In Cold Blood Dialectical Journal Essay

1. “Then, touching the brim of his cap, he headed for home and the day’s work, unaware that it would be his last.” (page 15, paragraph 1)
This sentence is an example of foreshadowing, since it gives the reader a hint that something bad is going to happen to Mr. Clutter within the next few chapters.

2. “Though dusk had established itself, Dick, doing a steady sixty miles an hour, was still driving without headlights, but then the road was straight, the country was as level as a lake, and other cars were seldom sighted.” (pages 56 and 57, paragraph 5)
Truman Capote uses a simile in order for the readers to visualize what the scenery looks like. He compares the country to a lake using the word “as.”

3. “Nancy’s bedroom was the smallest, most personal room in the house -- girlish, and as frothy as a ballerina’s tutu.” (page 64, paragraph 2)

This simile helps the readers to understand how “girlish” Nancy’s bedroom was. 4. “Yet even upon this shadowed terrain sunlight had very lately sparkled.” (page 7, paragraph 2)
This excerpt is an example of alliteration, since almost every word begins with the same consonant.

5. “Wasn’t that a horse’s laugh?” (page 128, paragraph 2)
This question is an example of personification, since Capote gives human qualities to an animal.

6. “Now, on this final day of her life, Mrs. Clutter hung in the closet the calico housedress she had been wearing, and put on one of her trailing nightgowns and a fresh set of white socks.” (page 34, paragraph 2)
This excerpt is an example of irony, since the readers know that Mrs. Clutter is preparing for bed for the last time, but Mrs. Clutter does not.

7. “It was as though his head had been halved like an apple, then put together a fraction off center.” (page 35, paragraph