Definition and Examples of Figures of Thought

Definition and Examples of Figures of Thought In rhetoric, a figure of thought is a  figurative expression that, for its effect, depends less on the choice or arrangement of words than on the meaning(s) conveyed. (In Latin, figura sententia.) Irony and metaphor, for example, are often regarded as figures of thoughtor tropes. Over the centuries, many scholars and rhetoricians have attempted to draw clear distinctions between figures of thought and figures of speech, but the overlap is considerable and sometimes bewildering. Professor Jeanne Fahnestock describes figure of thought as a very misleading label. Observations - A figure of thought is an unexpected change in syntax or an arrangement of the ideas, as opposed to the words, within a sentence, which calls attention to itself. Antithesis is a figure of thought involving arrangement: You have heard that it was said You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matt. 5:43-44); rhetorical question one involving syntax: But if the salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? (Matt:5:13). Another common figure of thought is apostrophe, in which the speaker suddenly makes a direct appeal to someone, as Jesus does in the eleventh verse of Matthew 5: Blessed are you when men revile you... A less common, but quite effective figure is climax, where the thought is emphasized or clarified and given an emotional twist as if by climbing a ladder (the term means ladder in Greek): We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us (Rom. 5:3-4). (George A. Kennedy, New Testament Interpretation Through Rhetorical Criticism. The University of North Carolina Press, 1984) - Recognizing that all language is inherently figurative, classical rhetoricians regarded metaphors, similes, and other figurative devices as both figures of thought and figures of speech. (Michael H. Frost, Introduction to Classical Legal Rhetoric: A Lost Heritage. Ashgate, 2005) Figures of Thought, Speech, and Sound It is possible to distinguish figures of thought, figures of speech, and figures of sound. In Cassiuss line early in Shakespeares Julius CaesarRome, thou hast lost the breed of noble bloodswe see all three sorts of figure. The apostrophe Rome (Cassius is really talking to Brutus) is one of the rhetorical figures. The synecdoche blood (using one component of the organism conventionally to represent human quality in the abstract) is a trope. The pentameter, the iambic rhythm, and the emphatic repetition of certain sounds (b and l in particular) are figures of sound. (William Harmon and Hugh Holman, A Handbook to Literature, 10th ed. Pearson, 2006) Irony As a Figure of Thought Like Quintilian, Isidore of Seville defined irony as a figure of speech and as a figure of thoughtwith the figure of speech, or clearly substituted word, being the primary example. The figure of thought occurs when irony extends across a whole idea, and does not just involve the substitution of one word for its opposite. So, Tony Blair is a saint is a figure of speech or verbal irony if we really think that Blair is a devil; the word saint substitutes for its opposite. I must remember to invite you here more often would be a figure of thought, if I really meant to express my displeasure at your company. Here, the figure does not lie in the substitution of a word, but in the expression of an opposite sentiment or idea. (Claire Colebrook, Irony. Routledge, 2004) Figures of Diction and Figures of Thought To confer distinction (dignitas) on style is to render it ornate, embellishing it by variety. The divisions under Distinction are Figures of Diction and Figures of Thought. It is a figure of diction if the adornment is comprised in the fine polish of the language itself. A figure of thought derives a certain distinction from the idea, not from the words. (Rhetorica ad Herennium, IV.xiii.18, c. 90 BC) Martianus Capella on Figures of Thought and Figures of Speech The difference between a figure of thought and a figure of speech is that the figure of thought remains even if the order of the words is changed, whereas a figure of speech cannot remain if the word order is changed, although it can often happen that a figure of thought is in conjunction with a figure of speech, as when the figure of speech epanaphora is combined with irony, which is a figure of thought. (Martianus Capella and the Seven Liberal Arts: The Marriage of Philology and Mercury, ed. by William Harris Stahl with E.L. Burge. Columbia University Press, 1977) Figures of Thought and Pragmatics This category [figures of thought] is difficult to define, but we can begin to understand it from the perspective of pragmatics, the dimension of linguistic analysis concerned with what an utterance is supposed to accomplish for the speaker and with how it functions in a particular situation. Quintilian captures the pragmatic or situational nature of the figures of thought when he tries to distinguish them from the schemes, For the former [the figures of thought] lies in the conception, the latter [the schemes] in the expression of our thought. The two, however, are frequently combined . . .. (Jeanne Fahnestock, Aristotle and Theories of Figuration. Rereading Aristotles Rhetoric, ed. by Alan G. Gross and Arthur E. Walzer. Southern Illinois University Press, 2000) Further Reading Figurative LanguageFigures of SoundFigures, Tropes, and Other Rhetorical TermsMeaningParrhesiaTool Kit for Rhetorical AnalysisTop 20 Figures of SpeechTropes  and  Master Tropes

