Heim 1Alex HeimMrs. O' MearaHonors English 11 March 2007How Cliché!You know those phrases that you hear all the time, such as against the grain or drive me nuts? These little quips are called clichés. A cliché is a trite, stereotypical expression or sentence or phrase, usually expressing a popular or common thought or idea (As defined by Random House Dictionary). Clichés are commonly used in our lives and movies, yet are frequently called "annoying" by the literary world.We have all heard the expression somebody got up on the wrong side of the bed, but why do we use clichés such as the latter in everyday communication? Clichés ...view middle of the document...
Scholars around the world are denouncing the use of clichés in writing. The majority of English buffs strive to strike out particular phrases such as, glass half full/empty and awesome. These phrases tend to make writing boring and predictable. Readers will tune out and sometimes completely miss the point of the literary work.Clichés are widely used in movies. Some of the most common cinematic clichés are a person eating take out skillfully with chopsticks, the beautiful popular girl with large breasts and the dorky girl a flat chest. Movie clichés help to get a point across clearly to the viewer; the Chinese food packaging and chopsticks helps to show that the character ordered Chinese food. Often a character that orders Chinese food is lazy or disorganized. The popular girl is more sought after by the opposite sex because of her breasts while the dorky girl is a late-bloomer and slightly less attractive. This brest size shows the difference in social status of the two characters. Though clichés are worn out and overused in movies they will usually make the plot of a film clearer to the average viewer. However, in comedy pictures, clichés are used to ridicule more mainstream dramas.Clichés are defined as a trite worn-out phrase, but are immensely popular. Clichés are used commonly day to day in conversation and films, yet the majority of scholars discourage their use. One should avoid the use of clichés in casual speech and formal writing, as it makes work sound boring, predictable or just too chiche!
