POST CARDS FROM THE MUSE

Dear Apostrophe

By Nandy Ekle

Time for another lesson in the world of language – sort of.

We know and understand the rules of the apostrophe. (1) denotes ownership (you’re), (2) indicates missing letters (don’t), (3) stresses dialect (goin’), or (4) indicates emphasis within a word (resume’).

This week I learned about a different kind of apostrophe (shout out to a high school English teacher friend of mine J ).

A literary apostrophe is when the speaker, or narrator, detaches from reality and addresses an imaginary character. This tool has been used as a poetic device to illustrate the nature of emotions. It also helps the reader develop a fresh, creative perspective.

One of the rules is that the object is usually not present with the speaker/narrator. A woman goes to work early in the morning. She sits at her desk and yawns. “Dear bed, I’m sorry we had to break up this morning. I’ll see you again this evening.”

Another example would be something like, “Oh, Friday, we look forward to you all week long, but you really are the hardest day of the week.”

You could even do something like this: “Okay, Muse. Zap me with words.”

Congratulations. You have just received a post card from the muse.