Books for kids, teens, & those who are young at heart

Category: Language (Page 4 of 8)

The Irony of it All

My English teacher my freshman year of high school was quick to point out when discussing irony that most of the things Alanis Morissette sings about in her song “Ironic” (rain on your wedding day and having ten thousands spoons when you really need a knife) are really not ironic, they’re just bummers. The truth is irony is so often misused in today’s world that the meaning of it has been muddled. I’ve been wondering if it even plays a role in contemporary literature anymore, and specifically in children’s lit because that’s what I write.

I’m going to specifically focus on dramatic irony and verbal irony that isn’t sarcasm (because sarcasm is so not used in today’s world and nobody ‘gets’ it anyway!). (Caveat: I’m not sure I actually understand what irony is and I’m probably going to do a terrible job of discussing it, and you will only end up more confused by the end of this post.)

Let’s start with dramatic irony, which is when the audience/reader/observer is privy to information that allows them to better know the true implications of an action/speech/situation that involves an unknowing character/speaker/subject. A classic example in when Romeo takes his own life because he thinks Juliet is dead, but the audience knows that Juliet only took a potion to appear dead.

Verbal irony is when something is stated that seems to mean one thing, but the speaker actually intends it to mean something else, often the opposite of what was said (and this is done with intent on the part of the speaker…as opposed to dramatic irony which occurs without the subject’s knowledge). Now sarcasm can be a form of verbal irony, but verbal irony doesn’t have to be sarcastic. In A Series of Unfortunate Events the narrator starts the story by saying not to read the book because only bad things happen, but of course, the narrator doesn’t really want the reader to put down the book.

I think it’s a bit more obvious how verbal irony is prevalent and relevant in today’s society. We see it in books, on TV, in everyday life. Dramatic irony is a little bit tougher to observe, especially in children’s lit. Today’s kids are so savvy about everything that it’s harder to create a character that is believably in the dark about something that is obvious to the reader.

Going back to the Romeo and Juliet example, are we really supposed to believe that Romeo was so dense that he couldn’t figure out that Juliet wasn’t dead? In a historical context, we can buy that Romeo wouldn’t have known to check for a pulse and that he could have actually believed that Juliet’s “crimson” lips and cheeks were possible even after death. But today, it’s hard to believe that a guy–even a young one with a minimal amount of medicinal knowledge–wouldn’t be able to to tell the difference between a dead body and a live person.

I feel like I could go on and on about irony and really come to no conclusion at all. I’ve been researching definitions of irony and asking others for examples of irony in contemporary children’s lit and I’m just feeling more confused about the whole thing than when I started. Frankly, I was kind of sick of the whole idea of irony before I even started writing this post and now that I’m rereading what I’ve written, I’m thinking I didn’t really say much at all in this ever-growing post.

And who’s to say that Alanis Morissette didn’t know that all the crap she says in “Ironic” wasn’t ironic? Maybe she knew that the whole time, and the song ends up being even more ironic because it isn’t talking about irony at all. Now I’m throwing my hands up in frustration! Please, someone post an intelligent comment about irony so that this whole thing doesn’t feel so pointless.

Also, check out the SCBWI Writers of Lower Fairfield blog where I’ll be occassionally posting about writing-related topics.

Random Thoughts: Quasars, Artists, Storytelling, Soccer

I’ve had lots of disparate thoughts going through my brain lately and it seems this post is a reflection of that.

First off, astrologists recently found a giant quasar that appears to be not only the brightest object ever found, but also the most distant and earliest quasar ever detected. Quasars are of particular interest to me because they are found the center of young galaxies and surround black holes (you all should know by now how much black holes fascinate me). Who doesn’t want to learn more about a super-bright object that is massively powerful and full of energy?

On an artistic discoveries, check out this cartoon called “Born Like an Artist.” I wonder what the anthropomorphic personification of my artistic soul looks like? I’m not sure it would be an animal. I think it might be something more abstract…maybe some kind of squiggle or a bouncy, round face.

And to combine two of my intellectual loves, here’s a periodic table of storytelling. A couple of “elements” that caught my eye are Jhg, 1wa, Mpb, and Gtb.

Over at Diversity in YA Fiction, the authors are challenging readers to diversity their reading choices. Publicly post an essay about your diverse reading experience and you have a chance at winning “a giant collections of fabulous MG and YA books.”

Finally, a third love of mine (soccer) is being showcased on a worldwide stage this summer. The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2011 earlier this week. I was pleased to see that the women’s games are getting just as much TV coverage as the men did last summer.

Where have your thoughts been taking you lately?

Magnetic Poetry: Mother’s Day

The ladies and I had a lovely brunch yesterday to celebrate Mother’s Day. The weather was gorgeous and several of us kept the festivities going when we walked around the green and checked out a craft fair.

