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February 17, 2007
Compromise is Not Always a Good Thing
Hamilton, Essential Literary Terms (32-67) -- Jerz: EL150 (Intro to Literary Study)
"'She felt a heavy burden of guilt, but she would not let it engulf her resolve.' The word 'burden' is already a vehicle for the tenor, her guilt; it clashes with the second vehicle, "engulf." The image of being weighed down is confused by the conflicting image of being surrounded a swallowed up, drowned" (35).
This book will not only be beneficial in helping me enhance my critical and close reading skills, it will help me as a writer. I do this mixed metaphor thing all the time. I know I have already done it in papers this semester. I usually have a problem with sending conflicting images because I will not have a clear idea of what I want to accomplish, so I try to take two ideas and put them together. It is a form of compromise, which seems like it should be a good thing, right? But really it is just not the best way to get your meaning across to a reader. I'll have to remember this from now on when I write.
Posted by LorinSchumacher at February 17, 2007 12:16 PM