September 30, 2010 Class Notes
Chapter 5:
Examples of literary devices:
Page 50:
Simile: A young thick faced peasant with a fleshy face as red as a carrot.
Foreshadowing:
His nightmare of the brutal torture and killing of an old mare is both a symbol and perhaps a foreshadowing of the murder of an old woman Raskolnikov is contemplating.
Motifs:
(page 49)
The reference to Raskolnikov’s regarding the death of his little brother; he always bows down and kisses the grave when he visits the cemetery. This is a recurring motif which shows the schism in his personality – he is contemplating the most heinous crime one human can commit against another, yet he is capable of the most tender of feelings.
(page 45)
The motif of delirium: “His nervous shudderings seemed to have turned into a fever.” His fevers seem to occur at important moments of decisions.
(page 46)
The motif of dreams: A sick man’s dreams are often extraordinarily distinct….”
Also look for the motif of omens and signs. An ubermensch's life is ordained and marked by signs and symbols and portents.
Vocabulary:
Semblance: a resemblance or the assembling of disparate parts so that the created thing looks like or resembles another thing.

Prompt: Analyzing Raskolnikov’s nightmare, look for literary and figurative devices which reveal the theme of CRIME and PUNISHMENT. The essay will be due on Wednesday, October 6th.

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