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Copyright © 2010 R. Ann Siracusa Cover Art by Kendra Egert Part 2 Chapter Four “We cannot go as yet,” the Nose proclaimed, apparently on behalf of the whole group, since they all nodded in agreement. Bria put a hand on my arm. “I’m shorry m’dear,” she slurred, “but I have to shit down.” Woo! Alcohol fumes. I waved my hand in front of my nose to clear the air. “All right. But just for a minute.” I pointed to a low stone bench against one wall. The rules forbade sitting on the artifacts, but who would know? The pile of violations already reached the ceiling. She grunted, but instead of sitting on the bench, she motioned to the other three women and proceeded to plop down in the center of the circle. Tacita, in her Roman toga, who had not said one word the whole day but had consumed at least twelve bottles of water, followed the old woman. Open-mouthed, I watched her settle into place, flipping her thick blond braid to one side, and thought how much her scowl spoiled the beauty of her narrow face. Rosy-cheeked Lara and apple-blossom Mona joined the other two. The men, including Calogerus, remained with their backs against the walls, almost as though standing guard. Then The Nose pulled away and approached me. “They need a fifth in the circle.” He pointed to where the women sat. “Who says we need a fifth?” Bria demanded, shooting a glare at him that should have peeled off his skin. Maybe that was what had happened to L’Amour. “I do.” Naso tapped his chest with his pencil. “I’m the one who wrote the ritual down in the first place.” “Ritual?” Of its own volition, my voice took on a slightly hysterical edge. Well, maybe I helped a little, but this smacked of more than wandering off and getting lost. “What ritual?” Bria pushed aside her tote bag and tried to stand. “It’seeh my respon-za-bility, P. O.” She must have had more alcohol stashed in her bag, because her blitzo condition had worsened. I. J. Fetrius jumped into the fray, coming between Naso and the circle in the dirt. “Stay back. You cannot cross.” He glanced around at the others, shot his cuffs, and adjusted his tie. “You’re all a flock of helpless sheep without my guidance. You are pathetic. You, Miss Ruby, get in there, and let’s get this over with.” His command seeped through my state of shock. Moi? “Get what over with?” “Just do it!” I gave that at least twenty seconds of consideration. I couldn’t fight them physically, and I didn’t want them running around getting lost again. At least they were all together this way, and none of them seemed inclined to split. And Will should arrive any minute. Cooperating would buy the time he needed to get down here with the security guards. “All right,” I agreed with a reluctant nod. “As long as it doesn’t take too long.” I stepped inside the circle and sat in the space left for me between Lara and Mona, while Bria dragged her satchel to her and began rummaging around inside. “Here we go.” She pulled out three sticks of incense, holding them between three fingers, and handed them to Lara. “You hold these. Three fingers only.” Then she reached again into the tote and pulled out something small and fury. Grasping it by its long tail, she handed it to Tacita. “Bury it.” Tacita wrinkled her nose with distaste, but began clawing at the earth between stones with her fingernails, trying to dig a hole. "Eew!” Mona held her nose. “How long have you had this thing in there?” “Cut the drama-goddess routine,” Bria scolded. “It’s fresh. I trapped it in the hotel this morning at the breakfast buffet.” “Fresh or not, it stinks,” Lara complained. “I don’t remember anything about using a dead mouse.” “Is that really a mouse?” I demanded, as though I couldn’t see. If it looks like a dead mouse, and smells like a dead mouse, it’s a dead mouse. The old woman tapped Tacita’s knuckles with the spoon. “Here stupid, use this. Did you think I didn’t bring something to dig with?” Then she turned to Mona. “You build the fire.” She handed some twigs and matches to the redhead. “A fire!” I screeched. Things were definitely getting out of hand. Will and security could not arrive a moment too soon. “Wait. You’re defacing a national monument. This is an historic site.” “Just hold on a second, young lady. I can’t talk now. I have to roll these around in my mouth.” Bria opened a Zip Lock baggie, shook seven black beans into her hand, then popped them into her mouth. After shoving them to the side of her cheek with her tongue like a chipmunk, she shouted, “Who’s got the fish?” Immediately, Calogerus stood by the circle holding out a plastic bag filled with water and a goldfish swimming around inside. Where did that come from? Walmart? Then I remembered the cargo pockets. Well, why not? That made about as much sense as the rest of it. “I’ve got it,” the boy announced. Bria’s face reddened. “You nit.” she shouted around the beans in her mouth. “You were supposed to bring a dead one.” The boy shrugged, popped open the bag and dumped the contents on the ground. The earthen floor sucked up the water, leaving the fish flopping about, fighting for oxygen. After a few seconds of heavy panting, it stopped wiggling. “It’s dead now.” He picked it up by the tail and tossed it across the circle to Tacita, careful not to put his hand inside. “Holy mackerel,” I cried, rising half off the floor. “I don’t think it’s a mackerel,” Lara said, pulling me down. Without a word, Tacita moved her hands over the goldfish, then passed it to Bria who smeared something black over its head. “Tacita rules over the dead,” Mona whispered to me. “She’s mute, you know.” “No shit.” My eyes widened as I spoke. When I ceased controlling my language, I had definitely lost it. Forcing my eyes closed, I prayed that when I opened them I would be at home in bed waking up from a bad dream. “Here, take it.” My eyes popped open. No such luck. No bed. Just the bottom of a catacomb and ten loonies in Halloween costumes. Bria held the fish out to me. Screwing up my face, I took the tail between two fingers and held it away from me. Where the hell is the cavalry? Desperation clawed at me. “So, what do I do with it?” In response, Bria reached up to her grey hair, pulled back into a tight bun, and drew out a long bronze needle. In her coiffure, it had looked decorative, but when she handed it to me, I realized how sharp it was. “Skewer the fish and roast it over Mona’s fire.” Oh, man. My job didn’t pay me enough for this kind of stuff. It was an effort just to keep my eyeball in my head. “Then what happens?” “Be quiet and do it,” Fetrius boomed behind me. “I’ve got other places I have to be tonight. Let’s get this over with. I don’t know why I have to be here, anyway.” Tacita glared at him, teeth bared, and made a hissing sound. Lara's face screwed into an ugly stare which she directed at Fetrius. “Because it was all your fault,” she yelled at him. “If you hadn’t ripped out Mom’s tongue‒” “You and Lars wouldn’t be around,” he snapped, cutting of her bitter words. “You should be grateful.” “Can I stab the fish?” Calogerus interrupted, still standing beside the circle. I gaped at him in horror. I have to humor them and play along. Otherwise, we might never get out of here. This was just too weird. “No. I’ll do it.” I girded my loins, so to speak, clamped my teeth together, then ran the needle through the fish. Holding out my arm, I held the poor demised critter over the small fire. Suddenly, Bria screeched at full volume, “I have gagged the spiteful tongues!” Jumping a good foot off the ground, I cried, “Holy mackerel!” Lara leaned into me. “I told you, it’s not a mackerel. It’s a goldfish.” My eyes blinked. “Right. Whatever.” By now, a migraine brewed at the base of my skull. My stomach ached as though I’d been eating lead-based paint. “I have muzzled unfriendly mouths!” Bria shouted again. My hand jerked at the second outburst, and I burned my finger. “Ouch!” I dropped the fish into the fire. “Oh, darn. Is that going to screw things up?” Lara patted my hand. “No problem. That part’s done.” “There’s more?” “I’m done. I’m out of here.” Fetrius announced impatiently. “No, you have to wait,” I yelled. Was I getting into this, or what? “We all have to go together.” “She’s right,” Bria agreed, heaving herself to her feet. “My part is finished, too, but since we have to wait, I.J., you can take charge of the Lemuria, too.” “I shall not.” “Stick out your hand.” Bria approached him and glared up his tall form. “No!” But he extended his hand, palm up. Bria spit the black beans into it and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “Your turn.” Fetrius stared at the beans. “There are only seven. I’ll need nine.” “You’re the top dog, and you think you know everyting.” Bria sneered. “Improvise.” “This is so disgusting.” Fetrius screwed up his face with distaste. “Who’s got the bronze pot?” He looked around the room at the men. Andy of the Greek armor persuasion stepped away from the wall. “I do,” he boomed in a deep full voice. “Let’s get this over with, then. Who’s got water?” Tacita picked up the capped bottle in front of her and threw it at Fetrius, hitting him in the stomach. He doubled over, letting out a loud “Oof!” but managed to catch the bottle with his free hand, then glared at the woman in the toga. “After all these years, you’re still pissed about Mercury, aren’t you, Tacita? Well, you brought it on yourself.” He opened the plastic bottle with his teeth, spit out the cap, and poured the water over the beans. “You could have waited to give me these, Bria. Is everyone ready?” Hand still dripping, he turned away from the circle and tossed a bean over his shoulder, crying out, “These I cast. With these beans I redeem me and mine.” Behind him Andy pounded on the pot with his sword and shouted, “Ghosts of my fathers and ancestors, be gone.” Fetrius threw another bean over his shoulder and repeated, “This I cast. With these beans I redeem me and mine.” Again, Andy banged on the pot. “Ghosts of my fathers and ancestors, be gone.” I leaned toward Lara again. “How many times do they do this?” “Usually nine, but he’s a couple of beans short.” Only a couple? “Then what happens?” “Shh.” After the third bean casting and the pot banging, there came a horrible howl from behind us. Fetrius didn’t turn, but I did just as L’Amour, the ghost man, screamed and moaned and collapsed on the floor. His stench permeated the cavern. The fourth bean took flight. More racket. Renewed moaning and writhing. More eew! While L’Amour hadn’t won my “favorite of the day” award, I drew the line at torture, even torture by bean tossing. I tucked my knees under me in a position to rise. Lara rested her hand lightly on my forearm. “No. You must stay in the circle. It is dangerous to break it. Think about it, Harriet. You will understand… and you will benefit.” I sank back down and blew out a long breath. Again, L’Amour screamed, although now the wails seemed weaker and further away. “Is he going to be all right?” My voice shook. The light was beginning to dawn. Through the confusion, bits and pieces of mythology came alive in my brain and began to fit together into a recognizable pattern. She shook her head. “He will go, and all will be well. For him… and also for you.” Squeezing my lids tight, I attempted to block out the rest of the ritual. In comparison, the roasting goldfish part hadn’t been so bad, after all. With the Lemuria ritual completed, Fetrius turned and studied the heap of limp black cloth that pooled on the floor where L’Amour had stood. Andy, without his pot, walked over to the place and from his belt pouch took something fine and granular and sprinkled it over the black nothingness. Then he chanted the words, “Fathers, thy graves are honored. Honored spirits, be appeased.” Silently, Mona rose and stood beside Andy while she took off her crown. “But she broke the cir‒” I began. “Shh!” Mona hissed at me with annoyance and continued, “We can use this instead of a wreathed tile.” She placed the twig and apple-blossom crown on the black stain and looked around at the others. “Where is the bread soaked in wine?” Bria joined Andy and Mona. Wiggling her stout form between the two, she put her arms around their waists. “I’m afraid we ate that for lunch,” she confessed with contrition. “Do you think we can get along without it?” Everyone gaped at her, but no one spoke. Finally, Andy shook his head in dismay. “I suppose we can. It’s been a long time since I’ve done this. Just don’t barf it up.” He sighed and shook his head with regret. “The dead are placated. Poor lemures.” Bria nodded. “It was time. They needed a rest. I told you this new religion was going to be trouble. No one has taken care of these things for a couple thousand years. Slackers, all of them.” At some point in the past half hour, my usually fertile imagination had faltered and gone on vacation. Baffled and numb, I glanced around the room. Lars still stood guard at the door, his eyes filled with suspicion. The Nose wrote furiously on his notepad. Calogerus sat crossed legged on the floor, spinning the charred goldfish on the bronze needle and giggling. Fetrius smacked Andy lightly on the shoulder. “Always the promoter of piety, Aeneas. Can we leave now?” he demanded. “A being in my position is in great demand. I’ve got other obligations.” Lars came alive for the first time. “Soon, perhaps. I hear them coming.” Them? Who's them? I listened, but heard nothing other than the stirring of the folks within the chamber as they began blotting out all signs of the rituals that had taken place there. “Help me erase the circle,” Bria commanded the others. Sagging against the wall, I allowed my body to slide down until I sat on the floor with my back against the cold stone. From there, watching them scurry about, I couldn't help wondered if they intended to dig up the mouse. Think about it, Lara had advised, as though she expected me to have the information stored somewhere in my gray matter. Well hidden, but there. What did I know? This was Halloween, prelude to the Day of the Dead. We were in the Roman catacombs, a cemetery. These odd folks had performed mysterious and ancient rituals. What was the connection? Halloween. Samhain. Feralia. Lemuria. “That’s it!” My shout brought stares from the others and a smile from Lara, the Roman policewoman. The guardia. The Guardian. “Of course!” I sprang to my feet and dashed to where Lara smoothed the earth to cover the last remnants of poor L’Amour. 'Poor lemures,' Andy had said. Lemures... the Roman word for the spirits of the dead. It was lemure, then, not L’Amour. A ghost. A restless spirit. Lares and Lararia, not Lars and Lara. The mythical Guardians of Rome, twin offspring of the god Mercury and the water nymph Dea Tacita ‒ no wonder Tacita had put away so much water without ever using the restroom ‒ the mute goddess who ruled the underworld. Jupiter had cut out her tongue for cheating on him with Mercury and sent her to rule the dead. Then I heard the distant thud of footsteps coming from the mouth of the passageway. My pulse quickened. My connection with Will sizzled like electricity through my body. All my senses shifted to full alert. He’s here. “Quick, Lara. They’re coming for us. You’re one of the Lares ‒ the Guardians of Rome, right? Lars is Lares, your twin. And Fetrius, he’s the god Iuupiter Fetetrius? Jupiter?” Pleased, Lara’s lips curled into a smile. “I knew you’d figure it out.” I shook her arm. “Tell me the whole story.” “No time. Do some research on the Internet. Look up Jupiter Fetetrius and the water nymph Juturna, or just Feralia. You talked about it earlier. You’ll find your answers.” “You said something would happen to me, too. That won't be on the internet. Tell me... please." “Harriet!” Will’s muffled shout filtered through the tunnels. My heart leaped. Hand in hand, relief and joy tap-danced through my arteries. Thank God. Lara smiled with approval. “Think about what we have done, Harriet. Bria silenced unfriendly mouths. Jupiter Fetetrius exorcized dead ghosts and sent them home. Aeneas ‒ you called him Andy, I think ‒ honored the grave of neglected spirits and placated them. And Ovid recorded it all.” Now that I had a handle on it, recollections of Greek and Roman mythology flooded back into my mind. “Naso was the poet Ovid’s surname, wasn’t it? But tell me one more thing, who the heck is Calogerus?” The Guardian shrugged. “I haven’t a clue. He might have been one of the Christian martyrs, but he just showed up and wanted to help. None knows who he belongs to.” Chapter Five “Harriet! Can you hear me?” Will’s voice sounded much closer now.
