Thursday, July 7, 2011
Literary Traditions and Techniques
As you’re reading Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands, exercise your literary insights! The book is filled with literary techniques that add meaning and depth to your reading…IF you’re aware! Be on the lookout for examples of foreshadowing, metaphor / simile, personification, symbolism, irony, and other literary techniques. Share and EXPLAIN 1 or 2 examples for this post, quoting (if short) or paraphrasing, and citing page references. Feel free to comment on and extend peers’ original posts!
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Literary techniques are used throughout the book. "The late-afternoon sun pierces the pines with sharp orange swords of light" on page 134 is an example of personification. Reesa compares the way the sun shines through the trees to a person piercing something with a sword. She is giving the inanimate sun a human action. An example of a simile can be found on page 263. Reesa says, “Inside I’m churning like Mother’s Maytag.” This simile compares Reesa’s nervous stomach to her mother’s washing machine using ‘like.’ Both Reesa and the Maytag are churning inside.
ReplyDeleteIn the book I found many instances of literary devices. Many of the literary devices helped to make the book more interesting. “Maybe it’s her smiling eyes, so like Marvin’s but not exactly…” is an example of personification found on page 60 about 1/3 down the page. In this example the author makes her eyes seem happy and joyous by giving an inanimate object a human characteristic or trait. If this sentence lacked the word smiling it might sound very dull and unattractive.
ReplyDeleteThe author also doesn’t use literary devises to just spice up sentences. She uses them to make the book seem more like it was written in the past rather than in when it was published in February 2002. The use of these literary devices sends you back in time but it also make the book slightly harder to read along with the addition of a southern accent. This book is a good example of the use of literary devices to make a book much better than it would be without them.
Another use of a literary devise is foreshadowing on the bottom of page 60. Roosa says "Everything is all upside down without him (Marvin)”. This could be foreshadowing in the way that she uses the word everything. That includes the Klan. This means that the Klan is all upside down because of it and it will fall soon. This is a sentence that could be foreshadowing or it could not be. On the surface it is not foreshadowing but if you look deeper it could be considered it. Although many things in the book could be consider foreshadowing if you think about it long enough. Whether or not she meant it to be foreshadowing I still think it is.
ReplyDeleteA use of alliteration in Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands can be found on page 74 near the bottom of the page. “Nose to the crack, his tail tick-tock welcomes while, at the same time, a small warning growl rolls around his mouth.” The alliteration in this sentence makes it slightly harder to read but makes it a more enjoyable to read. Alliteration is the repeating of the first letter of a word. Authors use alliteration to make their writing sound more interesting, sound clever, and even to make their writing sound more creative. Alliteration gives the reader a more exciting journey through the book. Overall this writing strategy is will make any stories or novel more enjoyable. While at the same time it makes your mind think about what its reading.
ReplyDeleteIn the novel, Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands, Susan Carol McCarthy scatters numerous pieces of figurative language throughout each chapter, often making me want to read more and placing vivid images into my mind. One example of her excellent literary techniques occurs at the end of chapter 37, where Reesa is describing the many changes to her typical family routines since the indirect threat to Reesa's father by the Klan. Reesa's family is just getting back from a dinner at Ronnie's Restaurant, when the author writes, 'Halfway in, however, Mother hisses, "Warren, stop the car!"' (page 250) This example of foreshadowing lets the readers know that something exciting is going to occur, and leads the readers hanging by ending the chapter. The readers can tell the matter is serious because Mrs. McMahon "hisses" and is extremely serious about everything she says during the grave events. Because of this, readers are thinking, "Why does Mr. McMahon have to stop the car?" I know I was dying to read on to answer my question. The dictionary definition of foreshadowing is "the act of indicating beforehand, anticipation." Susan Carol McCarthy indicated that something exciting was about to happen by Reesa's mother's command. The readers were anticipating a dramatic event, making them react to the story, which is exactly what figurative language is supposed to do.
ReplyDeleteSusan Carol McCarthy incorporates tons of literary devices in 'Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands. Literary devices make the book more enjoyable, thus captivating the reader. I found an example of foreshadowing on page 243. Foreshadowing makes readers wonder what's going to happen next by indicating a new plot. Just after the McMahons learn that they may become the Klan's new target Reesa says, "So begins my family's final nightmare." Reesa is foreshadowing (suggesting) that her family will soon face danger. This example of foreshadowing makes the reader curious to uncover McMahon's fate. Thanks to the author's use of literary devices, the book was exciting to read!
ReplyDeleteThere are many literary devices used throughout this book. One of them is when Reesa talks about the hurricanes on pages 153 and 154. She talks about how most of the time, a hurricane will pass by you, very rarely hitting you hard, but if your unlucky, it can destroy your community. A hurricane will hit you, and then it will just stop. When it stops you are in the eye of the hurricane. The eye of the hurricane was a metaphor for what was happening in Reesa's town and most of Florida. They were getting hit hard by the Klan's attacks, and now there is nothing. She knows that as soon as she lets her guard down, she will be out of the eye of the hurricane, and it will start blowing just as hard as before.
ReplyDeleteIn this book, many literary techniques are used in order to make the story more understandable, and entertaining. On page 255, Reesa is thinking in her bed about her parents arguing. She goes over another argument in her head. "Silence like a cavern sits between them until, at last, he gives into her." With this simile, she is comparing the silence between her parents after they both make their points in an argument, to a cavern. This is a good comparison, because caverns, in caves, are large and dark. Nothing is there to make noise.
ReplyDeleteOn page 169 is a simile. In Reesa's letter back to Vaylie, she says, "Mother sees things different. She tells me God's like the dealer in a giant card game." Reesa's mother is comparing a dealer in a giant card game to God. "Because of luck, some people wind up with better cards than others, but the important thing is to do the best you can with the hand you're dealt." Reesa's mother, as a card player, is right to use this comparison. Dealers and God put out the cards. Whatever you get, you have to do the best with your hand of cards.
While I was reading Lay that Trumpet in our Hands I noticed several different literary techniques being used. For an example of personification see page one hundred and forty one, on which Reesa states “December snuck up on me.” I think what Reesa was trying to say is the month of November passed quicker than she had anticipated. Clearly a month is not capable of sneaking up on someone; it is taking a role that only a living object can perform making this literary technique personification. A great example of a simile is on page one hundred and twenty four “The doors split open and the boys-Ren plus Roy and Dwayne Samson- tumble out ahead of me, barking and romping like bloodhounds released from their cages, eager for the woods.” I think what Reesa was trying to say was that the boys were really excited to get off their school bus and that’s why they were rushing; all they wanted was their freedom. When Susan Carol McCarthy uses different literary techniques it really brightens up the text and makes it more interesting to read. I know when I was reading Lay that Trumpet in our Hands there was so much life during the story, I couldn’t put the book down.
