I NEED HELP analyzing this piece: diction, tone, type of sentence for each (simple, compound, complex, etc.?
I need to do a style analysis of five different paragraphs, including:diction, tone, and syntax. I need to indicate what each sentence is: simple, compound, complex, complex-compound. I just need help with this one to get started.
English-literature start out in little cubicles known as carrels, in the stacks of the university libraries, with nothing but a couple of metal Klampiton shelves of books to sustain them, sitting there making scholarly anologies-detecting signs of Rabelais in Sterne, signs of Ovid in Pound, signs of Dickens in Dostoevsky, signs of nineteenth-century flower symbolism in Melville, signs of Schlegelianism in Coleridge, signs of the oral-narrative use of the conjunctive in Hemingway, signs, analogies, insights-always insights!-golden desideratum!-hunched over in silence with only the far-off sound of Maggie, a Girl of the Stacks, a townie who put books back on the shelves-now she is all right, a little lower-class-puffy in the nose, you understand, but...-only the sound of her to inject some stray, sport thought into this intensely isolated regimen. In effect, the graduate-school scholar settles down at an early age, when the sap is still rising, to a life of little cubicles, little money, little journals in which his insights, if he is extremely diligent, may someday be recorded.
Okay, first of all, read this paragraph aloud. Then tell me where the first sentence ends.
I'll wait.
Oh wow! I guess I never really noticed that. I can't put my finger on the tone of the piece though. I can't think of a word to really describe it.
This is called "stream of consciousness." Please read a couple of the links in here:
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=stream+of+consciousness
Also, please define "tone" for me.
Here's a good definition. Does it match what you understand from the word?
"Tone. The writer's attitude toward his readers and his subject; his mood or moral view. A writer can be formal, informal, playful, ironic, and especially, optimistic or pessimistic. While both Swift and Pope are satirizing much the same subjects, there is a profound difference in their tone."
http://virtualsalt.com/litterms4.htm
Thank you so much! When I say tone, I'm referring to the feeling behind the passage.. Ex: Dr. Seuss writing has a light, whimsical tone. Or Joan Dilard tends to be very dark and brooding.
Who do you think the writer is? Someone who has spent his/her life studying English lit?
The tone is probably one of these:
deprecating
critical
reproachful
To analyze the diction, tone, and type of sentence in this paragraph, we can begin by examining the language and word choice used by the author.
Diction: The author uses a mix of formal and informal language. While terms such as "English-literature," "university libraries," and "scholarly analogies" demonstrate a formal tone, phrases like "Rabelais in Sterne" and "Melville, signs of Schlegelianism in Coleridge" display more informal and specific references. Additionally, terms like "little cubicles," "little money," and "little journals" create a sense of minimalism or insignificance.
Tone: The tone of this paragraph appears to be slightly mocking or tongue-in-cheek. The author makes jokes about the scholarly pursuits, referencing the scholars sitting in their "little cubicles" and the seemingly mundane nature of their work. The phrase "insights, if he is extremely diligent, may someday be recorded" suggests a hint of sarcasm and skepticism.
Syntax: Regarding sentence structure, we can analyze the types of sentences used.
- Sentence 1: The sentence "English-literature starts out in little cubicles known as carrels, in the stacks of the university libraries, with nothing but a couple of metal Klampiton shelves of books to sustain them, sitting there making scholarly analogies..." is a complex sentence. It consists of multiple clauses joined by commas.
- Sentence 2: The sentence "detecting signs of Rabelais in Sterne, signs of Ovid in Pound, signs of Dickens in Dostoevsky, signs of nineteenth-century flower symbolism in Melville, signs of Schlegelianism in Coleridge, signs of the oral-narrative use of the conjunctive in Hemingway" is a series of phrases, structured as a list.
- Sentence 3: The sentence "signs, analogies, insights-always insights!-golden desideratum!" is a simple sentence. It expresses a direct statement.
- Sentence 4: The sentence "hunched over in silence with only the far-off sound of Maggie, a Girl of the Stacks, a townie who put books back on the shelves-now she is all right, a little lower-class-puffy in the nose, you understand, but..." is a complex sentence. It contains various clauses and additional information enclosed in dashes.
- Sentence 5: The sentence "only the sound of her to inject some stray, sport thought into this intensely isolated regimen" is a simple sentence. It conveys a direct statement.
- Sentence 6: The sentence "In effect, the graduate-school scholar settles down at an early age, when the sap is still rising, to a life of little cubicles, little money, little journals in which his insights, if he is extremely diligent, may someday be recorded" is a complex sentence. It contains multiple clauses and includes additional information surrounded by commas.
Remember, this analysis is based solely on the provided paragraph. For a complete analysis, repeat this process for each of the five different paragraphs you are required to analyze.