My Literary Devices are the Nicest

My Literary Devices are the Nicest

English 12

OReilly

You will create a book, play, DVD, podcast, set of songs, website, blog, piece of art, or any other communication medium that includes each of the literary devices we will be learning on a daily basis in class. You may do this assignment alone or in groups of two to five. The literary devices can be found on my blog at: http://oreillyenglish122010.blogspot.com/

You must use each of the literary devices in the following ways:

5 points each You must define each literary device.

5 points each You must find and display an example of each literary device in someone else's writing.

5 point each You must explain how each device works to support theme or tone in any of your examples (yours or others'). Or describe how the device works to deepen meaning.

5 points each You must creatively use the literary device in your own story, poem, aphorism, rap, movie, play, or song. The use of your literary device can be in a continuing work, or in a separate and distinct piece created specifically to display each literary device.

20 points overall Your work is consistently perfected, polished, gorgeous, detailed; serious in intent, even if comic in tone. Please don't bore me. Don't carry on simply for the sake of the assignment's requirement. Bring yourself, your passions, your voice, and your interests to the piece. Make every element and detail resonate like an ancient church bell tolling, a dove cooing, or a baby laughing as you awaken from a long slumber.

If you create a book, you must have an illustration for every page unless you are working alone.

You may be wondering: how does one explain how a literary device deepens meaning?

Here's an example of an explanation of how homoioteleuton works to deepen meaning or support theme in the following song:

"That’s why, darling, it’s incredible
That someone so unforgettable
Thinks I’m unforgettable too."
("Unforgettable," sung by Nat King Cole

The homoioteleuton of "incredible" and "unforgettable" create a sense of magic, as if these two people are meant to be together. The words fit, jst as the people in the song fit each other .

Crispety, crunchety, peanut-buttery Butterfinger."
(advertising slogan for Butterfinger candy bar)

The homoioteleuton in this ditty sound like crunching, which reminds the reader to chew a yummy chocolate bar.

Discerning meaning is the hardest part of the assignment. If you don't know the answer guess, gasp at straws, but argue strongly for your reasoning, using examples if possible.

I have to correct these art pieces. How does one grade art? By using the rubric above. I don't care how you incorporate each of the elements of the rubric, but it must be clear to me that you have, indeed, incorporated all the elements: perhaps, if you produce a play or DVD, you can create a separate document that cites the examples out of the script and defines, shows an example, and explains how the device works to create meaning. Since you can have up to five people in your group, you can assign different jobs to different people: for instance, one member of the group can be in charge of defining and finding examples of the literary device, while another can be the analyst who creates an ongoing document that tracts how the literary device is use to support theme, tone, or meaning.

You will work on this in class as we go along. I will randomly to check to see if you are up to date. Whatever project you choose, make sure it is something you can work on in class. We will have some library time during the last two weeks of the project.