Essay 1: Prose Analysis
Instructions
In approximately 650-750 words, state the main ideas of the passage and how these relate to the work as a whole, and then analyse the style to indicate the effects of the stylistic devices. This stylistic analysis could include the following elements: figurative language, rhetorical devices, diction, and sentence structure. Not all of these elements will be equally prevalent in each passage. Focus on the most pertinent elements in the passage you have chosen, and deal with the most obvious characteristics first.
Reading the passage aloud will help to make the effects of the sounds, the sentence structure, and the diction more apparent. Considering the following questions will also help to determine which elements are most prominent in your passage.
Figurative Language:
Identify and explain the effect of any similes, metaphors, personification. Is there a pervasive pattern of images, or several related images? How do they convey theme?
Rhetorical Devices
Does the author use parallelism, repetition, and antithesis? Is there alliteration, consonance or assonance in the passage? Is there onomatopoeia?
Diction
Are the words concrete or abstract, colloquial or formal? Are they pervasively monosyllabic or
polysyllabic (more than one syllable)? Is there a preponderance of nouns, adjectives, or verbs? Are the verbs active or passive?
Sentence Structure
Are the sentences long or short? Are they simple, complex, or compound sentences? Do they use parallelism for effect? Are there any incomplete or run-on sentences?
Now it is your turn. Analyse ONE of the three following excerpts. Please submit the final copy to your
tutor using the online drop box. Do not email your assignments; if you are unable to use the drop
boxes, contact your tutor.
Binissalem wind mill
In the Wind
English: English poet William Wordsworth3. Sinclair Ross, "The Lamp at Noon," The Harbrace Anthology of Short Fiction, 160.
And always the wind, the...