83 Matching Annotations
  1. Apr 2022
    1. never his victim, whose pain is magnified when he orshe feels forgotten. The political prisoner in his cell, the hungry children, thehomeless refugees — not to respond to their plight, not to relieve their solitude byoffering them a spark of hope is to exile them from human memory

      The speaker uses descriptive imagery of how the victim feels when treated indifferently and why indifference hurts others more than we think. This is the author using pathos to get the audience feeling pity and guilt for these children and victims. This creates a critical tone because his words are harsh about what happened to the victims.

    2. profoundfear and extraordinary hope

      He ends his speech dramatically using an oxymoron to tug at the audiences extreme opposite feelings. Mr. Wiesel does this to make a lasting impression, prompting the audience to take action.

    3. I was here and Iwill never forget it

      Mr. Wiesel uses a hyperbole here to show that it was a very memorable moment that will be stuck in his memory for a long time.

    4. Why were they so few? Why was there agreater effort to save SS murderers after the war than to save their victims during thewar?

      He asks more rhetorical questions to make the audience question whether or not they were indifferent.

    5. What happened?I don't understand. Why the indifference, on the highest level, to the suffering of thevictims?

      He asks rhetorical questions that get the audience to think about their countries actions and why they were indifferent to begin with.

    6. Hemobilized the American people and the world, going into battle, bringing hundredsand thousands of valiant and brave soldiers in America to fight fascism, to fightdictatorship, to fight Hitler. And so many of the young people fell in battle.

      He uses imagery here to describe how great Roosevelt was, but it creates a heartbreaking and sad tone.

    7. just the railways, just once

      Repetition is used here to show the desperation the children had in being saved. He shows this by repeating "just" twice to create a sense of hopelessness and desperation.

    8. strangers to their surroundings

      Mr. Wiesel uses personification, suggesting the surroundings are strangers or people the prisoners don't know. This means the prisoners were in a state of confusion and isolation.

    9. broken heart

      Mr. Wiesel uses a hyperbole here to show how devastated people feel when seeing children in pain or abandoned because adults were indifferent to them. This helps him relate to the audience more by using pathos.

    10. Does it mean that we have learned from the past? Does it mean that society haschanged? Has the human being become less indifferent and more human? Have wereally learned from our experiences

      More rhetorical questions are used to raise even more doubt about whether or not the audience has truly learned from there mistakes and are willing to do better in the future. This creates a critical tone that's a little harsh at times.

    11. But this time, the world was not silent

      The personification of the world being silent represents everyone on the world not speaking against indifference. This implies that everyone needs to stand up and choose not to be indifferent.

    12. save those victims, those refugees, those who were uprooted by a man

      He uses repetition here to show there are many people who suffer from indifference.

    13. with hundreds ofJewish shops destroyed, synagogues burned, thousands of people put inconcentration camps. And that ship, which was already in the shores of the UnitedStates, was sent back

      Mr. Wiesel uses imagery to show many examples of indifference in other places because of the US government. This is to create a tone of guilt and it also creates pathos, which helps the audience realize what mistakes they made and how they were accidently indifferent to others.

    14. , his image in Jewish history — I must say it — his image in Jewishhistory is flawed

      Mr. Wiesel uses Repetition here to show how important Roosevelts image is and how his image is flawed in Jewish history.

    15. God is wherever we are. Even in suffering? Even in suffering

      Rhetorical question that means God is wherever we are even in suffering, helping us realize someone is always watching over us and staying with us.

    16. human being inhuman

      Mr. Wiesel uses a hyperbole here to show that being indifferent makes you a monster, or someone who doesn't care as much as the average human does.

    17. They were dead and did not know it

      A hyperbole exaggerating how the prisoners were. This creates pathos because the audience feels sad for the prisoners and maybe guilty for not helping them.

    18. It is so much easier to avoid such rude interruptionsto our work, our dreams, our hopes. It is, after all, awkward, troublesome, to beinvolved in another person's pain and despair. Yet, for the person who is indifferent,his or her neighbor are of no consequence.

