her past that she feels pangs of those happy times, and is compelled to think the old times. This is a good example of nostalgia by Charles Dickens. Example# 3 For oft, when on my couch I lie In vacant or in pensive mood, They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude; And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils. (The Daffodils by William Wordsworth, Lines 18-24)) This stanza is a good example of Romantic nostalgic poetry. This is the last stanza of "The Daffodils" by William Wordsworth. The poet has seen daffodils somewhere. Now when he sits alone on his couch, the same scene comes to his mind. He imagines himself relishing in the midst of those daffodils. This is an apt example of pleasure in nostalgia, because the poet experienced tranquility and peace of mind in the company of the flowers, and still he feels the same after it when he is alone at home.

Examples of syntax

Examples in poetry Example #1 In casual conversations, we can simply say, "I cannot go out" to convey our inability to go out. P J Kavanagh's in his poem Beyond Decoration does not rely on merely stating a prosaic "I cannot go out". Rather, he shifts the syntax and says "Go out I cannot", which lays a much stronger emphasis on the inability to go out conveyed by the word "cannot". Example #2 Similarly, Milton shifts words in his poems frequently. Let us analyze lines from his poem Lycidas: "Thee, Shepherd, thee the woods and desert caves, With wild thyme and the gadding vine o'ergrown, And all their echoes mourn" Examples in prose Example #1 "That night I sat on Tyan-yu's bed and waited for him to touch me. But he didn't. I was relieved." (The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan) Example #2 "They left me alone and I lay in bed and read the papers awhile, the news from the front, and the list of dead officers with their decorations and then reached down and brought up the bottle of Cinzano and held it straight up on my stomach, the cool glass against my stomach, and took little drinks making rings on my stomach from holding the bottle there between drinks, and watched it get dark outside over the roofs of the town." (A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway) The two syntax examples above show a distinct use of syntax. Amy Tan uses short sentences to communicate in a powerful and concise manner. Ernest Hemingway, on the other hand, uses long and complex structures to emphasize the laziness of his character. Examples in Shakespeare Example #1 In Romeo and Juliet, he writes, "What light from yonder window breaks?" instead of using a common expression "What light breaks from yonder window?" Example #2 In Richard III, he deliberately reverses the word order of a sentence, "and all the clouds that lowered upon our house buried in the deep bosom of the ocean." into "And all the clouds that lower'd upon our house in the deep bosom of the ocean buried."

Common Examples of irony

I posted a video on YouTube about how boring and useless YouTube is. The name of Britain's biggest dog was "Tiny". You laugh at a person who slipped stepping on a banana peel and the next thing you know, you slipped too. The butter is as soft as a marble piece. "Oh great! Now you have broken my new camera."

Imagery

Imagery means to use figurative language to represent objects, actions and ideas in such a way that it appeals to our physical senses.

Foil

In literature, a foil is a character that shows qualities that are in contrast with the qualities of another character with the objective to highlight the traits of the other character. The term foil, though generally being applied for a contrasting character, may also be used for any comparison that is drawn to portray a difference between two things.

Common speech examples of metaphor

My brother was boiling mad. (This implies he was too angry.) The assignment was a breeze. (This implies that the assignment was not difficult.) It is going to be clear skies from now on. (This implies that clear skies are not a threat and life is going to be without hardships) The skies of his future began to darken. (Darkness is a threat; therefore, this implies that the coming times are going to be hard for him.) Her voice is music to his ears. (This implies that her voice makes him feel happy)

Resolution

means the unfolding or solution of a complicated issue in a story. Technically, resolution is also known as a denouement. Most of the instances of resolution are presented in the final parts or chapters of a story. It mostly follows the climax.