ReplyDeleteLay That Trumpet in Our Hands uses multiple literary techniques throughout the book in order to convey a certain meaning, mood, or purpose. One of the techniques that is used multiple times throughout the novel is irony. The first example of irony in the story is when Marvin Cully is found beaten and shot to death by members of the Ku Klux Klan (chapters one and two). Before this happened, the Klan had kept their crimes mild and unnoticeable for twenty years. On this occasion, however, they had unexpectedly turned murderous, which started a very tumultuous uproar. On page seventy in chapter ten, Marvin remembers a man named Red Barber saying, “baseball’s like life.” Red Barber is using a simile by taking the image of baseball and comparing it to daily life. On page 134, Reesa understands this form of speech after the Dodgers lose in an important game to the Giants. She realizes that baseball games do not always turn out in the way that you want them to. In the same way, life has its unexpected outcomes as well.
ReplyDeleteReading through the posts of my fellow peers, I have noticed many of them, including myself, found multiple similes throughout the novel. I believe that during those rough times in Florida, it was hard to directly convey certain images or emotions. Similes were used to help show the bigger picture and give more insight. Also, I believe that similes appear more often in southern slang speech then they do in proper English. For example, Geoffrey Wells posted a simile stating, “Silence like a cavern sits between them until, at last, he gives into her.” Using this simile, the author gives the reader a sense of how eerily quiet and tense the mood was after Reesa’s parent’s conversation. Another example of a simile used to properly set the mood was when Emily Hazlett said, “Inside I’m churning like Mother’s Maytag.” This simile elaborates on the Reesa’s nervous and uncomfortable feelings as she waits for Emmett Casselton to agree to her father’s deal.
ReplyDeleteAnother simile occurs on page 177. Mrs. McMahon uses the simile “Ohioans are as good as gold.” She compliments the timeliness and quality from her customers in Ohio. Reesa says that because of this, many Ohioans are their long-time customers.
Personification, just like similes (as mentioned in 15petrellal's post), is a common form of figurative language that appears often throughout Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands. Many other peers of mine also seemed to notice this occurence. For instance, Emily Hazlett commented on the personification, "The late afternoon sun pierces the pines with orange swords of light." found on page 134. This is certainly personification, for the sun cannot actually pierce something with a sword. However, a human can, meaning the sun was given human characteristics. 15christensenc also found a personification: "December snuck up on me." (page 140). Clearly, this is personification because the author is saying a month snuck up on Reesa, which is not literally possible. Humans, though, can indeed sneak up on someone, making the statement personification. Another piece of personification I discovered was "The high, humid heat of August presses on us with an unkind hand." (page 113). Susan Carol McCarthy really means that the hot and sticky weather that occurred during August had fallen upon them in a cruel manner. The weather cannot really press a hand on you; it is a human action given to a nonhuman object.
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ReplyDeleteThere are many literary techniques used throughout this book. One that I noticed on page 109 is an example of a metaphor. Armetta is telling a story about Doto, and she says, "Miz Doto was a wildcat." By saying this she doesn't literally mean Doto was a wildcat, but she is saying Doto was fierce and angry like a wildcat would be like. Susan Carol McCarthy is trying to say Doto is symbolizing a wildcat by being fierce and angry. I noticed Susan Carol McCarthy uses a lot of similes in her book just as my other classmates noticed. In this one on page 155 she is talking about Mist Warren using dynamite to blow up the old dead orange trees. She then says, "Underground, its roots are as mean as an army of octopi, thick as a man's arms and impossible to dig up. Susan Carol McCarthy is trying to say that it is hard to get through the tree root just as it is hard to get through an army of octopi. Susan Carol McCarthy makes the book more interesting by using such good literary techniques.
ReplyDeleteI am really enjoying reading these posts:) Certainly part of McCarthy's captivating writing includes her use of the various literary techniques mentioned in the your blog post examples. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteThroughout the book "Lay That Trumpet In Our Hands", Susan Carol McCarthy uses many different literary techniques. One that she uses quite often is a metaphor. Sam Silver previously explained a good example of a metaphor that I found. The specific example I speak of is located on pages one hundred and fifty-three and one hundred and fifty-four. On these pages Reesa uses the ways of a hurricane to tell the readers how she feels at this time in the book. She says that to her, the eye of the hurricane is most terrifying, because you don't know how long everything will be calm before you have to sit through the rest of the hurricane. By saying her family was in the eye of the hurricane, she is telling us that her family is aware their everyday life is a ticking time bomb until everything becomes crazy once more. This doesn't mean that Florida is literally going through a hurricane at this part in the book, but figuratively, it is like a hurricane, with all the problems they’re going through. This is just one example of the many literary techniques the author uses throughout this book.
ReplyDeleteSusan Carol McCarthy uses many literary terms in the book "Lay That Trumpet In Our Hands". One term she uses is an idiom. On page one hundred and forty-four, Doto tells the McMahon family that they are "a sorry sight for sore eyes." This does not mean that Doto's eyes are very tired, or that they are sorry. By knowing an idiom is a term whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings, you know that Doto's statement has nothing to do with sleepy eyes. When saying someone or something is "a sight for sore eyes", you're saying you're excited to see that person or thing. So, when Doto says Reesa's family is a sorry sight for sore eyes, she is saying that physically and emotionally they are not looking too well. Out of many great examples of different literary techniques, this is merely one.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading the book Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands, I discovered that the book was full of literary techniques. Using various literary techniques throughout the book really makes it more interesting and often it makes the reader want to read further on. It definitely encouraged me to read more. A use of a simile can be found on page 38 and continued on page 39. “Mis Iris made a face at Miz Sooky’s lumpy old sack-dressed body, reclined headless at the sink, her square- cut hands like turnips spotted and gnarled for gardening without her gloves on.” The author is trying to put a lively picture on Miz Sooky’s uncared for hands into our minds. A simile is the comparison of two things using like or as. The author is comparing Miz Sooky’s square cut hands to turnips. Quite honestly, I have never seen a good-looking turnip so I can only imagine what her hands must look like!
ReplyDeleteWhile reading Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands, I found many literary techniques. Another one that I happened to find is on page 99. “Except for the turbulence trailing the boys, the water is a mirror, reflecting a bright blue sky, cottony clouds and the green lacework bowing the heads of the kneeling cypress.” The first literary technique in this sentence is a metaphor. A metaphor is the comparison between two unlike things. The clue word in this metaphor is “is”. The water is being compared to a mirror. I agree that the water can appear to resemble a mirror when still. There is also another literary technique in this sentence. The second one is the use of personification. The cypress is receiving the human quality of kneeling. I think using literary techniques make a book far more interesting to read!
ReplyDeleteSusan Carol McCarthy gives you a real life picture in your head while reading by using literary techniques. I noticed that there are usually two or three per page. An example of foreshadowing can be seen on page 108 where Ressa tells the reader, 'In the middle of July, at the peak of our summer season, this is what should have happened.' This is foreshadowing because by using the word should, Reesa is telling the reader that it did not happen, but she will tell a story about what should have happened. At the end of the story you realize that what she was talking about actually did not happen. She goes on to say that the events she described should have happened and would have happened if the "Klan stayed out of everybody's business in Miami." Instead of having a good time for Reesa's birthday, people were quiet and anxious. They made conversation about the Miami bombings. They listened to the news instead of happy music. Foreshadowing is used throughout the book and this is just one example of this literary technique.
