All of the Above!

While reading others' blog posts, commenting about which style, I found I agreed with almost all of them, which brought me to the conclusion that Augustine uses all of the styles in a different way. Augustine would start out with the low style, simply teaching about the scriptures and giving clear examples. He would sooth the audience into and out of these conversations using the middle style. When he used the high style, he was using direct and powerful language to convince the audience to forgive and seek to be forgiven before the time of repentance comes. All three styles are proven by the statement he gives in his fourth paragraph, when he says "I have admonished him; now I console you..."
In class, we questioned whether knowledge, speaking, style, or delivery were more important. I find that Augustine used all of these modes to make a convincing argument. He talks to the audience as a confidant and friend, while also admonishing action and giving strict counsel. He uses scripture and words of Christ to back up his argument. He also arranges the argument in a way that makes it easy to understand and easy to find his target audience.
I noticed that Augustine took his own advice and looked to the advice of the language to determine if the meaning was literal or figurative. In ever case, Augustine pointed to love as the motivator for what he taught. I also found that he uses extension to emphasize each point. He makes many points clear with the main sentence or scripture, but continues to elaborate for a whole paragraph to make his point more clear. He uses extension to draw in the audience, also. In a continuation of the sentence I referenced early, in Augustine's paragraph 2, he could have left it at "now I console you" but he continued to extend his meaning of "you" with the following phrases.

The last striking thing that I found in Augustine's discourse, was his use of parallelism and repetition. In several of his sentences, he writes "you..." at the start of successive statements. This emphasis bonds him with the audience and encourages the audience to pay more attention, as he is speaking directly to them and counseling them to do things. He uses many subtle tools such as this to engage the audience and bring about his point. Overall, with his style and the words he spoke, he created an argument that couldn't be ignored.

Love Everyone!

Mathew 5

 46 For if ye ^alove them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?

Rhetorical Question:

These two verses teach one of the most powerful principles available to us in canonized scriptures by asking question to which Christ does not need nor want answers. These questions are designed to bring the good out in each of us. A person who is inherently good and has natural tendency to do the right thing will answer these questions to himself or herself realizing the higher law to which Christ calls. On the other hand, someone who is more inclined to unsavory behavior will not make any sense out of this question that Christ asks. They will miss the call to live the higher law. These rhetorical questions masterful allow Christ to teach pearls of wisdom to his disciples while protecting their value from the swine who would also listen.

Parallelism:

A very common rhetorical device used in scriptural language. The syntax of the above pair of verse mimics one another to add emphasis by contrasting the non-paralleled preceding verses. This emphasis allows Christ to teach His disciples what is truly important, and serves a sort of highlighter for His epic sermon on the mount.

Eloquence and Isaiah: Parallelism, Synonymia, and Repetition in Isaiah 53:5

            Isaiah 53:5 states, “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”  

Parallelism

             I noticed chiefly here that the majority of eloquence, beauty and pleasing manner of the verse occurred through parallelism.  I noticed through the parallelism that the structure goes for the first two clauses, “He was helping verb for our plural noun.”  Thus we have a classic clausal parallelism in two adjacent clauses. 

Synonymia             

Furthermore, we see synonymia, which is the use of several synonyms together to amplify or explain a given subject or term.  In this verse we understand that wounded and bruised, transgressions and iniquities, and chastisement and stripes are basically synonymous in this context.  The use of synonymia adds emotional force, repeating the horrible and amazing truth that the Savior was hurt for our sins.  Furthermore, it adds a type of intelligence to the verse.  It would be much simpler to say simple that Jesus died to forgive our sins, but by adding various synonyms for hurt, sins, and chastisement, we are compelled twice to analyze the meaning behind the words in a more intellectual manner than a more simple construction would yield.

Repetition

Repetition is the final stylistic idea that I thought was a major part of this verse that added to its eloquence.  Its anaphora (if we ignore the “but” at the beginning of the verse) of “he was” adds emphasis on Jesus and is pleasing and musical to the ear.  There is a certain rhythm overall to this verse and the repetition throughout of “he” throughout the verse adds a consistency and rhythm to the verse.  Clearly, Isaiah was aiming not only to instruct in this verse but to please through eloquence.  This verse is most definitely Middle Style.

"Figurative Language about Down-Time"

Metaphor

-“Down-time can be the cooling salve to a burning mind.”

-This makes a comparison to something dissimilar to how one spends time, but shows the positive effects of it.

Paronomasia

-“I’m not talking about down-‘thyme’, which the ancient Greeks burnt as incense for a source of courage.

