Literary Techniques:
Every piece of writing contains literary techniques whether they are intentionally incorporated or not. Rick Riordan, the author of The Sea of Monsters, uses many literary techniques to help tell his story. Below are some of the techniques/terms he used in his book.
Conflict
In the book there are many times in which conflict has occurred, whether it be between two people or someone and their inner self. Here are some examples:
1) In the process of saving Grover and Camp Half-Blood, Percy came into a dangerous Cyclops. "The monster shook his fist...There was Annabeth, hanging upside down by her legs...Grover rushed in from the right. He threw his sheep bone, which bounced harmlessly off the monster's forehead. Clarisse ran in from the left and set her spear against the ground just in time for the Cyclops to step on it...The Cyclops just plucked out the shift like a large splinter and kept advancing toward me...The monster made a grab for me...He pounded her...I followed up by stabbing the monster in the toe or the ankle or the hand...We ran for the bridge, Polyphemus right behind us...Polyphemus bounded after us,...I slashed and kicked and bashed until the next thing I knew, Polyphemus was sprawled on his back, dazed and groaning." (Riordan 215-219). Percy and his friends had to fight vigorously in order to win this Man vs. Man conflict. It took some time, but they were successful.
2) When Percy and his friends find Luke to be on the same ship as them, it becomes more than just a simple discussion. "Annabeth sounded so angry i thought she'd explode
..."I didn't dishonor her!" Luke snapped.
"Liar!"..."You're a monster!"
"We could use our intelligence, Annabeth."
"Because you have none of your own!" " (Riordan 127). Annabeth is arguing with Luke about how he is dishonoring everything he ever stood for. She holds a completely different opinion than him about how Olympus should be controlled/ruled. In this Man vs. Man argument, the reader gets to know how each character feels about the situation.
1) In the process of saving Grover and Camp Half-Blood, Percy came into a dangerous Cyclops. "The monster shook his fist...There was Annabeth, hanging upside down by her legs...Grover rushed in from the right. He threw his sheep bone, which bounced harmlessly off the monster's forehead. Clarisse ran in from the left and set her spear against the ground just in time for the Cyclops to step on it...The Cyclops just plucked out the shift like a large splinter and kept advancing toward me...The monster made a grab for me...He pounded her...I followed up by stabbing the monster in the toe or the ankle or the hand...We ran for the bridge, Polyphemus right behind us...Polyphemus bounded after us,...I slashed and kicked and bashed until the next thing I knew, Polyphemus was sprawled on his back, dazed and groaning." (Riordan 215-219). Percy and his friends had to fight vigorously in order to win this Man vs. Man conflict. It took some time, but they were successful.
2) When Percy and his friends find Luke to be on the same ship as them, it becomes more than just a simple discussion. "Annabeth sounded so angry i thought she'd explode
..."I didn't dishonor her!" Luke snapped.
"Liar!"..."You're a monster!"
"We could use our intelligence, Annabeth."
"Because you have none of your own!" " (Riordan 127). Annabeth is arguing with Luke about how he is dishonoring everything he ever stood for. She holds a completely different opinion than him about how Olympus should be controlled/ruled. In this Man vs. Man argument, the reader gets to know how each character feels about the situation.
Foreshadowing
The book shows many examples of foreshadowing to give the reader's a feeling of what they think is going to happen next. Here is one example:
1) As Percy wonders about the prophecy that he is not allowed to know, he inquires Annabeth to help him figure out what it is. "Annabeth twisted her Yankees cap in her hands..."The next child of the Big Three who reaches sixteen will be a dangerous weapon...We'll only know that if you survive three more years. That can be a long time for a half-blood."
"So am I the one in the prophecy?"
Chiron tucked his bandages back into his pouch. "I wish I knew, Percy..."
..."But there isn't any other half-blood child of the Big-Three!"
"That we know of." " (Riordan 167 and 251). As the characters in the book talk about the prophecy, their conversations indirectly suggest that Percy may not be the only half-blood of the Big-Three; that the prophecy may not involve him, but another demi-god.
