Literary Terms (Cliche-Inversion) Essay Example

Literary Terms (Cliche-Inversion) Paper Cliche is a word or phrase, often a figure of speech, that has become lifeless because of overuse Colloquialism a word or phrase in everyday use in conversation and informal writing but is inappropriate for formal situations Comic Relief the use of a comic scene to interrupt a series of intense dramatic moments Conflict the struggle between opposing forces or characters in a story External Conflict conflicts can exist between two people, between a person and nature or a machine, or between a person and a whole society Internal Conflict a conflict can be internal, involving opposing forces within a persons mind Connotation the associations and emotional overtones that have become attached to a word or phrase, in addition to its strict dictionary definition Consonance repetition of internal or ending consonant sounds of words close together in poetry Deus Ex Machina improbable resolution involving the intervention of some outside force Denotation literal dictionary definition of a word Dialect a way of speaking that is characteristic of a certain social group or of the inhabitants of a certain geographical area Diction a speaker or writers choice of words Explication act of interpreting or discovering the meaning of a text, usually involves close reading and special attention to figurative language Euphemism word consciously chosen for its pleasant connotations passed away instead of died Fable a very short story told in prose or poetry that teaches a practical lesson about how to succeed in life Farce a type of comedy in which ridiculous and often stereotyped characters are involved in silly, far-fetched sitiuations Figurative Language words which are inaccurate if interpreted literally, but are used to describe. Similes and metaphors are common forms Flashback a scene that interrupts the normal chronological sequence of events in a story to depict something that happened at an earlier time Foil a character who acts as a contrast to another character. Often a funny side kick to the dashing hero, or a villain contrasting the hero Foreshadowing the use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in a plot Hamartia tragic flaw which causes a characters downfall Hyperbole a figure of speech that uses an incredible exaggeration or overstatement, for effect Hubris tragic flaw of overwhelming pride Idiom an expression whose meaning is not understood from the literal translation it is raining cats and dogs Imagery the use of language to evoke a picture or a concrete sensation of a person, a thing, a place, or an experience In Media Res beginning in the middle of the action Inversion the reversal of the normal word order in a sentence or phrase

Dvorak keyboard essays

Dvorak keyboard essays The Dvorak keyboard layout has been slow to catch on due to lack of scientifically conclusive evidence that it is superior to the QWERTY sequence. The majority of positive test results seem to come from Dvorak himself, who had a financial and intellectual investment in his patent. Ergonomic studies did not support his superior claim for the layout. Tests done by the Department of the Navy were positive, but considering that Dvorak was also a Naval Officer, it is no wonder that endorsement was provided by the U.S. Navy. Businesses are slow to accept a change in an accepted standard due to the risks of rejection by competitors. The comparison of the two is very similar to the videotape format issue except that technically proved superiority is very questionable. Change to a historically accepted standard has always been a slow process. Supply and demand is still the cornerstone of marketing and demand for the Dvorak layout is small. It is even more so if the layout conversion is negle cted by the community that it is suppose to benefit: the professional typists. Early studies done by the U.S. General Services Administration in 1953 appear to give a more objective conclusion than that of Dvorak's work on his layout. It found that good typist are fast, regardless of the keyboard used. Looking at the future in keyboarding, it seems as though the skill itself will become somewhat of a historical remedy if voice recognition software ever becomes a standard for computer users. Even now, word processors increase the speed of most typists to a degree that such a change in a keyboard configuration would make little difference. As long as expert typists can average about 100 words a minute with QWERTY keyboards, the future for an alternative standard is bleak in the business world. The benefit does not outweigh the cost of change at this moment in time. ...

Leonardo da Vinci Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Leonardo da Vinci - Research Paper Example Besides, Leonardo provided ample importance to his career as an artist, but provided less importance to his personal life. Thesis statement: Leonardo da Vinci’s professional life, major accomplishments, and major influences prove that Leonardo is symbolic of the influence of Renaissance spirit on humanity in general. Earlier Life: Some important facts on Leonardo’s birth, early life, parents, childhood days, and education are examinable. First of all, he was born in the year 1452. In addition, his birthplace was in Vinci. Joanne Mattern stated that, â€Å"Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452, in a town called Vinci, Italy† (8). His father was Ser Piero, and his mother was Caterina. His father was born in a wealthy family, but his mother was a peasant. He spent his early childhood with his mother. Later, Leonardo became under the control of his father. But Leonardo’s father did not try to be a role model to his son because he ignored Leonardoâ€℠¢s mother. For instance, Leonardo’s father married Albiera and Francesca Lanfredini. In short, Leonardo was raised in Florence, under the direct control of his father, and this deeply influenced his later life. But this did not affect his education because he received education in the Latin language, geometry, and math. Besides, hardships in early life helped Leonardo to turn his attention towards nature and to observe human relationship with nature. At the same time, Leonardo considered that art can help him to acquire mastery in different fields. Besides, he did not hesitate to learn new things in his life. So, one can see that all these factors molded Leonardo’s character. Personal life From a different angle of view, Leonardo considered that one’s personal life should not be shared with others. To be specific, his lifelong bachelorship, career centrism, and workaholic attitude hindered him from creating intimate relationships with women. Besides, his earlier life with his father may have instilled the feeling of hatred towards married life. But one must not misunderstand that Leonardo was not able to create and maintain cordial friendship with womenfolk. For instance, Leonardo maintained lifelong relationship with two women, named Beatrice and Isabella. Leonardo’s relationship with these women was so intimate because he painted Isabella’s portrait and carried the same with him. This proves that some women were allowed to enter Leonardo’s private domain without any restriction. From a different angle of view, Leonardo provided ample importance to his career and it reduced the scope of marriage in his life. In addition, Leonardo was a strict vegetarian. As an individual who is deeply interested in nature, vegetarianism and consideration towards living things deeply influenced his life philosophy. At the same time, Leonardo maintained a number of male friends in his private life. This helped him to be in touch with ot her fields of knowledge like mathematics, architecture, and military science. But Leonardo never disclosed his sexuality and never allowed strangers to enter his private circle. He passed away in the 16th century (say, in the year 1519). Professional life: Leonardo started his professional life with Verrocchio. John Malam stated that, â€Å"When Leonardo was in his teens, his father took him to the city of Florence to meet Andrea del Verrocchio, who was a well known artist†