ipl-logo

On Beauty Character Analysis

1230 Words5 Pages

A character’s voice can be used very effectively to tell the story of that character without actually going into detail about the character and their background. Throughout this essay, I make this argument by dissecting two passages from Zadie Smith’s book On Beauty. When you read a book, you make assumptions about characters and their background based on the way they are described, their actions and their context. If you read a passage of thought or speech from a character most people will begin to make assumptions about them and form pictures of them in their mind purely based off of their style of speech, or their ‘voice’. The manipulation of syntax is effective when creating the ‘voice’ of a character.

In the passage provided, Carl is …show more content…

Each one has told us the story of the individual by use of their voice alone. Carl spoke with ill-fitting sentences, bad grammar and frequent slang as he sometimes seemed to struggle to express himself adequately. Whereas Carlene’s speech was polished and precise, she carefully followed the rules governing dialogue in the English language and used diverse vocabulary to clearly express her thoughts. We saw two stories that stood in stark contrast with one another. On the creating end of each story was a human being, no greater or less great than the other but separated by their style of speech. Each character could not help but betray their background merely by opening their mouths, their syntax spoke a thousand words. Syntax is used powerfully to display the different social situations of the two speakers. It is made clear that there is a difference between the two individuals and their backgrounds through their …show more content…

Through the voice of both Carl and Carlene we were able to form pictures of them and their backgrounds. By examining their syntax, we were able to gain insights into their state of education and the class circles in which they move. In the examination of the slang, or the lack thereof, that they use we could identify whether they were from an urban setting or not. The use of syntax to create the voice of a character was used very effectively in the cases of Carl and Carlene to paint a picture of them and their backgrounds. It is evident that a character’s voice can tell allot about their background and their social status without going into specific explanations outside of their

Show More
Related

  • Narrator's Cruelty In The Scarlet Ibis By James Hurst

    1003 Words  | 5 Pages

    Based on the analysis of characterization of The Narrator, it shows how

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Glass Castle By Jeannette Walls

    664 Words  | 3 Pages

    How a character presents themselves and the manner in which they speak can play a monumental role in how the audience perceives and characterizes that person, which is why Walls and King both pay special attention to creating

    Read More

  • Beautiful Brains Character Analysis

    750 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Romeo and Juliet, the teenage characters make poor decisions throughout the play. David Dobbs, the author of “Beautiful Brains”, elucidates to us that the teen brain sometimes tends to do things perfunctory. Due to teenager’s age, their brain is not fully developed, so they would not know the full consequences of their actions. This continuously happens in the story, and many choices that they make are kept secret, which is even worse for them to do. The articles, “Beautiful Brains” and “Insight into the Teenage Brain”, helps us further understand why they are making these decision and why they don’t know when to stop.

    Read More

  • Mr Prud Home Quotes

    1267 Words  | 6 Pages

    Mrs. Lepellier is also shown to be transformed through direct characterization and diction. She is directly characterized as transformed through the phrase “But this led to this hard to believe transformation” The denotation of the word transformation, a thorough or dramatic change, directly characterizes Mrs. Lepellier as transformed. The denotation of the words describing her voice support Mrs. Lepellier’s transformation from angry to calm. She is indirectly characterized as calm through the denotation of modulated in the description of her voice “her high but gentle and modulated voice”, which means controlled and pleasant to listen to. Before Gene transforms her, she is indirectly characterized as angry through punctuation and diction.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Maria Viramontes Use Of Figurative Language

    452 Words  | 2 Pages

    Viramontes used imagery while describing Estrella’s “dirty fingernails” and the “chalky lines on the blackboard”. Estrella had not been able to read anything on the chalky blackboard until she changed her views on learning English. Estrella’s growth as a character is illuminated through Viramontes’ use of figurative language. Viramontes uses tone and figurative language to show Estrella’s development as a character. Estrella changes from distressed to being joyful because her understanding of the tools grew which showed her that she can learn English.

    Read More

  • Comparing Flowers For Algernon And The Film

    879 Words  | 4 Pages

    The narrative arc in the short story “ Flowers For Algernon” and the film “Charly,” share many similarities and differences. The short story is told from Charlie’s perspective whereas the film is told from an omniscient point of view. The different perspectives give the readers a sense of emotional attachment to the characters. In the text, Charlie’s narration develops a critical mood. On the contrary, the narration of the film creates a more emotional point of view and connects with the audience at a more profound level.

