Rhetorical Strategies
- Personification- “The sound grew distant, then faded in the wind that sighed in the trees all around us.” (3)
- Imagery/Simile- “Phil had been badly burned in a warehouse fire that left his skin blister-smooth and invested with an angry glow, as if the fire still burned somewhere inside of him.” (40)
- Simile- “I could have finished them off earlier but I slipped into daydreams and sat frozen like a kitchen boy in a spellbound castle…” (96)
- Simile- “…wriggling his hips girlishly as he spun away from the furious hulks who pursued him, slipping between them like a trout shooting down a boulder-strewn creek.” (127)
One of the most interesting parts about This Boy’s Life by Tobias Wolff is the very straight-forward style, which Wolff uses to help tell the story of his many times traumatic childhood. This less ornamental style of writing can be compared to the book we are currently reading, The Sun Also Rises, because of the lack of rhetorical strategies and other features that the authors deem unnecessary. While there is an evident lack of many rhetorical strategies Wolff still employs a few, such as personification, imagery, and especially similes. Most importantly, these simile are used to create more interest for the reader and better describe Wolff’s various childhood situations, but their presence as a whole is minimal and the few times when they are included they are not expanded very far.
I too felt that the rhetorical strategies, although lacking, really accounted for the ultimate tone of the novel. It seemed as if it was necessary to not have many rhetorical strategies, for it brought realism to his boyhood. I did, however, think that the imagery Wolff used really allowed for the reader to feel engaged with the events that occurred. The lack of rhetorical strategies, I feel, further expressed Wolff's emotions for statements were blunt rather than drawn out. You are right in that it is similar to Hemingway's way of writing; perhaps Wolff felt as if he represent a "lost generation" for he too served in a war.
ReplyDeleteI found your point about Wolff writing the events of his childhood with an adult mind very interesting because I noticed that as well. I, however, was unable to put it into words. I also liked your connection to "The Christmas Story". The one part of your entry I disagree with, is when you say, "Another reason why I enjoyed this novel was because of the numerous descriptions Wolff’s surroundings, which were able to create very vivid pictures of life in Utah, Seattle, and finally Concrete. The most interesting facet of these descriptions was the absence of rhetorical strategies," as I felt that when describing his new surroundings is the one part of the book where Wolff did choose to use more rhetorical strategies.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with what you said Chantel regarding the lack of rhetorical strategies. This bold statement was probably used to add to the simplicity of "This Boy's Life," because at least according to this book, Wolff's view of the ideal childhood seems simplistic. Even when Wolff does use similes to describe himself and his surroundings they are often very simple or stereotypical. Instead of taking the, perhaps, easier course and writing a very flowery and eloquent novel, Wolff was able to make a statement about his childhood while keeping the reader interested nonetheless.
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