STYLISTICS

Midterm

Name: Moldez, Gretchelou

Course/Year: AB-ENGLISH 2

TOPIC:
A. Close reading and analyzing passages.
B. Identifying Stylistic Devices

DIRECTIONS: Identify the stylistic devices found on the passages and write a short
analysis/explanation(maximum of 5 sentences)

1. “I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you simply, without
problems or pride: I love you in this way because I do not know any other way of loving
but this, in which there is no I or you, so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my
hand, so intimate that when I fall asleep your eyes close .”― Pablo Neruda, 100 Love
Sonnets
Analysis:
● The poet uses Anaphora - “I love you” is anaphora in this poem.
● He also uses Metaphor - “I love you without knowing how, or when, or from
where” “I love you simply, without problems, or pride.”
● Use vivid and descriptive Imagery - “So intimate that your hand upon my chest is
your hand, so intimate that when I fall asleep your eyes close”
● I believe the poet expresses deep love and affection. It could be his lover or
special someone. He takes a straightforward approach and states that he simply
loves her no matter what happens. He also states that he loves her this way
because he doesn’t know how else to love. The two have grown so close and
learned to love one another so well that they’re becoming the same person.

2. “I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total
obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when
it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there
will be nothing. Only I will remain.” – Frank Herbert, Dune

Analysis:
● The writer uses Anaphora - “ Fear” and “ I will” is anaphora in this novel.
● Uses Metaphor - “ Fear is the mind-killer” “ Fear is the little-death that brings
total obliteration”
 ● As I have thought, the writer simply means that when the more afraid you
become, the fewer chances of getting out of a bad situation. That fear is
overpowering your capacity to think. “ I will face my fear.” This is key because it
tells us how to fight our fears. We face them head-on and then we ride it out until
there’s nothing left but us.

3. “We believe that we can change the things around us in accordance with our desires—
we believe it because otherwise we can see no favourable outcome. We do not think of
the outcome which generally comes to pass and is also favourable: we do not succeed
in changing things in accordance with our desires, but gradually our desires change. The
situation that we hoped to change because it was intolerable becomes unimportant to
us. We have failed to surmount the obstacle, as we were absolutely determined to do,
but life has taken us round it, led us beyond it, and then if we turn round to gaze into the
distance of the past, we can barely see it, so imperceptible has it become.” – Marcel
Proust, In Search of Lost Time

Analysis:
● The author uses Chiasmus - “We believe that we can change the things around
us in accordance with our desires...we do not succeed in changing things in
accordance with our desires, but gradually our desires change.”
● He also uses Simile - “ We have failed to surmount the obstacle, as we were
absolutely determined to do”
● Base on my understanding the author means that we can change things in
accordance with what we have yearned but we should believe it so that we can
see possible good outcomes on it. However, when we didn’t notice the favorable
outcome and we just let it pass then we do not succeed in achieving our desires
but ended up changing our desires instead. The word “desire” is not just a word
or a simple definition but emotions and feelings that can only be interpreted
through self-examination.

4. “I took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart. I am, I am, I am.” – Sylvia
Plath, The Bell Jar

Analysis:
● The author uses Metaphor and Imagery- “I took a deep breath and listened to
the old brag of my heart.”
● She also uses Repetition - the words “I am”
● In my belief, the writer experiences melancholy or sadness that she wants to
remember her old self being happy. She states that she took a deep breath and
 listened to the “old” brag of her heart. For me, that means that she was a lively,
vigorous, and active woman prior to her life now. The novel she wrote was a
metaphor for her depression.

