1 / 13

Chapter 6—Symbol and Irony

Chapter 6—Symbol and Irony. Perrine’s Structure, Sound and Sense Coach Adams Fall 2006. Chapter 6. What is a writer’s goal? To say as much as possible as briefly as possible; to do this, they must master two tasks 1. never waste space 2. never waste a word. Chapter 6.

content
Download Presentation

Chapter 6—Symbol and Irony

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Chapter 6—Symbol and Irony Perrine’s Structure, Sound and Sense Coach Adams Fall 2006

  2. Chapter 6 • What is a writer’s goal? • To say as much as possible as briefly as possible; to do this, they must master two tasks • 1. never waste space • 2. never waste a word

  3. Chapter 6 • Why do they use the words they do? Words that describe the story and characters and reveal insight simultaneously are the words they are after • Two tools they use: symbol and irony

  4. symbol • Has a literal meaning within the story (it exists), but suggests or represents other, external meanings as well (it stands for___) • Symbols can reinforce a meaning otherwise expressed (like the apple in “The Destructors”) • Symbols can carry the meaning alone (like the railroad in “Hills Like White Elephants”)

  5. assignment • Identify the ways in which symbolism contributes to the theme of one of the books or stories we’ve read so far… • Get a grading rubric before you leave.

  6. 4 hints for locating symbols • Stories typically give some detail that identifies the symbol as important. Does it have some special repetition or prominence? • Symbols must have a physical meaning within the story?. Does it literally exist?

  7. 4 hints for locating symbols • Symbols suggest a different interpretation than the literal one. a. “A symbol of” should never be synonymous with “is” or “is an example of” 4. A symbol can have multiple meanings or be interpreted with shades of difference; this is not to say that interpretation can be wide open.

  8. irony • Defined: an incongruity or discrepancy between expectation and reality. In your language: getting something other than what you expected.

  9. Three types of irony • Verbal—a difference between what is said and what is meant. (The townsman in “The Child by Tiger” who tells the story of “his own heroic accomplishments.”)

  10. Three types of irony • Dramatic—a difference between what a character says and a reader (or audience) knows. • All of “Miss Brill” is rife with dramatic irony, because the audience, unlike Miss Brill, sees her misery.

  11. Three types of irony • Situational irony—a difference between a. Appearance and reality b. Expectation and fulfillment “Defender of the Faith”—Marx defends his faith by punishing a Jewish soldier…not what we’d expect

  12. Remember the author’s motivation • Symbolism and irony allow authors to suggest and express meaning without explicitly stating it. They make literature sort of like a little puzzle for us to discover the answer to.

  13. The stories: • Select one of the following: • “The Guest,” p. 202 • Questions 1, 3-7, 9 • “Greenleaf,” p. 212 • Questions 2-4, 6-9 • The following is required: • Flannery O’Connor, “Good Country People” • http://www.geocities.com/cyber_explorer99/oconnorgoodcountry.html • Essay: Analyze the use of symbolism and / or irony as a means of expressing the story’s theme.

More Related