Monday, March 18, 2013

Synesthesia

synesthesia: a sensation produced in one sense when stimulus is applied to another, i.e. seeing a color when hearing a sound

"sad-colored garments"
                 -The Scarlet Letter
              by Nathaniel Hawthorne

The color is described here as a feeling. In reality a color, or vision, cannot be sad, however, when a color is labeled sad the reader is able to see the scene more clearly. Through the use of synesthesia, Hawthorne communicates the color of the clothes, and the mood of the scene. The garments being "sad-colored" emphasizes the solemnity of the scene.

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