ReplyDeleteSusan Carol McCarthy helps you understand this book better by using multiple literary techniques. What I have found she enjoys using the most are similes and metaphors. An example of a simile on page 114 says, 'Inside the showroom, the air hangs as limp and damp as a washrag.' By saying this she means that a washrag is limps and damp, and the air feels the same exact way. It really tells you how the air would actually feel like unlike just saying the air was damp. I found another example of a well used simile on page 124 it says, 'The doors split open and the boys- Ren plus Roy and Dwayne Samson- tumble out ahead of me, barking and romping like bloodhounds released from their cages, eager for the woods. Susan Carol McCarthy is saying, that when the boys got off the bus they were very fast and eager to get home just as bloodhounds would be when they got let out of their cages and were eager to get to the woods. This similes really makes the picture in my mind of how the boys really got off the bus, and it is very entertaining. Susan Carol McCarthy really does a good job of putting in many literary techniques that help you understand the book.
ReplyDeleteThe first time you read through this book, you're not going to catch all the details. You also wouldn't notice all the great literary techniques that are literally packed into this novel. While reading through some parts of this novel again, I found some more good literary techniques I would like to share. On page 10, Marvin Cully is returned in the bed of Daddy's truck. Reesa and her mother are outside. "Mother steps forward to peer over the side and, with a sharp gasp, spreads her arms like wings and folds them backwards, trapping me behind her." This simile illustrates in one's mind how Reesa mother is being protective of her child. Like wings of a large bird, Mrs. McMahon tries desperately to shield Marvin from Reesa. Her mother doesn't want Reesa to see Marvin. On the next page, after Reesa jumps up on the truck's bumper, her mother tries again to protect her. "Mother's hands, like claws, yank me down, turn me around, clutch me to her chest." In this simile, Mother's hands are compared to claws yanking something. I imagine claws like that of a large cat, or bear. Again, her mother tries her hardest to prevent Reesa from seeing into the bed of the truck. These similes are to tell the reader exactly how Reesa's mother was trying to keep Reesa from seeing the horrible violence of the Klan that lay in the bed of the truck.
ReplyDeleteAs I said before, the author of Lay That Trumpet In Our Hands uses literary techniques two or three times on every page. While I'm reading, I have a very vivid picture in my head of the scene and events going on. On page 102, it says, "Summer's heat settles on us like a mother hen." When this is said, the author is trying to give the reader a picture that the heat of the summer has settled in. The settling of summer's heat is compared to a mother hen using the word like. A simile is described as a comparison between two things using the words like or as. A mother hen keeps her eggs warm by sitting on them. She doesn't get up until the eggs are ready to hatch. This is how the summer heat is compared. When the heat comes, it does not let up until the season of summer is over. The ending of summer is like the eggs hatching. The summer heat slowly lets up into a cool fall season. The mother hen lets the eggs hatch and slowly teaches the chicks how to live on their own. This book is filled with little similes such as this one I mentioned.
ReplyDeleteHow often do we personally connect to a piece of writing? When we don’t, how can we understand the meaning of the written word? While reading, only the voice of the writer can help us know what the characters are going through. Unlike Alexie (who used matter-of-fact language) McCarthy uses literary techniques to help us understand, get involved with the writing, and have fun reading as well. An example I found helps us realize how much Marvin and Ren cared about baseball. On page 70-71, Marvin tells Reesa “…baseball’s a bit of heaven on Earth…”! He then tells us why, to him, baseball is like heaven. The real reason is because, in baseball (just like in heaven): “Once you get in, you’re just as good as anybody else.” This shows us how much it means to Marvin to be thought of as equal. It leads us to understand how much Marvin and the black population do not want to be downsized by the color of their skin. Yet equality is so far out of reach for them, they say it can only be found in heaven.
ReplyDeleteThe book "Lay That Trumpet In Our Hands” uses so many different literary techniques. An example of one literary technique she uses would be a hyperbole. One hyperbole she states is on page two hundred and three. Reesa tells us "It was a lifetime ago that Daddy joked to Luther about his personal spy ring, the circle of choir members who work as maids in the homes of area Klansmen.” The words "a lifetime ago" show the readers that even though Reesa doesn't always speak her age, she does on occasion, like here, when she obviously exaggerates to us. When she says this she doesn't literally mean that her father said something to Luther a lifetime ago, for that would be highly improbable. Yet, Reesa is conveying to us that it has been a very long time, or feels like it has been, at least. That is just one example of a hyperbole, and of Reesa speaking like a typical teenage girl.
ReplyDelete"Lay That Trumpet In Our Hands" uses so many different literary techniques! Personification is used quite a bit throughout the book. An example of it is written on page two hundred and six. When Reesa writes "The days at school roller-coaster in and out of crazy," she's using personification. This is an example of personification because days at school cannot actually be roller-coaster-like at all, yet alone "in and out of crazy." She is using a literary term to disclose to us that at school, things have been a little chaotic. Personally, I think this is a good way to proclaim to us that school has been tough for her, for whatever reasons. This is just one example of many different literary terms Susan Carol McCarthy uses in the book.
ReplyDeleteThere are many other literary techniques Susan McCarthy used to make this book clearer and easier to read. She uses personification, which is mentioned as a used literary technique on the 15sieglerf post. On page 39, the author uses personification to describe the racism in Florida. Marie thinks that in Florida, justice wears a hood on top of a mask. This signifies that the legal system is positively biased towards the Klan, and that most of the police officers are are affiliated with the Klan. Also, it demonstrates how the legal system overlooks what it can, in which is illegal. Another form of figurative language used by the author is hyperbole. On page 219, Robert and Marie’s father encounter a snake while sneaking into the Klan's meeting place. Robert exclaims that a deadly snake “scared him half to death”.
ReplyDeleteIn the book, Lay that Trumpet in our Hands, Susan McCarthy uses many different literary techniques. She uses these literary techniques to communicate with the readers and to help them have a better understanding of the plot. One literary technique that she uses often are similes, in which many of my classmates have discussed. One example of this is on page 47, when Luther is about to play the piano. The author says that Luther's palms are pressed together tightly, as if in prayer, in which portrays the way Luther plays the piano. Another example of a simile is on page 220, where Marie's father and Robert enter the Klan's secret meeting place. The author tries to describe the Klan's meeting place in a terrifying way by having Marie's father describe the base as “black red and gold everywhere like a House of Horrors”. Another literary technique the author uses is onomatopoeia, which she uses to describe sounds. On page 44, Luther's tappety-tap-tap on the door is used for a knocking sound. Also, on page 47, La-Da-Dee-Da is used to describe Luther's piano playing.
ReplyDeleteAs many of the kids that have commented on this blog have mentioned, similes, metaphors, personification, and foreshadowing is apparent in this book. An example of a personification would be on page thirteen where Susan Carol McCarthy writes, "But the polio, he says, taught him patience." The disease of polio is not capable of teaching. Polio is a disease and is only capable of taking over your nerves. Once the polio takes over your nerves, it usually takes away the use of your limbs. Personification is giving inanimate objects human like abilities. In this case, Polio, an inanimate object, is given the human ability of teaching Reesa's father patience. Mr. McMahon taught himself patience. His mind got used to not doing things quick. When the Polio went away, he just continued to do things like he did while Polio attacked his body. Personification is used throughout the book and it would not be hard to spot one.
