Seaph On The Knee Analysis

In the excerpt of Zora Neale Hurston’s novel “Seraph on the Suwannee,” the author describes this town as unique compared to the ones that exist today with the numerous amounts of literary devices such as diction, vivid imagery, and parallelism. Moreover, Hurston goes into detail about the distinct features this town attains with a detached tone that shifts in the third paragraph to a characterizing one when referring to the past and the civilians that reside at the particular location. Ultimately, the author gives life to the community through words to represent who they are due to their demeanor towards Sawley rather than their individuality. The excerpt begins with a geographic description of Sawley and its surroundings. Hurston utilizes literary devices such as descriptive diction and imagery to aid the reader in visualizing the environment she is referring

Towards the end of the closing paragraph the author employs a polysyndeton, “...in the Suwanee, and bream and perch and cat-fish.” The excessive use of “and” accentuates the diversity of the fish in the Suwanee river that contributes to the cuisine of Sawley. Moreover, this scheme provides the reader with an idea of the various dishes that assist in the unique description of Sawley. Furthermore, this literary device slows down the pace of the passage so the audience can thoroughly envisage the setting Hurston is painting. Additionally, the author expresses a zealous tone with the use of approving diction such as, “mighty nice” and “mighty fine” when venturing into the description of the community’s meals. In like manner of Hurston’s zealous tone, the speaker’s unceremonious dictation with phrases such as “You could,” “-you looked,” and “ -you needed,” enables the residents of Sawley to come to life through the author’s words to create a lasting impression on the