Ok, we looked at some sentences, now find some something in the diction that stands out. Maybe it's a word combination, the use of simple words, a word bomb that makes you reach for the dictionary.
Keep sharing your great ideas. LOVE the posts so far. Excellent work.
ps: a reminder — post by Sunday at 11:59.59 (please don't stay up that late, but that is technically the end of Sunday and the end of the week and the deadline for a timely post.).
pps: a sentence I just had to share. From the NYT and Mark Bittman: The food processor replaces the whisk; the pastry cutter; the standing mixer (for which there are still some uses, but only if you’re a dedicated baker); the mandoline (which, to me, remains a fine alternative to the food processor for small quantities); the mortar and pestle, which, no matter how lovely, quaint and authentic, is perhaps the most labor-intensive, primitive and damnable set of tools in the kitchen; and, perhaps most importantly, the grater.
16 comments:
"the fervor of fanatics" - "A Recovery's Long Odds" by Bob Herbert
I really like how Herbert pairs these two words because not only are they an alliteration, but the connotations of each word individually brings up a rather intense, energy-charged image. I think that both of these qualities in this phrase make it all the more powerful.
"scurrilous attacks on Islam"
I did not completely know the definition of scurrilous. I looked it up and it was very specific word "making or spreading scandalous claims about someone with the intention of damaging their reputation." the the whole phrase was very specific on how muslims are being treated in America.
D’Souza and Gingrich employ the tactics the Bush administration used to get us into Iraq — cherry-picking, insinuation, half-truths and dishonest reasoning.
"who's the Con Man?"- Maureen Dowd
What I liked about this sentence was the last four words/terms. I think Dowd can pull off repetition really well. Though these words are similar, they are just different enough that the sentence does not become redundant, it also helps that the words sound so different. She uses slang (cherry picking), a really simple and straightforward term (half truths), a very formal word (insinuation), and then following her "and", she uses the term "dishonest reasoning", which is the strongest accusation because she is clearly accusing Bush of blatant dishonesty as well as white lies. This term also seems to have the most emphasis on it.
Though repetition of similar words can have a negative impact on the sentence, I think that because this is such a sassy phrase, the four words/terms just add a lot of emphasis to her point and make it funnier.
...You have to stand on your head. You have to look at America from the bottom up." --"Steal this Movie-too", by Thomas Friedman
I like how Friedman uses expressions like "stand on your head" so show that its difficult to see things by looking at the lower class first, since we usually start by looking at Washington. He goes on to say that, at the "bottom" of America, you will see a movement to improve education.
"In a second forceful speech last week, delivered outside Cleveland, Obama titillated the political press by calling out Boehner by name eight times" -- Frank Rich
I don't think its possible to read this sentence and not stop in your tracks when you get to "titillated". Meaning to stimulate or excite, this word is both lively and forceful. It wakes you up. It calls your attention. Not only is it a perfect fit for the message the author is trying to convey, but it gives you a clear idea of what the he is explaining.
(Note: This is the very first sentence of the essay)
"“Nice middle class you got here,” said Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader. “It would be a shame if something happened to it.” O.K., he didn’t actually say that. But he might as well have"
-The Tax-Cut Racket
by Paul Krugman
What I like about this phrase is that it starts Krugman's essay off with a bang. The combination of diction commonly associated with gangsters in conjunction with the actions of a politician starts the essay off to an outraged, yet humorous tone. This intentional world choice is designed to engage the reader right away and draw them into the article. Krugman's choice diction and inventive style makes this interesting.
PS. Slamo had told me that he had decided to change writers. I've always liked Krugman and I assumed it would be OK for me to switch to him. Let me know if this is alright.
Or, I dunno, Tarzan summoning an elephant stampede to quash yet another pestilential imperial invasion.
--Kathleen Parker, “Obama is an ‘anti-colonialist’?”
I loved the humorous word choice in this sentence. With phrases such as “quash” and “pestilential imperial invasion”, there was certainly a negative and more serious tone to the sentence, but her use of “dunno”, “Tarzan”, and “elephant stampede”, which are all rather informal and amusing terms/ideas, lightened the feel of the sentence.
I chose a new author, Charles M. Blow. And now for the word bombs!
"terrorists a world away who have hijacked the passions of a faith" --Charles M. Blow, "A Lesson From 9/11"
Woah! Charles Blow just said that terrorist extremists are actually hijacking their own faith! The irony! The wit!
Also, the words are all so explosively dynamic...terrorist, hijack, passion, faith...the whole sentence is charged with power, reflecting the intense feelings surrounding this topic. The form of expression and expression itself alike are powerful, excellent, mind-blowing! So good!