    Read More

  • Childhood In Mary Karr's The Liars Club

    1893 Words  | 8 Pages

    In the book The Liars Club, by Mary Karr, she utilizes the literary element voice to weave together a story of her unfortunate childhood. This book covers the majority of her childhood years, and the several problems her childhood included. When Karr narrates the book she is the sole voice in the text, however she also incorporates others statements and communication through her own voice. She uses voice to piece together her own, and other’s statements into the story of her childhood. While Mary Karr is the only narrator in the story, the text is polyvocal, meaning that multiple individuals are voiced through Karr’s narration.

    Read More

  • Character Analysis: All The Pretty Horses

    715 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout “All the Pretty Horses” by Cormac McCarthy, the main character John Grady Cole is submitted to many evils as he tries to find his own place in the world. In his own personal quest for a happy ending, John represents the idealized cowboy of the Old Wild West uncovering the truth of the violent and deadly landscape he encounters. John Grady attempts to mesh together his romanticised cowboy honor code into a land that concedes nothing to nobility and the only winner is the one who survives. Only through his many trials and beatings does John Grady begin to accept the world for what it is, a place that does not contain only pretty horses; however, he still manages to remain true to himself and what he believes in. From the beginning of “All the Pretty Horses,” John Grady Cole faces threats from the modern world towards the cowboy life he admires so much.

    Read More

  • The Color Purple Rhetorical Analysis Essay

    708 Words  | 3 Pages

    Every situation that occurs between each character ends up the contradictory of what was meant to happen. The language in this story is strong from each characters dialogue as the diction indicates the social status in society and situations that occur that makes their voices stand out for themselves. For example, when Sofia fought with the Mayor’s wife as she wanted her to be her personal maid she would say, “hell no” to her in which she later ended up in prison. The form of diction used describes the person’s personality give a better understanding of their character in the story.

    Read More

  • Character Analysis: Where The Wild Things Are

    973 Words  | 4 Pages

    Where the Wild Things are by Maurice Sendak is an interesting children’s picture book. The main character is a little boy named Max, who has a wild imagination. He uses all five senses as well as thought and his actions to express his personality as well as how he reacts and interacts with his surroundings. Max’s id, ego and super-ego are greatly shown in this book through the way that the author has portrayed him. Not only is this book a children’s story, but it can also be perceived as a life lesson.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Ignorance In Fahrenheit 451

    1117 Words  | 5 Pages

    This is shown when the characters in this novel speak out against a concept they know nothing about. Therefore, the literary terms an author uses can make an immense impact to the connections the reader makes to a novel, and help to shape a theme that is found throughout

    Read More

  • Catch The Moon Analysis

    1263 Words  | 6 Pages

    As a result, Luis’ character shoots into the open through understatement, diction reveals Luis’ pain, and the symbols affirm themes hinted at throughout the story. Utilizing these powerful techniques, Cofer was able to efficiently and effectively communicate this fictional

    Read More

  • Characteristics Of John Steinbeck's Writing Style

    886 Words  | 4 Pages

    This shows how his clever wordplay uses description on how the men felt when about to kidnap different children for money and get attention for it in the community. His clever wordplay lets us the readers understand the men’s characteristics toward the little boy. Ultimately, the purpose of his wordplay is to show how much more detail putting into the story can help us better understand about the characters within. The big idea is to express that detail is an important key in writing, and how it should influence others to use clever wordplay to make their writing sound better and to help the readers understand the concept

    Read More

  • Character Analysis Of Raymond Carver's 'Gazebo'

    1138 Words  | 5 Pages

    (ll. 27-28, p. 142). In this example, Holly’s position is exclusively described, however, it can be concluded that she feels small and uncomfortable. The use of ‘show, don’t tell’ makes the text more difficult to read, as it requires the reader’s own interpretations to gain an understanding of the described events and experiences. Additionally, everyday language is used in dialogue, which is illustrated in the following passage: “”Holly,” I go. “It’s true, Duane,” she goes.

    Read More

  • Language In Willy Loman's Death Of A Salesman

    818 Words  | 4 Pages

    “Biff, after he has discovered his identity, is able to speak forcibly and in simple language which round like everyday speech, though it is of course, full of the devices of rhetoric. It is interesting moving speech, his emotion is dumb, and so is Willy’s response. “Happy and Howard need only a superficial language because they are using speech as a sort of provocative shell. Charley also is keeping emotion at arm’s length, but he expresses himself with a crisp, wise-cracking force. ‘Can’t we do something about the walls?’

    Read More

More about On Beauty Character Analysis

Open Document