Topic: Synesthesia

SSP: To inform my listeners on how synesthesia helps in enhancing literary writing.

Thesis Statement: Synesthesia triggers unusual perceptions that may allow writers to make more creative
and dramatic literary pieces.

SYNESTHESIA IN LITERARY WRITING

I. INTRODUCTION

A. Attention: (Pictures on how synesthetic people see things) Have you ever seen the colors of laughter
or tasted the sounds of musical notes? If not you are just a normal person but if yes, you have
an amazing capability. You have the so-called synesthesia.

B. Clarification

II. BODY

A. According to Aleksandra Rogowska, Synaesthesia is an individual sensual sensation occurring when

a single-modal sensual stimulus sets off the simultaneous sensation of few senses both
involuntary and automatically (Rogowska, 2011).

B. In his book The Hidden Sense, Van Campen listed types of synesthesia as reported by the synesthetes
whom he surveyed.
1. Grapheme-to-color synesthesia is a type of synesthesia wherein the synesthete
perceives color when he or she sees a letter.
2. Time units-to-color synesthesia is a type wherein time units such as days of week or
months elicit certain color.
3. Another type is the temperature-to-sound synesthesia wherein a certain temperature
evokes certain sound.
4. Pain-to-color synesthesia is another type of synesthesia wherein different degrees of
pain induce specific color.
5. Sounds-to-color synesthesia is a type wherein a synesthete sees color every time he or
she hears a sound, maybe a music, a laughter, or a musical note. (Campen, 2008)

C. The synesthetic perceptions above can be used by writers, both with or without synesthesia, to
enhance their literary work.
1. Many non-synesthetic writers have used synesthetic perceptions to form synesthetic
metaphors—figures of speech in which meanings are transferred from one sensory
domain to another (Campen, 2008)— that provides more color to their literary art.
2. However, those writers who have synesthesia do not translate their synesthetic
perception into synesthetic metaphors but used their capability to choose better words
for their works.

III. CONCLUSION
 Synesthesia is a joined perception. A stimuli perceived by one sensory organ is also perceived by the
other organ/s. It can be of good help to both synesthete and non-synesthete for such cross-modal
perceptions bring color to literary pieces.

Presentation aids: Pictures

References:
Campen, C.V. 2008. The Hidden Sense: Synesthesia in Arts and Sciences. Cambridge: MIT Press
Calkins, M.W. 1985. Synesthesia. The America Journal of Psychology. 7. 90-107 retrieved at: www.jstor.org
Downey, J.E. 1912.Literary Synesthesia. The Journal of Philosophy, Psychology, and Scientific Methods. 9.
490-498 retrieved at:www.jstor.org
Cytowic, R.E. 1995. Synesthesia: A Phenomology and Psychology (A Review of Current Knowledge) retrieved
at: http://psyche.cs.monash.edu.au/v2/psyche-2-10-cytowic.html
Machler, M. nd. Synaesthesia and Learning (A Differentiated View of Syneasthetic Perceptional Awareness).
retrieved at: www.synaesthesia.com
Rogowska, A. (2011). Categorization of Synesthesia. Review of General Psychology. 15. 213-227 retrieved at
www.daysyn.com