LITERARY ELEMENTS
Imagery, Irony, Satire, Parody, Rhythm,
Parallelism
IMAGERY
Imagery is words or phrases that appeal to one or
more of the five senses. Writers use imagery to
describe how their subjects look, sound, feel,
taste, and smell.

The hot July sun beat relentlessly down,
casting an orange glare over the farm
buildings, the fields, the pond. Even the
usually cool green willows bordering the
pond hung wilted and dry. Our sun-baked
backs ached for relief. We quickly pulled off
our sweaty clothes and plunged into the
pond, but the tepid water only stifled us
and we soon climbed onto the brown, dusty
bank. Our parched throats longed for
something cool--a strawberry ice, a tall
frosted glass of lemonade.
We pulled on our clothes, crackling
underbrush, the sharp briars pulling at our
damp jeans, until we reached the
watermelon patch. As we began to cut open
the nearest melon, we could smell the
pungent skin mingling with the dusty odor
of the dry earth. Suddenly, the melon gave
way with a crack, revealing the deep, pink
sweetness inside.
IMAGERY

Identify the
Imagery
sight
smell
taste
touch
sound
IMAGERY
Directions
Write a sentence full
of imagery for each of
the five senses
 Write according to the
pictures

Smell
IMAGERY: WRITE A SENTENCE FOR EACH
Touch
Taste
IMAGERY: WRITE A SENTENCE FOR EACH
Sight
Sound
equinoctial moons,
immense rain barrels spilling
their yellow water.
moons like eyes turned inward,
hard and bulging
on the blue cheek of eternity.
and moons half-broken,
eaten by eagle shadows…
but the moon of the poet
is soiled and scratched, its seas
are flowing with dust,
and other moons are rising,
swollen like boils—
in their bloodshot depths
the warfare of planets
silently drips and festers.
MOONS BY JOHN HAINES
There are moons like continents,
diminishing to a white stone
softly smoking
in a fog-bound ocean.
“THE EAGLE” BY LORD ALFRED
TENNYSON
He clasps the crag with crooked hands;
Close to the sun in lonely lands,
Ringed with the azure world, he stands.
The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;
He watches from his mountain walls,
And like a thunderbolt he falls.
IMAGERY POETRY

Raw material for a
poem:
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MoodSightsSmellsSoundsTastesTouchThoughts-
SENSE POEM


Think of an object or a
place that is important
to you
Then jot down
imagery/sensory words
that relates to your
object or place







Mood:
Sights:
Smells:
Sounds:
Tastes:
Touch:
Thoughts:






I see ___________
I smell _________
I hear __________
I feel ___________
I taste __________
I think __________
FINISHED PRODUCT

I see sage-covered
desert
I smell the freshness of
the morning
I hear the scream of the
hawk
I feel the caress of a
breeze
I taste the dew on the
wind
I think the new day is
born
After you have written
out the sentences,
remove the pronouns,
verbs, and articles
Sage-covered desert
Freshness of morning
Scream of the hawk
Dew of the wind
New day born
HOMEWORK
Bring a picture of the object/place you described
in your sense poem
 Next time we will share our poems with the
pictures
 These pictures and poems will go into your poetry
file

IRONY
Verbal Irony:
when a speaker
says one thing
but means
another
Dramatic Irony:
when the
audience
understands
something that
the characters do
not
Situational
Irony: when
something
happens but a
reversal of the
expectations or
outcome occurs
VERBAL IRONY
When a
speaker
says one
thing but
means
another.
DRAMATIC IRONY
When an event occurs whose significance the
audience understands but the characters do not.
 For example: in Romeo and Juliet when Romeo
thinks Juliet is dead but the audience knows she
is just knocked out by a sleeping potion.

CHITTY CHITTY BANG
How does this
demonstrate
irony?
What types of
irony are being
used here?
BANG
http://www.webert
ube.com/video/777
9/chu-chi-face
Not Ironic:

“It’s like ten thousand spoons when all
you need is a knife” –Alanis
Morissette’s “Ironic”

Why isn’t it ironic? It’s just an
unfortunate scenario; there is no
reversal of expectations.
THE OATMEAL

