Tautology

Definition: The repetitive use of phrases or words that have similar meaning to give the impression that the writer is providing extra information.

Examples from A Midsummer Night's Dream:

Act 3 Scene 2 lines 432-435

Robin, In Lysander’s voice

“Thou coward, art thou bragging to the stars,

Telling the bushes that thou look’st for wars,

And wilt not come? Come, recreant! Come, thou

child!”

Function:

In this example Robin used the word coward to describe Demetrius when speaking to him. He then later on uses the word recreant which means “a coward.” The word recreant is used to prevent monotony and to make the reader believe that they are given more information about the situation even though the information given is the same.

Other Example from "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe:

"But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,

And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,"

Non-original Mnemonic:

Original Mnemonic:

When using tautology, you must repeat, recite, restate, rehash, and reiterate.

Circumlocution

Definition: A form of writing where the writer uses exaggeratedly long and complex sentences in order to convey a meaning that could have otherwise been conveyed through a shorter, much simpler sentence (talking around the subject). Circumlocution involves stating an idea or a view in an indirect manner that will usually leave a reader to guess the actual meaning. The writer uses this to remain ambiguous or to state things in a way that is not offensive, or to add artistic value.

Examples from Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18”:

“Thou art more lovely and more temperate…”

“So long as men can breathe or eyes can see…”

Function:

The first example in the sonnet uses circumlocution in a subtle way to add artistic value to the poem. The phrase “more lovely” is used instead of the correct word “lovelier” in order to keep the rhythm of the poem consistent. If the word “lovelier” was used, it would have broken the poem’s iambic pentameter.

The second example adds great artistic value to the end of the poem. The phrase “So long as men can breathe or eyes can see…” is a more complex way of stating, “As long as humans live.” Again, Shakespeare uses circumlocution here to add beauty to his work, as well as keeping the rhythm consistent.

Other Example (Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad):

“The edge of a colossal jungle, so dark green as to be almost black, fringed with white surf, ran straight, like a ruled line, far, far away along a blue sea whose glitter was blurred by a creeping mist.”

In this excerpt from Heart of Darkness, Conrad provides a long-winded description of the jungle instead of a straightforward one. The use of circumlocution here is used primarily to provide ambiguous correlations between the jungle and the themes of morality and evil. By using circumlocution, Conrad makes the story demand the reader’s attention in order to comprehend what is trying to be conveyed in a very artistic and subtle way.

Non-original Mnemonic:

Original Mnemonic:

When confronted with circumlocution, you must locate the meaning in the author's circle of words.

Epithet

Epithet

DEFINITION
A descriptive literary device that is typically used to add a description to a person, and it is usually attached to that person’s name or takes the place of the name. While the definition of epithet has recently been associated with a negative connotation, it is usually a glorification of one and what they have accomplished.  

EXAMPLE FROM MACBETH

In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, calling Macbeth the Thane of Cawdor is an example of an epithet.

“Turn hell-hound, turn” - Act 5 Scene 8

FUNCTION

Calling Macbeth the Thane of Cawdor announces who Macbeth is and gives him a sense of authority and power. “Turn hell-hound, turn” was a quote from Macduff to Macbeth, which shows just how Macduff felt about Macbeth. An Epithet is used to add descriptive adjectives or phrases to the title of a person in order to help portray their persona. It can sometimes be used to make someone more prominent than they really are or to make them seem more evil.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE

Harry Potter, the boy who lived. Many historical figures also have epithets, such as Alexander the Great, Louis the Pious, and Richard the Lionhearted.

NON-ORIGINAL MNEMONIC

Epithet Video

ORIGINAL MNEMONIC
Epithet, the king of literature, thane of poetry,

Pathetic Fallacy

Pathetic Fallacy 


Definition:
A literary device which gives human qualities or emotions to inanimate objects of nature. 

Example from Macbeth: 
“The night has been unruly. Where we lay,
Our chimneys were blown down and, as they say,
Lamentings heard i’ th’ air, strange screams of death,
And prophesying with accents terrible
Of dire combustion and confused events
New hatched to the woeful time. The obscure bird
Clamored the livelong night. Some say the Earth
Was feverous and did shake.”

(Act II, Scene III)

Function: 
Pathetic fallacy is used to bring inanimate objects to life so that the reader can make connections between what is going on in the story and what is going on with nature. The night that Duncan was killed, the Earth seemed to be in turmoil which reflects what was going on inside Macbeth's home. 

Other Example: 

 "I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills." 

William Wordsworth, "I wandered lonely as a cloud" 

Non-original mnemonic

Original mnemonic: 
The trees watched as the pathetic girl took a rough fall down the hill. 

Archetype

Archetype

Definition

An archetype is a reference to a concept, a person or an object that has served as a prototype of its kind and is the original idea that has come to be used over and over again. Archetypes are literary devices that employ the use of a famous concept, person or object to convey a wealth of meaning.

Example- from Macbeth

Macbeth himself as the hero.

Function

In the example from Macbeth above, Macbeth plays as the hero of the play, although it does not seem like it. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth seemed content with his place in society. After receiving the prophecy from the witches, who were also archetypes as the villain, Macbeth obtained a sort of tunnel vision focused only on gaining power and becoming king. With Lady Macbeth’s persuasion, Macbeth killed King Duncan. With that said, he was more of a tragic hero than a save-the-world type of hero.

Another example- from Animal Farm

Another type of archetype is the scapegoat. An example of a scapegoat in Orwell’s Animal Farm is Snowball. He was the character who took the blame for everything bad that happened on the farm. He was used as a scapegoat after he was expelled by Napoleon. For example, Snowball was hiding nearby and secretly visiting the farm every night. In these visits, it was said that he carried out all "sorts of mischief." Eggs would get broken, drains would get blocked, and the seedbeds would get trampled, and so every time something went wrong, the animals would immediately blame Snowball.

Non-original mnemonic

Can be found here

Original mnemonic

Being that an archetype is basically a model for making copies, arch + type would be a model for architecture.