The Dead Group

Question:

msgolden
msgolden

Analyze the language in the story, "The Dead." Identify any symbols or irony. Describe what is unique about the author's style of writing.

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Posted by msgolden on Wednesday August 6, 2008 at 6:33 PM and tagged with irony, language, style, symbols, the dead.

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  1. gbeatty Teacher
    College - Freshman

    eNotes Editor

    If I had to provide a single word for Joyce's style in "The Dead" (besides "lovely"), I would say distancing. Look at the two sentences: " Lily, the caretaker's daughter, was literally run off her feet. Hardly had she brought one gentleman into the little pantry behind the office on the ground floor and helped him off with his overcoat than the wheezy hall-door bell clanged again and she had to scamper along the bare hallway to let in another guest." They are descriptive, of course, with many adjective, but the "literally" puts emphasis on the telling, not the image, and the length of the second sentence attenuates reader attention.


    As for symbols, the most striking is the snow that covers everything in the book. It transform the landscape and those seeing it.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/dead/style

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    Posted by gbeatty on Wednesday August 13, 2008 at 9:03 AM