      Vivid Imagery of why people are indifferent, which creates a critical and wise tone.

    19. lives are meaningless

      A hyperbole stating people who are being treated indifferently have no value. Everyone has value and are meaningful, but Mr. Wiesel states this to show how the person feels when being treated terribly.

    20. What is indifference? Etymologically, the word means "no difference." A strange andunnatural state in which the lines blur between light and darkness, dusk and dawn,crime and punishment, cruelty and compassion, good and evil

      Mr. Wiesel uses imagery here to explain to the audience what indifference is in his point of view. This is to help the audience better understand what he will be implying about indifference later.

    21. Thesefailures have cast a dark shadow over humanity

      A metaphor is used here comparing the many failures to some large object that casts a dark shadow. The meaning of this is that the failures are difficult to understand, they block the light from humanity, and it effects everyone. This creates a gloomy tone

    22. What will the legacy ofthis vanishing century be? How will it be remembered in the new millennium?

      Rhetorical questions asking what the future generations will think of them, and how will they be remembered. Will they have a legacy of being indifferent or helping others.

    23. and I am filled with a profound andabiding gratitude

      Hyperbole, he is not actually filled with gratitude, Mr. Wiesel just has a lot of it.

  2. Dec 2021
    1. I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide

      This metaphor unfolds how powerful the speaker is as it acts as a symbol of energy and immensity while hinting at the color of her skin. Comparing herself to a compelling force of nature, she portrays herself as strong and majestic going with the highs and lows of the "tide" or society's challenges.

    2. That I dance like I’ve got diamonds At the meeting of my thighs?

      The alliteration in this line - in which the words begin with the consonant "d" - make the line easy to read and flow nicely, thus suggesting that the speaker dances with joy and content. The simile conveys that she embraces herself, her body, and culture and that she will not change to fit a societal mold.

      Symbols of wealth are spread throughout the poem: gold mines, diamonds, and oil wells. This suggests that Angelou feels wealthy when surrounded by the elements of her community. She does not have an abundance of financial wealth and society does not view her or her community as wealthy and also restricts them from gaining wealth. s

    3. like I’ve got oil wells Pumping in my living room.

      This simile portrays Angelou's success with her previous poetry collections as she recognizes herself as an accomplished female black writer. Oil wells are a symbol of prosperity; the richest countries in the world were selling oil. Thus when reading this line, the reader should picture a wealthy girl with their head held high.

    4. like dust, I’ll rise.
      1. Simile

      This simile contrasts that of the symbol in the line above. Using the symbol of dirt to convey the unvalued and downtrodden significance of the African Americans to society, she counters this with the simile of dust. She implies that, similar to dust which rises from the ground when stepped on by a heavy foot, her community will rise up and fight against this oppression.

      1. Irony

      This set of two lines at the end of this first stanza address direct oppression and demonstrate irony. She explains that in an attempt to try and oppress her, the oppressors are giving her strength and determination to survive. With the intention to stop her from moving forward by stomping her into the dirt, it has an opposing effect. She is able to rise higher. The presence of oppression strengthens her resolve, and followed by "I'll rise" emphasizes her resistance to give in. Typically a negative and dirty image, Angelou is able to twist dust into a positive and strong image to show her community's desire for equality.

    5. dirt

      Dirt represents how the black community was treated. They were constantly being pushed down or insulted. The community was not accepted as a true part of society as they were seen as a low, disrespected class.

    6. history’s shame

      "History's shame" could be interpreted as an understatement. Slavery generated extensive suffering through tearing apart families, destroying the spirits of African people, and many died. The effects still present today - seen with some still prevalent racist beliefs - demonstrate that slavery changed the course of American history.

      To view more about the history during this time period and how Maya Angelou impacted this crucial era of American history, view the Historical Context page note.

