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Pride and prejudice: The irony in grammar.

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  It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. Pride and prejudice: The irony in grammar. Nefertari Vázquez Gómez The opening line of the novel “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen sets a satiric tone. Satire is defined as an “artistic form […] in which human or individual vices, follies, abuses, or shortcomings are held up to censure by means of ridicule, derision, burlesque, irony, parody, caricature, or other methods, sometimes with an intent to inspire social reform¨ (Encyclopædia Britannica.) The opening line uses many devices to achieve this purpose. Among the uses of present simple grammar, we can find two: To talk about general facts that we think are true and permanent at the present time and to talk about general facts that are always true and permanent about the world (Cambridge dictionary). However, the use of “It” as a dummy subject discards the idea that the narrator shares this belief. A ‘dummy’ or ‘

“To Autumn” a self-aware ode.

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Giuseppe Arcimboldo - Autumn, 1573 “To Autumn” a self-aware ode. Vazquez Gómez Nefertari John Keats’ “To Autumn” has been traditionally regarded as the best of Keats’ odes. The following Essay explores the poem under the light of three of the characteristics listed in the definition of the word “Ode” by the Encyclopædia Britannica. The Encyclopædia, defines an ode as “A ceremonious poem on an occasion of public or private dignity in which personal emotion and general meditation are united […] Stesichorus invented the triadic, or three-part, structure.” (Britannica). In the first section, the structure of the poem will be explored under the principles of the Pindaric ode, then the way the poetic object is described will help us emphasize which is the occasion to which the ode is dedicated and this will also help us describe the ceremonial tone of the poem and finally we will explore the imminence of death.  At a first glance the reader can find two characteristics of the poem that may r

Lord Tennyson’s ‘Ulysses’: rhyme and meter

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  “Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.” Lord Tennyson’s ‘Ulysses’: rhyme and meter Nefertari Vázquez Gómez Lord Tennyson’s “Ulysses” is a dramatic monologue in which the persona seems to be Ulysses, the main character in Homer’s Odyssey, since “The Odyssey”, seems to be also the inspiration for this poem. The last two lines (lines 69-70) of Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s “Ulysses” produce a dramatic effect by being placed at the end of the poem. This dramatic effect is achieved by using an anaphora that involves infinitive forms of the verbs and the use of comas. And the use of the anaphora helps resembling an epic poem. If we agree that the persona in the poem is Ulysses, then we may think of the Odyssey directly or indirectly. The Odyssey is an epic poem. An epic poem is an extensive poem that narrates the feats of a hero. Lord Tennyson’s poem achieves to emphasize both the hero and his feats by using lists and the anaphora in the in

The Celestial nature of the human in Wordsworth

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  “Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the milky way,” The Celestial nature of the human in Wordsworth. Nefertari Vázquez Gómez The poem “I wandered lonely as a cloud” by William Wordsworth reflects upon the celestial condition of nature and humans throughout the poem. The poetic voice uses several rhetorical resources to translate that idea into a poem. One example of the resources used for that purpose are verses 7 and 8. The first resource that can be noticed in verse 7 is direct comparison. The voice uses the adverb “as” , this adverb is used in comparisons to refer to the degree of something. (English) Direct comparison is used in other verses of the poem. In verses 1 and 7, in which direct comparison is used, both sentences are comparing something to a celestial body. For example, in verse 1 the poetic voice compares itself to a cloud, and verse number 7 compares the daffodils to the stars. The use of celestial bodies such as clouds and stars makes the reader think

La alegoría al canto en “El jilguero”.

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  “Trigo nuevo de la trilla Tritura el vidrio del trino” La alegoría al canto en “El jilguero”. Nefertari Vázquez Gómez El siguiente ensayo analiza el poema “El jilguero” de Leopoldo Lugones. La hipótesis que se presenta es que en dicho poema la voz poética se encuentra contemplando el canto de un jilguero. La tesis es que los versos 7 y 8 del poema son claros ejemplos de los recursos empleados para este fin, los cuales se presentan a continuación. El primer recurso es la aliteración. La aliteración consiste en la repetición de un sonido. En el caso de los versos 7 y 8, el sonido que se repite es aquel formado por las consonantes “T” y “R” (/tr/) el cual se encuentra presente en las palabras trigo, trilla, tritura y trino . Estas aliteraciones contribuyen a representar el trinar de un jilguero ya que fonéticamente los sonidos se producen en la garganta siendo, específicamente el sonido /r/ un sonido vibrante, esa vibración simbolizaría el canto del ave ya que los pájaros crean sonido

Translation exercises: 3

 Translation exercises: 3 What I mean by tradition involves all those habitual actions, habits and customs, from the most insignificant religious rite to our conventional way of greeting a stranger, which represents the blood relationship of ‘the same people living in the same place’. We are always in danger, in clinging to an old tradition, or attempting to re-establish one, of confusing the vital and the unessential , the real and the sentimental. Our second danger is to associate tradition with the immovable ; to think of it as something hostile to all change; to aim to return to some previous condition which we imagine as having been capable of preservation in perpetuity, instead of aiming to stimulate the life which produced that condition in its time. It is not for advantage to us to indulge in a sentimental attitude towards the past. For one thing, in even the very best living tradition there is always a mixture of good and bad, and much that deserves criticism; and for

Translation Exercises: 2

 Translation Exercises: 2 En ninguna forma el tema de estas líneas serán las divertidas equivocaciones en que con frecuencia incurren los traductores. Se ha escrito ya tanto sobre esto que ese mismo hecho demuestra la inutilidad de hacerlo de nuevo. La experiencia humana no es acumulativa. Cada dos generaciones se plantearán y discutirán los mismos problemas y teorías, y siempre habrá tantos que traduzcan bien y sabios que de vez en cuando metan la pata . Desde que por primera vez traté de traducir algo me convencí de que, si con alguien hay que ser paciente y comprensivo es con los traductores, seres por lo general más bien melancólicos y dubitativos. Cuando digamos en media página me encontré consultando el diccionario en no menos de cinco ocasiones, sentí tanta compasión por quienes viven de ese trabajo que juré no ser nunca uno de ellos, a pesar de que finalmente he terminado traduciendo más de un libro. Estamos en un mundo de traducciones del que hoy ya no podemos escapar. L