Parallel Structures

Parallel structures• What is a parellel structure?

– Refers to identical grammatical structures that add rhythm and balance to images (Noden, 2011).

– Adds musical quality that adds emphasis and sound to central images (Noden, 2011).

– Example: • Season 1 (1959–1960)

– There is a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call the Twilight Zone.• —Rod Serling

Examples

• Between the past and the future, between sanity and madness, between dreams and reality, lies the mystery of the 12 monkeys. (Universal Studios)

• Between what can be seen and what must be feared, between what lives and what never dies, between the light of truth and the darkness of evil, lies the future of terror. (Universal Studios)

Types

• Literal repetition– Repeating the exact same thing over and over

throughout• Grammatical repetition– Using the same structure throughout

• Literal and grammatical repetition– Using both

Literal repetition• Dear big brother,• Remember the day I borrowed your brand new car and I dented

it? I thought you'd kill me, but you didn't. And remember the time I dragged you to the beach, and you said it would rain, and it did? I thought you'd say, "I told you so." But you didn't. Do you remember the time I spilled strawberry pie all over your car rug? I thought you'd hit me, but you didn't. And remember the time I forgot to tell you the wedding was formal and you showed up in jeans? I thought you'd yell at me, but you didn't. Yes, there were lots of things you didn't do, But you put up with me, and you loved me, and you protected me. There were lots of things I wanted to make up to you when you returned from Iraq.

• Sincerely, ...but you didn't.

Literal repetition

• I talked more quickly—more vehemently; but the noise steadily increased. I arose and argued about trifles, in a high key with gesticulations, but the noise steadily increased. Why would they not be gone? I paced the floor to and fro with heavy strides, as if excited to fury by the observation of the men—but the noise steadily increased – “The Tell-tale Heart” by Edgar Allen Poe

Literal repetition

• Examples from students: – It was all so clear now. She knew who had killed Sylvia. It

was someone who hated her, someone who had been a friend of hers, someone who never forgave her for how she had treated him, someone from high school, someone who knew her old nickname was Syl. It was Bruce Crystal!

– Every day some kid makes a big name for himself in high school or college, but only the best make it to the NFL. Only the best of the best make it to the Hall of Fame. And running backs are a breed apart, lone warriors facing minefields of destruction and in this dog-eat-dog league, only the best survive.

Activity• Choose a “zone”• The Sports Zone• The Political Zone• The Nature Zone• The School Zone• The Music Zone• The Crime Zone• The Friendship Zone• The Vampire Zone• The Movie Zone• The Cafeteria Zone• The Love Zone• The Forest Zone• The Car Wash Zone• The Skateboard Zone• The Math Zone• The Television Zone

• Use the outline to fill in the parallel structures, using YOUR zone. The ________________ Zone

There is a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as ____________ as _________________ and as _____________________ as __________________. It is the ____________ ____________between ____________________ and _______________, between __________________________ and ________________________, and it lies between the _________________________ of ___________ ____________, and the ______________ of his/her ________________. This is the dimension of _______________________. It is an area which we call…. THE _______________ ZONE.

• Original: There is a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call the Twilight Zone.