    7. I rise I rise I rise.

      The repetition of "I rise" at the end of the poem drives home her desire to work together with the African American community to rise and face the adversity and hardships that society imposes. It not only creates rhythm, but also reinforces the persistence and strength of the speaker.

    8. Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave.

      When talking about her ancestors, Angelou is referring to her great grandmother who was a slave (and passed away in 1942). By saying she is the dream, Angelou is attempting to set an example for others of her race in regards to rising above hard situations. Her goal with her work is to inspire change. She is demanding that society leave behind the negative effects of slavery and history of oppression with intent to rise above.

      Shown through her later works, Angelou's great success with not only poetry, but other aspects of American culture. being a poet of presidents, civil rights activist, filmmaker, actor, dancer, and above all educator. She was the first of many special experiences for the African American community; for instance, she served as the first black female street car driver in San Francisco, she wrote the first script by a black woman to be made into a Hollywood film, and her best-selling, award-winning autobiographical book (I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings) was one of the first ever written by an African American woman to generate widespread readership. Overall successful in her rise above the deep-rooted racist American beliefs as she played a major role in the civil rights movement.

    9. Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear

      This line contrasts that of the dark images portrayed in the line above regarding nights of "terror and fear." This juxtaposition highlights the bright future ahead with her hopes for the civil rights movement by using the images of night and day.

    10. huts of history’s shame

      Alliteration from repeating the consonant "h" creates a line with a heavy sound as she refers to the history of slavery. Even though her people have been. oppressed in the past they have overcome these challenges and will continue this movement.

    11. Does my sexiness upset you?

      Alliteration is used in this line as the consonant "s" is repeated, making the line taunting. The repeated rhetorical questions place society on trial for the harm and injustice pitted against the African American community. While incriminating them, she reveals incredible self-confidence despite the hardships.

    12. like air

      Air in the simile illustrates that the speaker will continue to rise above the challenges set forth, no matter the harm that someone tries to inflict upon her.

    13. kill me with your hatefulness

      The oppression is brought to the climax in this stanza as Angelou compares the hate to death. Saying that the oppressor's hate might kill her spirit, she continues in the next line ensuring the reader that she will rise above. Overall from this stanza, the dark and grim connotation emphasize the aggression towards the African American community. In these lines she is referring to more deep emotional pain rather than physical hurt; however, she uses these tangible, violent objects to show her message. One's words and looks can destroy another person's emotional spirit and one's hatred can kill caused by certain societal rejections.

    14. cut me with your eyes

      This metaphorical weapon refers to the violence of a gun comparing it to the cruel looks of the oppressor. The looks are so hurtful and agonizing in the regard that they are sharp and cutting, like a knife.

    15. shoot me with your words

      Angelou uses metaphorical weapons in this stanza to emphasize the pain of the oppression. Referring to the violence of shooting a gun, the metaphor demonstrates the pain of the oppressor's hateful language.

    16. ’Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines Diggin’ in my own backyard.

      By comparing gold mines to her laugh, she portraying that she laughs with the confidence of someone who is wealthy, like she had gold has been discovered in her backyard. She may not be wealthy in a financial sense; however, she has a great wealth of hope and spirit. This simile can also be interpreted as describing the richness of Angelou's culture. The traditions and ties to the culture and "backyard" shows she is close and involved in her community.

    17. Did you want to see me broken? Bowed head and lowered eyes?

      Another set of rhetorical questions, Angelou is painting a picture of defeat. Being direct and pertinent, she is accusing the oppressor for their actions. She is aware that her success is received with bitterness by the racist society. A few interpretations can be drawn from this stanza. This may literally be a picture of a slave who was abused and she is referring to a broken person. But it can also be taken as a person with a broken spirit as this poem is an autobiography. When Angelou was a young child, she was raped by her mother’s boyfriend and informed of his death after he was murdered soon after; the traumatic series of events led her to be almost completely mute for several years. This interpretation can be of her broken heart and broken spirit from those traumatic childhood experiences. Finally, a general interpretation applies this brokenness and defeat from challenge as an experience that everyone can undergo throughout their life - making it relatable and applicable to the general public, or someone who is experiencing similar despair.

