Litotes

Litotes Litotes Litotes By Maeve Maddox A rhetorical term for understatement is litotes: litotes [LY-tuh-teez] (noun): understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of the contrary (as in â€Å"Hes not a bad ballplayer†)- Merriam-Webster. Litotes can be used to express a variety of meanings. When the translators of the KJV have Paul of Tarsus identify himself to the Roman officer as â€Å"a citizen of no mean city† (Acts 21:39), it is not to suggest that Paul was being modest. The words are â€Å"no mean city,† but the meaning is â€Å"a very important city.† Here are other examples of the use of litotes to emphasize the importance of something by using a negative to express the contrary: The history of American freedom is,  in no small measure, the history of procedure.  (i.e., â€Å"to a great extent†) The disparity in government funding is  not easy  to remedy. (i.e, â€Å"extremely difficult†) Litotes is also used to convey modesty, sarcasm, contempt, admiration, and veiled disapproval, as in the following examples: You’ve managed to wreck the car and destroy the front porch all in one go. Good job! He’s no Einstein. Oprah gave every guest a car? Not too shabby. This day-old lobster bisque is not entirely inedible. Understatement has been a popular form of expression in English since the earliest times. For example, the Old English epic Beowulf begins with a gory description of Grendel’s slaughter of thirty of Hrothgar’s thanes. Grendel seizes the thanes and carries some of the bloody bodies back to his lair, â€Å"exulting.† Later, Grendel returns to wreak more slaughter. Says the poet, â€Å"[The monster] did not mourn for it.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:70 "Home" Idioms and ExpressionsWhen to Form a Plural with an ApostropheThe Difference Between "Un-" and "Dis-"

Theme in The Golden Kite, The Silver Wind Essay Example

Theme in The Golden Kite, The Silver Wind Essay Example Theme in The Golden Kite, The Silver Wind Paper Theme in The Golden Kite, The Silver Wind Paper The Golden Kite and The Silver Wind The first example from the story to support this Idea of cooperation Is the several mimes the mandarins of each village changed the walls of their villages to resemble some animal or object to overtake the other. The mandarin, whose daughter speaks to him from behind the screen, and the mandarin of Khan-SSL literally run their towns into bankruptcy and ruin from the constant changing of the walls. The townspeople all work together and everything stops so they can build the walls. All the citizens join in to construct the new shape of the city walls. Another example of the theme of working together comes from the presence of the daughter and her father, the mandarin. The mandarin is at a loss for what to do. He listens to his daughter, even though it is unheard of to allow the woman to make the decision. The fact that she must hide behind the screen to whisper to her father leads the reader to believe that a ?womans word was not held to any credibility. Yet the father accepts her words and commands that her suggestion be completed. Even the mandarin of Khan-Is listens to the daughter and accepts her final rebuilding instructions. The final example of the theme of cooperation is seen at the end of the story when the narrator states that all is peaceful and calm and that the two towns once again re prospering and sharing in the support of the other. The people became healthy again and the troubles of before disappeared. When they finally decide to work together, the towns again begin to prosper. The daughter of the mandarin makes the point perfectly. Will make a last rebuilding To resemble nothing more nor less than the wind. And we shall build like a golden kite Together, all will be beauty and co-operation. The story The Golden Kite, The Silver Wind, gives us a great example for the theme of cooperation and how working with someone else can help accomplish more than working against someone else Theme in The Golden Kite, The Silver Wind By kilovolt ?Silver Kite, Golden Wind! Theme Essay We struggle with others when it comes to getting our own way. We argue and fight much more. The story by Ray Bradbury, The Golden Kite, The Silver Wind, is a great The first example from the story to support this idea of cooperation is the several to him from behind the screen, and the mandarin of Khan-Is literally run their towns all work together and everything stops so they can build the walls. All the citizens Join point perfectly. Muff will make a last rebuilding To resemble nothing more nor

Comparing Policies of UK and Germany Research Proposal

Comparing Policies of UK and Germany - Research Proposal Example (Hofmann 78) For short term visits to engage in non work business activities, U.S. citizens do not need a visa to enter Germany. For longer term work assignments on the other hand, Germany offers a broad selection of employment authorization visa categories. (Gunlicks 67) As is the case with Germany, U.S, citizens do not currently need to have a visa to travel to the United Kingdom (UK) for short business visits. The individual may remain in the UK for up to six months. However, the UK government recently announced that it is considering the introduction of a new business visa that would reduce a permission to remain from six months to three months. (Schulte- Peevers 92) The UK has a number of specialized programs available for various types of work such as; training and work experience, business entrepreneurs, highly skilled migrants; however, the workhorse option for most companies sending U. S. citizens to the UK is the work permit Scheme. Under this system, a work permit may be issued for up to five years. Work permits are generally issued only where the job requires relatively advanced skills and or experience, or where resident labor is unavailable. The work permit Scheme is divided into two tiers; Tier One and Tier Two. (Szarka 83) Tier One work permit applications are exempt from any requirement to recruit for the position within the European Economic Area (EEA), which consists of the 27 EU member states plus Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein. (Boehmar- Christiansen 84) Tier Two applications do not fall within the various Tier One categories automatically come within Tier Two. For Two workers, the employer must document that it conducted a recruitment search for the position and was unable to find a suitable employee from either the UK or EEA labor market. (Chick 100) With both Tier One and Tier Two applications, once the work permit has been issued, in most cases an individual will apply for entry clearance to the UK at the British Embassy in his home country. The individual may then come to the UK to take up the contemplated employment. (Goodman 87) Under Germany, good option for multinational corporations allows transfer of personnel to Germany if it can be shown that the German company has employees working abroad; allows for a replacement of these employees, so that if five German employees are working abroad, five employees can be brought into Germany; valid for one year; extensions available for up to three years; no labor market opinion required. (Hofmann 82) Short term assignments on the other hand allows persons to enter Germany for up to three months in any 12 month period for specific purposes; a good choice for persons responsible for software installation, machine delivery or equipment repair; no labor market opinion required. (Szarka 90) Moreover, U.S. citizens enjoy a privileged status in Germany; in special cases, a work permit may be issued regardless of the requirements above; a labor opinion is required. (Chick 105) b) Why different/ Similar Different since UK's work permit is divided into two tiers and once the work permit has been issued, the individual is required to apply for entry clearance to the UK at the British Embassy in his home country and thereafter he or she may come to UK to take up the contemplated employment thus inconvenient. (Schulte- Peevers 96) c) Which better, and