Picture courtesy: Cutting into a dessert on a plate, Unsplash. 

Happy New Year, everyone!

Sanaa here aka adashofsunny to welcome you all and to stir your muses toward exploring the litotes of yesterday. It was a lovely holiday break for me, and I hope it was for you as well! We are delighted to be back!

Defining Litotes: Litotes, as a figure of speech, is a rhetorical device used to make an understatement by negating the opposite of the intended message. A double negative is frequently used in this, leading to a positive declaration.

However, this method is used to make a vague, indirect, or modest claim instead of a clear, positive statement.

The question is, why would we use litotes when we can say things directly?

It is a deliberate understatement for effect, the opposite of hyperbole. For example, a good idea may be described as “not half bad,” or a difficult task considered “no small feat.”

Examples of Litotes in Classic Literature

 

Romeo and Juliet “It is not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a church-door; but ’tis enough.”

In Act 3, Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet, the witty Mercutio utters this famous line. He playfully describes his wound, suggesting that it may not be as severe as a deep well or as broad as a church door, but it is sufficient.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

“I ain’t no good. But I could cook and tend the chickens and hoe the garden some.” Here the character expresses self-perceived inadequacy yet highlights practical skills.

The Iliad by Homer

“And in his heart, he’s not sorry to leave a brother behind, when he’s run and escaped his death.”

This ancient Greek masterpiece recounts significant events during the final weeks of the Trojan War, a ten-year siege of the city of Troy by a coalition of Mycenaean Greek states.

This poignant line carries the weight of survival, sacrifice, and the harsh realities of life. It speaks of a moment when one’s own survival instinct overrides the bonds of kinship.

Litotes can also be found in everyday speech, where they often serve to understate or add emphasis to our statements. Common examples include:

• I can’t turn down that offer.
• The weather is not unpleasant.
• He is hardly unattractive.
• That compliment is not unwelcome.
• That lesson is not hard.
• I can’t say that I won’t try the dessert.
• Your effort has not gone unnoticed.

Why do writers use Litotes?

Writers use litotes for a few different reasons.

First, a litotes is one way to soften a blunt statement. For instance, “He’s not the brightest penny in the fountain” (courtesy of The Simpsons) is a milder and perhaps kinder way of saying someone is not very smart.

Sometimes, litotes emphasize the positive in a situation, “He had an interview for the managerial position. It wasn’t half bad.”

Litotes are a literary device that writers use to evoke the conversational style of everyday speech. And because litotes are so common in our everyday language, using them in writing makes the protagonists more relatable.

The technique can also make a line of writing more complex in a way that improves the reader’s overall reception of the work. The use of a negative when the writer really wants to say something positive can help in making the reader think more deeply about their statement. It can even make that same statement more powerful.

And then there’s the “snark effect” — where litotes can help add some biting humor to a scene.

More examples of Litotes from Poetry and Pop Culture

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T. S. Eliot

But though I have wept and fasted, wept and prayed,
Though I have seen my head (grown slightly bald) brought in upon a platter,
I am no prophet — and here’s no great matter;
I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker,
And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker,
And in short, I was afraid.

Sonnet 116: Let me not to the marriage of true minds by William Shakespeare

Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle’s compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.

Among the many tools in a filmmaker’s arsenal are literary devices that have helped creatives for thousands of years. One of them is Litotes.

The Godfather (1972)

In a pivotal scene, Michael Corleone, played by Al Pacino, tells his brother Fredo, “I know it was you, Fredo. You broke my heart.” The understated “You broke my heart” carries more emotional weight than a more direct expression of betrayal ever could.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

When Joel, played by Jim Carrey, describes his relationship with Clementine, he says, “I can’t see anything that I don’t like about you.” This indirect affirmation adds complexity to the character’s emotions.

Sources: Litotes: Definition and Examples of Litotes in Everyday Language & Literature and ThoughtCo. Definition and Examples of Litotes in English Grammar. 

For Today’s Poetics, I’d like you to write keeping in mind the following three options. Choose ONE.

1. Write a narrative poem using litotes where the main character or antagonist stands out.
2. Write a poem using litotes and follow the example of Homer or Shakespeare. Give us something classic.
3. Write a poem by employing litotes as a part of everyday speech.

New to dVerse? Here’s how to join in:

• Write a poem in response to the challenge.
• Enter a link directly to your poem and your name by clicking Mr. Linky below
  and remember to check the little box to accept the use/privacy policy.
• You will find links to other poets and more will join so please do check
  back later in order to read their poems.
• Read and comment on other poets’ work– we all come here to have our poems read.