I straightened and shouted, “Will! I’m here.” Lara cocked her head in the direction of the door. “The man calling you. He will tell you what has changed,” she assured me. At once, my thoughts shifted to Will’s nightmares. No more nightmares? No more bad dreams? No more unfriendly accusing voices in his head? No more angst over the past? With the ghosts of his murdered parents placated and sent to their rest, perhaps our relationship could survive, after all. “Harriet! Can you hear me?” Will’s voice sounded much closer now. Running toward the door to the chamber, waving both hands, I yelled, “Will! I’m here.” Lara cocked her head in the direction of the door. I glanced at my watch. It was only ten minutes after six. We hadn’t been down here much more than thirty minutes. It seemed hours. “But‒” That’s when Will and five men from Security burst in, finding the nine tourists and me waiting to be rescued from a dimly lit, musty cavern where all appeared as though we had just arrived there. I threw myself into Will’s arms and sobbed against his muscled chest. “I knew you’d find us.” He pressed me close, his throbbing heart pounding in rhythm with mine, its strong steady beat feeding my growing sense of well-being. “You scared me, Tiger,” he whispered. “I was afraid something had happened to you.” My usually reliable organs seized. Perhaps later, at a more appropriate time, I could find a way to tell him my story and ask about his mental health. Later! For once, I put a sock in it. Instead, with my arms around his neck, I pulled his head down and pressed my lips to his. His kiss, at first warm and light, deepened until the bottom dropped out of my stomach, and my whole body clenched. I loved him so much. Every eyes in the room, maybe even the fish's, watched us. I could almost feel them boring into our souls... and I didn’t care. Peace and contentment seemed to descend on us, wrapping us in silken cords. All the tension and discord, all the doubt that separated us when he’d left on his trip, had dissipated. He was with me. His arms enfolded me. I was safe, and everything would be right again. Afterward, I couldn’t remember how we got out of the depths of the catacombs. I couldn’t remember climbing the stairs or making a statement to the head of Security and the Carabiniere on duty. I couldn’t remember what happened to Calogerus without an adult chaperon. I couldn’t remember Will driving me home. But three things did stick in my conscious mind. I remembered the complete harmony between Will and me… and the trick-or-treating. There was no problem recalling the way reality readjusted, as though our missing companion, L’Amour, had never existed. I, alone, was aware there had been fourteen tourists who entered the catacombs with me, but only thirteen names appeared on my written list. The San Callisto ticket office had issued only fourteen tickets, including mine. And I shall never forget that when I helped my people climb onto the bus, only forty-five minutes behind schedule, they looked exactly like your average tired tourists after a long day, dressed in ordinary run-of-the-mill Halloween garb and chatting cheerfully about the costume party they were scheduled to attend at dinner. Nothing more. Nothing less… except for seven black beans in my trouser pocket. ■ I HAVE A PROBLEM The main character in my contemporary series is a tour guide who travels to many countries and has people from everywhere in her tour groups. Hence, I must create characters from ethnic groups and cultures that I am not part of. These characters must be believable and real, and I want to do this without unintentionally writing something that is offensive to members of other cultures I’m writing about. That dilemma prompted this blog about how to write characters from other ethnic groups and cultures. Personally, I start from the point of view that God created us all equal. Humans have two legs and two arms with one head and a brain that is capable of unbelievable things. Our bodies and internal organs are the same no matter where we are from. Our basic human needs and fears are the same. It is what happens at birth and afterward that creates the differences in people. The experience of living and surviving is unique to every person. You can’t live in anyone else’s skin or know exactly their thoughts and feelings, but the closer your experiences are to those of the other person, the easier it is to empathize and to come closer to real understanding. “I suspect most people feel more or less the same when being chased by bees.” Max Gladstone in intellectusspecul-max-gladstone-on-bees SHOULD WHITE AUTHORS WRITE ABOUT CHARACTERS OF OTHER ETHNIC AND CULTURAL BACKGROUNDS? The consensus seems to be that they should. After all, we live in a diverse world. In most contemporary settings – even in most historical novels -- an all-white cast of characters would be odd, as it hardly reflects reality. So yes, a white author can write a diverse cast… and will learn something in the process. In both contemporary and historical novels, if a writer is being realistic, it’s hard to find a time and place without at least some representation from people of other races or cultures who could show up at least as secondary characters, if not primary, depending on the type of novel, location, and time. The second part of this answer, however, is that the writers must do their homework. Research! Research! Research! Then be respectful and understand which lines not to cross. Mya Nunnally [bookriot.com/casually-racist-things-that-white-authors-do/] writes: “It’s hard to explain the importance of representation to someone who doesn’t understand. But it’s like not having a good parent to look up to. You don’t have a positive image of what you can be. When you’re a young child of color and all around you are stories and movies and television about white children, you internalize the idea that hey—maybe my story isn’t as important as theirs.” TAKING ON THE TASK The following applies to primary and secondary characters who have an impact on the story, not to pass-through characters. It is less relevant with minor characters who come and go throughout the novel without a significant role, but they still need some descriptors including ethnicity and/or culture. ● Ask The Big Questions What is my purpose in writing this? Who do I expect to be my audience? These are questions the author should ask himself regardless of what kind of novel he is writing. Then, is the intended theme of the novel about ethnicity/ culture or is it a mainstream theme with characters who are persons of color? Whatever you are writing, and particularly if your target audience is primarily white, this is an opportunity to add diversity to your books in ways that help other white people understand and embrace the similarities we all share as human beings. Remember the bees. Are you willing to do the work? If you are writing a 500 page historical POC family saga, you are in for a lot of research. Be sure you know what kind of novel you intend to write and your purpose in writing it. ● Research! Massive research! Start by clearing your mind of everything you think you know about that ethnicity and culture. Be cautious of allowing friendships within the specific ethnic/ cultural group to be your only source of information. Even a multitude of friends can’t represent everything about the entire history or culture. Look at your own ethnicity/ culture and think about how many differences there are between you other people you know in the same group. You will find many differences in background and experiences, even if you are all of the same ethnic group. Just don't try to cram everything you've learned into the novel; only use the parts pertinent to the story. ● Read Read literature written by and for the group you want to depict. Also read or view anything you can which expresses the group members unhappiness with the way they are portrayed in the media and thought of by the general public. Read examples of white writers who handle ethnicity well, and maybe one who doesn’t. Kelly Nichols and Kris Montee -- two sisters who write as P. J. Parrish – are a good example of writing a POC as the main character. They are so successful at writing their Louis Kincaid series, that the editor who bought the first book thought it had been written by a black man. ● Persist Hang in there, even when your feelings are hurt, you are overwhelmed with “white guilt”, or become defensive. Kayla Ancrum says [mediadiversified.org/how-to-write-women/men-of-colour], "This blinding rage some People of Color have for white people is not born of bigoted prejudice, but rather from old hurt. Or fear. Or pain.” You must must must disassociate your personal feelings about the issues and just sit quietly and listen and not get emotional. The purpose is to educate yourself about the issues that this group – and the character you want to write about – has strong feelings about and discuss in their everyday life. ● Be Aware of Ethnicity Do not have your white characters pretend People of Color are not POC. White people and POC see the difference in each other. That isn’t to say they can’t interact, be friends, treat the each other with respect, etc, but they are aware of the difference. Mixed race people are often very cognizant of their racial perception and where and how they fit in. When you write such a character, they should have that awareness. Readers should identify with your character’s human characteristics over everything else. ● Turn About Is Fair Play Right now, most of the articles available on this subject are about white writers trying to create characters of color or different cultural backgrounds. That’s to be expected since the majority of the authors are white. However, white people are not homogeneous and do not come from the same cultural backgrounds any more than persons of color do. When anyone, white or a person of color, writes a character, just as much research about era, location and cultural background is necessary for the time and place. Most likely, the person of color or other culture doesn’t know about a white person’s ethnicity and culture, nor understand their attitudes, values, and mindset. It should be a learning experience for a POC author as well. ● Use a Beta Reader Have one or more Beta readers from your character’s ethnic or cultural group to assess your work and keep you on the right track. BE AWARE OF THE PITFALLS My opinion is that the major pitfalls can be avoided if the writer has done the research I keep harping about, and is aware of being respectful and sensitive. The following pitfalls are very important to POC readers. ● White by Default White by default is a sticky wicket and is as much a writing issue as a sensitivity issue. In many novels, when characters are introduced, only those persons of color are called out. That leaves the reader with the idea that everyone else is white if not identified as something else. This doesn’t bother most white writers, but it does bother the readers who are not white. It may cause younger readers to ask, “Aren’t there other people like me out there?” So, what's the option? You can't introduce every character by mentioning their ethnicity. The rule of thumb is that pass-through characters who never show up again in the novel [the waiter, the maid, the bank teller] and have no impact, are not described at all or with only one descriptor [e.g. the waiter with the big Roman nose]. Writing primary and secondary characters require the heavy-duty research and a Beta reader if possible. Minor characters who show up now and then, or who are there but have little or no role in the outcome are usually described often by actions as well as unique things about their looks [e.g. the maid with with the limp]. All characters need to be introduced by showing, not a feature-by-feature description, which will probably solve the introducing only white or only POC characters. Physical character description should be more than skin tone. Show the reader hair, eyes, noses, mouth, hands. Body posture, body shape, skin texture… though not all of those nor at once. ● Avoid Stereotypes Stereotypes are a no-no in every type of writing. It’s lazy writing; a shorthand used to make quick descriptions of minor characters. When a writer does this, it’s easy to fall back on stereotypes. All your characters should possess a fully realized, well-rounded personalities. After all, not all Japanese are good at math or a master at martial arts. Stereotypes are particularly noticeable in clothes, hairstyles, professions, and dialogue. ● Do Not Describe People Of Color Using Foods If I learned one thing, it is that People of Color do not like having their skin colors described as a food color. Mya Nunnally [bookriot.com/casually-racist-things-that-white-authors-do/] explains that first, this kind of description is usually applied to people of color. Second, “People of color have a shisorty of being used for slave labor involving food, especially coffee, chocolate, and so on. /the words you use have a historical context. Be aware of them." Don’t despair if one of your latino characters has “skin the color of caramel.” There are plenty of other ways to describe skin tone, including flowers and earthtones. Here are a few listed in "writingwithcolor.tumblr.com/words-for-skin-tone". • Basic colors ▲ • Wood Tones ▲ • Metals Tones ▲ • Some Flower Tones ▲ ● Writing Dialogue in Black Dialect Black English is a dialect of English, not standard English using bad grammar or slang. The dialect is African-American Vernacular (AAVE), and should be researched the same as any unfamiliar dialect. The name for the dialect was suggested in 1975 by a Black scholar. Even though it was never formally adopted by linguists, the dialect has its own rules and structure. Don’t wing it! Scholars still argue about what AAVE should be called, leaning one way or another at different times. This probably why our white population isn’t familiar with either the name or the concept of it being a dialect. At this point in time, this is the name to use when researching. ● The Faithful Sidekick Ever since – and maybe before -- Author Fran Striker wrote the “Lone Ranger” series of books, first released in 1936, the only person of color [if there was one in the story] was the hero’s sidekick or maybe the villain. Those works in themselves were surprising for the time to have one lone POC character. Be cautious when you use a POC as a sidekick. At least make the character a full blown person with the appropriate feelings and mindset for the time and place, and give him or her a significant role. ● The White Savior Another pitfall is the novel with the white person who “saves the natives”, presumably because they can’t do it themselves. The movie “Avatar” is a good example. After it opened with great box office success, a deluge of blogposts, tweets and articles claimed the movie was "a fantasy about race told from the point of view of white people" and that it reinforces "the white Messiah fable." The lead actress, Robinne Lee, who is black with Jamaican and Chinese ancestry, said, “It's really upsetting in many ways. It would be nice if we could save ourselves." cbsnews.com/racist-theme-in-avatar/ TAKE AWAYS