2) Before the chariot race that took place, Percy noticed some pigeons that were crowding around in the trees. He thought of this as odd but continued to do his work, although something didn't seem right. "...I noticed how many more pigeons were in the trees now-screeching like crazy, making the whole forest rustle. Nobody else seemed to paying much attention, but they mad me nervous. Their beaks glinted strangely. Their eyes seemed shinier than regular birds." (Riordan 77-78). As Percy talks about how the pigeons seem a bit different to him, it give the audience sort of a hint as to what might happen any moment.
1) As Percy wonders about the prophecy that he is not allowed to know, he inquires Annabeth to help him figure out what it is. "Annabeth twisted her Yankees cap in her hands..."The next child of the Big Three who reaches sixteen will be a dangerous weapon...We'll only know that if you survive three more years. That can be a long time for a half-blood."
"So am I the one in the prophecy?"
Chiron tucked his bandages back into his pouch. "I wish I knew, Percy..."
..."But there isn't any other half-blood child of the Big-Three!"
"That we know of." " (Riordan 167 and 251). As the characters in the book talk about the prophecy, their conversations indirectly suggest that Percy may not be the only half-blood of the Big-Three; that the prophecy may not involve him, but another demi-god.
2) Before the chariot race that took place, Percy noticed some pigeons that were crowding around in the trees. He thought of this as odd but continued to do his work, although something didn't seem right. "...I noticed how many more pigeons were in the trees now-screeching like crazy, making the whole forest rustle. Nobody else seemed to paying much attention, but they mad me nervous. Their beaks glinted strangely. Their eyes seemed shinier than regular birds." (Riordan 77-78). As Percy talks about how the pigeons seem a bit different to him, it give the audience sort of a hint as to what might happen any moment.
Imagery
The book helps the reader vividly imagine what is going on by using loads of imagery. Here are some examples:
1) When Percy calls his dad for help, the description of the scene provides a detailed image of what Percy was looking at. "Waves crashed against the shore like normal. The harpies sounded like they were right behind the sand dunes. Then, about a hundred yards out to sea, three white lines appeared on the surface. They moved fast toward the shore, like claws ripping through the ocean." (Riordan 109). The description that talks about the ocean and scenic view makes me feel like as if I'm actually there.
2) After a long and hard journey of traveling that still isn't over, Percy and Annabeth come across a Spa and Resort. The way the author describes the Resort is so exquisite. "Terraces climbed up the side level of the mountain, with swimming pools on every level, connected by waterslides and waterfalls and underwater tubes you could swim through....The resort guests-only young women, as far as I could see-longed in deck chairs, drinking fruit smoothies or reading magazines while herbal gunk dried on their faces and manicurists in white uniforms did their nails...We came into a big room where the whole front wall was windows. The back wall was covered in mirrors, so the room seemed to go on forever. There was a bunch of expensive-looking white furniture..." (Riordan 170-171). The imagery used is very detailed and well incorporated. These are one of the factors that are needed to create a good story.
1) When Percy calls his dad for help, the description of the scene provides a detailed image of what Percy was looking at. "Waves crashed against the shore like normal. The harpies sounded like they were right behind the sand dunes. Then, about a hundred yards out to sea, three white lines appeared on the surface. They moved fast toward the shore, like claws ripping through the ocean." (Riordan 109). The description that talks about the ocean and scenic view makes me feel like as if I'm actually there.
2) After a long and hard journey of traveling that still isn't over, Percy and Annabeth come across a Spa and Resort. The way the author describes the Resort is so exquisite. "Terraces climbed up the side level of the mountain, with swimming pools on every level, connected by waterslides and waterfalls and underwater tubes you could swim through....The resort guests-only young women, as far as I could see-longed in deck chairs, drinking fruit smoothies or reading magazines while herbal gunk dried on their faces and manicurists in white uniforms did their nails...We came into a big room where the whole front wall was windows. The back wall was covered in mirrors, so the room seemed to go on forever. There was a bunch of expensive-looking white furniture..." (Riordan 170-171). The imagery used is very detailed and well incorporated. These are one of the factors that are needed to create a good story.