ReplyDeleteIn the book 'Lay That Trumpet In Our Hands' the author Susan Carol McCarthy uses a variety of literary techniques. An example of a metaphor I found on page 30 it says, 'Under the ruthless direction of Miss Maybelle Mason, the old snapping turtle who runs the post office.' By saying this it doesn't actually mean Miss Maybelle Mason is an old snapping turtle, but it means she is very angry and is being mean to people. Another literary technique that I found was an example of a simile. On page 31 they are talking about how they were expecting Reesa. It says, 'Miss Maybelle Mason, eyes like a hawk, was first on the scene.' A hawk always is on the lookout looking for its prey, and Miss Maybelle Mason was watching them like a hawk. The literary techniques used in this book really make it seem like as your reading that you're in the book watching as everything is going on.
ReplyDeleteSusan McCarthy uses even more literary techniques throughout Lay that Trumpet in our Hands to help us relate to the story and characters. One literary technique she uses to help guide the readers through the novel is foreshadowing, as Scott Klemm previously discussed. An example of this is when Marie's father writes a letter to the F.B.I. on page 25. By doing this, Susan McCarthy is trying to hint that the F.B.I. will be playing a big role in stopping the Klan later in the story. Also, the author uses foreshadowing when Ren is over at his friends house and gets shot by the Klan, which is revealed on page 191. When this happens, his father will likely take revenge on the Klan later in the book. Another example of foreshadowing being used in the book is when Marie's father takes the documents from the Klan. This foreshadows that the Klan will probably take revenge on him and his family, which happens later in the story.
ReplyDeleteMetaphors were commonly used in the book in order to make a better picture of what the author was trying to convey. Throughout the second half of the book, Doto and Reesa continually refer to Mr. McMahon as coming out of a quarry, rock-hard and marble-headed. (pg187) The way he handles tough situations in the book allows Reesa to use a series of metaphors to describe his strength. The metaphors describe one thing as being another, not using like or as. He became a boulder when Ren was shot at. (pg194) He was strong, but stone-faced, showing no emotion to his family. Then, he was a stone wall when talking to Mr. Jameson. (pg198) Again, he is strong in his physical appearance, trying to block the problems from the rest of his family, and put the problems on his own shoulders. Mr. McMahon isn't really from a quarry, and he is not really a rock even though the metaphors suggest such a thing. He is compared to rock because you can see his physical strength right out front, and he uses this strength to try and protect his family.
ReplyDelete“Lay that Trumpet in our Hands” is a book filled with sadness, loss, and hope. The author uses similes to convey a picture of the hope felt by Reesa. “Hope has begun to glimmer at our house like the flame of a small candle.” (pg234) In this simile, a glimmer of hope is compared to the flame of a small candle. There wasn’t much hope to be felt during the times when the Klan was busy. Most days Reesa didn’t feel any hope at all. In this simile though, things are starting to look brighter because the Klan is falling apart. The flame of a small candle can grow as it becomes stronger with time. Hope does this too. Hope grows over time as the events around Reesa and her family looked increasingly better for the people of Florida.
ReplyDeleteThe literary technique of symbolism is used in “Lay that Trumpet in our Hands” when Reesa looks up from her tree and sees a patchwork sky. (pg258) Reesa’s whole family is looking to Mr. McMahon for an answer that will help solve their problems. Reesa decides to escape the confines of the house and go to sit in her tree. There, she looks up to the sky and sees her whole family represented by the different components of weather. Symbolism is the use of an object representing something else. Storm clouds represent Doto and her doubts on the decision, the rain represents Ren’s anxiety that is shown to everyone in his path, and together Reesa’s parents represent the sun with their faith and promises giving bright new hope to the family. (pg258) Every component in the sky represented someone in her family, and the feelings they had been going through that whole week. Each person was a pattern in the quilt that held her family together, just as each piece of weather falls into their place in the climate patterns of an area.
ReplyDeleteReesa’s younger brother was hit by a ricochet shot when with his friend, Petey. The author conveys a picture of his wounds by the use of similes. Ren’s cuts were said to have looked round and ripe like a bunch of table grapes while his eye socket was swollen like a small plum. (pg197) The cuts were fresh and swollen, resembling the shape of ripe grapes, and the eye socket was round, much resembling the size of a plum. Another simile said that the injuries swelled up like a balloon, and they were as purple as a plum. (pg203) The injuries in this simile now resembled the color of a plum, but the shape of a balloon. Both similes compare the size and color of Ren’s injuries to common everyday items that we can relate to in order to form a picture of this character. The similes do not say that his injuries were the size and color of the fruits and balloon, they were just like those objects.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the book “Lay that trumpet in our hands,” there are many examples of literary traditions and techniques. One Literary technique I found is on page 100 in the letter that Reesa’s friend, Vaylie, sends to her. In this letter, Vaylie uses many hyperboles to describe what her grandfather told her about Great-Aunt Maybelle, such as when Vaylie says, (Mrs. Swan) was so upset she died next spring of a shattered heart. It is impossible to shatter your heart purely through distress; therefore this statement was not meant to be truthful but was instead used to portray a situation that demonstrated the family’s view on Mrs. Swan’s death.
ReplyDeleteAnother Literary technique is used on page 79, when Ren describes deputy Earl’s gun handle. When Mr. Marshall asks Ren, “What do you mean, fancy?” Ren answers, “It was white, like the inside of a shell.” This comparison between the color of the gun and the inside of a shell is an example of a simile. Instead of simply saying the gun was white, Ren paints a more detailed and sophisticated picture by depicting the color of the gun to be the same as that of a seashell. He also uses this simile to help convey his statement of the gun handle being white.
ReplyDeleteOn page 234, Reesa asks many philosophical questions, some of which could be considered metaphors. One question in particular, “Backed into the corner of perjury versus self preservation, how long before these human snakes bare their fangs at each other?” is a metaphor that I found interesting. This metaphor compares the members of Florida’s KKK members being tried to a bunch of snakes. This metaphor explains the situation the KKK members are in, stuck between trying not to admit their crimes while still not being able to lie to the members of the court. Such a situation being represented by snakes baring their fangs is suitable and fitting for the cruel crimes the members are being accused of.
ReplyDeleteThere are many literary techniques used in this book to give the reader a better picture of what is happening. On page 57, the simile, “the tall gray tanks and buildings of Mayflower Citrus climb like turrets of some medieval castle” can be found. Susan Carol McCarthy could have simply written “there were large buildings across from me”. Instead, she uses a much more vivid description to improve the reader’s image of the setting during that time in the book. Also, on page 153, both personification and a simile are used in the sentence, “Like the giant blade of a buzz saw broken loose, a hurricane spins wildly; its outer edges blow and bite and dump barrels of water and dangerous, wind-whipped bits of wood and trash.” This sentence gave a very clear description of both the power, and the destruction caused by the hurricane. Susan McCarthy described the hurricane as being like a “buzz saw broken loose” to better describe the storm. Also, she writes, “its outer edges blow and bite and dump barrels of water”. The storm is not literally biting, but using personification helps the reader better visualize the scene. These literary techniques definitely make the book more enjoyable to read.