There is a lot more to be discussed about diversity in writing novels… just look at the number of sources. Across the board, we all need to respect the rights and dignity of others and to be aware of and sensitive to those things that hurt or denigrate others.The more the topic is addressed in the writing community, the better we will get at mutually dismantling inequality. Writing a POC character in a book with sensitivity and understanding may seem a small step, but every step in the right direction counts. JUST SAYIN ■ Sources: https://medium.com/thrive-global/24-things-that-only-writers-know-from-writers-464c0a625bb7 https://nelsonagency.com/2017/01/can-white-authors-write-characters-of-color/ https://midnightbreakfast.com/writing-people-of-color https://www.springhole.net/writing/offensivemistakes.htm https://writingtheother.com/writing-characters-of-different-races/ https://justinelarbalestier.com/blog/2016/06/20/how-to-write-protagonists-of-colour-when-youre-white/ https://writersrelief.com/2018/02/15/characters-different-ethnicities-writers-relief/ https://midnightbreakfast.com/writing-people-of-color https://indefeasible.wordpress.com/2008/03/23/writing-about-characters-of-a-different-race/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Understanding https://clairelight.typepad.com/seelight/2006/09/almond_eyes.html https://writingwithcolor.tumblr.com/post/96830966357/writing-with-color-description-guide-words-for https://cypheroftyr.com/2016/05/20/so-you-want-to-describe-a-poc-character/ https://writingwithcolor.tumblr.com/post/95955707903/skin-writing-with-color-has-received-several https://www.nap.edu/read/1785/chapter/8 http://authorelizaandrews.com/on-writing-about-race-when-youre-white/ https://nelsonagency.com/2017/01/can-white-authors-write-characters-of-color/ https://intellectusspeculativus.wordpress.com/2015/07/16/guest-post-max-gladstone-on-bees-and-diversity/ https://justinelarbalestier.com/blog/2016/06/20/how-to-write-protagonists-of-colour-when-youre-white/ https://writingtheother.com/writing-characters-of-different-races/ https:/www.writersdigest.com/wd-books/characters-and-viewpoint-excerpt http://www.countriesandcultures.com/spanish-stereotypes-of-americans/ https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/discussion/why-do-we-read-and-write-novels https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF02167900 https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-practical-differences-between-intellectual-and-emotional-empathy http://www.journal.kfionline.org/issue-6/this-matter-of-intellectual-understanding https://intellectusspeculativus.wordpress.com/2015/07/16/guest-post-max-gladstone-on-bees-and-diversity/ https://bookriot.com/casually-racist-things-that-white-authors-do/ https://bookriot.com/white-as-the-default/ http://udel.edu/~dlarsen/ling101/slides/AAE.pdf https://writingwithcolor.tumblr.com/post/96830966357/words-for-skin-tone-how-to-describe-skin-color https://www.dictionary.com/e/united-states-diversity-african-american-vernacular-english-aave/ https://cynthialeitichsmith.com/2014/02/writing-tonto-wise-cracking-minority/ https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MightyWhitey https://www.cbsnews.com/news/racist-theme-in-avatar/ Paper by Rebecca S. Wheeler at the Workshop of Language, Westport, Connecticut 1999 Title: African American English is not Standard English with Mistakes. https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/10/16/the-effects-of-seeing-asian-americans-as-a-model-minority/model-minority-seems-like-a-compliment-but-it-does-great-harm https://mediadiversified.org/2013/12/19/how-to-write-women-of-colour-and-men-of-colour-if-you-are-white/ http://www.criminalelement.com/writing-where-your-protagonist-is-a-different-culture-or-race-john-keyse-walker-sun-sand-murder-comment-sweepstakes/ https://wendyallott.com/2018/02/07/what-should-you-consider-when-writing-characters-who-are-have-a-different-race-religion-gender-or-sexual-preference-to-you/ https://intellectusspeculativus.wordpress.com/2015/07/16/guest-post-max-gladstone-on-bees-and-diversity/https://intellectusspeculativus.wordpress.com/2015/07/16/guest-post-max-gladstone-on-bees-and-diversity/ https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-practical-differences-between-intellectual-and-emotional-empathy https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/10/16/the-effects-of-seeing-asian-americans-as-a-model-minority/model-minority-seems-like-a-compliment-but-it-does-great-harm THE ANCIENT POWER OF SOLAR POWER “The Solar Industry Has Been Waiting 60 Years For This To Happen — And It Finally Just Did” businessinsider.com.au/sola (2014) When it comes to solar power, the headline from the Business Insider is off by several thousand years off. Millennia prior to human reliance on fossil fuels for energy, electricity, and heat, people relied on the sun for the comforts and necessities of life. The sun was revered by many ancient cultures, often as a god, but certainly as the most powerful element of their world. The concept of using solar power for general purposes it not a modern one. The Egyptians were the first civilization known to use solar energy on a large scale to heat their homes. Egyptian houses were designed to store heat in thick building walls during the day, which then released the heat after the sun went down to warm the interiors at night. Many civilizations are known to use techniques for putting solar energy to work heating homes and buildings and many other things.
Furthermore, some researchers believe that the ancient Egyptians developed highly-polished bronze mirrors that were strategically placed at the entrance of monuments and inside them to allow solar energy and sun rays to enter the building, lighting it up. “The Greeks used the power of the sun by focusing its energy through a magnifying glass, to start their cooking fires. Sun power was also a major consideration in siting buildings. “Socrates taught classes on the art of passive solar architecture—how to build houses and other buildings to best take advantage of the sun’s light and energy.” cleanchoiceenergy.com/Ancient_Solar Ancient Greek Housing Ancient House - Hippocrates Garden Cultural Center Image Source: pinterest.com/pin/687a Image Source: kosexplorer.com/place/ancient-house The city of Olynthus in northern Greece became the first solar city of ancient Greece (4th century BC). Its streets were designed so that every house could face south. The ancient Greeks, Romans, Native Americans, and Chinese also used similar techniques to help regulate the temperature in their homes. The Romans applied the same principles to heating their public baths, which could be quite large. Image Source: crystalinks.com/romebaths.html THE HISTORY OF SOLAR PANELS The prehistory of the solar panel began in 1839 when 19-year-old physicist named Edmond Becquerel (French) was working on the coating of platinum electrodes using silver chloride. He discovered a rise in voltage on exposure to light, and the effect was named the photovoltaic effect Twenty years later no one had conceived the notion of the solar panel. It wasn’t even a glimmer in the eye of another Frenchman, Augustin Mouchot, when he predicted that eventually coal would be used up and invented a solar steam engine. Augustin Mouchot’s solar engine Image credit: Academie De Touraine Image Source: ecotality.com/history-of-solar-panels/ By 1883, American inventor Charles Fritts had devised the first proper “working” photovoltaic cell. The cell was fashioned from Selenium and had an efficiency of only one percent (1%.). The modules were constructed by coating a wide plate of copper with selenium and then topped it with an extremely thin semi-transparent layer of gold leaf, producing current that was continuous and constant. In 1884 Fritts installed the first roof mounted solar panels in the work in New York City. Charles Fritts solar panels installed, NY(1884) Image Credit: Smithsonian Magazine Image Source: ecotality.com/history-of-solar-panels/ Over the next two decades research continued on the photoelectric effect and solar cells. In a famous paper published in 1905, Einstein explained the photovoltaic (PV) effect and postulated that light had an attribute that had not yet been recognized. Einstein said light contains packets of energy which he called light quanta (now called photons). The mid-twentieth century marks an important era of developments in solar panels. American engineer Russell Ohl made the groundbreaking discovery of the P-N junction where light causes electrons to flow from negative to positive, resulting in electrical current. He also invented the first modern cell using the P-N junction. Today’s PV cell is a lot similar to Ohl’s cell. Russell Ohl - Image Soiurce: computerhope.com/1987.htm In April, 1954 a slightly modified wafer of silicon, called a "solar cell", that converted sunlight directly into electrical energy was unveiled by Bell Telephone Laboratories in Murray Hill, NJ. The solar cell was an outgrowth of transistor research. It worked at an efficiency of six percent (6%), comparable to gasoline engines at the time. The Bell scientists believed that the efficiency figure could be raised to 10 per cent through normal engineering techniques. Daryl Chapin, Gerald Pearson, and Calvin Fuller of Bell Laboratories, publicly demonstrated the first photovoltaic cell. It powered a toy Ferris wheel and a radio transmitter. The Bell Labs Team Image Credit: Greentech Media Image Source: : ecotality.com/history-of-solar-panels/ A solar water heater dated 1929 Image Credit: Library of Congress Image Source: businessinsider.com.au/solar-water-heater Since the 1970 the idea of solar heating and solar power has been catching on slowly – boosted later on by the federal and state incentives -- and the sophistication and efficiency of the panels have been steadily improving. Many experimental houses were built under the auspices of universities as part of the early ecology/ save-the-planet movement before there was any public awareness of environmental impacts and no “green” movement. Example of 1970s panels - Image Source: Meadowvale Solar Home 1977 (Canada) dreamstime.com/old-solar-panel-1970 Image Credit: Ottawa: Division of Building Research, National Research Council - Image Source: activehistory.ca/solar-heating-in-1970s The Meadowvale Solar Home was an experimental home was built in 1977 to test the application of solar heating technology in Canada. While a success, it provided heat far less efficiently than the WATSUN model calculated and experienced many more technical problems than the model projected. [Picture Provided by: B. E. Sibbett and H. Jung, Performance of the Meadowvale Solar System (1981)]. THE UGLY-ROOF ERA As popularity of using solar energy primarily for heating grew, so did the costs of the improved panels and the labor to install. According to solarenergyworld.com, “some people who claim to be pro-environment say they won’t go solar because they do not like how the panels look. This is surprising considering the devastating effect fossil fuels have had on the health of our planet. This proves beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”
One of the reasons solar panels are basically unattractive is because the people who build them – Giving them the benefit of the doubt -- are guided by size and the best and longest exposure to the sun. Aesthetics don’t mean much to a contractor who installs panels. The stark contrast between the solar panel in the second photo and the roofing material is not aesthetically pleasing. Layout looks helter skelter Forgotten trampoline on roof Visible boxes and power lines Source of Images: evelectricity.com/solar In the first photo above, the materials don't look well together but it would look better with a racking system that allows for mounting the panels closer to the roof. In the second photo, the height and size make it appear that someone forgot their trampoline on the roof. The third photo is the way the side of the house looks from the street. Very unattractive. Of course, most of us have to approach the purchase (or rental) of solar panels from the position of having to retrofit existing housing. Cost is always a factor. These kinds of solutions have been what the average Joe in the US can afford with or without government incentives. New construction has always offered more pleasant alternatives to the roof panel. 21st CENTURY INNOVATION SAVES THE DAY Only in recent years have the technology and materials been developed to solve these problems. Now days, the entire roof of the house can be the solar energy system for the home. “Small solar panels are typically miniature or technologically advanced versions of larger systems. This can range from a small solar panel of few solar cells wired together to make a small but easy-to-use solar panel, to nano-materials that are invisible to the naked eye but still produce electric current. Small solar panels can also be found in radio sets, transmitters, calculators and other portable appliances.” solarenergyfactsblog.com/small-solar-panels/ Today, solar panels and miniaturized solar cells come in a variety of forms and colors. Coming Soon - Spray-On Solar Panels New spray-on solar technology can turn all windows and other exposed surfaces into solar panels. A film of light absorbing meta-nano-particles is sprayed on surfaces like windows to make them capable of trapping the sunlight and converting it to electricity. Perhaps one of the most advanced solar inventions, spray-on films can generate electricity on see-through glass and even exterior walls. However, this technology is still mostly restricted to the lab. Tiny spray on solar panel - Image Source: solarenergyfactsblog.com/ Thin Film Solar Panels Thin film solar panels, which are comprised of a super-thin, flexible film, can be quite small and suited to specific purposes (like solar calculators). Their flexibility means that can be used almost anywhere and they’re finding more real-world applications as time goes on. Thin film solar panels - Image Source: solarenergyfactsblog.com/ Solar Shingles and Tiles Solar shingles are a variation of solar panels in the form of roof tiles. These solar panels resemble roofing tiles in size and texture and can be used for a (possibly) more aesthetically pleasing solar array. Modern solar tiles which use copper indium gallium selenide semiconductor films are cost effective and efficient. There are now a variety of these on the market.Solar Shingles - Image Source: solarenergyfactsblog.com/ This prefabricated home below has a roof made up of solar panels that do not call attention to themselves as such. Architect: Richard Pedranti. A pitched roof optimizes the RPA Prefab LivingHome 1 Image Source: dwell.com/article/plant-prefab-livinghomes Below is the sample house built by Tesla Company using One of the several Tesla Roof Tiles.
