LAST-MINUTE REVIEW

NAME THAT DEVICE

• “LIFE IMITATES ART FAR MORE THAN ART IMITATES LIFE.” ~

(THE INIMITABLE) OSCAR WILDE

ANSWER:

• CHIASMUS (TWO PHRASES IN WHICH THE SYNTAX IS THE

SAME BUT THE PLACEMENT OF THE WORDS IS REVERSED.)

NAME THAT DEVICE

• AS YOU LEARNED FOR YOUR VOCAB TEST, CELIBATE PEOPLE DO

NOT MAKE LOVE.

ANSWER

• EUPHEMISM

NAME THAT DEVICE

• “WHAT LIES BEHIND US AND WHAT LIES BEFORE US

ARE TINY COMPARED TO WHAT LIES WITHIN US.” ~

RALPH WALDO EMERSON

ANSWER

• ANAPHORA (THE REPETITION OF A WORD OR GROUP OF

WORDS AT THE BEGINNING OF SUCCESSIVE PHRASES,

CLAUSES, OR SENTENCES.)

NAME THAT DEVICE

• “BEFORE, A JOY PROPOSED; BEHIND, A DREAM.” ~

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

ANSWER

• PARALLELISM

NAME THAT DEVICE

• “IN THE BED OF THE RIVER THERE WERE PEBBLES AND BOULDERS,

DRY AND WHITE IN THE SUN, AND THE WATER WAS CLEAR AND

SWIFTLY MOVING AND BLUE IN THE CHANNELS.” ~ ERNEST

HEMINGWAY

ANSWER

• POLYSYNDETON (THE DEVICE OF REPEATING CONJUNCTIONS IN

CLOSE SUCCESSION)

NAME THAT DEVICE

• “ALL MEN KILL THE THING THEY LOVE.” ~ OSCAR WILDE

(BECAUSE WOW, CAN THAT MAN DANCE!)

ANSWER

• PARADOX (A STATEMENT THAT SEEMS ABSURD OR EVEN

CONTRADICTORY BUT THAT OFTEN EXPRESSES A DEEPER TRUTH)

NAME THAT DEVICE

• IN THE PRIME OF HIS LIFE, HE WAS CUT DOWN.

ANSWER

• PERIODIC SENTENCE (A SENTENCE THAT DELAYS INTRODUCING THE

SUBJECT AND VERB [OR INDEPENDENT CLAUSE] UNTIL THE END.)

NAME THAT DEVICE

• "DISABLED ," BY CONTRAST, SUGGESTS ANY INCAPACITY, PHYSICAL

OR MENTAL. AND I CERTAINLY DON'T LIKE "HANDICAPPED," WHICH

IMPLIES THAT I HAVE DELIBERATELY BEEN PUT AT A DISADVANTAGE,

BY WHOM I CAN'T IMAGINE (MY ( 25 ) GOD IS NOT A

HANDICAPPER GENERAL), IN ORDER TO EQUALIZE CHANCES IN THE

GREAT RACE OF LIFE. ~ NANCY MAIRS (“I AM A CRIPPLE”)

ANSWER

• EUPHEMISM

NAME THAT DEVICE

• “NOT THAT I LOVED CAESAR LESS, / BUT THAT I LOVED

ROME MORE.” ~ BRUTUS IN SHAKESPEARE’S JULIUS

CAESAR

ANSWER

• ANTITHESIS (THE CONTRASTING OF IDEAS BY THE USE OF

PARALLEL STRUCTURE IN PHRASES OR CLAUSES)

• STUDY TIP: GO BACK AND JUXTAPOSE EXAMPLES OF

CHIASMUS AND ANTITHESIS TO CLARIFY THE DISTINCTION IN

YOUR MIND.

NAME THAT DEVICE

• “I CAME. I SAW. I CONQUERED.” ~ JULIUS CAESAR

ANSWER

• ASYNDETON (THE OMISSION OF COORDINATING

CONJUNCTIONS [READ: FANBOYS], SUCH AS IN A SERIES.)