ReplyDeleteThis book contains many uses of literary devices. While reading through some of my peer's posts, I noticed that James used two examples from page 60. I also found another literary device on this page. Actually, there are two different devices in just this one sentence- McCarthy writes: "Worse yet, the four terrible words that have bashed against my brain, beat like wild birds caged inside my chest, fly out my mouth". In this sentence, when Reesa talks about the words bashing against her brain, the author is using personifcation becuase words cannot actually “bash” against something. It is also personification when she writes about the words “flying out of her mouth”, becuase words can’t fly. An interesting part of this sentence is when she says “beat like wild birds caged inside my chest”, becuase it uses both personification and a similie! The words “beat”, which they cannot, and when she is saying that the words are “like wild birds”, she is using a smilie to describe how the words are trying to escape and eventually “fly out” her mouth.
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ReplyDeleteSusan McCarthy does a great job on incorporating figurative language into her work. Reading the figurative language helps me understand the book better, and paint a vivid picture in my mind. On page fifty- three Reesa states, “In the small constellation of our family, Daddy may be the sun, but Mother is our moon. Hers is the face that lights the night shadow.” This metaphor helps me understand how their family works. Their father may be the leader of the family, but their mother is just as important too. She’s the one who takes care of the kids when they get night terror, like Reesa had on this night. Also, on page seventeen it states, “… like a wart on old Emmett’s nose.” By using this simile, McCarthy helps me understand the difference in size of the McMahon’s small family run packinghouse, and old Emmett Casselton’s giant co-op. They don’t call him the king of Casbah Groves for nothing. McCarthy also incorporates other types of figurative language in her book as well like foreshadowing, personification, and alliteration.
ReplyDeleteI found many examples of literary techniques in this book. One I found, on page 199, when Mr. Jameson is talking to Warren, and Warren is being very serious, and when Mr. Jameson asks if he can call Mr. McMahon Warren, Reesa states, "Daddy nods, but says nothing. He's a stone wall." This metaphor means that Warren is focused on the problem at hand and is not about to be distracted by anything. I also found an example of personification on page 49. Reesa says, "Daddy's nod tells him to continue." The nod does not actually say, "continue," Reesa means that the nod is a signal for Luther to keep talking. I also found an example of a metaphor on page 38, when the ladies in the barbershop are talking about Sheriff Willis McCall and Miss Iris asks, "Isn't he some muckety-muck with the Klan in Lake County?" Obviously the sheriff is not actually "muckety-muck”, Miss Iris just means he is a bad person. There are many examples of literary techniques used throughout this book.
ReplyDeleteSusan Carol McCarthy uses a lot of different literary techniques throughout the novel. On page one hundred and two there is an example of a simile; Reesa says “Summer’s heat settles on us like a mother hen.” A comparison is being made between the heat and a mother hen, by saying that the heat is like a mother hen keeping her eggs warm to hatch her babies. A great example of personification is on page one hundred and twelve. The narrator says that “The high humid heat of August presses on us with an unkind hand.” The author has given an inanimate object a human characteristic. When Susan Carol McCarthy uses all of these techniques it really livens up the text and makes it more interesting to read. If there wasn’t any figurative language during this novel, the book would just drag on and not have any flow or rhythm.
ReplyDeleteI have seen even more examples of literary techniques used to help the readers have a better understanding of the book. One example of figurative language she uses are idioms, or an expression that has a different meaning than its literal definition. An example of an idiom is on page 183, where Marie's father tells Marie that Exalted Cyklops means “big cheese”. This means that the E.C., or Emmett Casselton, is the man in charge of the Klan. She uses this particular idiom to help the readers (us) to understand the meaning behind the words. Another idiom the author uses is on page 186. Marie is comforted by Doto after a nightmare, and she is very thankful for Doto's help. She thinks to herself that she thanks Doto with “all of her heart”. This means that she is extremely thankful for Doto's help.
ReplyDeleteI was searching through the responses of my peers, and found that indeed there was lots of literary techniques throughout the novel. When I first read "Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands", I did not really pay attention to the many similes, metaphors, and personification used in the book. I guess it was because all aspects Susan Carol McCarthy's writing flowed well together, or because I was too interested in the plot itself. One example of a literacy technique used in this novel is on page 1 of 12 in chapter 1, when Reesa was lying in her bed and said that "first thoughts, like moths, flutter". This is a good example of a simile and personification. First, it is a simile because Reesa is comparing thinking to moths fluttering. However, thoughts don't actually flutter, making this statement also an example of personification. I now comprehend that this book has many great examples of literary techniques. I'm sorry for the way I will be writing the page numbers, but on the e-book, it doesn't portray the pages as a whole, but as a part of each chapter.
ReplyDeleteAs I have written earlier, Susan Carol McCarthy has really done a good job of using many literary techniques in this novel. I found many more examples than I first imagined. An example of personification is on page 2 of 7 in chapter 6, when Susan Carol McCarthy writes, "makes my blood boil". Personification is when human characteristics are applied to an inanimate object. In this instance, Miss Maybelle does not literally make Reesa's blood boil. She is meaning that Miss Maybelle just gets her angry and mad. Also, on page 1 of 14 in chapter 7, the author writes, "his over bright smile's a poor mask". This is an example of a metaphor comparing Luther's smile to a poor mask. What the writer means is that even though Luther is trying to act happy, his act is well predicted. In this case, the literacy technique used is not a simile and is a metaphor because she is saying that Luther's smile is a poor mask, and not like one.
ReplyDeleteChapter 11 starting on page 73 opens with personification. "The month of April falls with the last of the orange blossoms into May." April is a month, and cannot fall off a tree. This personification is used in time with the stages of orange blossoms. The buds of this citrus flower form in early winter, and through late winter and spring it develops. Most of these do not result in fruit, because they fall off. This personification could be showing how quickly the month of April passed for Reesa. Developing blossoms build up through the month of April, and then fall suddenly, as April suddenly ends. Then in May, the remaining blossoms would turn into delicious oranges. This may imply that good is to come to Reesa in May. In fact, May is when she meets Thurgood Marshall and Harry T. Moore of the NAACP (p.74 and 75).
ReplyDeleteLiterary techniques have an abundant presence throughout the book (as most have already realized). One type that stood out to me is similes. They compare one thing to another usually using the connecters like or as. In doing so, they give us a more accurate picture of what’s happening, without being there. An example of this is on page 173 “…Miz Lucy calls back, in a voice like sugar.” This comparison tells us she spoke in a sweet tone. Another example is shown on page 161 “At the Ford, they shrug off their jackets and lay them on the back seat like they were babies.” This shows us in our minds how carefully they laid their jackets down. Similes were an important tool used in this book in order to vividly show readers what was happening.
