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.
I completely agree with your reflection on Steinbeck's use of imagery and then concise sentences. They both were key elements in his style choice of the ominous yet optimistic novel. I felt that he began a majority of his characterization with declarative, concise sentences, and would then begin to expand and give more background on the character. When it came to describing scenery and or actions, he would use lengthy sentences to allow the reader to feel as if they were apart of the novel. Although his approach to characterization was a bit odd, for some of the characters never made made a reappearance, the casual characterization allowed for a more realistic encounter with the personality of not only the town, but the time period as well.
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