50 Matching Annotations
  1. Aug 2024
    1. And what I assume you shall assume, For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.

      Subdivision 2- summary- Whitman says if I do it, you should do it too because we are all humans, we are all made up of atoms and are connected to each other.

    2. every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.

      the diction choice of atom- breaks down to our smallest pieces and connects us as humans

  2. Feb 2023
    1. Can't sleep, can't sleep

      Can't sleep - written 3x in the first two lines.

      I wonder if the author was emphasizing the fact that the injustices done to the Aboriginal people should keep us up at night. The knowledge of the horror of what was done to them and the judgements and stereotypes that remain today should cause us to lose sleep.

  3. Jan 2023
    1. She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life. The delicious breath of rain was in the air. In the street below a peddler was crying his wares. The notes of a distant song which some one was singing reached her faintly, and countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves.

      Why would Chopin use such a positive description for such a tragic scene? This description is a large contrast to what the character is feeling in this moment, but what is its intentions? This is worth further investigation.

    2. storm of grief

      Interesting and compelling description here. Storms take a while to form and are not sudden which causes further questions about her grief.

  4. Aug 2022
    1. reify

      elevated diction

    2. mythos

      elevated use of diction

    3. so off to Sonoma and New York he went, to make something of himself

      lighter diction here with "and so off to"

      "Make somethine of himself" is common phrase that let's the author quickly establish the necessary background for readers

    4. original beef

      slang leads into a double entendre

  5. Jan 2022
    1. Maria has a fuller life in New York than she did in the 1961 film. In the original,

      Comparing characters from the new movie to the original movie.

    2. The original Tony,

      Another comparison.

    3. In the original,

      The writer tends to compare the original to the new movie often by saying "in the original."

    4. They’ve made ill-conceived additions and misguided revisions. In the process, they’ve managed to subtract doubly from the original.

      The word choice the speaker has used here is having to do with adding and subtracting which strings to making a metaphor by making the movie seem like a bad equation.

  6. Nov 2021
    1. Fashion used to be an art, but the prevalence of consumerism has reduced it to a bunch of poorly made, cheap clothes.

      The specific language used in this line is slightly informal and could be interpreted as the author revealing their own stance and feelings towards fast fashion. While it is completely accurate that the quality of fashion has declined as we speed up culture and style over time, the wording reveals that there is frustration built into the writing of this journal. However, as quality has moved downward, there is an obvious acceptance in exchange for a knocked down price. This issue is nuanced and the author is able to provide the information and arguments to make readers seriously ponder the current culture and ongoing issues on the planet and those producing the clothes.

  7. Mar 2021
    1. This is the story of how a bill to save the vote and preserve a semblance of democracy for millions of Americans died at the hands of an intransigent, reactionary minority in the Senate, which used the filibuster to do its dirty work

      The author starts off by personifying "the bill" as something that was supposed to save millions of Americans, but rather was killed by Senators. He immediately provides a brief overview of the claim of his essay before developing his narrative. This way, the audience gets a glimpse of the issue that the author will tackle. Also, by using words such as "intransigent and reactionary", the audience already understands that the author is going to be criticizing the senators for their action.

  8. Feb 2021
    1. Poverty and affluence make a mockery of our system of justice.

      This is a strongly worded sentence with an almost angry tone. This kind of intense diction would most likely appeal to most Americans in the audience as well as law enforcement and politicians since the justice system is integral to their lives.

    1. free rein to twist the institutions of the American republic against its values.

      He ends with his purpose by contrasting the two parties. He praises the Democrats for their ability to stop this nonsense, and he gives an example of a hypothetical situation where Republicans are in control. However, from his diction and negative connotation, one can predict that that society would be dangerous for the public. Overall, he enforces that although Republicans are trying to suppress the voters from voting, the Democrats can succeed if extra support is provided.

    1. Before the pandemic, I normally called chefs after I’d written a review of their restaurant but before it was published, to check facts. The chefs usually sounded as if I were calling with the results of a lab test. One chef called me back from a hospital and told me his wife was in the next room giving birth to their first child, but — oh no, don’t worry, it’s fine, he said; in fact, I’d picked a perfect time to call! These were, in other words, awkward conversations.The ones I had last spring were different. It was as if the fear and distrust all chefs feel toward all critics were gone. They talked about going bankrupt, they talked about crying and not wanting to get out of bed. What did they have left to lose by talking to me?

