Student Question
What stylistic devices can you identify in Beatty's speech from Fahrenheit 451?
"Luckily, queer ones like her don't happen, often. We know how to nip most of them in the bud, early ... If the drama is bad, if the film says nothing, if the play is hollow, sting me with the Theremin, loudly. I'll think I'm responding to the play, when it's only a tactile reaction to vibration. But I don't care. I just like solid entertainment."
Quick answer:
The literary devices that Beatty uses in this speech to Montag include imagery, alliteration, dissonance, consonance, assonance, and colloquialism.
In Beatty's speech to Montage at the end of part 1, Bradbury adopts the following literary devices: imagery, alliteration, repetition, dissonance, consonance, assonance and colloquialism.
Imagery is simply when an author uses descriptive language that usually appeals to one or more of the five senses. For example, Beatty says,
So bring on your clubs and parties, your acrobats and magicians, your daredevils, jet cars, motor-cycle helicopters, your sex and heroin, more of everything to do with automatic reflex.
Alliteration is the repetition at the beginning of a group of words. For example, notice how Beatty repeats the letter f in, "so full of facts they feel stuffed."
Repetition is the repeating of words. Usually in the same sentence. It's used for emphasis. For example, Beatty repeats the words measure and equate when he says, "happier than any man who tries to slide-rule, measure and equate the universe, which just won't be measured or equated."
Dissonance is the use of harsh-sounding phrases or words to create an effect. For example, at the end of what is quite an eloquent speech, Beatty says bluntly,
but I don't care. I just like solid entertainment.
Consonance is the resemblance of the sounds of consonants in a group of words. For example, take the sounds at the end of slippery, philosophy, and melancholy when Beatty says,
don't give them any slippery stuff like philosophy or sociology to tie things up with. That way lies melancholy.
Assonance is the resemblance of the sounds of vowels in a group of words. For example, the e sound when Beatty says, "helicopters, your sex and heroin, more of everything to do with automatic reflex."
Colloquialism is everyday speech, including slang. For example, Beatty says "we know how to nip most of them in the bud."
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