"You have two weeks to write down all that you are grateful for," my dad directed my older brother and I. "On Thanksgiving day we will see who comes up with the longest list" [dialogue].
He went on to explain that whoever won would win a portion of a rare seasonal dessert, unusually creamy yet crunchy with a garnish like the crystalized snow [periphrasis]. Our appetites wet, our minds alert, we set to work.
The special day of family and food knocked at the door of grandma's house [personification] before we arrived there. I was sure I would win the friendly contest [metonymy] as my father called Tyler and I to the finish line. We each presented our sheets of gray lined paper, scribbled upon with smudged lead, and the decider read off our gratitudes. General categories like "family" and "food" and "the Church" graced my page, and I was proud. But, I soon heard that specifically named people and objects and video games populated Tyler's list [comparison][isotope]. "Dad, Mom, Grandpa, Grandma, Bishop, bread, milk, cheese, eggs, turkey, pumpkins, Donkey Kong 2, Mario Kart 3, Super Smash Brothers 4" and on and on. That he had conceived to cheat in such a way, I could not believe [anastrophe/hyperbaton]. My list reached fifty items, but his over 150 [ellipsis]!
To my utter dismay, Tyler was victorious. He relished his pie in front of me [paranomasia].
But in the end, I was grateful to my merciful father who snuck me a piece of chocolate pie anyway, equal to if not above the quality of Tyler's premium [antanagoge].
Mindee! I loved your post. It was easy and fun to read and your use of the different rhetorical devices made it even more entertaining. I still have a question with personification though because in class we learned it was actually writing as if we were an object but earlier in life we learned it as giving a quality of something living to something which is not (as you used it here). Great post!
ReplyDeleteMy family has this same tradition every year, I felt like I could really associate with your post. I also liked how your post was on a topic which is contemporary.
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