      Pete highlights a key change that came with COVID, except he emphasizes the good that came from it. This compare and contrast allows the reader to see how the personalities have developed along with the times. There was a silver lining amidst the "crying and not wanting to get out of bed". The drastic comparison of his importance before and after the pandemic with a chef giving equal importance to Pete and his first child underlines just how wrong priorities were previously. His diction, utilizing awkward perfectly to encapsulate the environment surrounding his job before COVID, pushing forth the idea that good can result from change.

  9. Jan 2020
    1. A lengthy standoff at a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon finally comes to an end when anti-government militants, after protracted negotiations

      Barry begins most of his sentences with profound diction, and then ends his sentences with a twist of sarcasm or irony.

    2. gruesome train wreck

      Charged diction is developed through the words "gruesome" and "wreck" to emphasize his displeasure with the 2000 election and to enforce his facetious tone.

    1. Of the ash, stray bricks, and weeds. Of twisted metal and charred patio furniture. Of the pine trees still standing on the edge of the lots, their towering trunks now charcoal black. Of the lonely white brick fireplace in the middle of it all, the only surviving structure, metal pokers hanging expectantly by the grate.

      Tone changes from the first line to become more gloomy. Repetition w/ "of..." sentances. Fireplace might be a symbol or something? Several good choices in wording.

  10. Apr 2019
    1. and ran with energy through all the usual phrases employed in praise of their sublimity and descriptive of the undescribable emotions they excite in the mind of sensibility

      The narrator seems to underscore Sir Edward’s ridiculousness by recounting his description of the sea. The diction and tone used in this paragraph represents satire and criticism towards the romantic era and over-fixation of nature during Jane Austen’s time. She states that his phrases are “usual”, a diction that represents the mediocrity of his language. Austen states that his descriptions are  “undescribable”, which he then proceeds to list with great flourishment.


    2. Let me feel your ankle. That's right; all right and clean

      ANKLES come up 8 times in Sanditon - why? A few articles note that ankles were only considered scandalous in the Victorian era, not Regency era, because ankle boots only became in vogue during the Victorian era. Perhaps the overfixation of ankles is not due to it being scandalous, but just poking fun at how OCD the characters of the novel were for Mr. Parker’s (minorly injured) sprained ankle.

    3. Sir Edward's great object in life was to be seductive

      Sir Edward is a weird guy who tries hard to seduce women. Austen hypes up the sentence by increasing the reader’s expectations with “great object in life”, prepping the reader for a mind-blowing objective, to be let down by the one word “seductive”. Disappointed but not surprised?

    4. Delicious! Delicious!

      Clearly Sir Edward is VERY passionate about poetry. He shows his expressive and passionate language with describing the poetry as “delicious”. This type of expression and passion unfortunately for him, turns Charlotte off.

    5. Yes, my dear. My young folks

      Lady Denham jokes about her age and her young friends/family who are in love. She makes fun of their immature and loving feelings.

    6. rote

      Rote: mechanical or habitual repetition of something to be learned

    7. rather commonplace perhaps, but doing very well from the lips of a handsome Sir Edward

      The juxtaposition between the diction “commonplace” and the ironic praise given to Sir Edward criticizes the human tendency to lower their standards for people who look beautiful on the surface, a very shallow judgement of character that is usually held by women towards handsome men.

    8. most barbarous conduct

      The use of “barbarous” well captures Lady Denham’s character: being civil in a normal sense appears to others as being barbarous and uncivil.

  11. Nov 2018
    1. . Or a single phrase can light up an idea, as when, a few days before marriage, "the Bridegroom is running up and down like a dog." But, on the other hand, the spirit manifests itself sometimes in exuberance, as when Urquhart and Motteux metagrobolized Rabelais into something almost more tumescent and overwhelming than

      This is my favourite sentence.

  12. Oct 2018
  13. Mar 2018
    1. There are a large number of white Americans who also descend from Negroes but who are not counted in the colored group nor subjected to caste restrictions because the preponderance of white blood conceals their descent.

