Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Excerpt from Nights at the Circus
"Gawd!" exclaimed Fevvers when she saw Mignon's nakedness. Mignon's skin was mauvish, greenish, yellowish from beatings. And, more than the marks of fresh bruises on fading bruises on faded bruises, it was as if she had been beaten flat, had all the pile, the shin banged off her adolescent skin, had been beaten threadbare, or as if she had been threshed, or beaten to the thinness of beaten metal; and the beatings had beaten her back, almost, into the appearance of child-hood, for her little shoulderblades stuck up at acute angles, she had no breasts and was almost hairless but for a little flaxen tuft on her mound.
Unconscious of their startled looks, she dropped her wrapper on the floor and scampered to the bathroom, all legs and elbows. She did not forget to take her chocolates with her. Lizzie picked up the discarded garment with the firetongs and dropped it on the blaze, where it flared, crackled, turned into a black ghost of itself and disappeared up the chimney. Fevvers put a summoning finger on the room service bell.
(Carter 129-130) Nights at the Circus
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ReplyDeleteIt would have been interesting if, in your multiple choice, you addressed the run-on sentence in the first half of the passage. From "And" to "mound" is one continued sentence taking up half of the passage's length. This dramatic sentence structure is usually done to enhance the purpose of the passage. The sentence elaborately describes Mignon's appearance, beaten and scarred. The length of the sentence brings a harsh reality to the situation behind her bruised skin, showing the extent to which this treatment has affected her and the extremity of the subject. The repetition of "beaten" and "bruises" throughout the long sentence also gives it a harsh tone and shows the pain in her continuous mistreatment. Readers can almost feel as if they themselves are being beaten by the continuous emphasis and monotony. The word “beaten” carries a thud with it every time it hits the page. The repetition also gives the passage a sing-song feel, adding to a slightly morbid and depressing tone to Mignon’s hopeless situation.
ReplyDeleteThe imagery in the entire passage is so intense that I almost feel defeated reading it. Every curve and color of her body means something in the author’s eyes and shows a reflection of character. This passage would have been good for you to address specifically in your multiple choice. The imagery, parallels, repetition and run-on sentence leave the passage packed with well-thought out literary techniques and elements.