-Thyme and time sound the same, but have completely separate usages.

Anthimeria

-“Last week I jiu-jitsued my friend during some down-time.”

-Jiu jitsu is a form of martial arts, actually a noun.  Using it as a verb helps the audience visualize it more as an action.

Hyperbole

- “A few moments of down-time makes a world of difference.”

- Those few moments do not necessarily have an impact on the current state of things in the world, but an individual’s perception of the world may change with a moment of down-time.

Oxymoron

-“Structured down-time can be much more refreshing than a moment of laziness.”

-Generally people would think of down-time and structured time as two separate things; be unproductive during one and be very productive in the other.

Parallelism

-“Whether it be coloring, playing the piano, going for a jog, or just reading a book, these forms of down-time bring peace and balance to the soul.”

-These activities can easily form a list of things to do for down-time.

Anastrophe

-“With a busy schedule, discouraged you may become.”

-Yoda would agree that with this arrangement, emphasis is placed on the result or consequences of having too busy of a schedule.

Ellipsis

-“Down-time not only brings rest to the mind and body, but peace as well.”

-It is implied that down-time also brings peace to the mind and body.

Alliteration

-“Being too busy can break the mind and body, but down-time develops dreams.”

-This sentence is separated into two parts and ideas by the use of two alliteration structures.

Figurative Language About Words

Tropes about Words:

1.       Metaphor

·         “Words are the nails we use to hammer our beliefs, opinions, biases, and expressions in place.”

·         Words are not literally tools, but they are the means we use to communicate and solidify our individual thought processes and our means of sharing them with others.

2.       Paronomasia

·         “’What do you say we go get some ice cream?’

‘Word.’”

·         This example of dialogue is quite literally a play on words in that the word, “word,” is used in place of a word that would mean agreement or used to affirm.

3.       Anthimeria

·         “He worded the silent classroom with sound.”

·         This one was kind of tricky to come up with an example for because it takes on so many forms (word, words, wordy, worded). But, just because now it is acceptable to use it in all these different ways doesn’t mean it always was. I’m sure this is a result of application by the masses. Instead of simply saying "he talked in the silent classroom," he added words to the silence. 

4.       Hyperbole

·         “That is literally the worst thing I have ever heard!”

·         Is it literally the worst? Only until someone tells you the next unbelievably wretched thing. Sometimes we use clearly defined words incorrectly as a means of exaggeration or making a point.

5.       Oxymoron

·         “Her words rolled easily off her tongue and beat mercilessly in the ear.”

·         “Rolled” and “beat” describe two very different forms in which words can take. By using them both in that sentence, it shows how subjective they really are. To the speaker they may roll and flow easily while for the hearer those same words feel like they are cramming into the ear and beating the ear like a drum.

Schemes about Words:

1.       Parallelism

·         “Effective word usage is a skill to be mastered and an art to be perfected.”

·         The parallel parts are “skill to be mastered” and “art to be perfected.”

2.       Anastrophe

·         “A word he spat out without having a clear understanding and purpose.”

·         This is an example simply because it goes against the expected word order. I know that even typing it I wanted to say, “He spat out a word without having a clear understanding or purpose.” I think this use of anastrophe evokes more curiosity. Why did he rush and say something? Was he nervous, mad, or put on the spot? Was the word bad or good and simply used incorrectly? We may never know.

3.       Ellipses

·         “The mother used her words carefully and the daughter did not.”

·         This insinuates that within this conversation, the mother was careful in what she said and the daughter reacted and possibly said things she did not mean. Even though it was not stated so blatantly, it can be assumed that “did not” means the daughter did the opposite.

4.       Alliteration

·         “What was the woman’s name whose words, though whispered, were wonderfully inspirational?”

·         The “w” sound is repeated throughout the question representing alliteration. 

Figurative Language: Trix are for kids!

Tropes about Trix:

1. metaphor
• "The only adult that would eat Trix would be acting as a child and not as an adult."
• This compares the actions of an adult with that of a child.  It then makes it seem childish to eat Trix.
2. paronomasia
• "Many adults go through a middle-aged crisis in which they try to trick themselves into feeling younger, but are Trix really the answer?"
• This uses the words trick and Trix which sound alike but differ in meaning to make to the reader ponder about the similarities in the two words.  Are Trix really a trick?
3. anthimeria

• "It wouldn't be very professional to see an adult trixing on his work break."
• This is anthimeria because I changed the noun Trix into a verb "trixing".  This makes the reader feel that there may be more to this topic (not just a noun but a verb also) and makes the reading more light and interesting.
4. hyperbole
• "A doctor would never encourage the elderly to eat Trix."
• The use of never is an exaggeration and using it discretely as done in this sentence makes the reader believe it is a fact and not an exaggeration.
5. oxymoron

• "Growing up and out of Trix is a bittersweet experience."
• The word bittersweet is an oxymoron because bitter and sweet are opposing terms.  Used in this way they know that it can be a good and bad thing.

