Terms Quiz #3 1-40 Flashcards
Conceit
a figure of speech in which two vastly different objects are likened together with the help of similes or metaphors; develops a comparison which is exceedingly unlikely but is, nonetheless, intellectually imaginative. A comparison turns into a conceit when the writer tries to make us admit a similarity between two things of whose unlikeness we are strongly conscious and for this reason, conceits are often surprising.
Example:
It will not surprise us to hear someone saying, “You are a snail” or “You are slow as a snail,” as we understand that the similarity is drawn on a common quality “slowness”. We, however, will definitely be surprised to hear someone comparing “two lovers with the two legs of a draftsman’s compass.” Thus, conceit examples have a surprising or shocking effect on the readers because they are novel comparisons unlike the conventional comparisons made in similes and metaphors.
“Love is like an oil change,”
or
“The broken heart is a damaged china pot.”
In these examples, the attempt to compare two noticeably unrelated objects makes the comparisons conceits. The conceits in real life may give complex ideas and emotions an air of simplicity by comparing them to simple day-to-day objects as in “My life is like a free online game, people seem to be playing with it.”
Comparison and Contrast
a writer compares or contrasts two people, places, things, or ideas; Writers and poets use comparison in order to link their feelings about a thing to something they compare it with. There are numerous devices in literature that compare two different things to show the similarity between them e.g. simile, metaphor, analogy etc.
Example:
“as lazy as a snail” compares two different entities to show similarity i.e. someone’s laziness to the slow pace of a snail.
Comparison Examples in Literature
metaphor-hidden comparison b/t two things or objects that are dissimilar to each other but have some characteristics common between them; don’t use “like” or “as”
(These lines are from “When I Have Fears” by John Keats.)
“Before high-pil’d books, in charact’ry
Hold like rich garners the full-ripened grain,”
John Keats compares writing poetry with reaping and sowing, and both these acts stand for the insignificance of a life and dissatisfied creativity.
Connotation/Denotation
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.
Example: “Wall Street” literally means a street situated in Lower Manhattan but connotatively it refers to “wealth” and “power”.
Denotation: is generally defined as literal or dictionary meanings of a word in contrast to its connotative or associated meanings
Example: 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”.
Deductive/Inductive Reasoning
Deductive:an argument that is intended by the arguer to be (deductively) valid, that is, to provide a guarantee of the truth of the conclusion provided that the argument’s premises (assumptions) are true. This point can be expressed also by saying that, in a deductive argument, the premises are intended to provide such strong support for the conclusion that, if the premises are true, then it would be impossible for the conclusion to be false.
Example: It’s sunny in Singapore. If it’s sunny in Singapore, he won’t be carrying an umbrella. So, he won’t be carrying an umbrella.
Inductive:known as a conclusion reached through reasoning. An inductive statement is derived using facts and instances which lead to the formation of a general opinion. Though all the facts upon which the conclusion is based are true, there is still a chance of the conclusion reached being false. This type of reasoning goes from specific facts to a general statement.
Example: “This marble from the bag is black. That marble from the bag is black. A third marble from the bag is black. Therefore all the marbles in the bag black.”
Diction
style of speaking or writing determined by the choice of words by a speaker or a writer; choice of words separates good writing from bad writing. It depends on a number of factors. Firstly, the word has to be right and accurate. Secondly, words should be appropriate to the context in which they are used. Lastly, the choice of words should be such that the listener or readers understand easily. Besides, proper diction or proper choice of words is important to get the message across. On the contrary, the wrong choice of words can easily divert listeners or readers which results in misinterpretation of the message intended to be conveyed.
Example: 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”
Didactic vs. Pedantic
Didactic: Writing that is “preachy” or seeks overtly to convince a reader of a particular point or lesson. Medieval homilies and Victorian moral essays are often held up as examples of didactic literature, but one might argue that all literature is didactic to one extent or another since the written word frequently implies or suggests an authorial attitude. Sometimes, the lesson is overtly religious, as in the case of sermons or in literature like Milton’s Paradise Lost, which seeks to “justify God’s ways to men.” In a more subtle way, much of Romantic literature hints at a critique of urbanized and mechanized life in 19th-century London
Pedantic: an adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish
Example: Not to be pedantic, but there appears to be a unit conversion error here
Either/Or Fallacy
whereby a party in an argument characterizes a complex problem as having only two possible solutions; whereby the arguer characterizes a complex problem, with many possible solutions, as having only two possible solutions, one desirable and one not.
Example: One of most bountiful places to hunt for logical fallacies is political debates. Imagine that two politicians are arguing about gun control. What follows are a pair of either/or fallacies, one made by Politician A, and another by Politician B
Ellipses
(1) In its oldest sense as a rhetorical device, ellipsis refers to the artful omission of a word implied by a previous clause.
Example:
“The American soldiers killed eight civilians, and the French eight.” The writer of the sentence has left out the word soldiers after French, and the word civilians after eight. However, both words are implied by the previous clause, so a reader has no trouble following the author’s thought.
(2) is a series of three points with spaces between them (. . .) inserted into a quotation to indicate the omission of material from the original quotation. There are quite a few simple rules for the proper use of ellipses, which are used more often in legal writing than most forms of writing, since lawyers often (generally too often) quote material from other sources. Failure to use the proper form of an ellipsis could misrepresent the work of another person and result in legal liability for the writer. Correct use of ellipses, on the other hand, shows that the writer has carefully attended to detail, and thus increases the reader’s confidence in the reliability of the written work.
Epic
is a genre of classical poetry. It is a poem that is (a) a long narrative about a serious subject, (b) told in an elevated style of language, (c) focused on the exploits of a hero or demi-god who represents the cultural values of a race, nation, or religious group (d) in which the hero’s success or failure will determine the fate of that people or nation. Usually, the epic has (e) a vast setting, and covers a wide geographic area, (f) it contains superhuman feats of strength or military prowess, and gods or supernatural beings frequently take part in the action. The poem begins with (g) the invocation of a muse to inspire the poet and, (h) the narrative starts in medias res (see above). (i) The epic contains long catalogs of heroes or important characters, focusing on highborn kings and great warriors rather than peasants and commoners.
Epigram
(Greek epigramma “an inscription”): (1) An inscription in verse or prose on a building, tomb, or coin. (2) a short verse or motto appearing at the beginning of a longer poem or the title page of a novel, at the heading of a new section or paragraph of an essay or other literary work to establish mood or raise thematic concerns. The opening epigram to Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” is one such example. (3) A short, humorous poem, often written in couplets, that makes a satiric point
Example: Coleridge once described this third type of epigram using an epigram himself: “A dwarfish whole, / Its body brevity, / and wit its soul.”