ReplyDeleteAll throughout the book Susan Carol McCarthy uses literary techniques to entice and electrify her readers. One example, on page 243, was when she used foreshadowing. “So begins my family’s final nightmare.” After reading such a cliffhanger of a statement who wouldn’t want to turn the page and know exactly what “nightmare” was about to unfold? Next, on page 87, she writes, “Gasping at the splat of raindrops the size of soup spoons.” I researched just how big raindrops can get and once they reach 4 millimeters they spilt in two. (http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/ raindropsizes.html) This proves that her proclamation “raindrops the size of soup spoons” is another technique call a hyperbole. Lastly, on page 187, Doto says, “Well your mother is more like a river.” By using this classic technique, the simile, Mrs. McCarthy doesn’t mean that Reesa’s mother is a river. Only that she has strength, like a river does. Using literary techniques, I believe, is essential to high-quality writing. Mrs. McCarthy is a master of these traditions, which shows in her writing.
ReplyDeleteAfter going back through the book I found more literary techniques aiding in a better understanding of what Mrs. McCarthy wrote. Firstly, she used the idiom. The idiom is defined as a word or phrase that can not be taken literally. On page 128 Reesa states, “There’s a little bit of rattler in all of us.” She doesn’t mean that each and every one of us is partially snake; she means that we all can take on a snake’s attributes. Next, I found a great example of symbolism in the book. On page 258 Reesa declares, “Today, I’ve climbed higher in this old tree than I have in years.” That, I believe is symbolic for the way Mayflower has let go of old prejudices and fears so, in a way, reaching for the sun and a better tomorrow. It’s amazing how without these literary traditions the book would be dull and almost void of emotion. I guess that is what makes the difference between text books and a book like this.
ReplyDeleteI found many examples of literary techniques in this book. One I found, on page 199, when Mr. Jameson is talking to Warren, and Warren is being very serious, and when Mr. Jameson asks if he can call Mr. McMahon Warren, Reesa states, "Daddy nods, but says nothing. He's a stone wall." This metaphor means that Warren is focused on the problem at hand and is not about to be distracted by anything. I also found an example of personification on page 49. Reesa says, "Daddy's nod tells him to continue." The nod does not actually say, "continue," Reesa means that the nod is a signal for Luther to keep talking. I also found an example of a metaphor on page 38, when the ladies in the barbershop are talking about Sheriff Willis McCall and Miss Iris asks, "Isn't he some muckety-muck with the Klan in Lake County?" Obviously the sheriff is not actually "muckety-muck”, Miss Iris just means he is a bad person. There are many examples of literary techniques used throughout this book.
ReplyDeleteSusan carol McCarthy uses several literary techniques throughout the book Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands. On page 197 the author describes Ren’s injuries from the Klan. The book states that the “cluster of cuts on his head were round and ripe like a bunch of table grapes”, his eye socket swollen like a small plum.” The author used a simile with this statement to help the reader get a better picture of the cuts. Without this description readers would be left thinking how bad are the cuts? If the cuts aren’t that bad why is Warren making a big deal out of it? With this explanation readers get a clear picture in their minds of the injuries. Another example of a literary technique from the book would be on page 134. The author says, “The late afternoon sun pierces the pines with sharp orange swords of light.” The literary technique being used is personification. They are giving an inanimate object (the sun) a human action, which is the piercing of the sword.
ReplyDeleteThe book Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands, holds many opportunities to use literary techniques. On page 27 there is an example of a simile. The author says “The idea of that life is as fragile and full of holes as a lace curtain terrifies me.” In this sentence the author is comparing life to a lace curtain. The author says that like the lace life is very fragile. It could rip, or be ruined at any moment. Every time something goes wrong in your life or somebody else’s life, it affects you. It creates a bigger hole in the lace. Then when the hole is really big it suddenly rips and the life that was once in it is gone. Just like Marvin was there one minute and then gone the next.
ReplyDeleteA metaphor is used in reference to Mr. Harry Moore. Mr. McMahon stated on page 150, “Any man who travels up and down this state registering Negro voters right under the nose of Klanners is solid steel, through and through”. Obviously, it is impossible for an actual living and breathing human to be made of steel. Reesa’s father makes his point more clear by saying he is solid steel. He is saying Mr. Moore is a tough guy who does not fear much, if anything at all. A metaphor compares someone or something to another person or thing. When saying the statement though, they say one thing is another. By using the word is, you separate the sentence from being a simile to being a metaphor. Metaphor’s can add an interesting twist on saying how someone is strong or smart (or ect).
ReplyDeleteThe book contains many literary techniques throughout it. On page 10, there is a sentence that uses personification to get its point across. Reesa said that the smell of Marvin in the area heaves her stomach into her throat. When someone heaves something or someone, it means to lift them or it up by using force at the moment. A smell could not physically bring her stomach up to her throat because smell cannot perform any physical actions. Also, it is impossible to have your stomach go into your throat without dying I assume. Reesa must just want to describe how she felt in a unique way, while making you think a little bit.
ReplyDeleteAnother example of a literary technique is being used on page 15. Reesa’s father compares Doto to a dog because she marks her property (at their house) like a dog does in a yard. In the particular sentence in the book, they use the work ‘like,’ which makes it a simile ( you use the word like or as when a simile). Doto is like the dog by marking the territory or making sure people know that is where she lives for the time being.
In this book there are many literary devices used. The one that I found most frequently was repetition. There were many themes repeated throughout the book, the two that were the most noticeable were; the repetition of a stone theme, and the repetition of a mask theme. The repetition of the stone theme starts very early in the book. It starts on page 13 with “ he turns to stone, granite faced, flinty eyed” … “ a one man Mount Rushmore” another example is on page 119 “…I can only imagine my father’s stone- faced reply”. This pattern continues repeatedly throughout the book. As for what the stone theme resembles is perseverance. The stones represent perseverance because Resa and her family lived through the crisis. Also on page 9 when it is explaining the reason for warrens name it states that he was named after Richard warren of the may flower, who was one of the few who was on the original landing party who also through the first winter. Therefore, appearing as a symbol of perseverance.
ReplyDeleteSusan Carol McCarthy did a great job incorporating many literary techniques. During my reading, I found a simile that Geoffrey Wells referred to . The simile is found of page 169 and quotes, "Mother sees things different. She tells me God's like the dealer in a giant card game." The comparison in this is a dealer of a card game to God. This simile really ties in on many of the characters lives. Referring to the cards, this simile states that everyone is a card player and that some get handed better cards than others but you must work with the cards that you get. Putting this into reality, her mother is trying to say that many receive better things than others but you have to be happy with what you get in life.
ReplyDeleteAs I read Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands, I became fully aware of the various forms of literary techniques throughout the novel. In chapter twenty three on page 153, the phrase, “locals say, the hurricane only glances in your direction and whirls off.” With all knowledge from learning about literary techniques in the past, I believe this phrase is a form of personification. Personification is a figure of speech when someone gives an inanimate object humanlike characteristics or abilities. A hurricane is quite inanimate, but many people can make it sound like it is alive. The phrase makes it sound as if the hurricane had eyes but in reality, it does not. When Marie said that the hurricane glanced in your direction, she meant that the hurricane would go towards your town and possibly hit it, but at some point in time it would quickly go somewhere else. The entire first paragraph in chapter 23 has several examples of personification in it like another phrase, “a hurricane spins wildly; its outer edges blow and bite.” Hurricanes do not have mouths to blow nor bite with. That part of the phrase, “blow and bite,” is trying to make the reader imagine a hurricane thrashing its way through a town and tearing it apart with its terrifying wind and rain. The literary techniques used were used quite strongly which helped me visualize what was going on throughout the novel.
