Episode #34

Rhetorical analysis of the popular science essay "Why Leaves Turn Color in the Fall" by Diane Ackerman. Recommended for high school.

(And I don't know why I shortened it in the episode to "Why Leaves Turn Color." My bad.)

Analysis focuses on figurative language and theme. 

*CW: mentions of sex, discussions of death

#10 in the Feminist Justice series

Link to PDF version of the essay: http://mssandersonsouthcache.weebly.com/uploads/8/5/8/9/8589339/whyleavesturncolorinfall_2012.pdf

Figurative Language present in the essay and discussed here (*This is an incomplete list):

symbol: Something (usually simple and concrete) which represents something else (usually complex and abstract); i.e., a cross representing Christianity

metaphor: An implied comparison between two unlike things which share a certain trait; i.e., trees encased in glass after a winter storm (glass=ice)

simile: A stated comparison between two unlike things which share a certain trait, most often using "like" or "as" to show the comparison; i.e., thou art like a summer's day, sunny and warm

personification: A metaphor in which human traits are given to a non-human thing; i.e., "The rocks complained and then cursed as the earth quaked"; or an abstract is given a human avatar; i.e., Father Time

hyperbole: An extreme exaggeration meant to show an emotional state; i.e., "I'm hungry" is a statement, "I'm starving" is an exaggeration, "I'm hungry enough to eat a thousand horses" is hyperbole

understatement: An intentional de-emphasizing of a situation, usually for ironic or sardonic effect; i.e., Monty Python's Black Knight saying "It's just a flesh wound" after King Arthur cut the Knight's arm off

euphemism: A less offensive or less jarring term used in place of a more offensive or jarring term; i.e., "passed away" for "died"

allusion: A reference to something already known by the audience, from literature, history, popular culture, etc.; i.e., referring to a couple as Romeo and Juliet

synecdoche: When a piece of a whole is used to represent the whole, or a whole used to represent a piece; i.e., "wheels" referring to an entire car

metonymy: When an associated term is used to represent something, i.e., "suits" referring to businesspeople

pun: Word play based on words that sound similar or that have multiple meanings; i.e., "Make like a tree and leave!"

onomatopoeia: A word that sounds like (or is a phonetic spelling of) the sound or what it represents; i.e., meow, baa, snap, crackle, pop

alliteration: When several words close together have the same initial sound; i.e., Peter Piper picked a pepperoni pizza

assonance: When several words close together have the same vowel sound with different consonant sounds, i.e., I like nice pies

consonance: When several words close together have the same consonant sound in the middle or at the ends of the words; i.e., sounds at the ends of words

irony: When what happens is the opposite of what one would expect, or when one's meaning is the opposite of what one says