    18. Shoulders falling down like teardrops

      This simile shows the impact of societal conditions on her and the black community - that she is working towards fixing. The speaker refers to being upset and distraught to the point that one's shoulder collapse or sink down, just as tears fall off of one's cheek.

    19. Just like hopes springing high

      This simile stresses her point about maintaining high hopes and confidence during this time of oppression.

    20. Just like moons and like suns, With the certainty of tides

      In this simile, Angelou is comparing her resilience to the rising sun and moon in how she will continue to live her life even after people insult and ridicule her. It is her nature to stand against oppression just like the nature of the tides to respond to the moon. The word "certainty" is significant in this line because it emphasizes that no matter how difficult the challenge, she will rise above it with certainty and confidence.

    21. Why are you beset with gloom?

      These first two stanzas contain rhetorical questions that notice society is upset with her success as a writer. Seeing as her work mostly dealt with speaking out against inequality, when Angelou's activist efforts became popular, she received backlash for being an African American woman. In this poem, she is questioning those who would try to deny her the right to succeed and become an accepted part of society. Throughout the poem, she refers to this "you," or the antagonist. Interrogating them, she holds the antagonist accountable for the painful events that her community has been subjected to for countless years.

    1. words rang as a knell,

      "Knell" refers to a bell that rings to announce a death or a funeral. Poe uses a simile to compare the sound of wedding vows to the sound of a death knell. This comparison introduces the concept of death, a major characteristic of gothic literature, into the poem, and it also shows the bride's mixed emotions towards her wedding.

  3. Sep 2021
    1. we in us find the eagle and the dove

      Metaphor: Donne is comparing his lover and himself to and eagle and dove. Typically the eagle symbolizes a powerful and sturdy image, while the dove symbolizes a calm, soft, and innocent image. The juxtaposition among these words can show the power imbalance in the relationship as Donne is the stronger male character represented by the eagle who rules over his lover categorized the the submissive innocence and purity of the dove. On another note, by saying "we in us" Donne could be moving past the stereotypical gender norms and implying that the love is both strong and innocent.

    2. The phœnix riddle hath more wit                 By us; we two being one, are it. So, to one neutral thing both sexes fit.          We die and rise the same

      Extended Metaphor: Throughout these lines, Donne compares him and his lover to a phoenix and the action of rising and dying. This intertwines both the spiritual and sexual in his writing.

      Allusion: This can also be a religious reference as the phoenix and its well known actions of rising and dying is commonly used as a symbol of the resurrection of Christ.

    3. are it

      Metaphor: Donne is saying that now that the two are united as one they are the phoenix as they now die and rise together.

    4. quarrels move

      Imagery: Donne describes these grand events using descriptive language that has a darker denotation (cold, sigh, injured, tears, war, etc.). This gives the reader an idea of what their love does not consist of, as he is saying that despite these events happening their love continues.

    5. Alas, alas, who’s injured by my love?          What merchant’s ships have my sighs drowned? Who says my tears have overflowed his ground?          When did my colds a forward spring remove?                 When did the heats which my veins fill                 Add one more to the plaguy bill?

      Repetition: The author uses the repetition of questions at the beginning of this stanza. This repetition highlights how Donne believes his love to be harmless compared to the outside world.

      Antithesis: Through these rhetorical questions Donne creates contrast between small actions (such as crying) to grand events (like the seasons changing).

    6. fly,

      Metaphor: Donne is comparing the lovers to flies in order to emphasize the insignificance of their love in comparison to the rest of the world based on the size of a fly.

    7. Canonization

      Extended Metaphor: Canonization is the process by which a dead person becomes a saint in religious tradition. This idea is continually carried throughout the poem as Donne is describing that he and his lover will be made saints for their love.

    8. love

      Repetition: Donne begins and ends each of the stanzas with love. This ensures that the reader knows that the couple's love is the central idea of this poem.