ReplyDeleteThroughout Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands there were many kinds of literary techniques. From the very beginning of the book I noticed that the novel reads, “The Orange blossom trail snake charmed poor Florida”(page1). This is an example of personification. Personification is when an inanimate object is given human characteristics. Florida cannot actually ‘snake charm.’ The author is simply trying to explain how the blossoms attracted people to Florida. Right after that example of personification comes another one, “from her redhead Georgia border.” A state cannot actually have hair, so this sentence gives an inanimate object human-like characteristics. All through the book the author tries to incorporate several different literary techniques, trying to place a more detailed image in your head. They allow readers to experience what the characters see and feel. The techniques compel you to read more since you really understand what is going on in the character’s heads.
ReplyDeleteAs you read Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands, the author makes it easy to get consumed in the book by making you think. By incorporating different literary techniques, she allows you to see through the characters eyes. They often keep you on your toes because you might have to think about the literary technique before you can fully decipher it. One of the examples I found in the book was on page 204. ‘“…Ah know those groves like the back of mah hand” is a simile. A simile is when you compare one thing to another using the words ‘like’ or ‘as’. What the author is trying to say here is that he (Luther) knows how the orange groves are arranged by heart. I found another interesting literary device on page 153. It reads "...its (a hurricane‘s) outer edges blow and bite." This is an example of personification. Personification is when you give an inanimate object human like characteristics. A hurricane cannot actually bite. However, some of a hurricane’s outcomes can be compared to those of a bite. Throughout the whole book, Susan Carol McCarthy demonstrates how you can get the reader more engaged in your novel by the way you write it.
ReplyDeleteYou can figurative language numerous times throughout the novel. On page 124 is stated, 'The doors split open and the boys- Ren plus Roy and Dwayne Samson- tumble out ahead of me, barking and romping like bloodhounds released from their cages, eager for the woods.” I agree with 15milleri when he said, “This similes really makes the picture in my mind of how the boys really got off the bus..” As I was reading this simile in the book, I could just picture them vividly in my mind, and how excited they were to get to the woods to play around with each other. Also, on page 123 it states, “Sometimes, this kind of things starts out small, like a new plant, a vine like kuduz, for instance. If nobody pays attention to it, it grows and grows, and before you know it, it’s taken over a whole hillside, choked the life out of every other plant around it.” McCarthy could’ve just said the KKK is taking over Florida, eventually going to destroy just about everything they don’t like, and they need to be stopped. She took the time to make an interesting comparison to help readers get a better understanding of what she was trying to say. Also, the simile helped me understand the damage the KKK was doing not only to the blacks, but also to white people. If nobody stops the KKK, they will keep going until they destroy everything they don’t like. Susan McCarthy adds figurative language throughout the book to help readers understand the book from her perspective, and to say it in a fun, interesting way.
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ReplyDeleteAnother literary technique that Susan Carol McCarthy commonly uses is metaphors. On page 113, she writes, “The high, humid heat of August presses on us with an unkind hand.” This does not literally mean that a hand from the sky is pressing on them, however. Susan Carol McCarthy uses this metaphor to describe the uncomfortable heat and humidity of that particular Florida summer. Another sentence I noticed on page 145 contained both a metaphor and a simile. Susan McCarthy writes, “On Christmas morning, we plow though our presents like half-starved entrants in a pie-eating contest.” The children did not literally plow through their presents, but the metaphor is used to describe how quickly and eagerly the presents were opened. The simile, “like half-starved entrants in a pie-eating contest” also describes how happy and desperate the children were to open their gifts. These literary techniques and many others can be found all throughout the book.
ReplyDeleteAs I’ve said before, many useful literary techniques can be found in the book ‘Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands’. Another page in which Susan Carol McCarthy used a simile is page 213. Susan McCarthy writes, “My hands, fiddling with the cover on the cookie dough, feel thick and stupid, like “I’ve forgotten how to move.” Describing Reesa’s hands in this way helps the reader relate more to what is trying to be described. However, the very next sentence on the page contains another simile. Susan McCarthy writes, “Armetta reaches over and covers them, warming me like a fire.” This is another simile that allows the reader to feel how the characters are feeling. Everybody has experienced the warmth and comfort of a fire, but not everybody has had the experience of Armetta covering their hands. Obviously knowing this, Susan Carol McCarthy described Armetta’s touch as that of a fire so that the reader could better connect to the feelings being described.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many uses of literary devices in this book. A sentence on page 99 uses a simile, describing how the “surface of the cove shines like metal”. This is comparing the surface of the water to metal, and provides the reader with a good maental image. On page 144, there is another example of a literary device. The author wrote, “Doto’s like a tonic”. This is the use of a simile, becuase it is comparing Doto to a tonic, but not saying that she actually is one. Another example of a similie would be on page 197, where the author describes Ren’s injuries by writing about how the injuries are like a “cluster of cuts round and ripe like a bunch of table grapes, his eye socket swollen like a small plum.” McCarthy is comparing the cuts and his eye to fruit- grapes and a plum, to provide us with a better image of what he looked like.
ReplyDeleteLay That Trumpet in Our Hands contains many Literary terms and techniques.An example of personification is used On page 113 to describe the heat of August. The book says "The high humid heat of August presses down on us with and unkind hand." August is an inanimate object and does not have any hands. Susan carol McCarthy gave an inanimate object, August, a human quality which would be hands. Without the use of this literary device the sentence may have sounded dull and boring. Using any kind of literary term puts a vivid mental picture in your brain. Its like you can almost fell how hot it is by reading the personification.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading 'Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands' one page I found that had a lot of literary techniques was page number 99. My favorite example of a metaphor on this page was, "...the water is a mirror, reflecting a bright blue sky...” According to the Webster's Dictionary a metaphor is, "a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance". Another literary technique I found on the same page is an example of a personification. The book reads, "...bowing the heads of the kneeling cypress." Personification is when you give inanimate objects human-like characteristics. Throughout the book the author really captivates the reader by making them ponder exactly what the author is meaning, the brilliance behind figurative language is that is can mean different things to different people. Overall this book has great figurative language that really allows the reader to see through the character's eyes.
ReplyDeleteThere is also a mask theme that I noticed. I believe that the mask theme resembles how the KKK can go around and live normal lives all because they wear a mask. One of the first instances of the mask theme occurs on page 43 half way down the page “Mother sighs, VEILING her disappointment”. It also occurs on page 62 half way down the page “ The crunchy sweetness of a snicker doodle can’t COVER the taste of bitter grief in my stomach.” Also on page 141 at the top of the page and at half way down the page “Planner of picnics, singer of songs, initiator of card games, disappeared permanently behind her POKER FACE.” And “Only her POKER FACE……”. The term poker face is a symbol for a mask. One other instance is on page 142 toward the bottom of the page “While she sat by his bed side and played by the rules, and he did everything the doctor ordered, that strep throat turned into scarlet fever a child disease, that somehow became rheumatic and MASKED the pneumonia after that,…”.
