by Naomi L. | June 6, 2016 | Blog, Word of the Week |
Word: epitome
Pronunciation: ə-PI-tə-mee
Part of Speech: noun
Definition:
- a person or thing that is a perfect example of a particular quality or type
- a summary of a written work; an abstract
Source: Oxford Dictionaries
Here’s another word that’s quite common but that’s tripped me up in the past. Funnily enough, I had both heard it spoken often and read it a few times before, yet I didn’t realize at first that it was the same word because I expected it to have a different pronunciation based on its spelling. It didn’t help that I’d heard other people incorrectly pronounce it “E-pi-tohm”, but when you think about, that just seems to make this word an “epitome” of the challenges of learning English!
An “epitome” of a given quality or type is a perfect example of it. In literature, “epitome” refers to an abstract or summary of a written work. The word arose in the early 16th century and traces back to the Greek noun epitomḗ ,meaning “abridgment”. This noun stems from the verb epitémnō “to abridge”, which in turn consists of the prefix epi “upon” and the verb témnō “to cut”.
Much like the word “hyperbole“, I find “epitome” interesting for the apparent discrepancy between its spelling and pronunciation, though this should hardly be surprising given that both these words come from Greek. Similar to its meaning as an abstract of a written work, this word also has an archaic sub-definition: “a thing representing something else in miniature”. If you ever find yourself needing to perfectly exemplify an idea in your stories, an “epitome” would be an excellent device to deploy!
What are your thoughts on this word? Any suggestions for future “Word of the Week” featured words?
by Naomi L. | June 3, 2016 | Flash Fiction, J.C. Wolfe's Writing |
(What If? Exercise: Read the description here.)
Samantha had chosen her favorite flower when she was young.
Unfortunately, none of the boys knew what it was.
Nobody ever gave her the flowers she wanted.
From roses to lilies, they always missed.
Lenny finally thought to ask her.
Overjoyed, Samantha shared her secret.
Whispered in his ear.
Embarrassed, he grinned.
Ridiculously obvious.
Sunflowers.
This piece is based on What If? Exercise 93: “Ten to One”. The exercise is to write a 55-word story in which the first sentence has ten words, the second has nine, etc., until the last sentence has only one word. The objective is to show that precision and thrift in writing can produce surprisingly powerful results. I hope you enjoy what I’ve written. Thanks for reading!
Back to the story
by Naomi L. | June 1, 2016 | Blog, Creative Writing |
Welcome to June! Why don’t we start off with another post for Silver Threading and Ronovan Writes‘s Writers Quote Wednesday Writing Challenge? I’ve been having a lot of fun with these lately, especially since they help keep me creatively inspired through a particularly stressful time. Thanks, Silver and Ronovan!
Appropriately for Memorial Day, the theme for this week was freedom! The quote I chose comes from the collection of Benjamin Franklin’s works:
Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. – Benjamin Franklin
There’s an interesting history behind this quote: originally taken from a letter Franklin wrote regarding a tax dispute and the necessity of military defense, it has since become a popular saying in arguments about the risks of modern technology and surveillance, and has even been paraphrased to defend the fundamental right to privacy. Evidently there are quite a few ways to interpret this quote, which makes it great inspiration for a creative writing exercise!
So in the spirit of Memorial Day, here’s a poem I wrote inspired by Benjamin Franklin’s words on liberty and safety. Enjoy!
Liberty or Safety
If you had to choose,
Would you rather
Have Liberty
Or Safety?
Would you rather
Be free to make choices
Or be safe from their risks?
Would you rather
Be free to make mistakes
Or be safe from their consequences?
Would you rather
Be free to speak your thoughts
Or be safe from their dangers?
Would you rather
Be free to live your life
Or be safe from the fear of death?
Safety always seems appealing
To those who lack courage,
But in the end it comes
At the cost of true Liberty.
For Safety oftentimes
Is merely temporary,
But Liberty is forever
An essential right.
Those who would give up
Essential Liberty
To purchase a little
Temporary Safety
Deserve neither
Liberty nor Safety.
I hope you enjoyed my poem! Be sure to join the Writers Quote Wednesday Writing Challenge and share your quote-inspired works! Thanks for reading!
Writers Quote Wednesday Writing Challenge is a weekly blogging event by Colleen Chesebro of Silver Threading in collaboration with Ronovan Hester of Ronovan Writes. Be sure to check out both these authors’ blogs for your weekly dose of inspiration! Happy writing!
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