Victoria Tabak and Katherine Tovey
Dr. L. Clement
ENG 1111 - FBO
Due Date: September 29th, 2014
Apostrophe
Definition:
An apostrophe is a rhetorical term which is used to directly address a non existent or imaginary person or object as if it were alive and could reply. Or A rhetorical figure in which the speaker addresses a dead or absent person, or an abstraction or inanimate object. (Baldick) In some cases, while addressing an imaginary person or object, it often begins with the exclamation "O" or "Oh". This rhetorical term should not be confused with the punctuation mark of apostrophe (') or the rhetorical device personification. The use of the apostrophe often provides a speaker the opportunity to think aloud. Examples of Apostrophe can be found in many examples of poetry or stories. Famous poets use this figure of speech to convey and emphasize unusual and vivid images. The use of strong word association changes the mode of thought and adds variation, embellishment and adornment to literary works. ( Apostrophe, web) The use of Apostrophe, in most cases, can make the speech, poems, or stories, more effective.
Wilson the volleyball
English: Robert Zemeckis at Tribeca Film Festival ...
Director Robert Zemeckis overseeing the shooting o...The Apostrophe beautifies and emphasizes the piece of work, which is the art of speaking and writing effectively. Figures of speech such as Apostrophe use word association to convey emotion and mood often in a non-literal sense. (Apostrophe, web)
Example from Literature Before 1750:
There are many examples of apostrophe in John Donnes pieces of work. In one of his pieces called "The Sun Rising" the speaker is speaking to the sun as if the sun were present and alive and could talk back to the speaker. While the speaker is lying in bed with his lover, the speaker scolds the rising sun, by calling it a "busy old...