    9. “You, whom reverend love          Made one another’s hermitage; You, to whom love was peace, that now is rage

      Antithesis: There is contrast found within these lines, specifically involving the words "reverend," "love," "hermitage," "peace," and "rage." The contrast created among these lines conveys that people appear to appreciate their love, but their actions do not match their words.

    10.  well a well-wrought urn

      Alliteration: In this phrase, Donne repeats the letter 'w' when discussing an urn. This draws the readers attention to this reference and highlights the strength of their relationship and love.

    11. hymns

      Allusion: The reference to hymns suggests that their love is nearly at the level of Scripture.

    12. it will be fit for verse;

      Metaphor: Donne is saying that if the two lovers die in vain that their love will not be forgotten as it will last historically in the form of poetry. Although the couple may not last physically, their love will be validated via poetry.

    13. we two being one

      Allusion: This line of the poem refers to Christian religion, specifically the concept of marriage as two people unite as one body after being married.

    14. We’re tapers too

      Metaphor: This metaphor compares the lovers in the poem to tapers, or candles. This suggests that he thinks of him and his lover as burning candles - which eventually disappear. He and his lover will burn out, or die eventually, consumed by their passion for one another.

    15. let me love

      Repetition: Donne repeats "let me love" at the beginning and end of this stanza, suggesting a demanding tone. The author is emphasizing this phrase to demand from the reader the freedom to love his lover.

  4. Jul 2021
    1. We reached the house, in the temper of two strange dogs, coupled up together for the first time in their lives by the same chain.

      Betteredge uses some interesting figurative language. I'm curious to see if the style changes in the Second Period.

  5. Mar 2021
    1. This is not a physical phenomenon: the software does not actually decay, but rather suffers from a lack of being responsive and updated with respect to the changing environment in which it resides.
  6. Feb 2021
  7. Aug 2020
    1. I don't doubt that we will soon treat the process of logging in as a figurative point of entry, meaning that log into will make full conceptual sense (cf you don't physically delve into a problem or pile into an argument, yet both are correct grammatically because they are semantically [i.e. figuratively])
  8. Jul 2020
  9. idioms.thefreedictionary.com idioms.thefreedictionary.com
    1. By extension, a situation in which problems continue to arise faster than one is able to solve or cope with them, resulting in piecemeal, incomplete, or temporary results.
  10. Apr 2020
    1. Now, if we think of the tasks that we perform throughout the day as consuming separate "bands" of time, then the term makes perfect sense. Being "out of bandwidth" would indicate that you do not have enough unallocated "bands of time" in your day to complete the task. Using the term bandwidth to describe time maps more closely (in my opinion) to the original definition, than the current definition describing data capacity does.
    2. I may be living in a bubble, but my impression is that don't understand that figurative use of bandwidth are way out of the loop.
  11. Mar 2019
    1. BESIDESthe neutral expression that she wore when she was alone, Mrs. Freeman had two others, forward and reverse, that she used for all her human dealings. Her forward expression was steady and driving like the advance of a heavy truck. Her eyes never swerved to left or right but turned as the story turned as if they followed a yellow line down the center of it. She seldom used the other expression because it was not often necessary for her to retract a statement, but when she did, her face came to a complete stop, there was an almost imperceptible movement of her black eyes, during which they seemed to be receding, and then the observer would see that Mrs. Freeman, though she might stand there as real as several grain sacks thrown on top of each other, was no longer there in spirit.

      Right from the beginning of the story, the audience is made well aware of what kind of person Mrs. Freeman is. This passage focuses on her face being a reflection of her being a somewhat strong willed person when it comes to her words. It's made clear to the audience that Mrs. Freeman has strong opinions in a story along with not being hesitant in sharing those opinions as well as the facts, and that she rarely backpedals when telling a story.

