The Style of a Novel: Structural Response
The novel Zebra Crossing by Meg Vandermerwe is about how a young girl by the name of Chipo sees the world as an albino refugee in a xenophobic country. She documents her feeling and her story from before she migrated to South Africa all the way after her death as a ghost looking on. We get to see and understand Chipo’s life through the way the novel is structured and the author’s use of literary elements/devices.
The structure of the novel I thought, was the best aspect of the book and why it was rememorable. From using flashbacks of times back in Zimbabwe with her mother, to flash-forwards to her as a ghost and seeing what is happening to her brother and friends, you get to understand the character
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“Fear is a sharp word. It makes your tongue bleed. Anger is sour and fiery. Like acid indigestion. Hatred. Hatred is a word that gets stuck in your throat. Xenophobia. Xenophobia is a long word. Complicated, arrogant. It thinks is is smarter than other words. It is a bully” (Vandermerwe 103). Vandermerwe’s use of short sentences, personification, and cacophony helps create a mood and tone for the reader on how Chipo thinks and how she learns and understands. Chipo gives a meaning and a personality to each word showing that these words to her are not good and kind words and by bringing them to life through personification we get to see how Chipo feels about the world around her. The use of literary elements.devices lets us understand the inner workings of Chipo and the way that is written creates a strong emotional response for a reader as well.“No goodbyes- you need to slip away without honouring the rent that is due. Just one goodbye, one farewell. Your mother’s grave. You go, you kneel at the mound with its wooden cross, gravel and metal bottle tops biting into your knees. Goodbye, goodbye . G-o-o-d-b-y-e, Mama. I am sorry” (Vandermerwe 23). This quote is significant because it again demonstrates how Chipo talks to herself. From the word repetition to going from second person to first person we get to see Chipo’s view on emigration as she has to leave her mother and home. In conclusion the use of literary elements.devices contribute to the reader’s understanding of social justice issues because the style of writing brings life and personality to the characters and thus story. The characters are what help us understand the novel’s theme and when the writing can bridge that gap for readers between the characters and
...was outstanding. She gives great insight to the horrors and the suffering and allows the reader to be placed into the same place with a large understanding of the emotions that took place. The only thing to complain about is the prolonging amount of detail on the dates and statistics. It’s hard to follow and difficult for one to pay attention and that’s where it became mundane. I can definitely confirm that it was worth the purchase and the time spent into the read. I could honestly say that I’ve already recommended it to others, and I will continue to do so. The people I’d recommend it to though is people interested in the subject and overly eager to learn about new things as opposed to my buddies.
When looking at Golding and Marquez's techniques of plot and dialect, one can determine that these methods of writing are used to advocate civility. The authors of both works use their ability to tell stories as a platform for their own beliefs to be heard. These techniques they use, such as plot and dialect, serve as the hidden implications of themselves. The main characters Ralph and Maria transition from an individual in a new and isolated environment to a savage who is a part of this place.
The book in itself was excellent; I thought it explained and answered many questions and brought the story to a sufficient close. I almost wish it wouldn’t have, the mysteries of the house were quite interesting especially with the relevance to the Underground Railroad and the true history behind it, which she incorporated into the plot.
The salient ideas in the novel are religion, culture, and materialism. This three are the major struggles through which the protagonist encounters throughout his existence. The auxiliary points are sin, gender inequality, and communication. These ones play a less outstanding, but a substantial part in the protagonist’s life.
The style of the book is what made it so special. It was VERY easy to understand, and at the same time it was exciting. Some readers may think a tragic, but yet romantic novel is hard to understand, but what they don’t know is that all books are easy to read. You are just stopping yourself too soon to learn it. This book had no problems with being beautifully written and understandable.
Moreover, Tayo's struggle to return to indigenous cultural traditions parallels Silko's own struggle as a writer who wants to integrate Native American traditions into the structure of her novel. Instead of simply following the literary conventions used by other American and European writers, Silko develops new li...
“Hope and fear are inseparable. There is no hope without fear, nor any fear without hope” (François de la Rochefoucauld). One of the many defining qualities of human existence is the ability to experience emotions. Among them, hope and fear may be two of the most commanding. The balance of the two and the influence they have on a person, as well as each other, is imperative to one’s personality, behavior, resolutions. Authors use the contrast of hope and fear to create a character out of thin air. By applying these to emotions to a flat character, he or she is sculpted into a complexly depicted person. Both Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Sandra Cisneros use this technique to create their main characters. The narrator in The Yellow Wallpaper and
The fictional characters were extremely unique and creative. To me a creative story is more powerful than those that are dull and more so boring. Since this book is so unique, I think that made it a more powerful
I found the book to be easy, exciting reading because the story line was very realistic and easily relatable. This book flowed for me to a point when, at times, it was difficult to put down. Several scenes pleasantly caught me off guard and some were extremely hilarious, namely, the visit to Martha Oldcrow. I found myself really fond of the char...
Many of the books we have read this semester contained a variety of archetypes for the main characters. For instance in Purple Hibiscus written by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, we could see that the principal character Eugene is a tragic hero. This essay will elaborate on how his cultural background affected his judgment, how it made all of his attempts at doing the right thing distorted to his family. Also how the integration of the white colonizer’s culture made him into a powerful man, a hero, a model just like Jacobo, another main character in Weep Not, Child, while being the opposite of Okonkwo. Furthermore I will finish with how his one way perspective, which lead to his death by his own family, makes him a tragic hero.
There are several things that I like about this book. First off, I love historical fiction, and this is the genre of this book. Also, despite the author being too descriptive, the book went at a steady pace. For me, pace usually determines whether I will read the book or not, and I never really hesitated, or thought about changing books.
He includes elements in his novel that many other authors do not, including his short chapters that switch between two different characters and sides of the story, the way he doesn’t start his story at the introduction of the plot, and how he switches time periods occasionally. These factors can be very difficult, and perhaps even annoying in a way to some readers, but is unquestionably genius. Once audiences can put together all the pieces of the puzzle in this novel, they reveal how truly amazing and wonderfully written the plot
I did not enjoy this novel as much as the others I have read. I believed it to be a bit confusing with the flashbacks and narration, although it was very well written. If I were to read this again then the whole story would probably become more clear to be, but due to the fact that this book was not my favorite I will probably be unmotivated to do so. The novel is offense in the way that is is really racist and violent. Readers must keep in mind the nature of the book and when it was written.
Noughts and Crosses is an in depth story which explores the issues of racism and prejudice and the effects they can have on society. Blackman has created a world of her own in complete contrast to the society we live in. By doing this she has impacted her readers, challenged our contexts and allowed the reader insight into the effects of racism and the suffering it can cause. Blackman has effectively used a range of narrative techniques to bring her world to life giving the white reader a taste of the discrimination blacks have suffered for centuries, provoking feelings of empathy and understanding. By turning the world upside down, Blackman makes her readers see things more clearly.
The Plains zebra has many adaptations that help it survive in the African savanna. One of the most obvious adaptation of the zebra is its’ black-and-white stripes. This is a structural adaptation. Every zebra is born with these stripes, which serve many purposes. Most importantly, every zebra has a unique pattern of stripes. Since zebras tend to stay together in herds, the different patterns of stripes are used as “dazzle” camouflage. This type of camouflage confuses the predator so that it can’t focus on a specific prey. The zebras move around in the herd, zigzagging, dazzling the predator. Nocturnal predators also can’t make out the outline of a zebra, confused by the stripes. Bloodsucking insects are also tricked by this. This adaptation is used for hiding, since zebras don’t have anywhere to hide in the vast, plain savannas.