Grammar Tips Subjectâ€Verb Agreement - Proofread My Paper

Grammar Tips Subject–Verb Agreement - Proofread My Paper Grammar Tips: Subject–Verb Agreement An important part of writing a grammatical sentence is making sure that the subject and verb in a sentence agree. In the following, well take a look at some of the basics. The Basics of Subject–Verb Agreement In the present tense, subject–verb agreement requires using singular verbs with singular subjects and plural verbs with plural subjects. In this context, the â€Å"subject† is the person or thing in the sentence performing the action, while the verb is the action being performed: Singular Subject Present Tense Singular Verb The bird†¦ †¦sings. Plural Subject Present Tense Plural Verb The birds†¦ †¦sing. In the simple past tense, though, there’s usually no difference between singular and plural verbs: Singular Subject Past Tense Verb The bird†¦ †¦sang. Plural Subject Past Tense Verb The birds†¦ †¦sang. Songbirds themselves care little for grammar.(Photo: Georg_Wietschorke) Compound Subjects Subject–verb agreement becomes more complicated when using a compound subject. When two subjects are joined with the coordinating conjunction â€Å"and,† we always use a plural verb: Bob and Cheryl are going to the game. However, when using â€Å"either/or† or â€Å"neither/nor† in a compound subject, whether to use a singular or plural verb depends on the term nearest to the verb: Singular: Either the girls or the boy is going to the game. Plural: Neither the boy nor the girls are going to the game. In the above, we use the singular â€Å"is† when the singular noun â€Å"boy† comes after â€Å"or,† but the plural verb â€Å"are† when the plural noun â€Å"girls† comes after the conjunction. Parenthetical Statements One common mistake with subject–verb agreement occurs when a parenthetical statement appears between the subject and the verb: The man, in the company of his dog, goes for a walk. Here, we use the singular verb â€Å"goes† because the bit of the dog is mentioned within a parenthetical clause (i.e., within commas), not as part of the subject of the sentence. If we rephrased this so that the dog was part of a compound subject, we would use the plural verb â€Å"go† instead: The man and his dog go for a walk. But when an additional person or thing is mentioned in parentheses or within commas, the verb should always agree with the subject that appears outside of the parenthetical clause. A man trying to explain parenthetical statements to his dog.(Photo: ToNic-Pics) Collective and Mass Nouns Another potential confusion relates to the use of collective nouns. In American English, these require using a singular verb despite referring to a group of things: The team is playing to win! Here, we use â€Å"is† because â€Å"team† is singular. Mass (or â€Å"non-count†) nouns are similar, since they take singular verbs despite referring to a mass substance (e.g., â€Å"milk† or â€Å"sand†): The milk is going sour. Here, it doesn’t matter how much milk we’re discussing: we’d always use the singular â€Å"is.† Some Exceptions As usual in English, there are exceptions to the rules above. The first-person â€Å"I† and the singular second-person â€Å"you,† for example, reverse the usual rules in the present tense (e.g., we say â€Å"I sing† not â€Å"I sings,† even though â€Å"I† is singular and â€Å"sing† is usually a plural verb). Auxiliary (or â€Å"helper†) verbs (e.g., â€Å"is†/â€Å"are† or â€Å"has†/â€Å"have†) also cause trouble, since they often change depending on whether the subject is singular or plural when using a past participle (e.g., â€Å"The boy has finished his homework† vs. â€Å"The boys have finished their homework†). And since the rules do vary depending on how a sentence is constructed, it pays to be careful with subject–verb agreement! Having your work proofread is a good idea if you’re not confident about this aspect of grammar.

Disucssion Board 5-1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Disucssion Board 5-1 - Assignment Example The leader must ensure getting substantial information about the members during the screening stage before the actual beginning of the group. For instance, a group leader of adolescent school students should identify with the dynamics of the members and demonstrate sufficient knowledge of the psychological issues concerning adolescents. As a leader of an adolescent group, I would consider songs as the opening exercise in the beginning of a group. I would ask the adolescent students to sing their favorite songs in whichever language they like. The reason for avoiding the use of specific language is to remove restrictions in the initial stages of meeting, which might work to derail effective group processes in the future. In addition, opening language for use in singing by individual members is to help everyone express his/her beliefs while demonstrating how they cherish certain cultures. The messages and tone of the songs considered favorite can also help members develop slight understanding of one another alongside appreciating differences as exhibited by different songs. Once members begin to appreciate differences and gain slight understanding of one another, they can start developing friendship and openness, which can help establish and build trust (Lerner, McLeod & Mikami, 2013) Another opening exercise may involve diving members into groups of three people and asking the different group to engage in games of counter pulling of ropes. This game is usually interesting and requires willingness and commitment to emerge winner as contestants need to use a lot of energy. To win, members of a group will require to coordinate and arrange themselves in the manner can ensure productivity. This act of coordinating and then reaching to agreement is an important tool for building trust as they have to talk and exchange ideas on how to win the game. Once members

