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8. What are some examples of literary terms that are commonly misused or misunderstood?

Keeley Yurkiewicz

There are several literary terms that are commonly misused or misunderstood by people in general, not just on social media. The first one that comes to mind is the term "irony." Many people use the word "irony" to describe any situation that is unexpected or funny, when in fact it has a specific meaning in literature. Irony is when the opposite of what you expect to happen, happens. For example, when a fire station burns down, that's ironic because you wouldn't expect a place that is supposed to put out fires to burn down. But if someone says "it's ironic that I'm wearing a raincoat and it's sunny outside," that's not really ironic, it's just coincidental or unexpected.

Another term that people often misuse is "metaphor." A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two things without using "like" or "as." For example, "her eyes are diamonds." Many people think that any comparison without "like" or "as" is a metaphor, but that's not true. A simile is a figure of speech that compares two things using "like" or "as." For example, "her eyes are like diamonds." So if someone says "her eyes are as shiny as diamonds," that's a simile, not a metaphor.

One literary term that is often misunderstood is "foreshadowing." Foreshadowing is when an author gives a hint or clue about something that will happen later in the story. For example, if a character puts a gun in their pocket early on in the story, that might be foreshadowing that they will use it later. But sometimes people use "foreshadowing" to describe any hint or clue, even if it's not really hinting at anything. For example, if a character mentions that they like pizza early in the story, that's not really foreshadowing anything.

Another literary term that people often get wrong is "hyperbole." Hyperbole is when you exaggerate something to make a point. For example, if you say "I'm so hungry, I could eat a horse," that's hyperbole. But people often use "hyperbole" to describe any kind of exaggeration, even if it's not really making a point. For example, if you say "I've been waiting for ages," that's not really hyperbole, it's just an exaggeration.

Finally, there's the term "theme." Theme is the underlying message or meaning of a story. For example, the theme of "To Kill a Mockingbird" might be that prejudice is wrong. But sometimes people use "theme" to mean the plot or the storyline, which is not the same thing. The plot is what happens in the story, while the theme is what the story is really about.

In conclusion, there are several literary terms that are commonly misused or misunderstood, but it's important to use them correctly if you want to communicate effectively. Irony, metaphor, foreshadowing, hyperbole, and theme are just a few examples of terms that people often get wrong, but with a little education and practice, anyone can use them correctly.