5. Rest at pale evening . . .

A tall, slim tree . . .
Night coming tenderly
Black like me.
- "Dream Variations," by Langston Hughes

Analysis:
● The poet uses Aposiopesis - “ Rest at pale evening….”
“slim tree….”
● Uses Personification - “ A tall, slim tree….
● He also uses Simile - “ Black like me”
● I have read the whole poem and I can see that poet just want to enjoy some sunny
place. He likes to move and dance until the end of the day. Then in the evening, he
wants to rest under a tall tree until the dark comes. This is actually his dream. But the
reality is different. He has to work even under the heat of the sun. He keeps on working
as if he was dancing and moving around. Because he was very busy and the day
passes so quickly. He feels tired throughout the day that he wants to rest under a tall
slim tree.

6. On tonight’s newscast, we will begin to discover what happens when two animals
become unlikely friends… More on this story on The Evening News at 8.
Analysis:
● The writer uses Aposiopesis - “On tonight’s newscast, we will begin to discover what
happens when two animals become unlikely friends…”
● Since it was a piece of news the writer purposely left incomplete or cut off. Only give
some introductory about discovering what happens when two animals become unlikely
friends. This will come out on the news during the night. Their topic is about animals.
They are convincing or persuading the viewers to watch the news.

7. I will have revenges on you both

That all the world shall– I will do such things–
What they are yet, I know not; but they shall be
The terrors of the earth!
- Shakespeare’s King Lear
Analysis:
● The author uses Aposiopesis - “That all the world shall– I will do such things–”
● In my understanding according to the book King Lear, Lear is so upset and was in a rage
that he cannot think of proper punishment for his terrible daughters. He was so angry
that he cannot speak clearly or think of specific words to describe his fury. Lear is
overcome with emotion but is unable to complete his thoughts. But Lear thinks that it will
be terror or violence in such a way.

8. “His soul swooned slowly as he heard the snow falling faintly through the universe and
faintly falling, like the descent of their last end, upon all the living and the dead"
-From James Joyce’s “The Dead”

Analysis:
● The writer uses Assonance - Repetition of vowels in order to create internal rhyming “
Soul, swooned, slowly,”
● He also uses Simile - “His soul swooned slowly as he heard the snow falling faintly
through the universe and faintly falling, like the descent of their last end.”
● And also Chiasmus - “falling faintly, faintly falling”
● The writer is so lyrical that I cannot concede if the passage is negative. Although the
snow symbolizes cleansing or sadness. Either of the two can possibly come up with an
approach to what he really means. It could be a new or clean beginning or maybe that
could be death and sadness. While other Christian people believe that there is victory
over death. Because death was a departure for home and means being in the presence
of the Lord as well as in the presence of other believing loved ones. So, this passage
can be either positive or negative.

9. I can show you the world

Shining, shimmering, splendid
Tell me, princess, now when did
You last let your heart decide?
Unbelievable sights
Indescribable feelings
Soaring, tumbling, freewheeling
Through an endless diamond
-A whole new world from the movie Alladin

Analysis:
● The composer uses Alliteration - repeated sound if the first consonant in a series of
words “Shining , shimmering , splendid”
● He also uses Personification - “ when did you last let your heart decide?”
● Also Imagery - “ Indescribable feelings “
● And uses Metaphor - “ Soaring , tumbling, freewheeling through an endless diamond
sky
● This well-known song is one of my favorite songs since I was young. When Alladin sings
this lyrics in the passage he wants to tell Jasmine that the world is a very beautiful place.
That she can always choose what makes her heart happy. He also wants to take
Jasmine with him to explore the world. This song signifies their love and the strong
relationship they have.They have proved that there are no boundaries or limitations to
have a strong bond to someone that you really loved.

10. “If practice makes perfect, and no one's perfect, then why practice?"(Billy Corgan)

Analysis:
● The writer uses Rhetorical question - “If practice makes perfect, and no one's
perfect, then why practice?
● As what I have understood from this quote passage, it just simply means that
nobody is perfect. I still remember our conductor says practice does not make
perfect, practice makes permanent since I was in the choir at that time.
Moreover, no one knows what perfection is. Since this is too unclear for our
human minds to actually understand, we must settle for striving for perfection,
never really knowing if it's even attainable.