Feminism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Feminism - Essay Example It deals with the acceptance that woman is the opposite of man and is treated unfairly in this binary relationship. The modernist sought to help women get fair treatment and stand up against their opposites - the men. The third wave of feminism, which is also referred to as the post-modern perspective, according to Wikipedia, began in the 1990s. The third wave of feminism "unlike second-wave feminism, which largely focused on the inclusion of women in traditionally male-dominated areas," it says, "seeks to challenge and expand common definitions of gender and sexuality." Jane Flax in her book 'Post-modernism and Gender Relations in Feminist Theory' states that post-modern feminism seeks to "understand and (re) constitute the self, gender, knowledge, social relations, and culture without resorting to linear, teleological, hierarchical, holistic, or binary ways of thinking and being". (Flax, 2000, p.39). This paper aims to understand the fundamental differences between the perceptions of modernist and post modernist feminism. With references from the works of theorists like Judith Butler and Jane Flax, this paper will argue whether the post modernist perspective, which raises fundamental questions over traditional classification of biological sex into 'men' and 'women', challenges the very nature of modernist feminism and its significance. The arguments presented here will be illustrated using articles like Lisa Soccio's essay titled, "From Girl to Woman to Grrrl:(Sub)Cultural Intervention and Political Activism in the Time of Post-Feminism", published in the Invisible Culture Electronic Journal for visual studies and Stephen Matchhett's, "Just Like Men, actually. The former deals with the culture of all-women rock-bands, and the latter about how films and television project women in politics. This paper will comprise of four main parts, each presenting one fundamental difference between the modernist and post modernist feminist perspectives. The first section will deal with the question of "Who is a woman ". This will look at the differences between the modernists and postmodernists in their perception and definition of the term 'woman'. The focus will then shift to 'sexed bodies'. This section will examine if 'biological sex' is merely a physical fact or is it the basis for gender. The third part of this paper will focus on 'gender performativity'. Is gender merely a socio-cultural phenomenon that we imbibe and live with, as the modernists believe or is it a role that we play, which is the postmodernist perspective. Finally, the paper will raise the significant question of 'what is feminism'. With the aim of trying to understand both the modernist and postmodernist definition of feminism, this last section will highlight the positives and negatives of both these perspect ives and also their relevance. The definition of Woman One of the most progressive nations in the world, the United States of America has never had a woman as its head of state. On the other hand conservative developing nations in Asia like Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have had powerful women leading them. So does this imply that the feminist movement has succeeded in breaking gender-related barriers in these nations The answer to this question is simple. These women leaders are the exception and not the rule. Most of these societies continue to be male

Fate in Medea Essay -- Classics Medea Greek Essays

Observation and Interpretation: Throughout the text, fate and the gods are blamed for the cause of the problems, however subsequent choices made later on by the characters appear to be free will, however are actually influenced by fate and the gods. So what?: This makes the audience blame the gods for the overall out come, but still blame the main character for her choices. Quotes: P48 l. 1014-1015 â€Å"The gods/ And my evil-hearted plots have led to this.† P39 l. 717 â€Å"What good luck chance has brought you.† P61 l. 1416-1419 â€Å"Many matters the gods bring to surprising ends./ The things we thought would happen do not happen;/ The unexpected God makes possible;/ And such is the conclusion of this story.† To an ancient Greek, fate was thought of as the power that determined all of our destinies, although a person could make choices along their life to change small outcomes, which was the extent of free will. In the play Medea, fate is used as a scapegoat to blame some of the problems happening to the characters, despite the fact that most of the characters had free will. In some instances the characters are not even aware of the causes behind the causes of their problems. Therefore, throughout the text, fate and the gods are blamed for the cause of the problems, however subsequent choices made later on by the characters appear to be free will, however are actually influenced by fate and the gods. The characters in the play make many references to...

