rhetorical strategies !

Blog #1: Rhetorical Strategies

= Imagery: “Then the creeping murderer, the octopus, steals out…moving like a gray mist, pretending now to be a bit of weed, now a rock, now a lump of decaying meat while its evil goat eyes watch coldly. It oozes and flows toward a feeding crab…its yellow eyes burn and its body turns rosy with the pulsing color of anticipation and rage” (31).

= Fragmented Sentences: “Doc comes home. He’s tired. He drives up. The place is all lit up. He thinks somebody’s broke in” (121).

= Irony: “…is not superstitious but will not walk under a ladder or open an umbrella in the house” (156).

John Steinbeck’s clever use of rhetorical strategies gives readers an idea of what his writing style is like. Cannery Row in particular demonstrates Steinbeck’s style, which includes a pattern of morbid imagery, concise sentences, and a few bits of irony. His highly descriptive imagery with a melancholic twist gives the story a gloomy undertone, while his fragmented sentences add to the story an authentic feel, making it possible for readers to connect with the characters. Finally, the inclusion of irony is a tool used to help in the development of the plot and more importantly, the development of the characters. Essentially every rhetorical strategy employed by Steinbeck can be seen as a method of enhancement for the overall meaning of the story as well as its development and unfolding. Steinbeck’s style is unique in that he refrains from writing in a traditional manner, and instead uses extensive imagery to describe certain situations in an unexpected way and uses cleverly concise sentences to allow a deeper connection with the novel.

diction !

Blog #2: Diction

= “’Hazel’s all the time buyin’ these here charts and lookin’ up days and stars and stuff like that”’ (160).

= “They are the Virtues, the Graces, the Beauties of the hurried mangled craziness of Monterey…where men in fear and hunger destroy their stomachs in the fight to secure certain food, where men hungering for love destroy everything lovable about them” (15).

= “Cannery Row in Monterey in California is a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream” (1).

In Steinbeck’s vivid descriptions of various people, places, and events, diction plays a major role in portraying the tone of the narrative. By including several instances of dialogue between the residents of Cannery Row, Steinbeck shows readers the characters’ lack of education and portrays their everyday conversations, giving the novel a colloquial tone. During Steinbeck’s narration, however, he uses a very formal level of diction with words such as “mangled,” “craziness,” “hunger,” and “destroy,” which depict a disheartened tone that is apparent throughout the text. While Steinbeck does chronicle a number of depressing events, he also describes characters as finding beauty in such unfortunate situations. Choosing words such as “quality of light,” “a nostalgia,” and “a dream” to describe the run-down Cannery Row, Steinbeck gives the novel an optimistic tone that uplifts a few of the characters in Cannery Row. Steinbeck cunningly used formal as well as informal diction to add depth to his detailed account of the mishaps of Mac and the boys.

syntax !

Blog #3: Syntax

= Short, fragmented sentences: “The story ran through the Bear Flag. It was told in the canneries. At La Ida drunks discussed it virtuously. Lee Chong refused to comment” (140).

= Loose sentences: “The frog pool was square—fifty feet wide and seventy feet long and four feet deep” (92)

= “Doc opened a bottle and poured gently into a glass, holding it at an angle so that very little collar rose to the top” (131).

= Revision of thoughts: “Mary, Talbot, Mrs. Tom Talbot, that is…” (151).

The majority of the novel is written with a specific syntax that reflects the tangential thoughts and actions of Steinbeck and his characters. Throughout the novel, Steinbeck makes use of short, fragmented sentences, loose sentence structure, and revision of thoughts to display this style. The fragmented sentences allow Steinbeck to paint a picture of the daily lives of those living in Cannery Row in a seemingly digressive manner, while the loose sentences allow him to elaborate on these images and create a broader illustration. Finally, Steinbeck’s constant revision of his own thoughts portrayed on paper contributes to a more realistic feel of the novel, for when we as readers can see the thought process of the author, his message becomes much clearer. Put together, these different sentence types make up a great part of Steinbeck’s descriptive and detailed writing style. Steinbeck meanders from the central plot on several occasions, but in doing so, provides detailed descriptions and uses imagery to give readers an extended, more authentic view of the older California lifestyle.

text connection !

Blog #4: Text Connection

“’During Prohibition I got some corn whiskey and laid it away, I just got to thinking I’d like to see how it is”’ (91).

The novel takes place during the Great Depression—before World War II and immediately after the new era—and contains many allusions to real life events that occurred during that time period. At one point, Captain recalls some corn whiskey that he had hid a while back and wonders how it is now. It is clear that Captain is recalling the prohibition time in which many United States citizens, especially women, fervently fought for temperance, the abstinence from alcohol. In 1919, the 18^th amendment was ratified, declaring the sale and manufacture of alcohol illegal in the United States. While legislation to ban alcohol was passed, not enough was done to effectively enforce the new law. As a result, a great deal of Americans continued to drink alcohol by doing so privately with what they managed to save or by buying it illegally from private manufacturers. It can be inferred that during prohibition, Captain saved some corn whiskey that he had left over for a later time, but never went to drink it.

personal review !

Blog #5: Personal Review

For the most part, I enjoyed this novel by John Steinbeck. What I found very effective was the style in which it was written. Steinbeck’s choice to include random anecdotes that had little to do with the overall plot gave the story a unique character. Also, the use of terse fragmented sentences made for an easy read, while allowing readers to hear Steinbeck’s thoughts and understand the story from his perspective. His distinctive style gave Cannery Row an interesting twist, varied from the traditional style in which most novels are written.

I felt that Steinbeck’s use of contradicting themes played the most significant role in the development of the story. Throughout the novel, there are several narratives being told, with a shift in tone from story to story. Steinbeck was successful in revealing the effects of the loneliness of some and the warm-heartedness of others. This was evident through the suicide of the bartender who felt that he was unloved and alone in a city full of people and Mac, the bum who could not manage to find a job, but out of love nursed a dieing puppy back to health. I found it interesting how Steinbeck used these contradictions to convey the variety in which different people handle obstacles they are faced with.

While most of the novel was enjoyable to read, I felt that Steinbeck could have benefited from providing a few more details regarding the side stories that branched off from the main plot. By not including such insight, the story lost a certain depth that would have broadened the overall impact of the novel. However, including more details would make for a longer novel and I typically prefer stories that are short and to the point. Therefore, Steinbeck’s lack of details in the branching stories did not significantly alter my overall view of the Cannery Row.