Solar panels can be used in off-grid applications, allowing extremely remote homes that are too far from the utility grid to have electricity for the first time. A small solar installation can even be coupled with batteries to create micro-grids shared by several communities, allowing remote villages to have electricity for the very first time. This house in the UK has a roof made of roof tube Source of Images: /roof-tube.co.uk/no-more-ugly-solar-panels/
VARIETY OF USES In addition to heating houses and other buildings, solar energy is used to power many other things, many of which people see everyday. I found one use, however, that really surprised me. The French have built the first solar panel road in the world. It runs for 1 kilometer through the small village of Tourouvre-au-Perche, in Normandy. It is the first “trial” piece of the French government’s initiative to cover a 1,000 km of the roads in France with solar panels. Image Source: arch2o.com/first-solar-panel-road/ The road is expected to be used by approximately 2,000 motorists per day, generating 767 Kilowatt-hours which should be sufficient for supplying the 3,400-resident village’s streetlights with electricity. Still it cost 5 million euros which is highly cost ineffective. Project directors believe that they are “still on an experimental phase,” and have learned new improved methods for the installation and manufacturing of the solar panels which can be used for the rest of the project. What are these people thinking? JUST SAYIN ■ Sources: http://solarcellcentral.com/history_page.html http://ww1.ciampeathehomedesignings.com/ https://www.solarchoice.net.au/blog/what-happens-to-old-solar-panels/ http://solarenergyfactsblog.com/small-solar-panels/ https://ecotality.com/history-of-solar-panels/ https://www.arch2o.com/france-opens-worlds-first-solar-panel-road-normandy/ https://www.businessinsider.com.au/solar-price-terrordome-chart-2014-4 http://www.weatherfast.co.uk/ https://roof-tube.co.uk/no-more-ugly-solar-panels/ https://www.motherearthliving.com/green-homes/basics-passive-solar-home-design https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2019/03/21/2019-architectural-digest-design-show/ https://www.solarenergyworld.com/most-people-no-longer-believe-solar-panels-are-ugly/ https://www.dwell.com/article/cube-two-x-nestron-035d916a/6848343031185362944 http://www.evelectricity.com/solar/solar-neighborhood.php https://understandsolar.com/top-10-pros-cons-solar-energy https://suncityenergy.com/2021/06/23/solar-house-design-considerations/ https://arxiv.org/vc/arxiv/papers/0910/0910.0128v1.pdf https://cleanchoiceenergy.com/news/Ancient_Solar http://www.kosexplorer.com/place/ancient-house-hippocrates-garden-cultural-center/ https://resource.cecsb.org/solar-design-in-ancient-greece/ https://www.suryaharapan.com/types-of-solar-panels/ https://www.solarmaxtech.com/blog/p.130303000/the-history-of-solar-power-solar-energy-in-ancient-times/ https://activehistory.ca/2015/11/tomorrow-sunny-the-rise-and-fall-of-solar-heating-in-1970s-canada-part-3/ https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/experts-give-their-wisdom-on-todays-best-sustainable-building-practices https://www.dwell.com/article/plant-prefab-livinghomes-richard-pedranti-architect-516c0549#:~:text=Plant%20Prefab%20has%20teamed%20up%20with%20Richard%20Pedranti,complete%20with%20all%20finishes%2C%20fixtures%2C%20and%20technic Photos Only https://antiquatedrecruited.blogspot.com/2019/09/ancient-greek-house-architecture.html https://www.booking.com/hotel/eg/albabenshal.html#blockdisplay4 https://www.crystalinks.com/romebaths.html https://www.computerhope.com/history/1987.htm http://www.kosexplorer.com/place/ancient-house-hippocrates-garden-cultural-center/ https://www.dreamstime.com/royalty-free-stock-photos-old-solar-panel-1970-s-image6698778 https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/87310/egypt-welcomes-its-first-solar-powered-village https://app.emaze.com/@AOFIFTFR/egyptian-homes-joeseph#1 https://www.goodshomedesign.com/generate-cheap-green-electricity-from-sunlight-with-solar-roof-tiles/ https://www.celestialsolar.com/services/solar-pool-heating/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjabo-_PA8wIV7FnBCh0arg3XEAEYASAAEgLP_vD_BwE Many of the fiction authors I know did not major in Creative Writing at a major University. Many of us, myself included, learned by attending classes sponsored by professional writing organizations, by doing it wrong and starting over again – several times – and with peer support. This may or may not be a longer and bumpier path to authorhood, but it is one many of us take. Being in that category, I never learned all the technical “literary terms”, only the ones that counted and those often have simpler names. I had never heard of a Bildungsroman, which I now know means, in the mysterious literary language, a “coming-of-age” story. All professions having their own “language” of words, phrases, nicknames, and abbreviations dealing with technicalities of the concepts and work, but when I looked into formal Literary Terms for creative writers and poets, it knocked my socks off. LITERARY PURPOSE The focus of the “literary purpose” is on the words themselves and on a conscious and deliberate arrangement of the words to produce a the effects the writer wants; an enriching effect. When you read a novel or a poem, or when you watch a movie or a TV comedy, or when you listen to a song, you are experiencing the literary purpose. Who knew? A writer often expresses a worldview when using the literary purpose. The writer might comment on human nature or behavior. The reader gains insight to the human condition by understanding the writer's ideas. When used as a secondary purpose, the literary purpose enhances the primary purpose through figurative or poetic or playful language and often a sense of human struggle. When literary purpose is the primary purpose, the writing should be fictional. As a secondary purpose, literary writing can be found in combination with the expressive or persuasive purpose. Because literary writing is figurative, it is seldom found in combination with referential writing, which is literal. LITERARY TERMS Literary Terms refer to the techniques, styles, and formatting used by writers to masterfully emphasize, embellish, or strengthen their compositions: Literary Devices. Among other things, literary devices can refer to playful techniques employed by comedians to make us laugh or witty tricks wordsmiths use to coin new words or phrases.” literaryterms.net/text=Literary There are several problems working with an alphabetical list of Literary Terms. First, there are various categories of terms which are all mixed in together. Types of literature [poetry, prose, sonnets, folk tales, anecdotes, haiku, etc.] are mixed in together the terms referring to the types of story [mystery, romance, comedy, etc.], parts of speech, and other categories of terms. Second, many of the terms are words that every writer already knows and understands [plot, character, setting, etc.] A few are tricky in that they are common words but have a slightly different meaning for writers than usual usage [conceit, apostrophe]. Third, the rest are mostly literary or rhetorical devices in some unidentified, foreign language which is a trick to make us all learn Greek. My impression is that some very well-read intellectual – a Greek scholar, perhaps – made them up to justify all the things great writers do which are inconsistent with the basic rules of English grammar and punctuation. As my mentor, Sid Stebel, always said, “A writer can do anything if it works.” Still, if you choose to read the definitions, there are useful bits information which a writer can employ. For example, did you know that using Syndeton slows down the pace, whereas Asyndeton speeds it up. Fourth, your spell check may suffer a nervous breakdown. Mine is still catatonic. “Your spell checker had a nervous nervous breakdown." TERMS YOU MAY NEVER NEED TO KNOW While I am not a great fan of wasting time, I also believe that writers should be aware of Literary Terms and know where to look if the need for a literary device occurs. The list of sources should give you what you need. Just for the fun of it, I’ve decided to feature one or two terms in my weekly newsletter, but to give you a taste, below you will find most of the terms beginning with the letter "A" that were unfamiliar to me. Have fun! Note: Most of these terms, definitions, examples, and commentary were copied from the following article, modified with editing and thoughts of my own, and information from the other listed sources. https://literaryterms.net/#:~:text=Literary%20Terms%20Literary Abecedarius Definition An abecedarius is an Acrostic where the first letter of every word or verse follows the order of the alphabet. For example, in the sentence A Bear Climbed Down, the first letter of every word is in alphabetical order: A, B, C, D. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Acrostic Definition A form of writing where the first letter of each line, paragraph, or verse spells out a word or a message. _________________________________________________________________________ Adynaton Definition Adynaton is a rhetorical device, a form of hyperbole, in which exaggeration is taken to a great extreme where it seems impossible. In other words, when hyperbole is magnified to such an extent that it is completely unfeasible, it is called adynaton. Ideas in the use of adynaton are exaggerated in order to emphasize something. Adynaton and Hyperbole Adynaton is a kind of hyperbole, though it is an extreme form. When hyperbole goes to an extreme level, that is completely impossible in reality, it is called adynaton. It is presented as an exaggerated comparison or contrast. Function of Adynaton Adynaton is used to create exaggeration, in order to emphasize some point. The basic purpose of using adynaton is to draw the attention of the audience by overstating something or idea. Adynaton in the modern age is to create amusing effects by highlighting an idea. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Amplification Definition Amplification is a rhetorical device writers use to embellish a sentence or statement by adding further information. The objective is to increase readability and worth of the statement or sentence when a simple sentence is abrupt, and cannot convey the desired implications. Writers then use amplification to make structural additions, and give further meanings by describing and repeating a certain statement or idea. The purpose of this rhetorical device is to bring the readers’ attention to an idea, which they may miss otherwise. Function of Amplification By using amplification, writers repeat something they already have said with the purpose to add more information and details to the original description. In writing and speech, amplification tends to highlight the importance of an idea, to stimulate an emotional response among the audience. In fact, it adds an exaggeration, increases the rhetorical effect, and emphasizes to further elaborate definitions, descriptions, and arguments in a piece. _________________________________________________________________________Anacoluthon Definition Anacoluthont is a stylistic device defined as a syntactic deviation, and interruption within a sentence from one structure to another. In this interruption, the expected sequence of grammar is absent. The grammatical flow of sentences is interrupted in order to begin more sentences. Characteristics of Anacoluthon It is employed intentionally, unintentionally, or as a rhetorical device. In rhetoric, anacoluthon is also known as a figure of disorder in which the syntax of a sentence does not correlate with whatever is expected. However, it should not to be mixed-up with hyperbaton which also involves a change in the normal position of words, phrases, and sentences. Anacoluthon is the interruption within a sentence from one construction to another against the expected. The common use of anacoluthon is to imitate a thought or speech, and then logical order of the sentence. This change can occur within a sentence or in the form of tense. Function of Anacoluthon This shifts the necessary information towards the start of the sentence. In casual conversation, it is used in such a way that the sentence would not be considered correct grammatically. In written works, however, it is employed to imitate ungrammatical, confused, and informal speech, and to draw the attention of readers. Anacoluthon is well-suited to the stream of consciousness writing style that is planned to signify thoughts in proximity to one another, because thoughts are not always consistent and hardly grammatically correct. _________________________________________________________________________Anadiplosis Definition Anadiplosis refers to the repetition of a word or words in successive clauses in such a way that the second clause starts with the same word which marks the end of the previous clause. Anadiplosis exhibits a typical pattern of repeating a word. For example, the repetition of the word “give” in the sentence “When I give, I give myself” is termed anadiplosis, as it occurs at the end of the first clause and marks the beginning of the following clause. Similarly, notice how the use of anadiplosis repeats in its typical fashion the word “reliability” to highlight the main point of the sentence, “This public school has a record of extraordinary reliability, a reliability that every other school is jealous of in the city.” Anadiplosis and Chiasmus Anadiplosis is part of another figure of speech, chiasmus. However, every anadiplosis does not necessarily reverse its structure like it is done in chiasmus. For instance, “Forget what you want to remember, and remember what you want to forget” is an example of chiasmus [as it involves a reversal of structure in the second clause] and anadiplosis, as the word “remember” marks the end of one clause and the start of the subsequent clause. Anadiplosis does not always employ a reversal of structure as in the sentence “The land of my fathers, and my fathers can have it.” It is an example of anadiplosis involving a typical repetition of the word “my fathers” but, unlike chiasmus, the structure of the final clause is not reversed. Function of Anadiplosis It repeats a word in quick succession, in successive clauses, in order to add emphasis to the main idea. This works because readers tend to focus on the repetition of words, and thereby on the idea emphasized by them. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Anagnorisis Definition Anagnorisis refers to a moment of insight in a story’s plot in which a character, usually the protagonist, shifts from ignorance to awareness. The moment of anagnorisis may be a realization about the character’s self, their situation, or something about a different character. This may include revelation of a character’s true identity, their actual relationship with another character, or their misinterpretation of something important. As a literary device, anagnorisis is often utilized as a turning point in the plot of a story that leads to a resolution. The moment in which the protagonist receives insight or enlightenment in terms of their own character, another character, or the dramatic situation in which they find themselves allows the plot to achieve its necessary resolution for the reader. Difference Between Anagnorisis and Denouement In literary works, anagnorisis and denouement may appear to be the same. However, they are distinct in their relationship to plot in a work of literature and their function within a literary narrative. In fact, it is often the moment of anagnorisis that leads to a narrative’s denouement. Anagnorisis may be the catalyst to how a narrative is resolved, whereas denouement is the end of a story’s narrative arc. Function of Anagnorisis Anagnorisis most often appears in modern works of literature as a character’s moment of ephiany in which they experience a surprising discovery that reveals something about their character, another character, or their situation. Overall, anagnorisis creates memorable moments of insight. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Anaphora Definition Anaphora is a rhetorical device that features repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive sentences, phrases, or clauses, allowing writers to convey, emphasize, and reinforce meaning. This word repetition at the beginning of each phrase in a group of sentences or clauses is a stylized technique that can be very effective. One of the most famous uses of anaphora is the beginning of A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness…” Through repetition of the phrase “it was,” Dickens reinforces to the reader that the time he is describing is a past filled with oppositions and extremes in way that engages the reader immediately with the story. Example of Anaphora in Prose In prose, anaphora can provide a rhythm to words and phrases. This can have a strong effect on an audience by appealing to emotions, inspiration, motivation, and even memory. Such a pattern of repetition captures the attention of the reader and can create a lasting impression. Example: “We came, we saw, we conquered.” [translated from Latin, attributed to Julius Caesar in letter to Roman senate] Difference Between Anaphora and Repetition In a general sense, anaphora is repetition. However, anaphora is specific in its intent to repeat. Nonspecific repetition of words or phrases can take place anywhere in writing. With anaphora, the repetition is of a word or phrase at the beginning of consecutive sentences, phrases, or clauses. Therefore, this repetition is intentional for literary or rhetorical effect. Function of Anaphora As a literary device, anaphora functions as a means of emphasizing words and ideas. Also, it can also provide a lyrical and artistic effect. When used properly, anaphora can evoke emotion, reinforce or emphasize a concept, and create urgency or a call to action. When used poorly, however, anaphora can be alienate the reader by appearing to distracting and forced. _________________________________________________________________________ Antanaclasis Definition Antanaclasis is a rhetorical device in which a phrasae or word is repeatedly used, though the meaning of the word changes in each case. It is the repetition of a similar word in a sentence with different meanings, or a word is repeated in two or more different senses. Many of Shakespeare’s literary pieces contain examples of antanaclasis. Like in these lines, “Put out the light, then put out the light…” [Othello]. The first meaning is that Othello would extinguish the candle, and in the second reference its meaning is that he would end Desdemona’s life. Difference Between Epizeuxis and Antanaclasis There is a slight difference between epizeuxs and antanaclasis, though both mean the repetition of words. In epizeuxis, the words or phrases are repeated in a succession in the same sentence or line. Such as in this passage, “Alone, alone, all all alone, /Alone on a wide, wide sea…”[ Ancient Mariner The Rime of the], by Samuel Coleridge. The words or phrases are repeated in a sentence or passage with different meanings. Function of Antanaclasis Antanaclasis helps in giving an exciting contrast with different meanings of the same word. It enhances the dramatic and persuasive impact of a piece of writing or speech. Antanaclasis creates comic effect when used in the form of irony and pun. Apart from that, it makes the literary text memorable due to repetition. It is used as a rhetorical device in poetry, prose, and political speeches. Political leaders make use of this technique in order to persuade and draw the attention of their audiences. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Anthimeria Definition Anthimeria is a rhetorical device that uses a word in a new grammatical shape, often as a noun or a verb. Simply, it replaces one part of speech with another. Using nouns as verbs has become such a common practice that now many nouns are often used as verbs. In grammar studies, anthimeria has another name, “functional shift,” or “conversion.” In fact, language is always fluid, and is in constant transformation. Therefore, use of a verb as a noun or vice versa is not a surprise for linguists. Function of Anthimeria Anthimeria is very common in novels, short stories and particularly in poetry, where such replacement evokes mild emotions of confusion. The device provides writers a method to describe ideas in a unique way that makes the readers think. Sometimes, writers use a new word to create images and imagery. _________________________________________________________________________Anthropomorphism Definition Anthropomorphism is a literary device that can be defined as a technique in which a writer ascribes human traits, ambitions, emotions, or entire behaviors to animals, non-human beings, natural phenomena, or objects. Difference Between Anthropomorphism and Personification Anthropomorphism is also a type of personification that gives human characteristics to non-humans or objects, especially animals. However, there is a slight difference between these two. Personification is an act of giving human characteristics to animals or objects to create imagery, while anthropomorphism aims to make an animal or object behave and appear like it is a human being. Pinocchio, the famous wooden doll, was anthropomorphized when he was given the ability to talk, walk, think, and feel like real boy. Function of Anthropomorphism The primary reason for using anthropomorphism is to make a wider appeal to the readers. With the use of objects or animals, the story can become visually appealing and non-threatening. Hence, it could attract the attention of a wider audience [including children] by presenting animated characters in tales and animated movies. In literature, it serves as an effective tool for creating political and social satires. Hence, it has a wider scope than merely to entertain children. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Antimetabole Definition Antimetabole is a literary term or device that involves repeating a phrase in reverse order. Example: “You like it; it likes you.” Chiasmus and antimetabole are usually expected to be overlapped in usage, and this overlap is also often used as a synonym for epanados [the repeating of a phrase or sentence in reverse order]. However, the writer would make them distinct through his use. Example: “Eat to live, not live to eat.” – Socrates Difference Between Chiasmus and Antimetabole Antimetabole and chiasmus are very closely related, and some experts even use them interchangeably. However, both the terms still exist to refer to two distinct literary devices. When a sentence is repeated by reversing it, so as to convey an idea or stress a point, it is called chiasmus [a sentence repeated inversely]. The only condition of a chiasmic sentence is that the two clauses in the phrase are opposite in meaning. For example, the popular saying by Havelock Ellis: “Charm is a woman’s strength, strength is a man’s charm,” the sentence is an example of chiasmus, but is not an antimetabole. This is because the two clauses have opposite meanings, but the words and the grammatical makeup are dissimilar. In an antimetabole the word order in a sentence is reversed to contrast the meanings. One very good example is Mae West’s catchphrase, “It’s not the men in my life; it’s the life in my men.” In this sentence the words, rhythm, and grammatical structure in the second phrase are exactly similar to the first one, but the meaning is opposite. Functions of Antimetabole For antimetabole to be effective, it does not only have to be grammatically correct, but should also be logical. People, after studying literature for a while, start thinking that they can churn out antimetaboles with a snap of a finger. They fail to understand the fact that a sentence cannot be called an antimetabole if it is not based on a logical theme. Antimetaboles are popular and effective solely because they appeal to reason and are easy to remember. If the first half is relatable, then the reader or listener will automatically make sense of the second half. For example, “It is not about the years in your life, but about the life in your years.” A sentence like this can be called an antimetabole because it is appealing, correct [logically and grammatically] and has a message to convey to the readers. _________________________________________________________________________Antiphrasis Definition Antiphrasis is a figurative speech in which a phrase or word is employed in a way that is opposite to its literal meaning, in order to create an ironic or comic effect. In simple words, it is the use of phrases or words in their opposite sense from the real meaning. “Yes, I killed him. I killed him for money–and a woman–and I didn’t get the money and I didn’t get the woman. Pretty, isn’t it…” [Double Indemnity, by Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler]. Here, the speaker is making an ironic statement by using the opposite sense of the word “pretty". Function of Antiphrasis Like other rhetorical devices, antiphrasis also brings about additional meanings to a text and situation. The use of opposite meanings of situations and statements in literature draws readers’ interest. Besides, it makes the literary piece of writing more captivating, and helps the readers make use of their own thoughts, and understand the underlying meaning of the words and phrases. _________________________________________________________________________Antistrophe Definition Antistrophe is a rhetorical device that involves the repetition of the same words at the end of consecutive phrases, clauses, sentences, and paragraphs. Example: “A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship. But it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields, when the age of men comes crashing down! But it is not this day! This day we fight! “ [The Return of the King, by J. R. R. Tolkien] Similarity with Epistrophe Antistrophe is similar to epistrophe, which also involves the repetition of words at the ends of successive clauses or sentences. However, it is opposite to anaphora, which is a repetition of words at the beginning of sentences or clauses. Function of Antistrophe The main function of this rhetorical device is to place emphasis on a particular thought or idea. The repetition of words helps in making the text pleasurable to read. The pattern and rhythm created with the use of antistrophe enables writers to appeal to readers’ emotions, and helps them appreciate a text better. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Aphorism Definition Aphorism is a statement of truth or opinion expressed in a concise and witty, or terse manner. The term is often applied to philosophical, moral, and literary principles. The fact that they contain a truth gives them a universal acceptance. Aphorisms often come with a pinch of humor, which makes them more appealing to the masses. Proverbs, maxims, adages, and clichés are different forms of aphoristic statements that gain prevalence. _________________________________________________________________________ Aphorismus Definition Aphorismus is a figure of speech that brings into question the meaning of words, in case the words are used inappropriately. Aphorismus often appears as a rhetorical question used to create a difference between the current situation being discussed and the general idea of the subject. Difference Between Aphorismus and AphorismAphorismus should not be confused with aphorism because aphorismus challenges the meaning of words by pointing out a question. Example: “I am Pozzo! [Silence.] Pozzo! [Silence.] Does that name mean nothing to you? [Silence.] I say does that name mean nothing to you?” However, aphorism is a different figure of speech, which is a brief statement containing personal truth, or a phrase that conveys a principle of thought. In these lines, Francis Bacon has said: “Praise is the reflection of the virtue. But it is the reflection glass or body which giveth the reflection.” [Of Praise, by Francis Bacon] Function of Aphorismus The role of aphorismus is to emphasize the meanings of a sentence or phrase by challenging or raising questions about it. It brings into question the underlying meanings words and phrases, since the meaning of words can have a variety of connotations which help extend and enrich the language. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Aporia Definition Aporia is a figure of speech wherein a speaker purports or expresses doubt or perplexity regarding a question [often feigned], and asks the reader how to proceed. The doubts may appear as a rhetoric question, often in the beginning of the text. Aporia is a logical paradox in which the speaker sows seeds of doubt on a subject. This rhetorical strategy can make the reader feel sympathetic toward the view point character regarding the dilemma he is in. It is also called “dubitation,” which means that the uncertainty is always untruthful. Example:” Hamlet” [By William Shakespeare] “To not to be: that is the question. Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep; Than fly to others that we know not of? Thus conscience does make cowards of us all…” Here, the statement, “To be or not to be” introduces uncertainty that characterizes the paragraph. Function of Aporia Aporia is an expression of doubt or uncertainty. When uncertainty and doubt are genuine, it can indicate a real impasse, and stimulate the audience to consider different options for resolution. It could show the humbleness of a speaker if the doubt he expresses is genuine. Aporia causes uncertainty, and makes the reader discover the certainty through subsequent statements of the speaker. The main objective is to provide the reader’s chance to analyze and judge the situation. _________________________________________________________________________ Aposiopesis Definition Aposiopesis is derived from a Greek word that means “becoming silent.” It is a rhetorical device that can be defined as a figure of speech in which the writer breaks off abruptly and leaves the statement incomplete. It is as if the speaker is not willing to state what is present in his mind, due to being overcome by passion, excitement, or fear. In a piece of literature, it means to leave a sentence unfinished, so that the reader can determine his own meanings. Types of Aposiopesis ● Emotive aposiopesis – This type of aposiopesis is used in conditions of conflict between emotional outbursts of a character and an environment that does not react. Usually, the writer or character speaking pauses in the middle of a sentence. ● Calculated aposiopesis – This type of aposiopesis is based on the conflict of missing thought and its opposing force that rejects the substance of that thought. Hence, the idea is removed that is explicitly expressed afterwards. ● Audience-respecting aposiopesis – It is based on the removal of thoughts which are unpleasant or offensive to the readers. ● Transitio-aposiopesis – It removes the ideas from the end part of a speech in order to immediately get the audience interested in the subsequent section. ● Emphatic aposiopesis – It avoids the use of full utterance, to present the idea as greater and really inexpressible. Some Forms of Aposiopesis Sometimes a word is used to indicate something completely different from its literal meaning. Such as in this example, “Tis deepest winter in Lord Timon’s purse; that is, one may reach deep enough, and find little” [Timon of Athens, by William Shakespear]. ● Sometimes a word is used to indicate something whose actual name is not used like, “A chair’s arm.” ● Sometimes a paradoxical statement is used to create illogical strained metaphors. Such as, “Take arms against a sea of troubles.” ● Abusio is a subtype of Aposiopesis, which results from the combination of two metaphors. Example: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer [By Mark Twain] “She looked perplexed for a moment, and then said, not fiercely, but still loud enough for the furniture to hear: ‘Well, I lay if I get hold of you I’ll –’ She did not finish, for by this time she was bending down and punching under the bed with the broom, and so she needed breath to punctuate the punches with. She resurrected nothing but the cat …” There are two examples of aposiopesis in this excerpt. First, the writer pauses at “hold of you I’ll –,” and then at the end of the excerpt, “nothing but the cat.” Both sentences are left incomplete. Notice the difference in punctuation. Function of Aposiopesis The purpose of using aposiopesis is to create dramatic or comic effect. The writers or speakers use it whenever they want to express ideas that are too overwhelming to finish. Several playwrights use this technique to make dialogues seem sincere and realistic. But the most effective use of aposiopesis is seen when readers successfully figure out the missing thoughts that the writer has left unfinished. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Apostrophe Definition As a literary device, an apostrophe is a poetic phrase or speech made by a character who is addressed to a subject that is not present in the literary work. The subject may be dead, absent, an inanimate object, or even an abstract idea. A literary apostrophe is designed to direct a reader’s attention to the entity being addressed as a means of indicating its importance or significance. In addition, apostrophe is also utilized as a way for a character to express their internal thoughts and feelings to someone or something that is not able to respond. Example: “Death Be Not Proud” [by John Donne] The poet addresses Death as if it is a living, present person: “Death, be not proud, though some have called thee Mighty and dreadful, for thou are not so;” By using apostrophe, the poet is able to share their thoughts and feelings about death as an abstract idea by “speaking” to Death as if it could hear or understand. In turn, this literary device also allows the poet to share their innermost emotions and ideas about death with the reader to create a greater impact. Difference Between Apostrophe as Literary Device and Punctuation Most people have heard of apostrophe in terms of punctuation. As a punctuation mark, an apostrophe indicates possession [the student’s book] or an intentional omission of letters or numbers. Though it may appear that apostrophe as punctuation is entirely different from apostrophe as a literary device, there is a similar foundation to their functions. A literary apostrophe is used by writers to allow a character or speaker to address an absent entity as if it/they were present. Like the punctuation mark, apostrophe in literature is therefore related to an intentional omission. Rather than the omission of letters or numbers, a literary apostrophe refers to an intentional absence of a subject being addressed, thereby calling attention to what is not there. Function of Apostrophe As a literary device, apostrophe is used in literature to allow a character to speak to an object, abstract idea, absent person, or someone who doesn’t exist as if it is a living, present person. Apostrophe is effective in a literary work for its dramatic effect, to demonstrate the importance of the object, idea, or absent person, and to allow readers to witness a character’s personal and intimate expression. _________________________________________________________________________ Appositive Definition When a noun or word is followed by another noun or phrase that renames or identifies it, this is called appositive. This is a literary device that appears before or after a noun or noun phrase. It is always used with a comma. Simply, we can define it as a noun phrase or a noun that defines or explains another noun, which it follows. In this grammatical structure, writers place elements like noun phrases side-by-side, where one element serves to define the other, and one is in apposition to the other. Example: [A Hanging, by George Orwell] “We were waiting outside the condemned cells, a row of sheds fronted with double bars, like small animal cages.” In this line, “the condemned cells” is a noun phrase, while “a row of sheds” is an appositive that explains this noun phrase. Types of Appositive ● Restrictive Appositive - Restrictive appositive gives essential information to identify the phrase or noun in apposition. It clarifies the meaning of a phrase but, if the appositive is removed, the meaning of the entire sentence changes. Example: ”A Christmas Memory” [By Truman Capote] “Christmas Eve afternoon we scrape together a nickel and go to the butcher’s to buy Queenie’s traditional gift, a good gnawable beef bone.” In the above excerpt, a restrictive appositive is clarifying and describing a noun “traditional gift.” Here, this literary device has appeared after the noun, specifying the type of gift. Drawing by By John Minnion Truman ● Non-Restrictive Appositive Non-restrictive appositive gives non-essential or extra information, which is not important to identify the phrase or noun in apposition. This type of appositive is often used with commas. Example: “Bronx Primitive” [By Kate Simon] “Though her cheeks were high-colored and her teeth strong and yellow, she looked like a mechanical woman, a machine with flashing, glassy circles for eyes.” In this example, the noun “mechanical woman” is defined and identified by a long noun phrase, a restrictive appositive, “flashing, gassy circles for eyes,” which serves as a useful device in this excerpt, and brings variety to the sentence, enhancing its meaning. Function of Appositive The function of appositive in literary works is to provide information, which is either essential or additional. An appositive noun also defines, explains, and clarifies the meaning of a sentence. It is helpful to combine sentences to avoid too many choppy and short sentences. In addition, an appositive phrase gives variety to a literary work by using sentences of varied lengths, allowing the writers to use interesting details with smooth flow of the reading experience. _________________________________________________________________________ Asyndeton Definition Asyndeton is a stylistic device used to intentionally eliminate conjunctions between the phrases, and in the sentence, yet maintain grammatical accuracy. This literary tool helps in reducing the indirect meaning of the phrase, and presents it in a concise form. The Two Types of Asyndeton Examples ● Used between words and phrases within a sentence [Julius Caesar, Act 3, Scene 1, by William Shakespeare] “Are all thy conquests, glories, triumphs, spoils, Shrunk to this little measure?” ● Used between sentences or clauses [Oedipus at Colonus, by Sophecles] “Without looking, without making a sound, without talking” Difference Between Syndeton and Asyndeton Syndeton and asyndeton are opposite to one another. Syndeton includes the addition of multiple conjunctions, such as in this example: “He eats and sleeps and drinks.” On the other hand, asyndeton is the elimination, or leaving out, of conjunctions, such as in this example: “He eats, sleeps, drinks.” Each creates a completely different effect. Syndeton slows down the pace or rhythm of speech, and makes it moderate, whereas asyndeton speeds up the rhythm of the speech. Function of Asyndeton Asyndeton helps in speeding up the rhythm of words. It helps in attracting readers to collaborate with the writers, since it suggests that words, phrases, and sentences are incomplete, and the readers would have to do some work to deduce meanings. This version creates immediate impact, and the readers are attuned to what the author is trying to convey. Asyndeton is often applied intentionally in order to give a unique emphasis to the text, thereby drawing the attention of readers towards a particular idea the author wants to convey. _________________________________________________________________________ JUST SAYIN That’s just the "A" list. I can't imagine why any writer would need to know these names. ■ Sources: https://literaryterms.net/#:~:text=Literary%20Terms%20Literary%20terms%20refer%20to%20the%20technique%2C,wordsmiths%20use%20to%20coin%20new%20words%20or%20phrases. https://www.austincc.edu/dws/literary.html https://www.portnet.org/cms/lib/NY01001023/Centricity/Domain/83/Lit%20Term%20Glossary.pdf https://literaryterms.net/glossary-of-literary-terms/ http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/lit_terms.html https://www.rfwp.com/samples/guide-to-literary-terms.pdf https://assets.ltkcontent.com/files/Literary-Terms-Examples-Worksheet.pdf?mtime=20201223075026&focal=none https://warreneastoncharterhigh.org/ourpages/auto/2012/5/8/66716914/LITERARY%20TERMS%20master%20list.pdf https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_literary_terms#:~:text=%20List%20of%20literary%20terms%20%201%20A.,theme%20are%20about%20seizing%20the%20moment...%20More%20 https://courses.lumenlearning.com/introliterature/chapter/literary-terms-2/#:~:text=Literary%20Terms%20%20%20%20Term%20%20,a%20%20...%20%2029%20more%20rows%20 I suppose I was thrilled as any child would be but later, all I can remember about the show was four or five camels running around in a circle. I decided then that camels had to be pretty stupid if that was the only trick they could learn. What can I say? Children judge hastily. Not wrong, but not the full story. Today, there are only six surviving animals which make up all branches of the Camel family. To help with the often-confusing terminology, the following chart hopefully explains the classifications.
● Dromedary (Arabian) Camels Dromedaries have one hump and are found in the Middle East, Northern India, and Africa. The species has been domesticated since ancient times and has not occurred in the wild for at least 2 thousand years. The dromedary can lose up to 30% of its water content and is therefore able to withstand arid desert conditions. Throughout the Old World, they were used for transportation and as a pack animal. Many indigenous groups still rely on this species as a source of milk and meat. ● Bactrian Camels Bactrian camels have two humps and are found in the arid regions in central Asia. Specifically, they stick to the Gobi Desert of northern China and southern Mongolia. oth Bactrian and Arabic camels are related but developed separately between .7 and 1.5 million years ago. Image Credit: J. Patrick Fischer ▲ Image Source: commons.wikimedia.org/w/Dromedary The conservation status of the wild Bactrian camel is considered critically endangered. The wild Bactrian lives in herds numbering from 6 to 30 members, depending on the availability of food and water. Its nostrils are long and very thin and it has a double set of long eyelashes. Both of these characteristics protect this species from the strong winds and blowing sands of desert storms. THE CAMELIDAE FAMILY TREE If you have ever attempted to develop a family tree, you know how difficult it is to organize and decide on the format. Out of at least a zillion charts, this was the easiest for me to read and understand. Adding to the confusion are the names of the families, genus, and species of the prehistoric camels. I apologize for any misinterpretations of the names and spellings. Also remember that picture are artist drawings based on the excavated skeletons. Starting at the bottom of the chart, in the Eocene period of the Cenozoic Era, about 58 to 37 million years ago, the first progenitor of the camel evolved… the protylopus. Forget about pronunciation. ● Protylopus ▼ Image Source: palaeopedia.tumblr.com/protylopus The protylopus, the earliest possible progenitor of the camel, evolved in North America. Some researchers claim it was the size of a rabbit. Wikipedia indicates that it was the small, with a height of 2.6 feet and weighing about 57 pounds. Protylopus's front legs were shorter than the hind legs, and ended in four-toed feet. Three distinct Camelidae family lines began with the Protylopus: the Stenomylus, Paratylopus, and the Camelops, the main evolutionary line. ● Stenomylus Image Source: deviantart.com/Stenomylus ▼ The Stenonmylus lived around 20 million years ago. The species died out 3 million years ago. Stenomylus was a miniature ancestor extremely small compared to other ancient and modern camels, being about the size of a Roe deer. ● Paratylopus This branch of the camel family lived from about 34 to 16 million years ago. This species existed for approximately 18 million years. Fossils have been found in western Wyoming, and from eastern Nebraska to northeastern Colorado, and southwestern South Dakota. ◄ Image Source: prehistoria.fandom.com/es/wi ● Camelops This species is the main line of evolution of the camel, although some divergence in the line appears on the chart about 23 to 5 million years ago. Fossils remains show it ranges from Alaska to Mexico from the middle Pliocene to the end of the Pleistocene era. • In the lower Miocene, 23 to 5 million years ago, a divergence occurred resulting in the Auchenia branch of the family which continued to evolve until 3 million years ago when that genus migrated from North America to South America. ◄ Genus Auchenia Image Source: https://www.philographikon.com/goldfuss.html • At about the same time, the main line Procamelus appeared. It had long legs designed for speed, and was about 1.3 metres (4.3 ft) in height at the shoulder, slightly smaller than a modern llama. Unlike modern camelids, it had a pair of small incisor teeth in the upper jaw. The remaining teeth were large and adapted for eating tough vegetation. Genus Procamelus ▲ image source: parody.fandom.com//Procamelus The shape of the toes suggests that it possessed foot pads, like modern camels, but unlike earlier forms of camelid, which generally had hooves. This would have helped it walk over relatively soft ground. A wide variety of animals in this family branch coexisted during the Pliocene including the very large Titanotylopus. This species possessed long and massive limbs, a comparatively small braincase, and a convex slope between the eyes. Its average height was 11.5 feet at the shoulder. The image shows the comparison of a man’s height to the Titanotylopus, the Camelops Hesternos (middle) at 7 feet at the shoulder, and the dromedary (front) at 6 feet. Other species had long necks like giraffe. Many of these species existed at the same time. Titanotylopus (back), Camelops Hesternos, and dromedary (front). Image source: reddit.com/titanotylopus ► There is some disagreement with the names on the chart, since most other references identify Camelops Hesternos as the surviving species in the line. The chart indicates Camelus. ◄ Various species of the prehistoric camel Image Source: pinterest.com/pin/588212401301191643/ MIGRATION Thus, the origin of the camel family (Camelidae) is established as being North America based on finding fossils there. During the Pleistocene era, around 3 million years ago, the first branch of this family, the Llama Auchenia, migrated to the south over the then-recently-created Isthmus of Panama. They spread out in South America where they evolved into the Llama, Alpaca, Guanaco and Vicuña. This is termed the Great American Interchange. Migration Of Camels from North AmericaI Image Source: bing.com/images/search The camelops continued to exist in North America into the late Pleistocene, commonly referred to as The Ice Age, which lasted from about 2.5 million years ago to almost 12,000 years ago. During the Ice Age, massive glaciers covered enough of the earth to lock up much of the world’s water. This caused sea levels to drop by as much as 300 feet. The Bering Strait, which separates North America from Russia was dry land (called Beringia). This happened twice: 75,000 to 45,000 years ago and then again 25,000 to 14,000 years ago. During these periods many species of animals migrated across Beringia into Russia, including Camelos. Camelops Hesternus ▲ Image Source: prehistoric-fauna.com/Camelops-hesternus While there is no specific evidence for the reason so many animals migrated across Beringia, the logical assumption is that the increasing cold and lack of food forced many animals to seek a more hospitable living environment. As far as the camel is concerned, the last surviving species in North America was Camelops Hesternus, “which vanished along with horses, short-faced bears, mammoths, mastodons, ground sloths, sabertooth cats and many animals, coinciding with the migration of humans from Asia at the end of the Pleistocene, around 15,000 to 11,000 years ago.