metaphor? personification? allusion?... (1 Viewer)

[Abtari]

HOW techniques convey meaning...

i know that in many modules in this course we need to know diff language techniques and how they convey meaning. i understand what the different techniques are but im not so sure about how they convey meaning .

like personification, how does it emphasise meaning (or whatever it does)..

i therefore am confused about:
1) what a technique does
2) how it does it..

any contribution would be lovely

thanks

 

[monique66]

Well its important that you picked up on technique because it's an are that many people neglect. Anyway, what you should be looking for it what the author's purpose is. For example if you were reading a comic strip then you might say the purpose of the comic was to entertain the audience. You then use language techniques to show how the author achieves their purpose. For example, if a short story uses alliteration you could mention that this helps to establish a sense of comedy or disbelief, etc.

In terms of meaning, what's important to see is the message the author is sending the audience. For example the use of personification may help us empathise with the object or feel the same pain the author feels for the land or whatever they so happen to be talking about. What you need to be able to do is to read into the text and see how thwe authopr is actively manipulating the audience to achieve a desired outcome.

Of course for each specific module there will be different terms that you can use or which are more valid. For example in critical study of texts, you might like to look at textual integrity and see how that influences the author's purpose and what meaning the audience see. Audience's in different contexts will see different things and everyone is an individual. That's why you can never be wrong as long as you justify a point in english.

Hope that helped

 

[Abtari]

That's why you can never be wrong as long as you justify a point in english.

yes i see what u mean...different students can interpret a certain technique in different ways. e.g. "the personification of long lank weeds adds a sense of length and languour" or "the personification brings natural beauty to life"

so there is no absolute? u mean noone is necc right or wrong..u are right so long as you say why you are right (justify). but how do you justify...what do u say? can u please provide an example...

(p.s. i read in another post someone (tennille i think) had made a table of techniques and the effect of that technique in conveying meaning...that would make interpretations ABSOLUTE...but it doesnt matter. it would be great help if anyone had such a thing that they could lend...) thanks heaps.

 

[ur_inner_child]

yes i see what u mean...different students can interpret a certain technique in different ways. e.g. "the personification of long lank weeds adds a sense of length and languour" or "the personification brings natural beauty to life"

so there is no absolute? u mean noone is necc right or wrong..u are right so long as you say why you are right (justify). but how do you justify...what do u say? can u please provide an example...

(p.s. i read in another post someone (tennille i think) had made a table of techniques and the effect of that technique in conveying meaning...that would make interpretations ABSOLUTE...but it doesnt matter. it would be great help if anyone had such a thing that they could lend...) thanks heaps.

as long as your justification is logical, and flows. eg "the personification of the rose as "Alice-like" symbolises John's love for alice in aspects of love and beauty. this is juxtaposed to the scene in chapter 8, pg 201 where Alice is destroying her rose garden, showing the beginning of her self-destruction"

heh i just made it up. but as long as your interpretation flows logically.

 

[Abtari]

ok i see. thanks for your help.