· Anadiplosis:
“I had my own dreams of transformation, Western dreams, dreams of freedom and dominion and taciturn self-sufficiency” (Wolff 8).
· Anecdote:
Because this is a memoir, it is not unusual that Wolff employs anecdotes in telling his story. These anecdotes differ from the normal writing style as they tend to break off from the story line. They serve to either give an example of a characteristic, or to give insight into Jack’s inner thoughts.
· Figurative Language/ Simile
“Trying to get a particular sin out of it was like fishing a swamp” (Wolff 17).
“I felt as if I had snatched him from a pack of wolves” (Wolff 121).
· Imagery
“He dressed like no one I’d ever met before—two-tone shoes, hand painted tie, monogrammed blazer with a monogrammed handkerchief in the breast pocket” (Wolff 63).
“The change from salt to fresh water had turned their flesh rotten. Long strips of it hung off their bodies, waving in the current” (Wolff 75).
· Colloquialism
“To make sure that I wouldn’t just play some grab-ass at the meetings…Dwight signed up as assistant Scoutmaster” (Wolff 101).
Wolff chooses to write his narrative in a way that includes a small amount of rhetorical strategies. What Wolff primarily includes is an abundance of anecdotes to give further support to his descriptions of the characters. By refraining from a flowery style, Wolff makes his memoir less like a poetic story and more of a terse retelling of his life. His purpose of his more simplistic writing is to give a sense of realism and honesty to the novel. By using colloquialism and imagery, the reader feels as if his anecdotes are real events and that the situation is actually happening. Wolff uses more complex language when he begins to show a deeper emotion about something. He begins his story by including anadiplosis, which serves to reveal his young hopes of moving somewhere new. When employing figurative language, Wolff discusses more poignant issues such as his battle with sin or the feeling of holding his child for the first time.
I liked how you were able to identify the areas in which Wolff does choose to take on a more flowery style with more rhetorical strategies. I also agree with your statement that the lack of rhetorical strategies highlights the fact that this is something that actually happened and not just some story the author had made up. I felt that the plain style really allowed the author to express clearly what happened and how events influenced him.
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