Keywords: voice-over rhetoric in TV series Desperate Housewives
I. Introduction to Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives (translated as Desperate Housewives) is a TV series broadcast by ABC TV at 9 pm every Sunday from June 10 to May 20 12. The story takes place in Wisteria Lane in Fairview, a fictional place in the American suburbs, and depicts the married life of four housewives. The four heroines in the play represent four different types of housewives-the perfect housewife Bree, the confused housewife Susan, the strong housewife Lynette and the beautiful housewife Gaby. The play not only has a wonderful plot, but also has a classic voice-over at the end of each episode. This paper analyzes its voice-over from the perspective of language rhetoric, explains the reasons for the classic of the play, and thus shows the charm of English language.
Second, the meaning and classification of rhetoric
The original meaning of rhetoric is to modify speech, that is, in the process of language use, various linguistic means are used to achieve better expression effect. English rhetoric can be divided into three types: semantic rhetoric, structural rhetoric and phonetic rhetoric. Figures of speech include metaphor, metonymy, personification, satire, exaggeration, understatement, euphemism, contrast, oxymoron and pun. Structural figures of speech include repetition, palindrome, parallelism, contrast, rhetorical questions, climax, anticlimactic and so on. Phonological figures of speech include alliteration, rhyme and onomatopoeia. The following three aspects are used to interpret the figures of speech used in the voice-over of Desperate Housewives.
simile
Simile is a metaphor, which shows the relationship between ontology and vehicle by comparing two things or phenomena with the same characteristics. Commonly used figurative words are as, like, if, as if, etc.
Example 1. Suddenly, he appeared, just like the phoenix nirvana. The original intention of "Phoenix reborn from the fire" is to describe that Phoenix was reborn after suffering from fire. This is used to describe Susan's mood at that time. Susan thought Edie was dating her favorite man Mike, but she didn't expect Mike to appear in front of her at this time, which made her feel extremely sad and happy and thoroughly remoulded.
(2) Stratification
Orgasm is a rhetorical method that a series of words gradually reach climax according to the size, weight, depth and height of thoughts, which can enhance the language situation and gradually deepen the impression of readers.
Example 2. After 2. The next day, my friends got together to pack my clothes, my personal belongings and the rest of my life. After mary alice died, her friends helped her pack. Among them, "my clothes, my personal beliefs, the rest of my life" is translated into "my clothes, personal belongings and what I left behind", and the three phrases are step by step, using the rhetorical method of step by step. At the same time, "the rest of my life" led to the threatening letter mentioned below, which paved the way for mary alice's story and the reason for her suicide.
(3) parallelism
Parallelism is to arrange three or more sentences with similar structure and length, consistent tone, related meaning or the same, so as to achieve the purpose of enhancing the order of articles, strengthening the language situation and expressing strong feelings.
Example 3. But there will always be these people who force their way into our lives. Just like those people we invited But the biggest problem is. Those who stand outside and look in. People we never really knew. "Those who intrude into our lives ... those we invite in ... those who stand outside and look in." This paper lists three kinds of people who broke into our lives in various ways, with distinct levels and strong sense of rhythm, and used rhetorical devices of parallelism.
(4) Citation
Citation refers to a rhetorical device that deliberately quotes existing idioms, poems, aphorisms, allusions, etc. when writing an article to express one's thoughts and feelings and explain one's views on new problems and new truths. Citation will make the argument conclusive and sufficient, enhance persuasiveness, and make the language concise, implicit and elegant.
Example 4. As children, we are proud that the power of good triumphs over the power of evil. "The power of good overcomes the power of evil" can be translated as "the invincible evil"; But not everyone will stop to pick flowers. "Stop and open the flowers" can be translated as "live in the present"; Those who accept the oath promise to respect and cherish each other in good times or bad, rich or poor, sick or healthy, and give up everything until death do us part. "Whether in good times or bad, whether rich or poor, whether in sickness or health, we should all be together, respect and cherish, abandon everything and do us part until death." It refers to the wedding vows, which can be translated as "whether rich or poor, whether in sickness and health, whether in prosperity or adversity, never leave, love each other until death do us part".