NAME THAT DEVICE

• IT’S NOTHING. I’M JUST BLEEDING TO DEATH IS ALL.

ANSWER

• LITOTE (DELIBERATE UNDERSTATEMENT. OFTEN, THOUGH

NOT ALWAYS, AN IDEA IS AFFIRMED BY NEGATING ITS

OPPOSITE. THIS EXAMPLE DOES NOT DO THAT.)

NAME THAT DEVICE

• IF I’VE TOLD YOU ONCE, I’VE TOLD YOU A MILLION TIMES,

DO NOT USE 2ND PERSON PRONOUNS IN YOUR WRITING.

ANSWER

• HYPERBOLE (EXCESSIVE OVERSTATEMENT OR CONSCIOUS

EXAGGERATION OF FACT – OPPOSITE OF LITOTE.)

NAME THAT DEVICE

• THE CROWN CARRIES MANY RESPONSIBILITIES.

ANSWER

• METONYMY (A FIGURE OF SPEECH IN WHICH SOMETHING

IS REFERRED TO BY ONE OF ITS ATTRIBUTES)

NAME THAT DEVICE

• WANT TO TAKE A RIDE IN MY NEW WHEELS?

ANSWER

• SYNECDOCHE (A FIGURE OF SPEECH IN WHICH A PART OF

AN ENTITY IS USED TO REFER TO THE WHOLE ~OR~ WHEN

A GENUS IS REFERRED TO BY A SPECIES.)

• STUDY TIP: JUXTAPOSE METONYMY AND SYNECDOCHE

EXAMPLES TO CLARIFY THE DISTINCTION..

NAME THAT DEVICE

• THE WORD “SOPHOMORE” MEANS “WISE FOOL.”

ANSWER

• OXYMORON (THE JUXTAPOSITION OF TWO

CONTRADICTORY TERMS)

• STUDY TIP: JUXTAPOSE AN EXAMPLE OF AN OXYMORON

AND AN EXAMPLE OF A PARADOX TO DISTINGUISH

BETWEEN THE TWO

NAME THAT DEVICE

• “I COME TO BURY CAESAR, NOT TO PRAISE HIM.” ~ MARC

ANTONY IN JULIUS CAESAR

ANSWER

• ANTITHESIS (THE CONTRASTING OF IDEAS BY THE USE OF

PARALLEL STRUCTURE IN PHRASES OR CLAUSES)

• DID YOU JUXTAPOSE ANTITHESIS AND CHIASMUS LIKE I

SUGGESTED???

NAME THAT DEVICE

• “TO STOP TOO FEARFUL, AND TOO FAINT TO GO.”

ANSWER

• CHIASMUS

• BY THE WAY, IF YOU ARE SITTING IN FRONT OF YOUR COMPUTER

WITH THE LIST OF TERMS I GAVE YOU RATHER THAN WITH

FLASHCARDS YOU HAVE MADE, YOUR STUDY SKILLS ARE

PERFUNCTORY AND INEFFECTIVE.

NAME THAT DEVICE

• WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, THE TOUGH GET

GOING.

ANSWER

• CHIASMUS

• BY THE WAY, IF YOU ARE NOT MAKING ADDITIONAL

FLASHCARDS WITH THESE ADDITIONAL EXAMPLES, YOUR

STUDY SKILLS ARE SUBSTANDARS.

NAME THAT DEVICE

• JUST WHEN YOU THINK IT’S SAFE TO GO BACK IN THE

WATER, A SHARK BITES YOU.

ANSWER

•PERIODIC SENTENCE (BECAUSE YOU ARE LEFT IN

SUSPENSE. REMEMBER, PERIODIC SENTENCES LEAVE

YOU HANGING UNTIL THE END; CUMULATIVE

SENTENCES PILE ON DETAILS AFTER THE MAIN IDEA

LIKE CARS ON A TRAIN ENGINE.)

NAME THAT DEVICE

•HE IS NOT UNFRIENDLY.

