Prosady and Poetic Devices - Assignment Example

Question Two An allegory is one of the more major poetic devices. An allegory is the representation of abstract ideas or concepts by characters, figures, or narrative events. In some instances, an allegory can be considered an extended metaphor for a specific historical or political situation. This only holds true, though, if the allegory is spread throughout the entire work and consist of numerous comparisons in objects and concepts. A connotation is a set of associations implied by a single word in addition to its literal meaning, whereas a denotation is the literal meaning of a word that can be found within a dictionary, making it distinct from an associated idea or a connotation. The former consists of what it literally is as well as something a little more abstract that stands for the same thing; the latter is when the word is used for what it stands for. Extended metaphors are metaphors that are drawn out beyond just the typical word. It usually extends itself throughout the stanza or the entire length of the poem. This is done by using more than one comparison between the different objects or concepts. While an allegory can sometimes be considered an extended metaphor, it is even more rare when trying to view it the other way around. It depends entirely on how constant the comparisons are within the poem itself (Packard, 1994). A symbol is the representation of another object through the use of graphics, the written word, and vocal or physical objects. These symbols are complex and abstract, and they usually present another concept that is even more abstract than the symbol itself. Symbolism is one of the most common poetic devices, as well as a device often seen in regular forms of literature. Symbols are used when trying to display a concept without the author saying straight forward what they are trying to convey to their readers. Question Three It is important to include Historical Fiction in a school's curriculum that is written from more than one perspective and is culturally accurate because it allows students to see the different sides from an event that took place. Many historical pieces become biased based on which side they would have represented, making the opposing side into something horrible that it is not. Furthermore, in terms of being biased, sometimes the story is not told as it really went. Some authors twist the story around to make the losing side the winner, especially if they are representative of that winning side. When a story is written from numerous perspectives, it allows the reader - the student - to understand what took place on all sides of the event and to let them come to their own conclusion of which side they were more supportive of. It is important that, regardless of being fiction, that the literature is culturally accurate. If it is not culturally accurate, than the student will gain false knowledge and ideas in regards to that culture. The things that need to be accurate include the positions those cultures took during an event or war, as well as where they were in regards to the outcome; the beliefs of that culture and how they could have affected the final position that the culture found themselves in; and which aspects were shaped in the culture, the things that changed or remained the same after all was said and done. Whether it is historical fiction or nonfiction, the story tends to be written with less information than was actually involved in any given event. If multiple perspectives were used, perspectives from every side of the event, then the reader can gain a better understanding of the actual event itself, and where each side stood in terms of who was fighting who, and what they were fighting for. There tends to be too much bias when an author writes about a victory or a failure of any given nation or culture. Question Six A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle is considered to be a piece of fantasy literature for children and young adults because its content consists of events and situations that cannot otherwise take place in the real world. It can also be considered science fiction due to the scientific background of the different worlds that the characters traveled in, as well as some of the other characters that they have run-ins with. This is a piece of literature for children and young adults more for the fact that the content is neither too young or too advanced for a more specific audience. The majority of the symbols found in A Wrinkle in Time come from other fantasy book sources, as well as from the Bible, as is common in a lot of science fiction and fantasy stories (L'Engle, 1962). The uses of these others books helps to control the overall religious theme of the story. There are various Bible scriptures found throughout the book that help progress the plot on, often being used as encouragement for the other, younger characters. An example of this is when the centaur-like beings on the planet Uriel sing a song that can be translated from verses that can be found in the book if Isaiah. The symbols that the author uses from these religious texts and fictional novels clearly shows that A Wrinkle in Time is about good versus evil. An example of this symbolism is how her world resembles that of something by J.R.R. Tolkien, who was another author who touched lightly on religion in his novels. The use of religious symbolism was also taken from the works of C.S. Lewis, who was well-known for using Christianity as symbolism is his Chronicles of Narnia series. L'Engle used the same techniques found in these other novels to make sure that the religious background of her own series could be as easily seen. The symbolisms were from the other stories themselves, as well as from the Bible. Question Seven Throughout history, books for children and young adults have been censored, banned and deemed inappropriate. The reasons behind these censorships are ridiculous in content, though there are many people willing to fight against the openness of some of the content. The most common genre that is censored is that of fantasy and science fiction, mainly because the depth of imagination is something disapproved of by parents, especially those that are devoutly religious. The Harry Potter series is an example of this. Parents disapprove of the use of magic in the series, saying they do not want their children subjected to that kind of evil; enough parents complained and the books have been banned from various school libraries. Another reason, again involving the content, can be found in many classic literature texts, such as Animal Farm, which was banned because of political commentary, as well as the fact that the animals were given the ability to communicate in a very human way. The Bible and the Koran have been banned because of their affiliation with religions and religious views and concepts. Lolita, Madame Bovary, and Ulysses have been banned due to sexual content. The Bell Jar and The Catcher in the Rye are censored because of the social grounds of the context (Karolides et al, 1999). If there is a topic in a novel that people, usually parents, do not agree with, they attempt to get it banned. Society has become only slightly more open with the content of books, though this has become more of an individual-based issue than a whole. People are being given the option of not reading, or not letting their children read, certain books without having them banned against a greater population. Society remains to be as closed-minded as ever, though they are letting individuals have more of a say in what they can or cannot read. Unfortunately, there are still many books that remain to be banned from school libraries, as parents believe some content is too advanced for their children. Question Eight I believe that those who are knowledgeable in science, such as science majors, though not necessarily scientists, should be the ones to write scientific information for children. If a scientist were to write something that was provided to children, the context would probably be too difficult for a child to read, let alone understand. However, it is also imperative that whomever is writing the informational texts for children has a grasp in the background of that knowledge that they are supplying, to avoid giving children false information. In our textbook, it was stated that there is "an insufficient concern about the qualifications and authority of those who write science [...] books for children." This can be seen as being careless in regards to proper education; children learn more while they are younger, so it is important that there is a major concern about the qualifications and authority in terms of the authors of science texts. This kind of carelessness will only harm a child's education if they are being told the wrong information. Prior to high school, what children learn set a basis for the more advanced material that they will one day approach. It would be more beneficial for children to have material that is written by someone who is familiar with the specific scientific subject, though is not so advanced that they explain things in a difficult fashion in the books. Like with any age level or any book topic, these books need to be written in a way that the intended audience will understand them without having to doubt the validity of the information. The easier it is for a child to understand what they are reading, the more beneficial it will be for their education in the long run. To say that it does not matter who the author is or where the information comes from is like saying that it does not matter if what a child knows is right or not. It is reckless to knowingly let a child obtain information that could be false. References Karolides, N.J., Bald, M., & Sova, D.B. (1999). 100 banned books: Censorship histories of world literature. New York: Checkmark Books. L'Engle, M. (1962). A wrinkle in time. New York: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux. Packard, W. (1994). Poet's dictionary: A handbook of prosady and poetic devices. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. Read More