  12. Oct 2018
    1. ghosts

      These ghosts are representative of past lovers who are haunting her, which is especially disturbing to the speaker because she cannot remember them. Perhaps she cannot remember the past lovers because she was promiscuous rather than trying to find real love. I think Millay chose the word ghost because usually things that haunt you are things that you feel guilty about, and I think Millay feels guilty for her past behavior of being promiscuous.

    2. summer

      represents happiness, juxtaposes with "rain" mentioned in the first stanza. Summer could also represent her true love that made her the happiest, while the ghosts in the rain represent all of the other unimportant people she was with.

    3. lonely tree

      metaphor for the speaker, the "birds" are a metaphor for her past loves, and they have all "vanished". Therefore, the speaker is like this tree in the winter, left alone with no companionship. This is also personification because trees cannot be lonely.

  13. Jul 2018
    1. Why didn’t the men begin? What were they waiting for? There they stood, smoothing their gloves, patting their glossy hair and smiling among themselves. Then, quite suddenly, as if they had only just made up their minds that that was what they had to do, the men came gliding over the parquet. There was a joyful flutter among the girls.

      Throughout the story, the narrator figures the men and women as birds participating in courtship/pre-mating dances. Observe the narrator's ornithological language here: the men "glid[e] over the parquet" towards the women, who respond with "a joyful flutter." With part-of-speech tagging, we could zoom in on how the story's syntactical elements (especially verbs and adjectives) create this parallel between social and animal rituals.

  14. Apr 2018
    1. you can’t keep turning round in one place like a horse grinding sugar cane.

      This simile takes up the theme suggested by the previous figurative device; here, though, the horse serves as the power source and walks in a tight radius around a central grinding apparatus in which raw cane is pushed in from the top lengthwise and the pressed out juice is collected in a tub. Likening Janie now to a beast of burden accentuates the suggestion that she has been taken advantage of ("worked") by Tea Cake.

    2. The train beat on itself and danced on the shiny steel rails mile after mile. Every now and then the engineer would play on his whistle for the people in the towns he passed by. And the train shuffled on to Jacksonville, and to a whole lot of things she wanted to see and to know.

      The personification of the train serves to suggest that Janie, in following her heart--leaving Eatonville and marrying Tea Cake--is in touch with her self, her humanity, for the first time in her life.

    3. He leaned on the counter with one elbow and cold-cocked her a look.

      The implied metaphor relates to pugilism. tenor: permitted Janie to see an expression that revealed his interest in her vehicle: a punch ground: a blow delivered with enough force to knock a fighter unconscious

    4. Lemme know when dat ole pee-de-bed is gone and Ah’ll be right back.”

      Hilarious country euphemism/implied metaphor: tenor: Ike Green vehicle: an old, incontinent person ground: one who lacks fundamental control of bodily functions and is therefore rendered helplessly childlike.

    5. She wasn’t petal-open anymore with him.

      An interesting and evocative image and implied metaphor. The tenor is Janie's willingness to be vulnerable, emotionally and physically, with Joe; the vehicle is a flower; the ground, is a living thing's natural inclination (you could say the biological imperative) for making available its innermost self, its essence, in order to foster growth and/or reproduction. The implied image of the woman's labia as the petals of a flower is relatively obvious.

    6. Ah knowed you would going tuh crawl up in dat holler! But Ah aims tuh smoke yuh right out.

      Two implied metaphors in quick succession: tenor: choose a position (here, in a debate) vehicle: crawl up in a hollow (as in the mountains) ground: a narrow and protected position that is well-guarded but is nonetheless difficult to retreat from tenor: effectively refute Sam's argumentative position vehicle: smoke you right out ground: to force an animal (or person) from a protected position by denying access to oxygen and thereby threatening their life

    7. It was just a handle to wind up the tongue with.

      The implied metaphor relates to bringing up water from a well; here, the suggestion is that the verbal irony exhibited in the tone of whomever opens a remark with "Our beloved mayor," invited anyone in the vicinity to gather (as around a well, water being the primary source of life sustenance in any community) and speak ill of Jody.