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camelops Frankly, I’d put my money on the ice age as the reason for extinction, not humans. Camelops Hesternus, as the camel foresighted enough to make his escape over the Bering Strait, traveled through Asia and India, and down into Africa, evolving into today’s Bactrian camel and Arabian dromedary. Now, in the unlikely event that anyone asks you where camels originated, instead of laughing or saying something like “What’s the matter with you?”, you can astound the person with the saga of the Camelos. Or not. JUST SAYIN ■ Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camelops#:~:text=Both%20the%20camel%20and%20horse%20families%20originated%20in,between%20Paracamelus%20and%20Camelops%20occurred%20about%2011%E2%80%9310%20Mya. https://www.historicmysteries.com/camelops-north-american-camel/ https://www.quora.com/Where-did-camels-originate https://equatorialminnesota.blogspot.com/2015/12/north-american-camels-not-run-of-mill.html https://www.biologydiscussion.com/animals-2/origin-of-camels-biology/59721 https://www.history.com/news/giant-ancient-camel-roamed-the-arctic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camelops https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paratylopus https://www.livescience.com/27503-camels.html http://www.fjcollazo.com/documents/CamelChron10.pdf https://quatr.us/central-asia/where-do-camels-come-from.htm https://www.thoughtco.com/the-pliocene-epoch-1091372 https://www.ibtimes.com/4-extinct-animals-roamed-america-giant-sloths-scimitar-cats-2558799 https://www.livescience.com/27503-camels.html http://www.fjcollazo.com/documents/CamelChron10.pdf https://quatr.us/central-asia/where-do-camels-come-from.htm https://www.biologydiscussion.com/animals-2/origin-of-camels-biology/59721 http://www.india2australia.com/history-camels-australia/#:~:text=The%20history%20of%20Camels%20in%20Australia.%20Mostly%20camels,Malte%20Brun%20was%20a%20Danish-French%20geographer%20and%20journalist. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/phenomena/2013/03/05/the-giant-camels-of-the-prehistoric-high-arctic/ https://valentint.blog.bg/zabavlenie/2015/12/18/largest-prehistoric-animals-vol-1-mammals-ch-11-camels-litop.1415919 https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-seven-extant-species-of-the-camelidae-family.html#:~:text=%20The%20Seven%20Extant%20Species%20Of%20The%20Camelidae,native%20to%20the%20Andes%20mountains%20and...%20More%20 Images only https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2831408 https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/361132463861399333/ http://apps.dmns.org/whosepoo/Stage2.html https://www.reddit.com/r/Naturewasmetal/comments/b7pvo4/titanotylopus_was_heavy_metal/ https://prehistoric-fauna.com/Camelops-hesternus https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_age_of_mammals_in_Europe,_Asia_and_North_America_(1910)_(17322665784).jpg https://palaeopedia.tumblr.com/post/151672450988/the-little-camel-protylopus-1898-phylum https://dinopedia.fandom.com/wiki/Protylopus https://www.geologyin.com/2016/12/10-interesting-facts-about-geological.html http://www.dbriers.com/tutorials/2012/12/living-organisms-viewed-at-different-structures-of-organization/biological_classification/ https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Classification-of-the-Camelidae-family_fig1_276102908 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgene.2019.00017/full https://www.pinterest.com/pin/588212401301191643/ https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=3qwEFxhh&id=D8C42EACEA158DBBA56C2A3A003C60A1B1025D1D&thid=OIP.3qwEFxhhouZtOf_h2a4y7AHaEg&mediaurl=https%3A%2F%2Fqph.fs.quoracdn.net%2Fmain-qimg-fe1378aec191045b15f9b0a77e761fbc-c&cdnurl=https%3A%2F%2Fth NOTE: Most of the thesaurus content herein comes from various sources, but i have added my share based on experience as a writer. The facial expressions, in part, are from “Entusiasti Blog” (march 19, 2014). Facial expressions and other physical behavior are largely from “The Blog Muse”, emotion thesaurus posted by Angela Ackerman before she and Becca Puglisi published their books. The full list of sources is at the end. EMOTION THESAURUS - PART 5 CONTEXT IS EVERYTHING Take all things into account when describing a scene so that the facial expressions, body language, and context all match the situation and the reactions that you, as the author, intend it to mean. Never assume readers know what you mean. They don't know what the author is thinking. STUBBORNNESS
SULLENNESS / SULKINESS
SUSPICIOUS / WARY / UNCONVINCED
SYMPATHETIC / EMPATHIC
THREATENING
WORRIED / ILL AT EASE
JUST SAYIN
■ Sources: https://www.psychmechanics.com/facial-expressions-disgust/ http://entusiastiq.blogspot.com/2014/03/facial-expressions.html https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-tell-someones-lying-by-watching-their-face-2016-1#take-note-of-what-youre-asking-them-5 http://www.nlp-secrets.com/how-to-tell-if-someone-is-lying.php http://www.cccoe.net/social/bodylang.htm http:/thedreamwithinpictures.com/blog/portrait-analysis-reveals-that-the-human-face-can-express-at-least-21-emotions https://imotions.com/biosensor/fea-facial-expression-analysis/?creative=377770993338&keyword=facial%20expression%20analysis&matchtype=b&network=s&device=c&gclid=EAIaIQobChMImOfH2Zms8QIVi7bICh3HxQGPEAAYAiAAEgLDUvD_BwE https://devblogs.microsoft.com/cse/2015/11/29/emotion-detection-and-recognition-from-text-using-deep-learning/#:~:text=Sentiment%20Analysis%20aims%20to%20detect%20positive%2C%20neutral%2C%20or,such%20as%3A%20Gauging%20how%20happy%20our%20citizens%20are. https://allwritealright.com/how-to-describe-facial-expressions-in-writing/ https://kathysteinemann.com/Musings/expressions/ https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/words-used-to-describe-facial-expressions https://www.nownovel.com/blog/talking-character-face/ https://thoughtcatalog.com/january-nelson/2018/06/list-of-emotions/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24724522/ https://www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/understanding-the-principles-of-anticipation https://ricepsychology.com/rice-psychology-team/dr-wendy-rice/being-bored-why-its-a-good-thing-for-your-kids/ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/annals-the-emotions/201508/what-do-you-look-when-you-re-bored https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-pride-and-vs-confidence/#:~:text=%20What%20is%20the%20difference%20between%20Prid https://listverse.com/2013/07/05/ten-compelling-origins-of-our-facial-expressions/#:~:text=10%20Common%20Facial%20Expressions%20Explained%201%20Confusion.%20An,Fear.%20...%209%20Sadness.%20...%2010%20Happiness.%20 https://thoughtcatalog.com/january-nelson/2018/06/list-of-emotions/#:~:text=Facial%20Expression%2FEmotion%3A%20Happy%20Happiness%20is%20an%20emotion%20that,studied%20throughout%20different%20philosophical%2C%20religious%2C%20and%20biological%20approaches. Go back to this one https://thetrustambassador.com/2020/04/27/body-language-76-contempt/#:~:text=The%20most%20obvious%20body%20language%20associated%20with%20superiority,by%20looking%20down%20one%E2%80%99s%20nose%20at%20another%20person. https://www.mindful.org/what-compassion-looks-like/#:~:text=%20This%20means%20literally%20tuning%20in%20to%20the,%E2%80%9CApproach%E2%80%9D%20signals%2C%20such%20as%20learning%20toward...%20More https://www.ionos.com/startupguide/productivity/body-language/#:~:text=Facial%20expression%201%20Interest%2Fcuriosity%3A%20Your%20eyes%20are%20wide,wide%20and%20eyebrows%20are%20raised. https://writershelpingwriters.net/2008/06/emotion-thesaurus-entry-curiosity/ https://www.presentationprep.com/body-language-face/#:~:text=During%20a%20presentation%2C%20your%20face%20conveys%20more%20to,also%20communicate%20fear%2C%20frustration%2C%20or%20lack%20of%20control. https://www.verywellmind.com/understand-body-language-and-facial-expressions-4147228 http://rainydaywriting.co.uk/portraying-the-emotion-of-desperation/#:~:text=%20Expressing%20the%20emotion%20of%20desperation%20%201,Needing%20or%20wanting%20something%20very%20much%20More%20 https://accuratebodylanguage.wordpress.com/tag/disgust/#:~:text=DISGUST%20usually%20involves%20the%20sense%20of%20smell%2C%20taste%2C,indicating%20disgust%3A%20Forehead%3A%20usually%20relaxed.%20Eyebrows%20are%20lowered. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_many_different_human_emotions_are_there#:~:text=Psychology%20once%20assumed%20that%20most%20human%20emotions%20fall,emotions%E2%80%94and%20they%20are%20intimately%20connected%20with%20each%20other. The Bookshelf Muse, http://thebookshelfmuse.blogspot.com/ https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/are_emotions_born_or_made https://www.medicinenet.com/what_are_the_27_basic_emotions/article.htm#:~:text=The%2027%20different%20emotions%20include%3A%201%20Admiration%202,Boredom%209%20Calmness%2010%20Confusion%20More%20items...%20 https://online.uwa.edu/news/emotional-psychology/#:~:text=Emotions%20and%20Psychology%201%20Basic%20and%20Complex%20Emotions.,Schachter-Singer%20Theory.%20...%208%20Cognitive%20Appraisal%20Theory.%2 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/between-cultures/201911/understanding-hate https://www.scienceofpeople.com/microexpressions/ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201407/the-one-emotion-really-hurts-your-brain https://jenriggs.com/stress/impatience/#:~:text=Impatience%20arose%20from%20our%20hunter-gatherer%20days%20and%20told,details%2C%20see%20%E2%80%9CWhy%20Your%20Brain%20Hates%20Slowpokes%E2%80%9D%20.%29 https://onestopforwriters.com/emotions/RESIGNATION#:~:text=DEFINITION%3A%20The%20state%20of%20surrendering%20because%20one%20must%2C,little%20or%20no%20resistance%20PHYSICAL%20SIGNALS%20AND%20BEHAVIORS%3A https://www.nbcnews.com/health/body-odd/shy-people-are-better-reading-facial-expressions-flna954293 https://thedeepin.wordpress.com/2014/03/28/psychology-of-being-stubborn/#:~:text=The%20truth%20is%20that%20stubbornness%20is%20inherited%2C%20but,the%20environment%20that%20are%20responsible%20to%20activate%20it. https://onestopforwriters.com/emotions/RESIGNATION A television program I watched recently was chock full of mispronunciations and clichés ‒ my most proficient language ‒ and the thought struck me how many of the American English metaphors, clichés, and slang words come from the various sports. Every profession has its own language where the words and phrases describe certain activities and situations. Sports are no exception. These words and phrases are used by the athletes who play, coaches, announcers, and fans ‒ those involved in the sport. However, a sports clichés described by those people are overused descriptions of those activities and situations related to that sport ‒ more in the nature of buzz words. Take a look at what the “experts” claim as language unique to their sport. Don’t be surprised to see duplications. Can you identify which came first…the general language cliché or the sports terminology? BASEBALL Whether or not baseball was invented by the Americans ‒ there is still some debate ‒ it is still the All-American-Game. The Washington Post, not too long ago, studied nearly 7,000 baseball interviews conducted over a time span of twenty years and complied a comprehensive list of what they called baseball clichés. The phrase “we gotta play ’em one day at a time” was used 485 times and “tip your cap”, over 300 times. If you think about it, out of 7000 conversations, these numbers are actually rather small. ● “It’s not over till the fat lady sings.” The first recorded use of this phase is believed to be from Ralph Carpenter in the newspaper Dallas Morning News, March 1976. To give context for the following quote, a basketball game was being played and the score was tied. ● “Stepping up to the plate” This phrase tells the batter to step up to home plate and prepare to bat the ball. From the late 1900s on it was frequently transferred to other enterprises, especially business, politics, and other sports even though they don’t use “plates”. ● “Rub some dirt on it” This origins of this phrase are claimed by both baseball and football. Some claim in comes from very old medical advice. I hope they're wrong. ● “Three strikes and you’re out. ● “It ain’t over ’til it’s over” ● “Grab some bench” ● “Going, going, gone” ● “Ducks on the pond” ● “Back against the wall” ● “A Grand Slam” ● “Kiss that one goodbye” ● “He crushed it” ● “He sent that one into orbit” ● “He tattooed that one ● “He was caught napping” ● “He wishes he could have that one back.” FOOTBALL American Football resulted from several major divergences from soccer and rugby, most notably the rule changes were instituted by a Yale University athlete and coach, Walter Camp, considered the "Father of American Football". The so-called Football clichés sound more like existing clichés and terminology that have been adapted to football, rather than originating first as football language. But that’s just my impression. ● “We have to come together as a team.” ● “There’s no “I” in team.” ● “He knows what it takes to win.” ● “He just knows how to win” ● "The game will be won in the trenches" ● "We need to air it out" ● “He has a motor that doesn't quit" ● “Too good to go down” ● “He gave 110% / he worked his socks off ● “Bad time to concede” ● "The defense is flying around with their ears pinned back" BASKETBALL Basketball was invented by James Naismith on or about December 1. 