Traditionally, hierarchical headings in legal documents start with roman numerals at the top level (I, II, III); then switch to capital letters (A, B, C); then numerals (1, 2, 3); then lowercase letters (a, b, c); then romanettes (i, ii, iii); and then variations of the above using two parentheses instead of one, or other barely visible changes.
Satire: Satire is the literary art of diminishing a subject by making it ridiculous and evoking toward it attitudes of amusement, contempt, indignation or scorn.
One example: Randy Newman's Short People
Irony: Verbal irony: a statement in which the implicit meaning is different from what the speaker asserts.
Dramatic irony: the audience shares with the author knowledge of which a character is ignorant: the character acts in a way grossly inappropriately to the actual circumstances, or expects the opposite of what fate holds in store, or says something the anticipates the actual outcome, but not at all in the way that he means it.
Utopia: • term invented by Thomas More • an intended confusion between Greek “eu-topos” (a good place) and Greek “ou-topos” (no place) which implies that the good place is nowhere to be found. • A long tradition of utopian literature, Plato, Erasmus, More, Rabelais…
BASIC OUTLINE FOR AN EXPLICATION DE TEXTE
I. INTRODUCTION
A. Reading the text
1. Read the text out loud several times, paying attention to its difficulties (words, expressions, grammar).
2. Ask yourself at this point some general questions about the text. Is it is comic, serious; a monologue, dialog (slow or rapid); is it a description, reflection, confession, etc?
3. Try to find the rhythm of the text: slow, rapid, even, uneven.
4. The purpose of this reading is to make your first concrete observations about the form and content of the text. You should get a sense of the natural tone of the text, the unity or variety of its ideas or expressed feelings.
B. Examine the difficult parts of the text.
1. What do the difficult words and sentences mean? Remember that there may be more than one meaning intended.
2. What do the images (colors, forms, abstractions) and literary, historical, and/or mythological allusions mean? Identify the figures of speech and thought used. See Web sites about Figures of Speech on the Supplementary Materials page (added 8/21/05).
1. Briefly situate the text and its author historically.
a. Who is the author?
b. When was the text written?
c. In what circumstances was the text written?
2. The only information you need to present is that which applies directly to the text in question.
B. Preliminaries.
1. Make an outline of the text to establish its principal divisions.
2. Briefly indicate the main idea of the text: what is it about?
3. When appropriate, situate your passage within the plot of the entire work which is being studied.
III. EXAMINATION OF THE TEXT: Form and Content
A. This part consists of a detailed analysis of the text: examine the ideas (content) and style (form) of the passage in order to show what the author says and how he says it.
B. Use citations from the text as often as necessary to illustrate and reinforce your observations.
C. What is the effect on the reader of this particular manner of presentation? Each word, clause, image, sound--nearly every element of the text--can suggest a question, and your answers to these questions will help you appreciate the qualities of the text. Do the ideas and style reinforce each other or are they at odds? Are they serious, elevated, playful, coherent, disturbing?
D. Establish the most important themes that arise from the ideas and style of your text. IV. CONCLUSION
A. Evaluation
1. Summarize the main points of your analysis.
2. What are the original or special qualities of the text? Consider both form and content. B. Interpretation How does your passage fit in thematically with the work as a whole? What significant or essential aspects of the work does it contain or emphasize? What have we learned about the characters and their situation? You may also present your personal interpretation.
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SOME QUALITIES TO LOOK FOR IN YOUR TEXT The ideas. Are they: abstract or concrete; objective or subjective; banal or original; traditional or revolutionary; logical or illogical; plausible or implausible; individual or universal; clear or obscure; obvious or subtle; spiritual, fantastic, bold, naive, philosophical, symbolic, moralistic, etc? The sentiments, emotions. Does the text (or the characters) express: enthusiasm, calm, exaltation, sorrow, harmony, delicateness, emotion, sensitivity? The composition. Is the arrangement classical (clear, ordered, logical, methodical, rigid) or non-classical (anthithetical, illogical, unevenly balanced). Is there progression or opposition in the different parts of the text; is there contrast, repetition, order or disorder?