      I found the diction used in this sentence to be particularly interesting. Du Bois refers to white peoples has having "white blood" instead of white skin. This is contrasted with his description of the oppression of Blacks based based on black "skin". It is interesting to me that he uses this diction to refer to something that seems more innate or even more deeply engrained than skin. The diction serves to represent the extent of repression Black peoples face in the United States.

  14. Feb 2018
    1. but the ease with which “tool” becomes “weapon” in the eyes of the law is remarkable. Tools are fine things for workers, but politics dictates that violence be concentrated in the hands of the State, and dispensed by its agents. The slipperiness between innocuous utensil and deadly device represents the risk of insurrection.

      Tools or weapons can be best described in words and how the reader sees the object after that is all dependent on the writers diction and view. In descriptions "writers generate a set of carefully selected nouns, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, and to effectively determine the bounds pf possible interpretation." (Hatlman 6) Using words such as "violence" or "deadly" will most likely make it seem like a weapon in this instance. More than anything the type of diction that a phrase has can drastically change what the word will mean or what it will mean to the reader.

  15. Dec 2017
    1. Statics, respect matter generally, in a state of rest, and include Hydrostatics, or the Laws of fluids particularly, at rest or in equilibrio Dynamics, used as a general term include Dynamics proper, or the Laws of solids in Motion and Hydrodynamics, or Hydraulics, those of fluids in Motion Pneumatics teach the theory of air, its Weight, Motion, condensation, rarifaction &c Acoustics or Phonics, the theory of sound Optics the Laws of Light & vision Physics or Physiology in a general sense, mean the doctrine of the Physical objects of our senses

      It is interesting to note that all these subjects, so succinctly explained here, are all under the umbrella term "Physics" now. During Jefferson's time, there probably wasn't a standard of learning to follow, so he had to list out the specifics here. We've come far in that now mentioning to physics to someone with some schooling will mean them considering some of these things instead of just "the doctrine of Physical objects of our senses."

  16. Mar 2017
    1. The man-eater’s dark career was ended. The men who had laid it low were the heroes of the day. They were garlanded with chrysanthemum flowers and seated on the arch of the highest bullock cart and were paraded in the streets, immediately followed by another bullock-drawn open cart, on which their trophy lay with glazed eyes—overflowing the cart on every side, his tail trailing the dust. The village suspended all the normal activity for the day; men, women and children thronged the highways, pressing on with the procession, excitedly talking about the tiger

      What is the dominant impression of the tiger presented here? What words contribute to this dominant impression?

  17. Nov 2016
  18. Sep 2016
    1. political rancor will drown out our cooperative pragmatism

      Appealing to higher intellectuals through difficult diction and complex vocabulary. Also trying to light a fire under the butts of optimists reading this piece for them to speak out and take action.

    1. So the reconciliation of the Cuban people -- the children and grandchildren of revolution, and the children and grandchildren of exile -- that is fundamental to Cuba’s future.

      President Obama uses tone and diction to elicit an impassioned response from his audience. Using the words "revolution" and "exile" produce feelings of pride as well as either anger or sadness.

    2. I want to comment on the terrorist attacks that have taken place in Brussels.  The thoughts and the prayers of the American people are with the people of Belgium.

      President Obama used two different rhetorical strategies in these couple sentences. First, he used the term "terrorist attack" which is an example of loaded diction. He does this in order to get the audience's attention and sway them in a way. He then follows up this use of loaded diction with pathos. By saying "thoughts and prayers of the American people," he is appealing to the emotions of the audience.

    3. I’m not saying this is easy.

      Obama makes this phrase short and to the point in order to show the importance.

  19. Aug 2016
    1. rolling in at the open window and driving its way through so many narrow and intricate corridors in my own brain and in those of other human beings

      (aside from the fact that I find this sentence very interesting in itself) This uses personification of energy (driving) as well as carries words describing the brain (intricate corridors) that I feel really add to how she and the reader feeling in this section (detached yet there)

    2. vociferation
    3. utmost clamour and vociferation

      diction choice describes the noise of the birds in a more specific way

  20. Dec 2014