Diction Choices – Expressions of Language

In both Their Eyes Were Watching God and Of Mice and Men, you will encounter language that is very different from your own or from the English currently spoken. Hurston and Steinbeck both experimented with the style and form of their novels by using the slang, idioms, and jargon of the day in their writing.

In this topic, you will learn about different expressions of language and explore how they are used in a Modernist novel.

Essential Question

• What are idioms, jargon, euphemisms, clichés, and slang, and how do they develop characterization?