Hyperbole- Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally. “I must have told you that a thousand times”(Porter, 413). The effect of the hyperbole in “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” is showing that even sick, granny still has a quick temper in teaching her kids life lessons. This brings her character more to life as readers realize that before she was sick she was a caring mother who corrected her children often. Understatement- the presentation of something as being smaller, worse, or less important than it actually is. “Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble… “(Chopin, 1).
In the beginning paragraph her heart trouble is described as small but in the end kills her. This could be the fact that in this time women weren’t suitable if they had any sort of health condition, or it could be that her heart problem is of little significance as well as herself since she is a women. Thus emphasizing the point the feminist author is trying to make. Simile- A figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid. “… and doctor Harry floated like a balloon around the foot of the bed”(Porter, 412).
The use of simile gives readers more of an illustration to what the sick woman is experiencing. “Like a balloon” emphasizes how Granny is drifting in and out of reality/ consciousness due to her sickness’ impact on Granny’s mind. Metaphor- A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable. The seven rooms in the “Masque of the Red Death” represent the stages of human life. The order of these rooms is from east to west like the how the sun rises and sets and each color represents a stage.
The first room is blue for being a new born innocent baby, while the last room is black for the loneliness of death. At the end of this story all people die in the black room. All people ran through all the rooms in order to pursue the intruder but little did they know they were running through the stages of life to meet death at the end. Super eery feeling reader get! Extended metaphor- Also known as a conceit or sustained metaphor, is when an author exploits a single metaphor or analogy at length through multiple linked vehicles, tenors, and grounds.
This is used to show Granny Weatherall’s life in the form of a candle. This emphasizes the idea that she is losing the flame of life (mental sharpness) and her whole existence will soon be blown out. Symbol- A thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract. In “The possibility of Evil” by Shirley jackson Miss Strangeworth uses color coded notepads to write evil letters to community members. Such as green and for envy pink for the innocence of a baby girl. Oxymoron- A figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction.
This literary device is used in “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” when the doctor is checking on his patient. “… good and and sorry”(porter, 1). This makes the reader think for a second on what the doc means when he says this. She will be pleased with herself but dead. This makes the her sickness more real and obscene. Paradox- A seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true. In “The Possibility of Evil” Mrs. Strangeworth is paranoid that her little town is being ruined by certain evils.
There is the possibility of evil lurking on every corner, and as Mrs. Strangeworth is the last Strangeworth left, it is her duty to find it and destroy it”(Jackson, 3). In the end however karma comes and kills her most prized possession, her roses, and she weeps of the cruelty in the world. But really this is how her receivers felt when they got her letters so it’s her own cruelty she is feeling, thus paradox. Sort of. Personification – The attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form.
In “The Story of an Hour”, Mrs. Mallard sees blue patches of sky and realizes what they might mean, with veiled hints Mrs. Mallard soon finds relief and peace with the news of her late husband. “The trees are all aquiver with the new spring of life… the delicious breath of rain is in the air”(Chopin, 2). This scene in the story is super intense! But all her surroundings help her understand what this news might actually mean. With the death of her husband, Chopin brings objects in Mrs. Mallards surroundings to life making this journey of enlightenment super intense!
Also in The jilting of Granny Weatherall Personification is used when granny is on the verge of death, again bringing to life all of her surroundings when she is dying. The effect is intensified because so much is happening and everything is connected. “… a breeze went on whispering, trying to tell her something… God blew on the leaves and they danced and rattled”(Porter, 414). Rhetorical Question- A question that you ask without expecting an answer. The question might be one that does not have an answer.
It might also be one that has an obvious answer but you have asked the question to make a point, to persuade or for literary effect. Granny Weatherall is drifting in and out of reality in her last moments of life. She wants to go back to Hapsy, her daughter, but Cornelia calls to her. Bringing her back. “Mother how do you feel now? ” but there was no answer to that question. The answer is already known that Granny is delirious and on the verge of death. This only emphasizes the point that Granny is almost gone. Bombast- High-sounding language with little meaning, used to impress people.
Pun- A joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words that sound alike but have different meanings. MetonymyThe substitution of the name of an attribute or adjunct for that of the thing meant. In the story “Game” by Donald Barthelme the title itself is a literary device. The story is of two men trapped together with one task. The title game sums up the whole plot because the story is a back and forth friction with the two characters. What I’m trying to say is that the two man have either been forgotten, or the whole world is in a nuclear apocalypse, or this is a test of man’s humanity.
All of these options are considered by the two men in their search for closure as to why they are still locked up. They go back and forth with these ideas. They are also going crazy because they know they are acting strangely and are paranoid the either might shoot them, but if that happens, there is no way to turn their keys in sync so that the bird flies. Yet maybe, if it is a test, that is the final step to be released, or they might start a nuclear war. This is a back and forth “game” the characters go through which the readers also get heavily involved with.
This creates a sense of purpose as all your actions add up to something and these men have no idea what to do, which heavily affects readers. “Game” refers to the whole storyline. Synecdoche- A figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa. Aphorism- A pithy observation that contains a general truth. Onomatopoeia- The formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named. This is used to describe the jacks that Shotwell is infatuated with. “The rattle of the jacks”. This reminds readers of the popular phrase the rattle of death.
But this literary device is used to describe the jacks which Shotwell won’t let the narrator touch. The effect is a little feeling of hollowness. Circumlocution- The use of many words where fewer would do, especially in a deliberate attempt to be vague or evasive. “Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts! “(Walker, 5). Dee (Wangero) says this when she comes back to her not-sobright mother and sister and asks to have more family heritage objects, such as the quilts. This patents the idea of what readers already think. That Dee thinks she is better than her family because of her education.
Euphemism- a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing. Irony (verbal, situational, dramatic). The expression of one’s meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect. Verbal Irony is used in “The Possibility of Evil” because Miss Strangeworth lives on Pleasant street but really the events and her actions are anything but pleasant. Situational Irony is used in “Story of an Hour” where readers realize with a gasp that Mrs. Mallard is thankful for her husband’s death and now wishes that life might be long so she can do what she wants.
This literary device emphasizes the fact that most marriages in that time were not of love. The situational irony in the same story is due to the fact that Josephine wants to help her sister go upstairs to mourn, but in reality mrs. mallard wants to comprehend and rejoice her husband’s passing. Satire- The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.