Student Question
What literary techniques are used in Shirley Jackson's "The Morning of June 28, 1948"?
Quick answer:
In "The Morning of June 28, 1948," Shirley Jackson employs alliteration and personification as key literary techniques. Alliteration is evident in phrases like "casual conversation," where consonant sounds are repeated. Personification is used when Jackson describes "heavenly signs" as capable of warning her, attributing human characteristics to inanimate objects. These techniques enrich the narrative, enhancing its descriptive and evocative quality.
Shirley Jackson uses two prominent literary techniques (one of two kinds of literary devices) in her story "The Morning of June 28, 1948." The story is a recollection of the day where her infamous short story "The Lottery" was published in The New Yorker.
1. Alliteration is where a consonant sound is repeated in a line of text. An example of alliteration in the text appears in the first paragraph: "casual conversation."
2. Personification is where inanimate objects or animals are given characteristics typically reserved for humans. An example of personification is found in the text in the second paragraph where Jackson states that no "heavenly signs to warn me that my morning's work was anything but just another story" had appeared. Heavenly signs cannot literally warn a person.
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