"I will say that the aficionados leaving the theater could not have been more pumped."
This sentence caught my eye because of the word " aficionados" because not only did I not know the meaning of the word, but I had also never heard it. I think the authors purpose in using a word that is foreign to some people is that it makes the audience read his work more carefully and drives them to look up the words they do not know. The definition of aficionados is "A person who likes, knows about, and appreciates a particular interest or activity; a fan or devotee".
"...a crunchy curl of faux cheese delicately lifted from a greasy plastic bag, the junkified morsel staining the thumb and forefinger a sickly, artificial orange. " - Steve Mirsky, from "Scientific American" in his essay "Wonders of Life"
Mirsky is describing none other than the favourite snack of all Americans under the age of six: Cheetos.
I find the way that Mirsky describes Cheetos to be so amusing. Again, he employs his gift of endless sass and sarcasm, this time to describe the snack in a way that seems to glorify it at first glance, and then tear it down when you finally give the statement a second thought. Let me explain: By using words/phrases such as "morsel" and "delicately lifted" he gives the Cheetos snack an air of daintiness, and makes the snack seem precious. However, he then goes on and uses descriptions like "junkified" (which is a great adjective in my opinion), "greasy," and "sickly, artificial" to expose Cheetos for what they truly are: an over-processed snack that is permeated with every form of disgusting chemical based ingredient that one should never place in one's body. (Too bad they're irresistibly delicious.)
"Outside of a gambling-related suspension, cocaine abuse, assault with a deadly weapon, a counterfeiting scheme and being tried for murder, that Heisman Trophy club is one distinguished group of guys"--"NFC West: Land of lower QB standards" by Bruce Jenkins
I chose this sentence because Bruce Jenkins choice of words makes it impossible for the reader not the questions what this article is about. When one thinks of the Heisman trophy, the first words that come to their mind is "honorable and prestigious". However, Bruce Jenkins incorporates "abuse, assault, deadly, murder", to emphasize his point that many Heisman trophy winners are criminals. All of these explicit words act as a cup of coffee, in order to wake up the reader and make them understand the the Heisman award has always been tainted. Reggie Bush is only one of the few that has had to suffer the consequences of his actions.
"His animal was the anaconda, and the Internet assisted him in writing a highly factual report that touched on the snake's habitat (semiaquatic), prey (occasional goats and ponies) and size (freaking huge).
I love how Ben Greenman uses the phrase "freaking huge" to describe the size of a snake for his son's 3rd grade science report. It's funny and different; rarely do we see writers now-a-days use words that even hint some kind of curse word. This casual phrase adds a humorous tone to the rest of the "highly factional" sentence. (I also liked the use of punctuation, and how the parenthesis's are used to answer his son's questions, even though no one ever asked).
"Wes Tunnell spotted what looked like a ledge of rock covered in sand, shells, algae and hermit crabs."
This snippet of a sentence paints a picture in your head of what Tunnell saw when snorkeling through the Great Barrier Reef. The list he provides at the end are all colorful words, providing nice description. The alliteration "looked like a ledge" rolls of the tongue. Brown's use of words in this sentence as texture and color to his writing.
"Indeed, the hoary phrase “a cure for cancer” now sounds bitterly ironic, since scientists discovered no such thing after President Nixon declared war on the disease in 1971...but there is a glimmer of hope in this bleak picture."
I like how the author used the word "hoary" which means over used. hoary is not a word that is used very much. I also like the use of "declared war," because it is a really strong way to get the point across and helps paint a mental picture. Although "a glimmer of hope in this bleak picture" is a bit cliche i think it is the perfect way to say what the author means.
when trying to look for good use of words and "word bombs" i noticed that my author does not have many. she does not use overly dramatic words very often. Instead se is very to the point, very literal. this works with her style but not for this assignment.
On Monday, I watched the hilarious but depressing video of Rep. Louie Gohmert, a Texas Republican, rabidly defending his ludicrous claims that Middle Eastern women are coming to the U.S. to give birth to "terror babies" who will come back and bomb us in 20 years.-- gregory rodriguez
I like that he used "ludicrous" and "rabidly" because it emphasizes how crazy Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert really is. It shows that his idea about middle eastern women are so ridiculous and racist.
"Distilled to its purest greed form, this latest dispute is about revenue sharing"
This sentence is addressing the possible strike of the NFL in 2011. I liked this sentence because he uses words that are not usually used like "distilled" that is usually only used in the context of liquids. He also uses specific words to prove his point.
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