StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Examples of Key Literary Terms - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
Key Literary Concepts This essay will look at the key literary concepts of satire, ambiguity, genre and imagination. Josephine's death at the end of Chopin's 1894 “The Story of an Hour” is satire on several different levels: in one complex, heavily-laden event, there is the subversion of different characters' expectations, as well as the more enlightened knowledge of the reader…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER97.3% of users find it useful
Examples of Key Literary Terms
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Examples of Key Literary Terms"

Key Literary Concepts This essay will look at the key literary concepts of satire, ambiguity, genre and imagination. Josephine's death at the end ofChopin's 1894 “The Story of an Hour” is satire on several different levels: in one complex, heavily-laden event, there is the subversion of different characters' expectations, as well as the more enlightened knowledge of the reader. Brently, who “did not even know” (Chopin, 22) that there had been an accident, expected to arrived home as usual, presumably without being greeted by his friend and sister-in-law; Louise and Richards, shocked themselves by the reports of Brently's death turning out to be false, probably assume that Josephine would be overjoyed by the safe return of her husband.

In fact, this assumption is one that most people would make, given that the doctor's prognosis is that she died “of joy that kills” (Chopin, 25). The dramatic irony inherent in this judgment emphasizes the theme of propriety over actual emotion. Josephine felt not joy but grave disappointment at the moment of her heart attack (pun intended). Lines 114 to 128 in Tristan Bernard's 1915 French play, I'm Going!, also makes heavy use of satire to highlight the various chasms between Henri's expectations of Jeanne, Jeanne's behaviour, and the reality of a happy and trusting relationship.

Jeanne appears to be acting normally, acquiescing to her husband's simple request to “show [him] the telegram” (Bernard, 125) she is sending to her friend. However, Henri insists that she is “not usually so obedient” (Bernard, 127), alerting the audience to the fact that such behaviour is not, apparently, normal for her. It is difficult to discern which character the audience is meant to support in this short exchange, because we cannot tell whether it is Jeanne deviating suspiciously from her norm, or Henri deviating from ours.

This brings us to the literary concept of ambiguity, which Frost employs as a framing device in his much-quoted poem “The Road Not Taken.” The speaker's satisfaction evident at the beginning of the poem is partnered with the “sigh” (Frost, 16) of the final stanza to create an ambiguity as to the narrator's residual feelings about their choice. This ambiguity reflects the complexity of making life decisions, and explains the poem's great appeal even now, almost a century after its writing.

Another poem, which is far from ambiguous, is Langston Hughes' 1951 “Dream Boogie.” Instead we see the force of genre in this racially-charged cry for justice. Using poetry to call for equal rights is effective because it echoes the jazz music of Hughes' people, evoking a very particular voice in the reader's mind when this poem is read silently. The purpose of such pieces is to make the writer's voice heard, so Hughes' rhythm-driven choice of genre helps to communicate his message in a way which is both memorable and laden with history.

Chopin's choice of genre also calls on, and joins, the long-standing tradition of a minority. Short stories have, historically, been the refuge of women writers who often needed to produce literature to support themselves – few could invest the time in novels, as the potential of a larger profit was a risk for someone with dependants. One modern short story writer said that she makes use of this genre because “in 20 years, I've never had a day when I didn't have to think about someone else's needs” (Crown).

Our brief, hour-long entry into Josephine's world tautens each emotion we are induced to feel, intensifying our experience with her even though it is a short one. The very dramatic nature of a short story makes the reader feel closer to the protagonist as they are forced into a situation with little introduction, just the passionate interior world of the character. The interior world of Walter Mitty in “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”, written in 1939 by James Thurber, is no less passionate but far more inventive than Josephine Mallard's.

Mitty's imagination takes him variously to a serious surgical procedure, a court case, and several times to war, variously in the Navy, Air Force and in front of a firing squad. His imagination (or education!) is somewhat faulty, using a flower name to refer to a disease and misremembering the name of Count von Richthofen, but his frequent escape into fantasy worlds is recognizable, if exaggerated. The use of imagination in this piece is what makes it fun to read. The imaginative element of Robert Frost's “The Road Not Taken” is not an internal device, but the responding reaction of the reader: the audience's imagination is what associates the “two roads [diverging] in a yellow wood (Frost, 1) with the nature of making decisions.