ISN’T IT IRONIC—ALANIS MORISSETTE

An old man turned ninety-eight
He won the lottery and died the next day
It's a black fly in your Chardonnay
It's a death row pardon two minutes too late
And isn't it ironic... don't you think
And life has a funny way of helping you out
when
You think everything's gone wrong and
everything blows up
In your face
It's like rain on your wedding day
It's a free ride when you've already paid
It's the good advice that you just didn't take
Who would've thought... it figures
A traffic jam when you're already late
A no-smoking sign on your cigarette break
It's like ten thousand spoons when all you
need is a knife
It's meeting the man of my dreams
And then meeting his beautiful wife
And isn't it ironic...don't you think
A little too ironic...and, yeah, I really do
think...
Mr. Play It Safe was afraid to fly
He packed his suitcase and kissed his kids
goodbye
He waited his whole damn life to take that
flight
And as the plane crashed down he thought
"Well isn't this nice..."
And isn't it ironic... don't you think
It's like rain on your wedding day
It's a free ride when you've already paid
It's the good advice that you just didn't take
Who would've thought... it figures
Well life has a funny way of sneaking up on
you
When you think everything's okay and
everything's going right
It's like rain on your wedding day
It's a free ride when you've already paid
It's the good advice that you just didn't take
Who would've thought... it figures
Life has a funny way of sneaking up on you
Life has a funny, funny way of helping you
out
Helping you out
Ironic: this was posted on facebook


Love your site! I am a stickler for
grammar, punctuation, and spelling;
not hard to understand yet some
people still don’t get it…glad your
educating the minions…
Why is it ironic?

Having read my grammar comics and
being a self –proclaimed grammar
stickler, you’d expect this person to
know the proper usage of your.
THE OATMEAL

WAR IS KIND BY STEPHEN CRANE
Do not weep, maiden,
Raged at his breast, gulped,
and died,
for war is kind.
Do not weep.
Because your lover threw wild
hands toward the sky
War is kind.
And the affrighted steed ran
on alone,
Swift blazing flag of the
Do not weep.
regiment,
War is kind.
Eagle with crest of red and
gold,
Hoarse, booming drums of the These men were born to drill
and die.
regiment,
Point for them the virtue of
Little souls who thirst for
slaughter,
fight,
Make plain to them the
These men were born to drill
excellence of killing
and die.
The unexplained glory flies And a field where a thousand
corpses lie.
above them,
Great is the Battle-God, great,
and his Kingdom—
Mother whose heart hung
humble as a button
A field where a thousand
corpses lie.
On the bright splendid shroud
of your son,
Do not weep.
Do not weep, babe, for war is
kind.
War is kind.
Because your father tumbled
in the yellow trenches,
Journal # ?
April 4, 2011:
What is ironic
about this
poem?
What type of
irony is it?
What is the
author trying to
accomplish?
(why does he
use irony, what
is the overall
effect?)
SATIRE AND PARODY
Satire

A literary
composition, in
verse or prose, in
which human folly
and vice are held
up to scorn or
ridicule.
Parody
A humorous or
satirical imitation
of a serious piece of
literature or
writing
 To imitate (a
composition, author,
etc.) for purposes of
ridicule or satire

Satire
Something spoken in
humor without
reproducing the
subject directly.
 More subtle, involves
mockery but without
mimicry.
 Makes a serious
point through
humor

Parody


A mimicry of an
established
concept, idea, or a
person
Just mimicry, only
reflecting the actual
subjects
Satire
Depicts an anger or
frustration
 Stands for a social
or political change
 Stand for changing
society

Parody
Just pure
entertainment
 Does not contain
anything serious;
just fun for fun’s
sake
 Stand for fun and
making fun

SATIRE
The Butter Battle
The Sneetches
The Lorax
Yertle the Turtle
PARODY
All 90 plays in 90
minutes
RHYTHM AND PARALLELISM
Authors create rhythm using parallel structure
 Parallel structure gives writing a musical quality
that adds emphasis and sound to central images.


Example: from the Bible (Ruth I.16):


Where thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I
will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy
God, my God. (Scofield [1945])
Example: from Carl Sagan’s Cosmos:

The Cosmos is all that is or ever was or ever will be.
Our feeblest contemplations of the Cosmos stir us—there is
a tingling in the spine, a catch in the voice, a faint
sensation, as if a distant memory of falling from a height.
We know we are approaching the greatest of mysteries.
CORRECTING FAULTY PARALLELISM
1.
The bowl was filled with crisp apples, juicy
oranges, and bananas that were ripe.
1.
2.
My neighbor likes to plant a garden, watering
it, and even to week it.
1.
3.
CORRECT: The bowl was filled with crisp apples,
juicy oranges, and ripe bananas.
CORRECT: My neighbor likes to plant a garden, to
water it, and even to weed it.
The moviegoers talked and were rattling
popcorn boxes during the film.
1.
CORRECT: The moviegoers talked and rattled
popcorn boxes during the film.
LITERAL REPETITION
Writers repeat the exact same words
to create an echo and trancelike refrain.


