Comparing literary techniques
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Flip to reveal answersWhy is ‘both use imagery’ weak?
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Question
Why is ‘both use imagery’ weak?
Answer
True of almost every book — compare the effect, not the label.
Question
Two ways to compare technique?
Answer
Same device / different effects; or different devices / same effect.
Question
What must a technique comparison end on?
Answer
What the difference reveals about each work's meaning.
Question
Which criteria does this serve?
Answer
B1 (authorial choices) and B2 (comparison).
Question
Same device, opposite effect — example?
Answer
Light imagery for hope in one work, for threat in the other.
Question
Different device, same effect — example?
Answer
One builds dread with short sentences, the other with a slow metaphor.
Question
The commonest weak comparison?
Answer
Naming a shared device without comparing its effect.
Question
What is the ‘common ground’?
Answer
The shared technique — the starting point, not the whole point.
Question
Technique comparison in one line?
Answer
Technique → effect → meaning, in BOTH works, compared.
Question
Does the device have to be identical to compare?
Answer
No — different devices reaching one effect is a rich comparison.
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Comparing literary techniques
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