The style. Is it consistent, varied, rich, full of images; static, dynamic concise, rapid, life-like? Are the words technical, picturesque, simple, erudite, subtle, varied? Are the words and the passage as a whole obscure, confusing, unobtrusive, concrete, abstract, realistic?
Sources. Did the author use his imagination, reality, fairy tales, mythology, the fantastic, history, folklore? The sentences. Are they short or long; periodical (lots of dependent clauses), circular, rapid, slow? When read aloud is the passage musical or dissonant; fluid or heavy; discreet, vehement; simple or oratorical? Is the rhythm smooth or choppy, varied, monotonous or majestic?
The effect on the reader. How is the reader's interest held? Is the passage consistent in tone, dramatic, suspenseful, anticlimactic? Does the text convince, frighten, amuse, describe, evoke?
How does it do this? Lightnesss, reason, seriousness, eloquence, sensorial evocations, humor, irony, absurdity, poetry, exageration, parody, understatement?
Evaluation. Is there a moral intention? Is the text essentially poetic, didactic, comic, tragic, or sentimental? Is there an underlying philosophy or point of view? Or is it art for art's sake, that is, existing only as art?
http://www.ltw.org/ WATCH THIS NOW IT IS AMAZING! Go to the website and click to watch now GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU AMEN! PRAY TO JESUS THAT YOU ARE BLESSED AND SAVED AMEN! :) HAVE A GREAT DAY!
Here is a Video by Jefferson Smith, with a quick lesson on:
IMMERSIVE WRITING
Writing in the 3rd Person Present Tense to make your story come to life.
AT 3:00 minutes in the added details take people out of the story, you are breaking the fourth wall because you said "they" as in some 'other" people, a man and a woman who are separated and far from us, that distances people, also you wrote :
He reached out cupped her cheek with his hand.
That separates "him" and distances the reader by writing it in second person.
If you want the reader to be "IMMERSED" then write in 3rd person!
The 3rd person is the READER, who is reading it and FEELING it vicariously, through the writing detail.
Instead write:
PRESENT TENSE NOT PAST TENSE Your first description was an account of something that happened in the past, to someone else, and had no immediate or urgent need to focus or care.
WRITE: (PRESENT TENSE 3rd PERSON)
Reaching out, stroking the blushing pink cheek, cupping it gently, to soothe her.
See how making it present tense, the reader will visualize, the hand in front of them reaching in the moment to cup the other characters face?
It puts the reader, in the scene, in the moment of very present and intimate situation and will then invoke or prompt reaction of their emotions being elicited. They will then FEEL and experience it as it happens to the Protagonist.
Do encourage your viewers to rewrite all scenes, and make them 3rd person, and not 2nd person, otherwise you as the Narrator, giving the account of past historical events, that : HE a guy stroked a woman's cheek, that it happened, but that will make them think, well what is the point, why are YOU now NOT saying WHY it matters? THAT makes them FOCUS on YOU as an AUTHOR!
So if YOU or OTHERS want to FIX the problem, and IMMERSE readers, then REWRITE and change it ALL to 3rd person PRESENT TENSE ASAP! ;)
READ my writing below and SEE how revealing the characters description and characteristics through the scenario, immerses the reader, and does not break the fourth wall. It puts the reader in the moment, showing but not telling what happened.
Making it 3rd person PRESENT TENSE makes a difference, SHOWING and NOT TELLING also matters!
Here is my writing, based on the WRITING PROMPT given by Jefferson Smith.
Story Idea by: Jefferson Smith
Scenario Written By : Krista Kaufman
Jefferson, all of your "other detail" does NOT carry emotional weight. In fact, the opposite!