Schemes about Trix:

1. parallelism
• "Trix are to adults as a full-time jobs are to children.  It just doesn't make sense."
• This is parallelism because the phrase "Trix are to adults" and "full-time jobs are to children" are built up by the same parts of speech.  This helps the reader to make connections between the two in a deeper way than just seeing the simile.
2. anastrophe
• "Silly it would be for an adult to eat Trix."
• This takes the adverb silly and moves it to the front of the phrase when normally it would be "It would be silly..."  This makes it sound new and almost more knowledgeable.
3. ellipsis
• "If you are elderly you should avoid Trix at all costs and if you are a bunny even more so."
• This is ellipsis because it doesn't specifically say what a bunny should do "even more so" but it alludes to it since it was stated in the previous clause.  This makes the reader come to his own conclusion and agree with the writer.
4. alliteration
• "Sugar cereals sicken senior citizens severely."
• The repeated "s" sound makes this alliteration fun and the reader enjoys it.

Figurative Language about Sandwiches

Tropes:

1. Metaphor
• "The cutting of a sandwich is the whipped cream on a cup of hot cocoa."
• I actually used an extended version of this metaphor in my original blog post about sandwiches. I said that a cut sandwich is better than a normal sandwich in the same way that whipped cream makes a cup of hot chocolate better. Obviously the action of cutting a sandwich is not the same as a physical dollop of whipped cream.
2. Paranomasia
• "Wouldn't you love to meet and squeeze the perfectly cut meat and cheese?"
• "Meet and squeeze" sounds a lot like "meat and cheese" but they do not mean the same thing since "meat and cheese" is referring to a sandwich while "meet and squeeze" is referring to a reaction you might have when being introduced to someone you really admire.
3. Anthimeria
• "I sandwiched the peanut butter and jelly together between two slices of bread."
• This is actually a kind of common anthimeria. People often use the noun "sandwich" as a verb to mean putting things together between two similar objects. The word use creates a type of imagery for the reader.
4. Hyperbole
• "Whether or not you cut your sandwich in half will determine the fate of the entire universe!"
• Obviously the way you eat your sandwich will not alter an significant events for the entire universe, but the exaggeration makes the decision seem much more consequential than it actually is.
5. Oxymoron
• "To make the sandwich experience whole, half it."
• "Whole" and "half" are opposites, but it seems paradoxical because it almost makes sense in this context.

Schemes

1. Parallelism
• "To make a proper sandwich you have to spread the peanut butter, apply the jelly, and cut the sandwich."
• The list of tasks exhibits parallelism in the form of [verb] the [noun], and allows the list to flow better than it would otherwise.
2. Anastrophe
• "Delicious is a sandwich when properly made."
• Usually this would be said "A properly made sandwich is delicious" but this phrasing draws emphasis on the last part of the sentence; or that the sandwich must be properly made to be delicious.
3. Ellipsis
• "A sandwich that is cut is simply better than one that is not."
• It is implied that the word "cut" follows the word "not" because of the way the sentence is framed so the word "cut" can be omitted as an ellipsis.
4. Alliteration
• "Some students still seem squeamish to start slicing their sandwiches."
• Since almost every word starts with the letter S, this sentence is an example of an alliteration.

I am a little sick of writing about sandwiches at this point; but hopefully you aren't too sick of reading about them to comment with your opinions on my figures of speech!

Figurative Language about Men vs. Women

Check out my previous blog post on Men vs. Women

Tropes

 Metaphor

·      Men and women are salt and sugar.

·      This is an example of metaphor because I am comparing men and women to salt and sugar by saying  The effect is that salt and sugar seem very similar but are, in actuality, extremely different and used for different purposes.

that they are salt and sugar.

Paronomasia

·      Sometimes, I feel like the definition of women needs “a-men-dment.”

·      This is a paronomasia because I take the word amendment which means to change something to make it better, but it also contains the word men, which indicates that men have something to do with the definition of women or that women just become a part of man.

Anthimeria

·      Girls can flip back their long, shiny hair and women their way into persuading every man to do whatever they want.

·      This is an example of anthimeria because I use women, a noun, as a verb.  The effect is that women become verbs, possessing certain common actions, such as persuasion of men just through their beauty.