I Have No Idea Essay

* 1. How does the author define â€Å"cell yell† (paragraph 2)? What changes in society since the 1950s does the author suggest account for the way people use cell phones today? -The author defines â€Å"cell yell† as a bad behavior from a human talking on the phone too loud, in a way that is including stranger into his private conversation. In the 1950’s, people were used to have their conversations inside an enclosed phone booth where no one could hear their conversation. These phone booths where at public places. Nowadays people don’t care about having privacy when they are talking on the phone. * 2. How does mobile phone design contribute to bad cell phone manners? -Mobile design tend to make us feel that the other person on the phone can’t hear us clearly or vise versa because of the phone’s size and how close the mouthpiece is to our mouth. What part does the cell phone user’s sense of self-importance play? -I believe that the part that cell phone user’s sense of self-importance play is for the other person to who we are talking to can listen to us clearly. * 3. Eavesdroppers on cell phone conversations experience various reactions, both positive and negative. According to the author, what are some of these reactions and how do people listening against their will handle their strong feelings? -Some people still talk on the phone privately, others don’t. Some people use text messages to express their feeling and not having to listen to the person’s disappointed voice. Some people prefer to receive a bad new via text message. * 4. Based on the author’s examples, what are the rude cell behaviors that bother people the most? What behaviors bother you the most? You might wish to share with the class a humorous or outrageous illustration of bad cell manners that you have encountered. -The rude behavior that bothers people the most is when people are talking too loud. The behavior that bothers me the most is when I’m chating with someone and that person is using his phone instead of putting it away to bond with me. I honestly hate when people do that. WRITING ASSIGNMENTS * 1. Write an essay in which you argue for or against having a â€Å"designated outcast zone† for cell talkers in restaurants, theaters, or other places—the way many establishments now isolate smokers. Develop your thesis with two or three clear supporting points. -People that talk on the phone on quite places. People that text instead of paying attention to what really matters. * 2. Is the rudeness of cell phone users just a symptom of a society that has become less considerate and more self-centered? With a group of classmates, brainstorm other possible â€Å"symptoms† of this trend. Some ideas might include rude clerks and customers, aggressive drivers, or the dying art of thank-you notes. Then select one of these and write an essay in which you suggest ways to reverse the trend. -Yes I believe it is. Aggressive drivers. People nowadays don’t care about other people anymore. For example in Miami, at least one or two hit-and-run happens every week. People scream from car to car. People shot other people for beeping. 3. E-mail and texting are just two other technologies that some people use inconsiderately or even abusively. For instance, some people forward jokes many times a day, and others text during meetings or dates. Write an essay in which you suggest rules of web etiquette for one technology. You may wish to look up â€Å"netiquette†Ã¢â‚¬â€the word for rules to govern online behavior. -Texting. There is people that text 24/7. They can’t live without texting on the phone. Something else that’s being ruining us are smart phones that offer us social network for us to use at anytime, this is overwhelming. People pay more attention to their phone nowadays because of those social networks.

Genesis, the Education of Abraham Essay - 2474 Words

Disillusioned Latin students, who cringe at the thought of repeatedly scribbling their grammar, are often told by their teachers, Per repitio nos studiare, which translates to through repetition we learn. Though this may seem hard to believe as their hands begin to cramp, it bears a certain amount of truth. As my grandfather once told me, Experience is often the best teacher. Truly gaining an understanding of something often comes from repeated involvement. Repetition is also the concept that the Hebrew Creator-God uses throughout the story of Genesis to educate Abram about Gods purpose and His nature. God is aware of the doubtful and cynical nature of Abram. Over time, God uses Abrams own repeated mistakes to build a†¦show more content†¦The lack of Abrams verbal acquiescence, however, may be interpreted in a different light. Although he leaves his home and moves into the land of Egypt, in apparent acceptance of the promise, once there, he sells his wife Sarai into prostitution out of fear that he will be killed (Gen. 12:11-15). God promised Abram previously that He would protect him: I will bless them that bless thee and curse those that curse thee (Gen. 12:3 ). Yet, Abraham fears for his life and exploits Sarai. If Abraham was blindly and fully obedient, as the traditional view assumes, why does he doubt Gods promise of protection and consequently bring shame upon Sarai? The text depicts an Abraham who is struggling with per sonal doubt and who decides to take matters into his own hands rather than trust the possible promises of a God unseen. Moreover, Sarai is the living symbol, at this point, of Gods promise to Abraham. If Abraham is to be the father of many nations, his barren wife must conceive and bear him a son. The classic theological interpretation fails to address the question of why Abram gives away the living embodiment of Gods word, if he has accepted Gods promise. The fact that this is not an act of an obedient and faithful Abram is clearly outlined in the subsequent event: And the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abrams wifeShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Story Of Ishmael And The Story Of Esau 1583 Words   |  7 Pagesnarratives: Ishmael corresponds to Esau, Isaac to Jacobs, Abraham to Isaac, and Sarah to Rebekah. In Ishmael and Esau’s case, according to Genesis, Ishmael was the child of Hager, the Egyptian slave, and Abraham. He was hated by his â€Å"mother†, Sarah, who was Ishmael’s mother in law according to the â€Å"ancient surrogate mother hood customs: a wife could give her maid to her husband and claim the child as her own† () and initially protected by his father Abraham. 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