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Literary Techniques Used In Unbroken

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Unbroken is a true story of a war hero who defied all odds of living during World War II. Laura Hillenbrand promotes the memoir by stating it is "An Olympian's journey from airman to castaway to captive." There are many literary techniques used to explain the story to the reader in a more unique way that makes the story their own or more relatable. In the memoir, Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand promotes three techniques to make the eventful and complex story a page turner, irony, symbolism, and the four elements of humor. To begin, irony is one of the most common techniques used in memoirs. Irony is the difference between how something appears to happen, versus what it actually is trying to promote. The three most common forms of irony are verbal, dramatic, and situational. In the introduction, Hillenbrand writes, "A month earlier, twenty-six-year-old Zamperini had been one of the greatest runners in the world. Now his body had wasted to less than one hundred pounds and his famous legs could not lift him(page 2)." This is the beginning of situational irony in the book because it informs the reader that the famous track star's life was about to go to waste after a terrible event. Later on, Louis …show more content…

The four elements of humor include a hyperbole, understatement, comic irony, and a parody. The most common form of humor in Unbroken are understatements. Before the war, Pete, Louie's brother, claimed "I have to walk around with my shirt open so that I have enough room for my chest (page 29)." This is an element of humor because Pete is exaggerating to make his victory humorous to his brother. Later on, Zamperini's crew members find fun in poking at their misfortunes. When the crew was assigned to the B-24 Liborator, the men called it "The Flying Brick (page 54)" and "The Constipated Lumberer (page 54)." These names provided comic relief in a time of worry or nervousness because of the Liborator's flying

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