Hyperbole

·      Figuring out what women want is more difficult than crossing the Sahara dessert with no water while carrying a camel on your back.

·      This is a hyperbole because the wants of women are not actually as strenuous and impossible as suffering in the Sahara desert.  The effect is that people realize that understanding women is difficult to do.

Oxymoron

·      Some men might believe that grand gestures will woo women, but in reality it is the big little things that they do every day.

·      This is an example of an oxymoron because big and little are opposites and adjacent to each other.  The effect is that little things that men do for women like complimenting them or walking with them are actually important and big.

Schemes

 Parallelism

·      Men are simple, strong, reserved, and hunky, but women are complex, catty, bold, and beautiful.

·      This is an example of parallelism because the lists are all adjective, making a parallel structure.  Also the clauses are parallel as they are both independent and go ______ is ____, ____, ____, and ____.  Furthermore, the words in the lists describe the same type of character traits or looks but are different for men and women, furthering parallelism.  Parallelism here highlights the differences between men and women.

Anastrophe

·      Understand women, never men will.

·      This is an example of anastrophe because the normal sentence order should go, You will never understand women.  The sentence structure is changed.  The effect is that "understand women" becomes the most important part of the sentence, not the subject, men.

Ellipsis

·      Men have complex thoughts; women, more complex.

·      This is an example of an ellipsis because what is left out is that women have more complex thoughts than men.  However, one can easily figure out what the sentence means.  The effect is that the sentence is more concise and to the point.  You can see better the varying degrees between men and women.

Alliteration

·      Most men make messes.  Woman won't want woeful wrongdoers who wreck.

·      This is alliteration because the first sentence uses all "ms" as the first letter; the second sentence, "ws."  This highlights again the difference between men and women through the differences in first letters.  It is also interesting to not that Ms and Ws are simply switched symbols, making men and women opposites.

As I was making up these tropes and schemes, I noticed that what I wrote I didn’t really believe but it still seems pretty convincing to me.  I think the figures of speech help convince people.

Figurative Language about Love

Tropes about love:

1.)  Metaphor:

o   "Love is a burning war of passion and a chilling wave of unease."

o   Perhaps this is just an opinion, but love is not literally a war, nor a physical wave.  Instead, love contains essences of the conflicting burning war and chilling wave.  (This phrase actually doubles as an oxymoron.) 

My doge just got the pun, as indicated by his shocked
expression and dropped tail.

2.)  Paronomasia

o   "We're a couple love hopeless romantics."

o   The words "love" and "of" sound very much alike, so the original sentence was edited with an amusing replacement.  Maybe the sentence makes no logical sense now, but it has become a bit more interesting with a similar sounding, but different wording. 

3.)  Anthimeria

o   "I loved you then, I love you now, and I will be your Love forever." 

o   Seeing as the word love can be multiple particles of speech at once, with varying definitions even amongst those categories, is it not possible that this phrase can be read in multiple ways not of the norm?  Honestly, the lack of rigidity of the word made this part quite difficult. 

4.)  Hyperbole

o   "Thomas, I love you, but you are actually the dumbest person I have ever met."

o   Though truthfulness of this statement might be up for debate, I highly doubt that anything I have done merited a brand of such magnitude.  Love often escalates things out of their normal parameters.  Contingencies such as "but" are also scary precursors of horrible things to come. 

5.)  Oxymoron

o   "The one I love is also the one I hate."

o   Obviously, this might depend on what type of "love" is being addressed, but oftentimes couples find extremes of both ends of the affection spectrum in their significant other. 

Schemes about love:

1.)  Parallelism

o   "My love pervades through the spring's bloom, the summer's fire, the fall's decay, and the winter's icy tomb." 

o   Passing through the four seasons, many things change, but love still remains constant.  Even if the elements and weather attempt to wear away, love does not fade. 

Figurative language, like love, is a
thought-provoking intricacy of life.

2.)  Anastrophe

o   "It is you whom I love." 

o   One could easily switch around the order or words to create the natural structure of "I love you," but this shift makes the phrase a bit more inviting of further investigation.  

3.)  Ellipsis

o   "There is love in the air and in the beating of your heart with mine."

o   This sentence actually contains two instances of ellipsis in that "love" and "heart" are only directly stated once apiece, but are indirectly present a second time.   

4.)  Alliteration

o   "Love is lament and luscious life." 

o   This scheme is fairly obvious in that the majority of words in the sentence start with the letter L.  The combined effect of the repeated sound gives off a wisp of wit in the writing.