The Gaokao Exam: An Analysis of Literary Devices

In China, the Gaokao exam holds immense importance for students in public schools, as it's believed to determine their entire future. This leads them to focus solely on the test grades; thus, they are always memorizing and doing practices, forgetting the true essence of education. Additionally, some students, like my classmate W.Y. and me, are chosen to skip a year of junior high and enter high school early to have two full years to review Gaokao materials. However, we fail to realize that this exam isn't the sole defining factor in our lives for a long time.

1. Hyperbole: The statement 'it's believed to determine their entire future' exaggerates the significance of the Gaokao exam.

2. Metaphor: The phrase 'they are always memorizing and doing practices, forgetting the true essence of education' compares the act of memorization and practice to overshadowing the true purpose of education.

3. Alliteration: The repetition of the 'f' sound in 'focus solely on the test grades' creates an alliteration.

4. Irony: The mention of students like W.Y. and the narrator being chosen to skip a year of junior high and enter high school early, only to later realize that the exam isn't the sole defining factor, adds an ironic twist.

5. Personification: The statement 'we fail to realize that this exam isn't the sole defining factor' gives human characteristics to the exam by suggesting it has the ability to define one's life.

6. Repetition: The repetition of the word 'exam' emphasizes its importance and reinforces the central theme of the paragraph.