If you want people to care or to FEEL it, the details,(at 2:33) INSTEAD WRITE in 3rd Person PRESENT TENSE:
Trembling with fear, hands shaking, wondering if she can keep her composure gathered long enough, to stay calm, to think of a way out of this nightmare, eyes darting from one feature to another, trying to burn the image of this attacker in her mind, knowing she will escape, clinging to that, her only hope of survival, and report him later, needing to be able to recall every detail, looking at the stained dirty trenchcoat, slovenly girth, shaggy hair draped at the shoulders, yet thinning on top giving away his age, the whiskers in the unshaven face could not hide, being grey and unkempt, he glared back at her with a ferocity, eyes dark and pupils dilated as if on drugs, the predator's eyes looked down following the unyielding gaze of hers, meeting the focus on the knife reflecting streetlight glinting, sending a chill through her spine that was from more than being in the cold night air.
Hearing the sound of laughter, a maniacal gruff heave of sound , suddenly startled her senses, eyes darting back to his face, now stepping back slowly, as he moved closer , ever more forward, towards her , growling don't move, if you know what is good for you, her breathe suddenly halted being frozen in fear, as her flesh crawled when he, reaching out, brushed the finger tips of his right hand across her left cheek, she noticed he was left handed, the left hand still weilding the serated blade of the knife, all while he was trying to engage her as if to gesture romantically, stroking her cheek, was he crazy?This madman, weilding a knife in the other hand , ready to strike , attack at any moment ,was trying to control her every movement through threat of death, if she dared move, or try to escape or rebuff his advances.
She knew she had no choice, it was fight or flight, she would run but her legs frozen to the ground trembling in fear that he would kill her, scared her more than he did, why now, why her legs would not move as her mind directed them to do, she did not know, she moved back, now with all her might, tried to defend herself, she turned to run, grabbing her he dragged her backwards, falling to the ground she did not know whether the force of his assault or the panic stopped her heart, the pain of the blade penetrating may have been the cause, she did not know, all she knew now, was that she looked up and found herself looking at a bright light, was this flood of light heaven? Struggling to breathe she suddenly knew it could not be, it was in fact the ER or the ICU unit at the hospital, she awoke to the sound of a nurse trying to check her vital signs. She was alive, the nurse confirmed that, but knowing what happened made her feel dead inside.
She knew this place, all too well, she herself was a nursing student. She was no longer the medical practitioner, she now was the patient.
Here is Jefferson Smith of ImmersionOrDie Writing Channel on YouTube
talking about Flashbacks in writing.
Personally I disagree with the use of them, I try to avoid them when I can, and only use them to reveal character and advance the plot when absolutely necessary.
Here is how I chose to rewrite Jefferson's scene.
Here is my version:
Delmer, the vagabond, reached out, producing a tiny shriveled apple precariously clutched between the nubs of his hand, not having fingers in full, due to the leprosy bacteria he contracted after crawling around the tombs, looking for treasure.
Now only forefinger and thumb were usable.
He presented to her , the apple.
Delmer stretched it out towards the small child, an orphan girl. She hesitated at first, but reached out suddenly snatching it away from the old man, greedily devouring it quickly. She had not eaten in days.
She looked up feeling guilty, not having anything to give him in return. Delmar comforted her, and said, " It's lucky I ran into you, I have not seen anyone in days, they avoid me, but there isn't anything to be afraid of really,I don't think you can get what I have through contact, but I am not sure? I am however, happy to have your help, to climb the tree..... where I found the apple, and to have help...to gather more. Would you help me? "
She was thrilled at the prospect of being able to return the favour, and to know their was a supply of food, it alleviated her present fear of starvation.
Delmar wondered, did she have family, was anyone looking for her? Or was she a vagabond like him? Her appearance was as unkempt and disheveled as his own. He wondered, was she orphaned, after the civil war, like so many who lost family?
Delmar lost his family in that war, the pain of memory was more than he could bear. The small girl reminded him of his daughter, now gone.
(See if you can write a new version of your own and share in the comment section! )