Imaginatively we connect with Frost's idea that even the simplest choice can have vague but great repercussions. Works Cited Bernard, T. (1915). I'm Going! A Comedy in One Act. In Author of textbook (Ed.), Name of textbook (pp. Startpage-Endpage). Place of publication: Publisher. Chopin, K. (1894). The Story of an Hour. In Author of textbook (Ed.), Name of textbook (pp. Startpage-Endpage). Place of publication: Publisher. Crown, Sarah. (2009, December 11). Short stories: great literature. The Guardian.

Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/dec/11/women-short-story Frost, R. (1916). The Road Not Taken. In Author of textbook (Ed.), Name of textbook (pp. Startpage-Endpage). Place of publication: Publisher. Hughes, L. (1951). Dream Boogie. In Author of textbook (Ed.), Name of textbook (pp. Startpage-Endpage). Place of publication: Publisher. Thurber, J. (1939). The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. In Author of textbook (Ed.), Name of textbook (pp. Startpage-Endpage). Place of publication: Publisher.

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Examples of Key Literary Terms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/other/1411315-examples-of-key-literary-terms
(Examples of Key Literary Terms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words)
https://studentshare.org/other/1411315-examples-of-key-literary-terms.
“Examples of Key Literary Terms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/other/1411315-examples-of-key-literary-terms.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Examples of Key Literary Terms

Key Issues in Bilingualism and Bilingual Education

Recent researches have recognized the influence of the environment on the mental development and many attempts have been made to identify factors that provide advantages in cognitive development, one of which being bilingualism.... A bilingual child is a child who learns two… This occurs from the child's exposure to two or more languages at home through one or both of his parents or outside it through a grand parent, a relative, a friend or a daycare worker. Psychologists and linguists have wondered r bilingualism affects intellectual development since as early as the 1920 when Saer (1923) and Smith (1923) executed numerous studies on the topic since then have attempted to determine whether monolingual and bilingual children differ in intelligence as measured by standard tests....
5 Pages (1250 words) Term Paper

How Teaching of Shakespeare at School Reflects Cultural Values

Now the English language is recognized as a global language and is considered a language full of literary heritage.... His writings are honored by granting them in the literary canon as well as including them in the secondary school curriculum.... The author states that it is almost impossible to conceive a secondary school program of teaching English, at any rate in England, that ignores the study of Shakespeare....
8 Pages (2000 words) Term Paper

Evaluation of Sample Library Questionnaire

The questionnaire used by Example Library is appropriately worded and the authors have avoided the use of technical terms and jargons that may confuse the respondents.... This paper evaluates a user survey questionnaire that was designed used by Example Library during their user survey....
6 Pages (1500 words) Term Paper

Online Comic Library System

The current system involves a lot of time consumption in terms of operating time and service delivery delay.... This term paper "Online Comic Library System" discusses the project that basically represents an information system that avails comic books and other services affiliated to it on an online library platform....
17 Pages (4250 words) Term Paper

The Role of Digital Technology in Education

The author of his paper seeks to identify what is the key role of digital technology in education.... The paper also looks into what teachers think about their skills regarding putting technology into use in education, and what problems they face while doing this.... hellip; Children can be made well equipped with up-to-date information while being able to conduct their own research, do analysis, make decisions, share ideas and views, and learn to be creative and initiative using technological tools in their language learning....
8 Pages (2000 words) Term Paper

Understanding the Camera Techniques in the Film

In the second student handout, the learning outcome is a thorough exercise on identifying examples of scenes and shots for each of the shots they are already familiar with through the first handout.... This paper describes the ESL programs which ESL programs are aimed at making the learners independent learners by understanding the level of the learners and by offering them timely scaffolding wherever necessary and also demonstrates what is the primary objective of scaffolding....
25 Pages (6250 words) Term Paper

The Research Particularities

The author lists research findings are typically communicated in a report and uses examples to analyze the function of each.... The author also analyses the differences he/she would expect to find in the ways in which a research study is reported in an academic journal article and a trade newspaper… In order to understand the differences in services provided to researchers when developing their study reference will be made to one professional body (CILT) and a trade magazine (Lloyds List), which provide such service....
6 Pages (1500 words) Term Paper

Circumstances and Causes Around the Death of Canadian Aboriginal Languages

The case of Canada is an interesting one because there is still today a large variety of experience occurring in terms of the way indigenous languages have prospered or died off within a country that operates predominantly in English and French at the national level... This paper "Circumstances and Causes Around the Death of Canadian Aboriginal Languages" discusses the phenomenon of language death and examines what causes it....
6 Pages (1500 words) Term Paper
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us