Category: Literary Devices
-
Dramatic and Literary Techniques Used by Thornton Wilder in the Play ‘Our Town’
The author Thornton Wilder uses dialogue in the play ‘Our Town’. There is a lot left to the imagination as the sets are simple and throughout the acts, the narrative provided by the Stage Manager sets the scene in what is known as the dream play technique. The stage set is very basic with only…
-
Literary Devices in William Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’
‘Macbeth’, first performed in 1606, is an Elizabethan tragedy written by William Shakespeare. He details the anarchy that greed brings rise to, having Macbeth being driven by both himself and extrinsic figures to murder Scotland’s king, ultimately leading to his own anguished death. Shakespeare utilizes a myriad of literary devices to communicate the ideas of…
-
The Swimmer John Cheever Analysis
The recent rise of suburbia in mainstream media has promoted the suburban lifestyle to be the most desirable and ideal way of life. However, when understood in depth, suburbia often hides a deceptive façade as a means to achieve a sense of social superiority. The short story, ‘The Swimmer’ (Cheever, 1964), explores the social and…
-
Literary Devices Used in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Novel ‘The Great Gatsby’
‘The Great Gatsby’, a ‘great’ American novel written by none other than F. Scott Fitzgerald. This classic novel takes a close look at the American Dream as it existed in Fitzgerald’s time. The book was set out in America in the 1920s which was also known as the Jazz Age. The American Dream is the…
-
Symbolism in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Novel ‘The Scarlet Letter’
Symbolism is a concept people are exposed to everyday, whether they notice it or not. It is a device that is used in many different forms, from state flags to works of art to the lyrics of one’s favorite song. Many find symbolism to give such things a higher significance or importance, allowing them to…
-
The Theme of Classism in The Kite Runner
My grandmother, when growing up as a teenage immigrant from Japan in America, had suffered atrocities in her lifetime. Be it not speaking English with perfection in accent and pronunciation, or the foods in which she ate, she was tantalized and berated on a day-to-day basis. The people around her had thought of themselves as…
-
Use of Irony and Imagery in O. Henry’s Story ‘The Ransom of Red Chief’
The definition of the word ‘ransom’ is the sum paid to the kidnappers for the safe return of a kidnapped person. Yet, in O. Henry’s story ‘The Ransom of Red Chief’, the opposite happens. The kidnappers are compelled to pay a fee to the abductee’s father to take the kidnapped boy off their hands. In…
-
Use of Literary Devices to Reveal the Theme in Henry W. Longfellow’s ‘Nature’
Well-written poetry has the ability to stir up deep emotions, plumb the depths of the human conscience, and even cause for reflection on existence itself. The usage of many literary devices contributes to the greatness of a poem and determine the impact it has, as can be seen in ‘Nature’ by Henry W. Longfellow. Longfellow…
-
The Peculiarities Of Narrative Style And Language In The Alchemist
Narrative Style The Alchemist is a novel written by an anonymous third person omniscient, we know this as the narrator always refers to the characters as she, he or they, “they come in search of new things”. Throughout the novel the narrator focuses mainly on Santiago, but the narrator know the feelings and thoughts of…
-
Allusions Research: Dover Beach, The Tyger, Tower of Babel and Others
Allusions Research Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels/Literature: Jonathan Swift, a satirical author, was born in Dublin, Ireland on the 30th of November in 1667. He advanced to Trinity College, obtaining a bachelor of arts degree, and achieved a master of arts degree at Oxford University. During his life, Swift wrote multiple literary works, including Gulliver’s Travels,…