1891, at the International Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) Training School, Springfield, Massachusetts, where Naismith was an instructor in physical education. Basketball is the only major sport strictly of U.S. origin. ● “A defense that bends but doesn’t break.” ● “Take care of the ball.” ● “We left it all on the court” ● “He’s playing his game.” ● “They’re playing within themselves.” ● “It’s a marathon, not a sprint.” ● “He always gives 110%.” ● “They've been ice-cold.” ● “They play above the rim.”. ● “It's raining threes.” ● “They're shooting the lights out.” ● “He can fill it up.” ● “He's automatic.” ● “He can really dish the rock.” ● “He has the hot hand.” ● “The winner can punch their ticket to The Dance.” GOLF The origins of the sport of golf are still widely debated, but it is generally acknowledges that the modern version of golf developed in Scotland from the middle ages onwards. Golf did not become popular internationally until the late 19th century, when it spread into the rest of the British Empire and to the United States. Now it is one of the favorite social sports. ● “Fore!” "Fore" is a word of warning yelled by a golfer who hits an errant shot. If your shot is in danger of hitting or landing very close to another golfer or group of players on the golf course, you should yell "fore!" ● “Drive for show and putt for dough.” Putting is the difference between winning and losing on the major tours and this is probably how and why this golf term originated. ● “Never up, never in” This is another one for the award of ‘captain obvious’ clichés that gets commonly heard around golf courses. It gets said when a golfer leaves a putt short of the hole that appears to be right on line. ● “That will bring rain” ● "It's pure golf." ● "You've got to know where to miss it." Tour pros and average golfers both trot this one out often -- their way of saying it's taken them years of painstaking study to discover you don't want to hit your ball into one of the ponds. SOCCER ● “Caught sleeping Usually used when a player has made a silly or foolish mistake that could have been entirely, easily avoidable. ● “Class act” A phrase used in soccer to describe players or figures who have done something respectable or remarkable, on or off the pitch. ● “Clean sheet” When a team manages to not concede a single goal for the duration of the match. ● “Consolation” A late goal in a loss that won’t change the score is a consolation goal. ● “Early doors” Used by commentators to describe the opening stages of the game. For example, 'It’s just gone 10 minutes so it’s still early doors.' ● “End-to-end stuff” Describing a match that is so action-packed and engrossing that it’s impossible to take your eyes off of it. ● “Hairdryer treatment” This is Sir Alex Ferguson’s preferred post-match tactic. The legendary Scotsman would yell at his players mercilessly in the dressing room in order to motivate them – acting as the ‘hairdryer’ in this analogy. ● “In his pocket” When a player has dominated their marked target for the duration of the game, usually used for defenders marking their forward counterparts. ● “Kill the game” Used when a goal is scored to define the score line of the game and put an end to it. ● “Lost the dressing room” When a manager or key figure in the team has lost the backing of the team or coaching staff. ● “Park the bus” A favored tactic which involves setting up your entire team in a defensive shape in order to tire out opponents and preserve the clean sheet. ● “Couldn’t Hit A Cow's Backside With A Banjo" This particular phrase relates directly to those players whose job it is to find the back of the net. ● "Got The Bottle" If someone does or does not have the bottle, it means that will they stand up to a high pressured scenario. ● "Stepping Up To The Plate" This means that no matter what side of the bed a player falls out of, it is up to them to give 110% when they step on to the hallowed turf. ●"Putting In a Shift" A player can often turn in a great performance but if they have gone above and beyond the call of duty then this is referred to at times as putting in a shift. ● "Into the mix” When games are tense and run into overtime, teams often launch the ball into the 18 yard box. This is done for a host of reasons but ultimately, it is to force the issue of trying to score. This is often referred to by commentators as putting the ball “into the mix.” ● "Not Over Till The Fat Lady Sings" Under normal circumstances, it is down to the referee to call a game to an end. Yet, as many commentators know, the match is definitely not over until the fat lady sings. This phrase is one of the most common used and has been utilized in numerous situations by numerous sports. ● "Onion Bag" Another phrase for the goal, the onion bag has often been spoken about by a wealth of commentators around the globe. But the onion bag signifies a bulging net full of not vegetables but footballs. It is believed that the onion bag originated back because goal nets were previously made from an onion bag, or so the rumor goes. THE "SWEET" SCIENCE" OF BOXING For those you who aren’t boxing fans, the “Sweet Science” is the term used for sport of pugilism. British sportswriter Pierce Egan called boxing the ‘sweet science’ in 1813 since it is a sport that requires fighters to be tactical and scientific in their approach. The term is still used today by many fighters and analysts. A modern example of a boxer that exemplifies the essence of the sweet science is Floyd Mayweather Jr. Mayweather is methodical, and uses his left jab to break his opponents down. He is the master of defensive boxing. He is a safety first fighter that sticks to his game plan to ensure victory. His record is 50 fights fought, fifty fights won. Looks like the strategy works. This sport brings to the table many terms, metaphors, and clichés used by many people, whether or not they know where the words came from. ● “Beat someone to the punch” The cliché means throwing the first punch before your opponent can. This boxing sense is from 1913 while the figurative meaning came about just couple of years later. ● “Below the belt” This term, meaning unfair, comes from the unfair and illegal boxing maneuver of hitting someone in the nether regions. The phrase gained its figurative meaning around 1889. ● “Blow by Blow” This term relates to a very detailed description of a boxing match and was originally used starting in the early 1920s. By the 1940s, blow-by-blow was being used in a non-boxing sense, perhaps first by mystery writer Hilda Lawrence in her novel Death of a Doll: "Maybe we'd better get together. Blow by blow description." ● “Glutton for punishment” Glutton meaning an enthusiast for something—a glutton for books, for example—has been in use since the early 1700s. However, the phrase glutton for punishment, one who refuses to leave a losing situation, is a mid-1800s term that comes from pugilism. ● “Groggy” The word we know as meaning sleepy or out of it originally meant “intoxicated,” and came from grog, an old-time alcoholic beverage. Groggy meaning “dazed” is from the boxing ring, meaning weakened in a fight, hence staggering, shaky, and unsteady. ● “Killer instinct” Killer instinct was first used to describe American prize fighter Jack Dempsey in the early 1930s. Now the term refers the drive to succeed in anything and at any cost. ● “On the ropes” When a fighter is pushed up against the ropes of the boxing ring by his opponent, he’s in big trouble. Hence, the figurative meaning of on the ropes is being near defeat or in poor condition. ● “Palooka” The word palooka originally referred to a mediocre prizefighter. The prizefighter sense originated around 1926, and is credited to Jack Conway, the editor of Variety magazine. Joe Palooka was a 1920s comic that featured a dim-witted boxer with a heart of gold, which helped popularize the “oafishness” connotation of the word. ● “Pluck” In late 18th century pugilism slang, a brave fighter was said to have pluck. Pluck earlier referred to the heart and entrails of a slaughtered animal, or that which could be “plucked” from a carcass. The figurative sense in fighting was that of courage, which at the time was believed to reside in the heart. ●.”Punch-Drunk” This term meaning dazed and confused originated in boxing parlance referring to a fighter stupefied by too many punches to the head. Later, punch-drunk came to mean a neurological condition seen often in boxers and formally known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy. ● “Roll with the punches” Originally, to roll or ride with the punches, or to adapt easily to adverse circumstances, comes from the fighting maneuver of moving or rolling one’s head and body away from a blow to lessen its impact. Now it’s used to mean go along with what happenes. Go with the flow. ● “saved by the bell” Saved by the bell is an idiom meaning to be rescued at the last moment from a sticky situation, usually by a stroke of good luck. While there’s a wide-held belief that the origin of the phrase has to do with a 17th-century fear of being buried alive and subsequent coffins equipped with bells to save any such unlucky individuals, it’s actually—you guessed it—a boxing term referring to a losing fighter being “saved” by a bell that signals the end of a round. ● “throw in the towel” To throw in the towel, or give up, came from the early 20th-century boxing practice of literally throwing a white towel into the ring when admitting defeat. This convention comes from an earlier one of throwing up a sponge to admit defeat, hence another giving-up phrase, “to throw (or chuck) up the sponge.” ● “throw one's hat in the ring” While throwing in the towel signifies giving up, throwing one’s hat in the ring shows you’re ready for a fight. This custom is from at least the early 1800s, a time when most men wore hats, and would have been more reliable than trying to make yourself heard over a noisy, fight-thirsty crowd. ● “bare-knuckle” This means fierce or determined (from boxing done without gloves). ● “come out fighting/swinging” The term means the boxer should be immediately aggressive or energetic. There are far fewer sports terms than I expected which have become common metaphors or clichés. The majority are from boxing and some from baseball. That makes sense. Pugilism in some form has been around since the 3rd millennium BC. The earliest appearance of boxing in history comes from Sumerian artifacts found in Iraq. Other evidence has been found in Assyria and Babylonia. Later, the sport moved on to Greece and Rome. Modern boxing was introduced by Jack Broughton, a bare-knuckle boxing champion, with boxing’s first set of rules for modern times, and many of these are present in ever rules used today. Given the history, it is not surprising that the sport terminology evolved before it was absorbed into the English language as metaphors and clichés. JUST SAYIN ■ Sources: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/63958/15-common-phrases-come-boxing#:~:text=15%20Common%20Phrases%20that%20Come%20from%20Boxing%201,...%206%20KILLER%20INSTINCT.%20...%20More%20items...%20 https://www.theboxingplanet.com/why-is-boxing-called-the-sweet-science/#:~:text=Boxing%20is%20called%20the%20sweet%20science%20because%20it,1813%20by%20British%20journalist%20and%20sportswriter%20Pierce%20Egan. https://rotisserieduck.com/2018/09/07/baseball-cliches-good-bad/ https://www.sportsfeelgoodstories.com/sports-cliches/#:~:text=%EE%80%80Basketball%EE%80%81%2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origins_of_baseball https://evolve-mma.com/blog/the-history-and-origins-of-boxing/#:~:text=The%20earliest%20appearance%20of%20boxing%20in%20history%20comes,wrapped%20fists%20for%20the%20first%20time%20in%20sport. https://sportslens.com/football-cliches/86789/#:~:text=The%20https://www.dailywritingtips.com/55-boxing-idioms/12%20most%20annoying%20football%20clich%C3%A9s%201.%20Football,player%2C%20and%20almost...%203.%20A%20great%20advert%20 https://247sports.com/college/byu/LongFormArticle/College-football-cliches-byu-football-2021-season-projection-167967562/#167967562_8 https://www.dailywritingtips.com/55-boxing-idioms/ https://www.sporcle.com/games/Rocky123/basketball-cliches https://www.sportsfeelgoodstories.com/sports-cliches/#:~:text=%EE%80%80Basketball%EE%80%81%2 https://www.sportsfeelgoodstories.com/sports-cliches/#:~:text=%EE%80%80Basketball%EE%80%81%2 https://hittingitsolid.com/blog/golf-cliches/ http://www.sportscliche.com/basketball.html https://hittingitsolid.com/blog/golf-cliches/ https://www.goal.com/en-us/news/soccers-slang-cliches-idioms-explained-what-do-they-mean/io4qmsxgr1j516fthrel36lvh https://www.britannica.com/sports/basketball https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_golf □ NOTE: Most of the thesaurus content herein comes from various sources, but i have added my share based on experience as a writer. The facial expressions, in part, are from “Entusiasti Blog” (march 19, 2014). Facial expressions and other physical behavior are largely from “The Blog Muse”, emotion thesaurus posted by Angela Ackerman before she and Becca Puglisi published their books. The full list of sources is at the end. EMOTION THESAURUS – PART 4 CONTEXT IS EVERYTHING Take all things into account when describing a scene so that the facial expressions, body language, and context all match the situation and the reactions that you, as the author, intend it to mean. Never assume readers know what you mean. They don't know what the author is thinking. LONELINESS
LOVE / ATTRACTION / FLIRTATION Love Flirtatiousness/Falling in Love entusiastiq.blogspot.com/facial-expressions entusiastiq.blogspot.com/facial-expressions
LYING
PAIN
RELIEF
RELUCTANCE
RESENTMENT
RESIGNATION
SADNESS / GRIEF
SCARCASM / VERBAL DISRESPECT
SATISFACTION
SHYNESS
SOMBERNESS
EMOTION THESAURUS – PART 5 (Final) coming September 24
NOTE: Most of the thesaurus content herein comes from various sources, but i have added my share based on experience as a writer. The facial expressions, in part, are from “Entusiasti Blog” (march 19, 2014). Facial expressions and other physical behavior are largely from “The Blog Muse”, emotion thesaurus posted by Angela Ackerman before she and Becca Puglisi published their books. The full list of sources is at the end. EMOTION THESAURUS – PART 3 CONTEXT IS EVERYTHING Take all things into account when describing a scene so that the facial expressions, body language, and context all match the situation and the reactions that you, as the author, intend it to mean. Never assume readers know what you mean. They don't know what the author is thinking. FEAR
FRUSTRATION
GUILT
HATRED
HAUGHTINESS/ SMUGNESS/ SUPERIORITY
HOPEFULNESS
HUMILIATION
HURT Hurt can be both physical and emotional
IMPATIENCE
IMPATIENCE
INDIGNATION
JEALOUSY
Emotion Thesaurus - Part 4 coming next week - September,10, 2021
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Author R. Ann SiracusaNovelist, retired architect and urban planner, world traveler, quilter, owl collector, devoted wife-mother-grandmother, great-grandmother, and, according to some, wild-assed liberal. Archives
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