“The Tell-Tale Heart” Edgar Allan Poe

I talked more quickly—more vehemently; but the
noise steadily increased. I arose and argued about
trifles, in a high key with gesticulations, but the
noise steadily increased. Why would they not be
gone? I paced the floor to and fro with heavy strides,
as if excited to fury by the observation of the men—
but the noise steadily increased.
GRAMMATICAL REPETITIONS
Repeats identical grammatical
structures, but with different
words.


Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate—we
can not consecrate—we can not hallow—this
ground. The brave men, living and dead, who
struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our
poor power to add or detract. The world will little
note, nor long remember, what we say here, but
it can never forget what we did here.
PRACTICE
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The young boy, who is very talented, can sing,
dance, and knows how to play the piano.
The most popular items on the buffet table were
shrimp that were steamed, barbecued wings,
and marinated steak tips.
Their intelligence, playfulness, and being
friendly make dolphins appeal to people of all
ages.
Hawaii is famous for its beaches that are
beautiful, warm climate, and exotic atmosphere.
Before leaving for work, Teresa exercises, eats
breakfast, and the dog is fed.
GRAMMATICAL RHYTHMS IN PARAGRAPHS

This sentence has five words. This is five words too.
Five word sentences are fine. But several together
become monotonous. Listen to what is happening. The
writing is getting boring. The sound of it drones. It’s
like a stuck record. The ear demands some variety.
Now listen. I vary the sentence length and I create
music. Music. The writing sings. It has a pleasant
rhythm, a lilt, a harmony. I use short sentences. And
I use sentences of medium length. And sometimes
when I am certain the reader is rested I will engage
him with a sentence of considerable length, a
sentence that burns with energy and builds with all
the impetus of a crescendo, the roll of the drums, the
crash of the symbols, and sounds that say listen to
this, it is important.
RHYTHM AND PARALLELISM IN POETRY
This poem was written to memorialize a suicidal
charge by light cavalry over open terrain by
British forces in the Battle of Balaclava (Ukraine)
in the Crimean War (1854-56). 247 men of the 637
in the charge were killed or wounded. Britain
entered the war, which was fought by Russia
against Turkey, Britain and France, because
Russia sought to control the Dardanelles. Russian
control of the Dardanelles threatened British sea
routes.
The Charge of the
Light Brigade
Lord Alfred
Tennyson
CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE
Half a league half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred:
‘Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns’ he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
‘Forward, the Light Brigade!’
Was there a man dismay’d?
Not tho’ the soldier knew
Some one had blunder’d:
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do & die,
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley’d & thunder’d;
Storm’d at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.
Flash’d all their sabres bare,
Flash’d as they tunr’d in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army while
All the world wonder’d:
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro’ the line they broke
Cossack & Russian
Reel’d from the sabre-stroke,
Shatter’d & sunder’d.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to the left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volley’d and thunder’d;
Storm’d at with shot and shell,
While horse & hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro’ the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.
When can their glory fade?
The wild charge they made!
All the world wonder’d.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade
is a fifth dimension
beyond that which is known to
man. It is a dimension as
vast as space and as
timeless as infinity. It is the
middle ground between light
and shadow, between
science and superstition,
and it lies between the pit of
man’s fears, and the summit
of his knowledge. This is the
dimension of imagination. It
is an area which we cal…THE
TWILIGHT ZONE. (Zicree
1989, 31)
THE TWILIGHT ZONE
 There
There is a fifth dimension beyond
that which is known to man. It is a
dimension as ______________ as
____________ and as ___________ as
____________. It is the ____________
____________ _____________
between ___________ and _________,
between __________ and
____________, and it lies between
the ____________ of ___________
_____________, and the ____________
of his/her ____________. This is the
dimension of ____________. It is an
area which we call…
THE ___________ ZONE.
THE TWILIGHT ZONE IMITATION

Create an
imaginary
zone, filling in
the blanks to
create a
parody of the
original
Twilight
Zone.
JOURNAL:
Fill in the blanks to create the rhythm of parallel
structure
 Choose one of the two:

Some days you ___________ __________. Some days
you ___________ __________. Some days you
___________ ____________. Some days you __________
___________ ____________ ____________. Some days
are made for _______________.
 This is a (man/woman) who ____________, a
(man/woman) who ______________, and a
(man/woman) who ______________. This is _________.