ANSWER

• LITOTE (UNDERSTATEMENT)

NAME THAT DEVICE

• “THOSE WHO ARE FAITHFUL KNOW ONLY THE TRIVIAL SIDE

OF LOVE; IT IS THE FAITHLESS WHO KNOW LOVE’S

TRAGEDIES.” ~ LORD HENRY IN THE PICTURE OF DORIAN

GRAY BY OSCAR WILDE

ANSWER

• PARADOX

NAME THAT DEVICE

• “IT IS RATHER FOR US TO BE HERE DEDICATED TO THE GREAT TASK

REMAINING BEFORE US -- THAT FROM THESE HONORED DEAD WE

TAKE INCREASED DEVOTION TO THAT CAUSE FOR WHICH THEY GAVE

THE LAST FULL MEASURE OF DEVOTION -- THAT WE HERE HIGHLY

RESOLVE THAT THESE DEAD SHALL NOT HAVE DIED IN VAIN -- THAT

THIS NATION, UNDER GOD, SHALL HAVE A NEW BIRTH OF FREEDOM --

AND THAT GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE

PEOPLE, SHALL NOT PERISH FROM THE EARTH.” ~ ABRAHAM LINCOLN

IN THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS

ANSWER

• EPISTROPHE (THE REPETITION OF A WORD OR GROUP OF

WORDS AT THE END OF SUCCESSIVE PHRASES, CLAUSES,

OR SENTENCES)

• THIS DEVICE IS THE OPPOSITE OF WHICH DEVICE?

NAME THAT DEVICE

• “AS CAESAR LOVED ME, I WEEP FOR HIM. / AS HE WAS

FORTUNATE, I REJOICE AT IT. / AS HE WAS VALIANT, I

HONOR HIM. / BUT AS HE WAS AMBITIOUS, I SLEW HIM.”

~ BRUTUS IN SHAKESPEARE’S JULIUS CAESAR

ANSWER

• ANAPHORA (REPEATED USE OF A WORD OR PHRASE AT THE START OF

SUCCESSIVE PHRASES OR SENTENCES FOR EFFECT)

• SOMETHING TO PONDER: WHY ARE SO MANY OF THESE EXAMPLES

FROM JULIUS CAESAR? (NO, NOT BECAUSE I ALSO TEACH THAT PLAY,

THOUGH THAT IS TRUE AND I LOVE THE PLAY. . . .)

NAME THAT DEVICE

• MY TEACHER IS A TOTAL PSYCHOPATH.

ANSWER

• HYPERBOLE

NAME THAT DEVICE

• THE TITLE OF WILLIAM FAULKNER’S NOVEL THE SOUND

AND THE FURY.

ANSWER

• ALLUSION (AN IMPLICIT REFERENCE WITHIN A LITERARY WORK

TO A HISTORICAL OR LITERARY PERSON, PLACE, THING, OR

EVENT.)

• IF YOU TOOK ENGLISH II HONORS LAST YEAR AND DO NOT

RECALL THE SOURCE OF THIS ALLUSION, HANG YOUR HEAD IN

SHAME. . . .

A CLOSING NOTE ON ALLUSIONS

• ALLUSIONS ARE LIKE CULTURAL “INSIDERS,” SO TO SPEAK. THE ARTS ARE

FULL OF THEM. YOU SEE THEM IN VISUAL ART, IN LITERARY ART, IN MUSIC.

(SEE WHAT I DID THERE? NAME THAT DEVICE.)

• ALLUSIONS THEREFORE ARE CULTURE-SPECIFIC. INSOFAR AS AMERICAN

CULTURE IS A WESTERN CULTURE, OUR BIG SOURCES FOR ALLUSIONS

ARE 1. GREEK MYTHOLOGY; 2. THE BIBLE; 3. SHAKESPEARE. (OBVIOUSLY,

ALLUSION SOURCES WOULD LOOK DIFFERENT IN, SAY, IRAN OR INDIA.)

• THEREFORE, IF YOU PLAN TO SERIOUSLY STUDY THE ARTS OF A CULTURE,

YOU OUGHT TO HAVE A SOLID GROUNDING IN THEIR CULTURAL

FOUNDING IDEAS.