With my status as mother-to-be I got my first ever Mother’s Day presents in the form of cards, flowers, and delicious homemade banana bread (thanks goes out to The Boy…yup, it’s a boy!). The hubby decorated the refrigerator with ultrasound pictures of the little guy, but that wasn’t the only thing that ended up on the refrigerator.

That’s right! As with all the gatherings at my house, the guests were encouraged to express themselves with poetry. There was a whole new crop of words that had been added to the magnetic poetry kit since the last installment and the phrases were flowing. Here’s what the guests had to say:

    • spring morning garden leave s little want ing (there’s nothing I can really add to this beautiful sentiment…but notice I still added something by pointing that out)

 

  • imagine sweet dream s (if only it were as simply as imagining them and they came true)

 

 

  • a spark ly puddle is an inspiration for play time (probably true for most children, not so much for most adults)

 

 

  • easy trick bake good rain love (ummm…that’s what she said? maybe not, but I couldn’t go without saying it)

 

 

  • always taste summer and fear not to drink the gentle breeze (I think the awesome weather really inspired the guests to new levels of poetic beauty)

 

 

  • do squirrel s experience emotion (it’s a burning question that I know so many of us have been wondering and I’m glad someone finally asked it)

 

As always, thanks to those who contributed. What kind of poetic inspiration have you been experiencing lately?

Magnetic Poetry: translucent desire

The infamous magnetic poetry kit has been quiet of late (maybe because the winter has caused me to be something of a recluse and I haven’t invited anyone over lately). I’m hoping a new crop of words (a gift from my cousin) will spark the creativity of any future guests.

In the meantime, here’s a few lines of magnetic poetry that have been hanging out on my refrigerator:

  • beneath a translucent desire is fear genius & beauty (umm…I think I need more time to think about this one…it’s very deep)
  • black monkey chicken naked in the night (you always have to look out for the black monkey chicken…especially when it’s naked)
  • whisper bosom talk s sweet idea s of mind & shadow (and you should talk back to the whisper bosom with your trumpet bottom)
  • take me (like all good poetry this is short and to the point, but at the same time it has multiple layers…and it’s also what she said!)
  • spring is like the sweet flower that time leave s behind (a little too cliched for me, but I can appreciate the sentiment)

Thanks to all who contributed. And if you’re ever at my house, please take a few minutes to create your own piece of poetry.

Gathering Book Ideas From Song Lyrics

I may be stating the obvious here, since all my blog titles are song lyrics, but music is important to my writing. Sometimes it’s just a lyric or two that inspires me, but other times a whole song speaks to a scene on which I’m working or a character I’m developing.

In my story Elixir Bound, there’s a scene where the main character, Katora, floats above the forest via a magical binding (yup, it’s a fantasy). Katora normally can’t fly and it’s a malevolent creature that binds her, but for a minute she feels a rush of adrenaline that gives her an intense high and sense of freedom. When I think about this part, I always hear the long musical beginning of the live version of Naveed/Life by Our Lady Peace (pretty much my favorite band of all time). This song gives me the same kind of feeling I imagined Katora having when I wrote that scene.

In my reimagining of The Little Mermaid, one of the main characters Poe is in love with his best friend, but he thinks she’s never going to love him back. Naturally, his song is Jason Mraz’s If It Kills Me. The lyrics “Well, all I really want to do is love you/A kind much closer than friends use/But I still can’t say it after all we’ve been through” are such a perfect description of how he feels.

And then there’s this new idea that’s been percolating in my imagination for a few months now. This one is rife with musical inspiration. The original idea popped into my head while I was listening to Godsmack’s song Voodoo. I heard the lyric “Never did I wanna be here again/And I don’t remember why I came” and a whole scenario played out in my brain like a mini-movie.

Then I realized (as I often realize when I think I’ve had an inkling of an original thought) that my idea was just a YA dystopian ripoff of The Bourne Identity with a female teenager as Bourne. So I decided to actually read the book instead of watch the movie yet again (really, who can get enough of Matt Damon as a reluctant assassin?).

Anyway (I do digress), that’s not the only song that has inspired this new story. The main character (who may or may not have a name that was inspired by the lead sing of the aforementioned favorite band…I haven’t decided if it’s the right one…but who does have a nickname of Black Butterfly) has a past that she can’t remember, but may somewhat be described by Civil Twilight’s song Soldier.

And seeing as the opening scene of this story was inspired by a song, it’s fitting that the closing scene was also inspired by a song: Linkin Park’s Waiting for the End. Mind you, I’ve done a lot of thinking about this new story, but I only have bits and pieces of it scribbled in some notebooks. The rest is all in my head…for now. I have a couple off other projects that are taking priority over this one, but it’ll get written down one day soon.

I’ll leave you with something that is a bit musical, but will probably not inspire anyone (except maybe to run to bed and cover your ears with a pillow). It’s my family’s Thanksgiving Day rendition of a scene from The Sound of Music!

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