Prose Elements to consider when analyzing a prose passage 1 Diction Look for words that indicate an authors tone or words that due to their connotative or denotative meaning add to the understanding of the authors purpose ID: 481060
Download Presentation The PPT/PDF document "Style Analysis:" is the property of its rightful owner. Permission is granted to download and print the materials on this web site for personal, non-commercial use only, and to display it on your personal computer provided you do not modify the materials and that you retain all copyright notices contained in the materials. By downloading content from our website, you accept the terms of this agreement.
Slide1
Style Analysis:Prose
Elements to consider when analyzing a prose passageSlide2
1. Diction:
Look for words that indicate an author’s
tone
or words that due to their connotative or denotative meaning add to the understanding of the author’s purpose
EX: The scene with “the gloom hovering over them” was an eerie and dismal picture
.Slide3
2. detail:
Find
concrete
images that influence how a reader feels/thinks about the passage.
Douglass’ imagery emphasizes the helplessness he feels as a fugitive. After fleeing slavery, the “panting fugitive” must avoid “the ferocious beasts of the forests [who] lie in wait for their prey.” Although the speaker has found freedom in a free state, he feels he is being hunted like an animal and, therefore, must keep up a constant vigil against those he fears. Slide4
3. Point Of view:
-Look to see if the story shifts the point of
view. -Is the reader seeing in the mind of one or several characters or is there an outside narrator?
-How does
how the POV
influence
the way
the
story
or scene is
described or the way
the reader perceives the action or
description.
-How does the author use POV to convey
his/her purpose?Slide5
4. Organization:
-Note what happens at the beginning,
middle, and end of the passage.-What stylistic techniques are predominant in each section?-Does the author describe events in a
chronological order or are
events out of sequence
(flashback, foreshadowing, etc.)?
-How do these choices affect the meaning
and the way the reader perceives
the events/characters?Slide6
5. Syntax:
Look for the following:
-Does the sentence length vary? -Loose and periodic sentences -Punctuation -Repetition of words and phrases
-Parallelism and anaphora
-Antithesis
-Chiasmus
Then discuss how these devices influence meaning or affect the way the reader perceives events/characters. Slide7
Embedding quotes:
Poor: The phrase, “the gloom hovering over them,” shows
the ominous feeling of the
scene.Better: “The gloom
hovering over
them
”
as they walked down the
lonely street created an
eerie
and dismal picture.
Avoid long quotes
. Use short phrases or clauses and embed them in your sentence structure.