Pleonasm

 __Pleonasm__

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 Pleonasm is the use of more words than necessary to convey an idea. Although it is often considered redundancy, pleonasm plays a significant role in emphasizing an idea, explaining a concept, or ensuring a particular meaning is conveyed. It often includes idiomatic expressions such as "safe haven" or "tuna fish" and professional terms such as "terms and conditions" or "each and all". ======

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 Pleonasm is  divided into two types: Syntactic pleonasm and semantic pleonasm. ======

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 Syntactic pleonasm is concerned with different uses of grammar; it occurs when grammar allows certain words to be optional in a sentence. For example: "I know that you are coming" and "I know you are coming". Since both sentences are grammatically correct, the first sentence "I know that you are coming" is considered pleonastic. ======

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 On the other hand, semantic pleonasm is concerned with style and word choice. Examples include "a free gift", "the real truth", "seeing with my eyes", "thinking in my mind", and "repeating it again". ====== 

__Example__: Stanza 2 of Philip Larkin's "Aubade" 

This is a special way of being afraid No trick dispels. Religion used to try, That vast, moth-eaten musical brocade Created to pretend we never die, And specious stuff that says No rational being Can fear a thing it will not feel, not seeing That this is what we fear- no sight, no sound, No touch or taste or smell, nothing to think with, Nothing to love or link with, The anesthetic from which none come round.

Using pleonasm, Larkin describes his fear of complete "nothingness" by highlighting the lack of sense and feeling as a result of anesthesia. By including sensory descriptions and the repetition of words such as "no", "nothing", and "none", Larkin is able to communicate this terrifyingly numb feeling of emptiness. Hence, Larkin uses the list of sensory feelings to portray the drastic impact of death on one's life. In doing so, he emphasizes his fear about the loss of sense and feeling that accompanies death. 



__Example__: Stanza 1 of Philip Larkin's "Best Society"

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Not <span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: yellow none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">specially right or specially wrong, ======

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<span style="color: #2b2b97; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Larkin’s embellishments of the words “right” and “wrong” are examples of pleonasm, as “specially right” and “specially wrong” are similar to simply “right” and “wrong”. By adding the word “specially” to both words, Larkin parallels the two terms to further contrast their meanings. He then uses the distinction between the meanings of "right" and "wrong" to explain his idea that solitude does not fall under either category. Hence, Larkin uses pleonasm to emphasize his ambiguous perception of solitude in that solitude is never simply right or wrong, but rather something in between. ======

__Example:__ Stanza 1 of Philip Larkin's "Ignorance" <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">

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Since the words “true”, “right”, and “real” are all synonymous, the highlighted phrase is considered pleonastic. Here, Larkin uses pleonasm to highlight his perplexity of what should be considered real. The words “true”, “right”, and “real” further convey Larkin’s struggle to describe the accurate definition of “truth”. By portraying this increasing uncertainty of what is “real”, Larkin explains his observations of society’s growing ignorance of truth. ======

__Example:__ Stanza 4 of Philip Larkin's "Lines On A Young Lady's Photograph Album"

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Faithful and disappointing<span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: yellow none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">! that records ======

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<span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: yellow none repeat scroll 0% 0%;"> Dull days as dul l, and hold-it smiles as frauds, ======

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Larkin’s choice to further describe “dull days” as “dull” is another example of pleonasm. Through the description of photographs that depict “dull days as dull”, Larkin emphasizes his view that photographs will portray situations and appearances as exactly the way they were when the photographs were taken. Hence, Larkin’s use of pleonasm serves to emphasize the reliability of photographs to depict truth, no matter how unsatisfactory the images these photographs depict may be. ======

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<span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background: yellow none repeat scroll 0% 0%;">Yes, true ; but in the end, surely, we cry ======

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Larkin’s use of pleonasm with the phrase “Yes, true” underscores his acknowledgement of the idea that old photographs may depict appearances that appear completely different from present day appearances. Thus these words establish a sense of connection between Larkin and his audience about the mystery of photographs and the strangeness of memories and reflections. Hence, Larkin uses the pleonastic phrase “Yes, true” as a means of communication with his audience to acknowledge the powerful impact of time on one’s life and the interesting contrast between past and present. ======