ESL - Literary Devices 2 (Alliteration, Imagery, Oxymoron, Hyperbole and Symbolism)

Hello there, this is Mr. P. In this lesson, we're going to take a look at literary devices. Alliteration, imagery, symbolism, hyperbole, and oxymoron. So let's get started. Alliteration. It is a literary device that repeats a speech sound in a sequence of words that are close to each other. That does not mean it needs to be right next to each other. There can be a word in between, just like big and beautiful or safe and sound. And then normally, for example, Benjamin Button or Donald Duck. Alliteration uses consonants at the beginning of a word to give stress to its syllable. A consonant is any letter that is not a vowel. So let's take a look at what consonants are. So we have J, H, G, F, D, C, B, K, L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, V, W, X, Y, Z. So use only consonants for alliteration. Vowels are A, E, I, O, U. So what does alliteration do? Well, it provides a work with musical rhythms. Poems that use alliteration are read and recited with more interest and appeal. Poems with alliteration can be easier to memorize. Alliteration lends structure, flow, and beauty to any piece of writing. And today, alliteration is often used to make slogans more memorable or to make children's stories more fun to read out loud. So let's look at some examples. Jump like jolly jumping beans. Jump, jolly, jumping. While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping. The raven, Edgar Allan Poe. So we have nodded, nearly napping, and, and, and. How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? So we have W repeated three times and then C repeated three times, as you can see. So again, how much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? And then we have Peter Piper picked a pack of pickled peppers. So P is repeated six times. So let's try to repeat it. Peter Piper picked a pack of pickled peppers. Again. So then we have a hyperbole. What is a hyperbole? It is a figure of speech that uses intentional exaggeration. Exaggeration. And that's your keyword right there. Examples. My shoes are killing me. Or. It's raining cats and dogs. By exaggerating certain characteristics, hyperboles give the reader a vivid mental picture. Hyperboles are descriptive language. Using a hyperbole is a creative way to describe something. Examples. My shoes are killing me. Shoes can never kill you. This is exaggeration. And thus a hyperbole. Or. It's raining cats and dogs. This can never happen in the real world, right? It's an exaggeration. And thus a hyperbole. I flew to Saturn and back. Impossible to fly to Saturn. It's an exaggeration. Other examples. My eyes widened at the sight of the mile-high ice cream cones we were having for dessert. Or. The internet is an information highway as big as an elephant. Wow. Gina's mouth is one huge metal factory. Life is one long scary rollercoaster. Yeah. The toast jumped out of the toaster. These are all examples of hyperbole. Imagery is the literary term used for language and description that appeals to our five senses. Examples. Glittering white. The blanket of snow covered everything in sight. Writers use imagery when they attempt to describe something so that it appeals to our sense of smell, sight, taste, touch, or hearing. These are the five senses we were talking about. What images do. They help us create a mental picture. They help us hear a sound. Feel texture or temperature. Taste a flavor. And then smell. Poets use imagery to speak to our deepest feelings. Joy, sorrow, wonder, and love. To emphasize certain qualities of the subject and to create a mood. Just like this example. A host of golden daffodils beside the lake beneath the trees, fluttering and dancing in the breeze. I wandered as lonely as a cloud by William Wordsworth. Imagery in Shakespeare. That's right. Imagery of light and darkness is repeated many times in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Consider an example from Act 1, Scene 5. Oh, she doth teach the torches to burn bright. It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night like a rich jewel in an atheopsia. Romeo praises Juliet by saying that she appears more radiant than the brightly lit torches in the hall. He says that at night her face glows like a bright jewel shining against the dark skin of an African. Through the contrasting images of light and dark, Romeo portrays Juliet's beauty. Again, we have imagery in Shakespeare. In Romeo and Juliet, in Act 2, Scene 2, Shakespeare uses the contrasting images of light and dark again to describe Juliet's eyes. Yes, that's Juliet. Two of the brightest stars in the whole sky had to go away on business and they're asking her eyes to twinkle in their places until their return. What if her eyes were in the sky and the stars were in her head? The brightness of her cheeks would outshine the stars the way the sun outshines a lamp. If her eyes were in the night sky, they would shine so brightly through space that birds would start singing, thinking her light was the light of day. So now let's take a look at symbolism and answer the question, what is a symbol? It is a thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract. Yes, for example, the dollar sign, or the peace symbol, or recycle, or you're not allowed to, or Islam, or Wi-Fi, or love, or Christianity. Symbolism in literature. It is the practice or art of using an object or a word to represent an abstract idea. An action, person, place, word, or object can all have a symbolic meaning. When an author wants to suggest a certain mood or emotion, he can also use symbolism to hint at it, rather than just blatantly saying it. Let's explore some examples of symbolism in the arts and our everyday lives. Symbolism in colors. Black is used to represent death or evil. White stands for life and purity. Red symbolizes blood, passion, danger, or immoral character. Purple is a royal color. Yellow stands for violence or decay. And blue represents peacefulness and calm. Symbolism in weather. Fog might represent a bad omen or something terrible on the horizon. Storms usually symbolize hostility or turmoil. Snow often comes with a message of calmness or purity. And wind might be used to symbolize power or strength. Examples in literature. In Alie Wiesel's novel Night, night is used throughout the book to symbolize death, darkness, and loss of faith. In Athenius Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, the letter A symbolizes adultery. In Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Hamperdink, bread symbolizes comfort, and breadcrumbs symbolize the way home. In The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe, the raven symbolizes the carrier of bad omens. He also used the bird to symbolize death and loss. Now let's look at oxymoron. An oxymoron is a figure of speech containing words that seem to contradict each other. It's often referred to as a contradiction in terms. Sometimes they're used to create a little bit of drama for the reader. Sometimes they're used to make a person stop and think, whether that's to laugh or to wonder. Let's take a look at common oxymorons. Dark night. Definitely, maybe. Only choice. Original copy. Open secret. True myth. Walking dead. Random order. Bittersweet. Alone together. Deafening silence. Amazingly awful. Growing smaller. An honest thief. The purpose of oxymorons. They're used for dramatic effect, to call attention to the speaker and the object of inquiry. To add flavor to speech. The speaker is finding a new way to describe that individual or object. Adding the adverb, for example, creates a detailed description of the situation. For entertainment. The speaker wants to be witty and show they can use words to make people laugh. Quotes using oxymorons. We are busy doing nothing. Bing Crosby said that. Modern dancing is so old-fashioned. Samuel Galwin. A joke is an extremely serious issue. Winston Churchill. I can't believe anything, provided that is quite incredible. That's Oscar Wilde. So let's recap then. Alliteration. Repeating speech sounds in a sequence of words. Hyperbole. Using exaggeration in figures of speech. Imagery. Descriptive language used to appeal to a reader's senses. Symbolism. Using an object or a word to represent an abstract idea. Oxymoron. Words that seem to contradict each other. So that's it for today. If you have any questions about literary devices, please post them under the video. If you haven't subscribed to my channel, please do. If you liked the lesson, please hit on the like button and you may share the video to your friends. Until next time. Take care. Bye-bye.