In English 300, a major course objective was to understand literary techniques. Learning about the techniques is vital to having dynamic writing that maintains interest and is well-rounded and effective. In learning about them, the hope is that we might better incorporate these techniques into our own writing and improve our usage of them over time.
Polysyndeton
Definition: Polysyndeton is the reoccurring use of conjunctions in close proximity to one another.
Example:
It wasn’t quite a butchers shop with pigs and cows and chicken,
but she laid there, a lamb, and could feel her blood thicken,
as he walked through the door with glassy eyes and a smile so sweet,
and the grime on her skin simmered in a suffocating summer heat.
Explanation: This excerpt shows polysyndeton in the repetition of the word “and”. I used this literary technique to emphasize what should be in a butcher’s shop. In emphasizing this, the reader might begin to understand the central conflict of the poem.
Diaolgue
Defintion: Diaolgue is the conversation between two or more characters occurring in a scene.
Example:
“Viridian,” he said, his dark eyes frantic. He grabbed at his throat, held it together as Viridian answered, “What happened, are you–”
“I don’t have time, V,” he choked. “I love you, I need you to know where to look. This has all been coming for so long and I need you to finish it. The..” Her memory hazed over. Everything grew fuzzy and she was up. Sobbing over her father’s dead body.
Explanation: The dialogue above is a conversation between the main character of my first paper and her dying father. Th goal of the dialogue is to facilitate reader interest and plot foreshadowing.
Anaphora
Definition: Anaphora is the repetition of the same word or phrase at the start of multiple sections, lines, or sentences.
Example:
And when the drinks run dry,
when your mind is cold and sober,
I hope you think fondly.
Of me.
Of us.
Of what could’ve been.
Explanation: Anaphora can be seen in my repeated use of the word “of”. Like the polysyndeton example, the repetition serves as a way to emphasize what I hope this person thinks of.
Narrative Threads
Definition: Narrative threads are plot lines being followed throughout a creative piece and pull at different aspects of the overarching story.
Example:
She stepped carefully across the same stones that she had always used to get to the other side of the flowing waters, and saw her sister, Adelaide, playing in her youth, and giggling as her foot slipped into the always-chilly waters. She shook her head and Addie was gone, just a silver-lined memory now.
Explanation: This bit from my first paper shows the beginning of two plot threads being woven together. Though we are in the present, the main character is thinking about her sister who is (perhaps) no longer alive. The rest of the story will go on to explain the back story of the sister.
Sensory Description
Definition: Sensory description is the use of imagery related to the five senses to describe a scene, character, object, or feeling in a piece of writing.
Example:
She felt her bones awaken and her head begin to heat as something in her chest stirred to life.
Explanation: This sentence shows sensory description in the way that it evokes the reader’s senses to demonstrate how the main character is feeling.
Parallelism
Definition: Parallelism is when two ideas or sections with equal or contrasting ideas balance one another.
Example:
Pretty
And it was just disgusting wasn’t it?
How I let you paint me pink.
You weaved together stars and petals
and you lead me to dream
that we could be like statues
carved in stone and hope,
weathering the storm forever.
But now we exist only behind my eyes
in the inner workings of my mind
we kiss and laugh and cry.
Ugly
I can feel the grime on my skin,
the ick, the ache, the pain.
You carved into me with lying knives
and with my blood you made a pen.
You wrote all over me
about how we could be more
and then left me there to die
on your blood soaked bedroom floor.
Explanation: Putting these two poems side by side would be considered parallelism– and I did this intentionally. I wanted to juxtapose the two feelings I had in the same relationship to showcase how turbulent the relationship was.