ReplyDeleteAnother literary device used throught the book is foreshadowing. I noticed that foreshadowing was the most frequent literary device used in this book. The first instance of foreshadowing that I noticed was on page 2 “It’s the social equivalent to a Molotov cocktail” this is foreshadowing because like the cocktail the state is waiting to explode (and the KKK blow up many building and places.)A few other instances are on page 7 “his eyes glow darkly in ASHY nests of wrinkles” page 13 “he turns to stone, granite face, FLINTY eyed” many other occurrences of these word appear throughout the book. They foreshadow the KKK blowing up the buildings. Instances foreshadowing the people declaring war on the KKK start on page 19 “the in stand between two stands of NAVEL trees.” And again on the bottom of page 57 “ Across from me, the tall gray TANKS and buildings of Mayflower Citrus climb like TURRETS of some medieval castle,” This book used a lot of foreshadowing , without it the book would have felt more empty and it would have lost a lot of its substance and detail. The foreshadowing in this book kept the reader on the edge of her/his seat wanting to find out what would happen next.
ReplyDeleteLiterary techniques are used many times throughout the novel. An example of a simile in the book is "Summer's heat settles on us like a mother hen" (p 102). The use of the simile is a nice way to start the chapter compared to a boring sentence like, "The summer heat approached gradually." Saying that the heat settles on them like a mother hen explains that the heat didn't hit them right away, but once it was there it was there to stay.
ReplyDeleteAnother literary example can be found on page 23, where they use a metaphor to compare Doto's eyes to shooting sparks. A metaphor is a comparison that does not use like or as. Doto is angered by the story that they had overheard at the restaraunt. Her eyes tell everything, the emotions she is feeling, even the fact that Doto wants to take action in the murder, but knows that she can not. Literary techniques are found all through out the book, and these are just a few examples.
Some literary devices used in this book are metaphors, and smiles. An example of a metaphor is on page 30, “Miss Maybelle Mason, the old snapping turtle.” On the top of page 194, an example of a metaphor is, “Everything about him, his neck, his voice, is solid rock.” At the bottom of page 234 is a simile, “…hope has begun to glimmer at our house like the flame of a small candle,” and yet another example is half way down page 31, “Miss Maybelle Mason has eyes like a hawk.” A simile occurs on page 38 towards the bottom of the page, “Miss Lillian, who’s smart as a whip”.
ReplyDeleteThe difference between a metaphor and a simile is that a simile uses the terms like, or as, and a metaphor does not. Another literary device used in this book is alliteration. Two examples of Alliteration can be found on page 229, “Lose, Lips, sink ships”, and, “It’s Pure Pitiful.” Alliteration is used to make the piece of literature sound more rhythmic, and to give the literature a beat.
My favorite symbolism in the entire book was preferably in the beginning of the Prologue when they had described the other southern states compared to Florida. “Most of the Southern Belle states chose their wildest, wildest rivers and seduced them into hardworking husbandry. In Big Delta Marriages that prosper, Mississippi namesake, Alabama her Mobile, and Georgia her Savannah. But Florida—skinny, flat-chested baby sister to the Belles—had slimmer prospects. Rejecting old Suwannee, Florida chose the Orange Blossom Trail, not a river at all but a slick 600-mile highway that knew how to dance.” on page 1 of the Prologue shows great personification. The states, or Southern Belles, had chosen their wildest rivers to represent them, like husbands. The older states are so different in many ways compared to Florida, one way they show it in this is how they show how the other states had chosen rivers for husbands, while Florida had chosen a highway. Florida was the odd ball out in the bunch, choosing the wrong “husband” and being so different in features than its sisters.
ReplyDeleteMany literary techniques can be found in Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands. On page 169 Ressa is writing a letter to Vaylie and tells her a metaphor her mother uses. Reesa says, "Mother sees things different. She tells me God's like the dealer in a giant card game. Because of luck, some people wind up with better cards than others, but the important thing is to do the best you can with the hand you're dealt." By saying this, her mother means that some people are given money and fame through there family, the lottery, or other forms of luck. What you are support to do in life is be the best you can with what your given and work hard at what you do. On page 102 Ressa (As the narrator) says "Summer's heat settles on us like mother hen." This is a smilie in that, she uses the word "like" when comparing the summer's heat to the gentleness of a mother hen.
ReplyDeleteOne very insightful form of literary technique that I found in this book is on page 47. On this page, Luther is playing "Rhapsody in Blue" and Reesa is picturing a story to go along with it. In this example of a metaphor, Reesa pictures a girl sobbing after an elegant dance with a boy. Now the girl is waiting in her room for the boy, who is not going to show. I think that Reesa was comparing herself to the sobbing girl, and Marvin to the boy. The dance represents all of their time together in life, but now the dance is over, and Reesa is left alone. Reesa says that there is one point in the song where the girl gets up, sure that the boy is there, and then she realizes that he's never coming. This relates to some times in the book when Reesa will want to ask Marvin a question, but then she realizes that "Marvin's dead, gone forever. This part in the story implies that Reesa is a depressed girl, left alone in her room crying after a beautiful dance with a wonderful boy.
ReplyDelete"Marvin was the one who turned my real name, Marie Louise, and my nickname, Reesa, into"Reesa-Roo-How-Do-You-Do," "Rooter-Tooter-Where's-Yo'-Scooter," and my favorite, "Rootin'-Tootin-How's-Yo'-Shotgun-Shootin'"(page 18). Susan Carol McCarthy uses the literary technique of rhyme only when Reesa is remembering Marvin. Reesa and Marvin must have had a very close relationship for him to make up names for her. Armetta proves the strength of the relationsip between Reesa and Marvin on page 60, "Mah boy, he loved you like a sister." That's a strong comment for a black person to say to a white person in central Florida in 1951. McCarthy also uses rhyme on page 26, again when Reesa is thinking about Marvin: "Red-Rover-Red-Rover-Can-Reesa-Come-Over." Finally, McCarthy uses rhyme when Luther greets Reesa near the end of the story on page 205, "Evenin', Rootin'-Tootin'!"
ReplyDeleteThe writing of Susan McCarthy is loaded with many types of literary devices. One of the most common literary devices is the metaphor. A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two unlike things that have something in common, so these can be pretty fun. The first metaphor that I found in the book is on page 93, on this page Reesa refers to Miss Maybelle as an angry old snapping turtle. Of course, Reesa does not literally think of Miss Maybelle as a raving mad turtle who would just love to bite her fingers off. What she really means is that Miss Maybelle is a grouchy old lady who is pretty heartless at times. Metaphors make reading the book so much more interesting and gets the point across much better than just saying your statement normally. An example of this is found on 224, it reads " "But, of course, we'll never know for sure," I told him, trying to let that particular sleeping dog lie". Instead of saying this Reesa could have just said that she was afraid of what the knowledge might do, but that would be boring.
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