Discussion Topic
Literary Devices in Pages 87–124 of Out of the Dust
Summary:
In pages 87-124 of Out of the Dust, literary devices such as hyperbole and onomatopoeia are used to convey the intensity of emotions and environmental changes. Hyperbole is evident in phrases like "sorrow climbs up our front steps, big as Texas," while onomatopoeia appears in the "ponging" sound of rain on a tin roof. Imagery is vividly employed to depict dust, weather changes, and an art exhibit, engaging all five senses to create a rich sensory experience for the reader.
What are some examples of hyperboles and onomatopoeia in pages 87–124 of Out of the Dust?
Hyperbole is extreme exaggeration for effect. One example can be seen when Billie Jo’s teacher, Miss Freeland, explains how the Dust Bowl developed ("September 1934 / The Path of Our Sorrow"; pages vary by edition). As she concludes, she mentions the sorrow people feel at the loss of their livelihood. Billie Jo uses hyperbole to describe the vastness of their emotion: “sorrow climbs up our front steps, / big as Texas.”
Other examples of hyperbole relate to the weather. In her frequent descriptions of the dust, Billie Jo sometimes emphasizes the huge amounts that accumulate ("January 1935 / Driving the Cows"). She uses “mountains” for the large piles.
Dust
piles up like snow
across the prairie…
mountains of dust pushing over barns….
When it finally begins to rain again, the long period of drought is finally broken ("January 1935 / First Rain"). Billie Jo emphasizes the rain’s effect as well...
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as the strong emotions that people feel after it stops.
[T]he rain changes everything…
when the clouds lift…
everyone, everything, grateful for this moment…
When the school receives lunches from the government program, the students overeat ("January 1935 / Lunch"). Billie Jo relates their exaggerated claims: “they swore they'd never eat again.”
Billie Jo decides to enter a piano-playing contest ("February 1935 / Dreams"). She has not played since her hands were injured, but she is motivated by the prize money and her desire to succeed. She uses hyperbole in explaining this “hunger.”
I have a hunger
bigger than Joyce City.
Onomatopoeia is the use of words that correspond to the sounds made by the things explicitly or implicitly referenced. The things can be natural—such as people, animals, or environmental forces—or objects.
Billie Jo describes the sound of the first raindrops as they hit the tin roof ("January 1935 / First Rain"). The coined word she uses, “ponging,” is an example of onomatopoeia.
It strokes the roof,
streaking the dusty tin,
ponging,
a concert of rain notes…
References
What are some examples of imagery on pages 87–124 of Out of the Dust?
Imagery is the use of descriptive language that refers to the five senses. Often primarily using visual images, an author creates a word picture. By including all the senses, the author can evoke a vivid impression in the reader’s mind. In pages 87–124 of Out of the Dust, Billie Jo’s descriptions are primarily visual. She includes numerous descriptions of the dust and of various occasions when the weather changes and the dust recedes or stops.
Visual imagery is especially strong in Billie Jo’s description of an art exhibit at the courthouse (December 1934/ Art Exhibit). Emphasizing the variety, she mentions the mediums, such as watercolor, used in the works. She provides the subjects of numerous paintings; these include landscapes, interior scenes, and portraits. Some of the paintings are historical, of the Panhandle when it had “grass blowing and wolves.” One notable description is of a painting of a girl and her cat: “a sketch of a little girl holding an enormous cat / in her lap.”
The all-pervasive dust is mentioned numerous times. She emphasizes the amount of dust that blows into huge piles (January 1935/ Driving the Cows). Using a simile, she compares it to snow:
Dust
piles up like snow
across the prairie,
dunes leaning against fences,
mountains of dust pushing over barns.
Billie Jo mentions one day when the much-needed rain did not arrive (October 1934/ Almost Rain). Along with vision, the imagery includes touch and smell:
The clouds hung low over the farm.
The air felt thick.
It smelled like rain.
In town,
the sidewalks
got damp.
Another day, when it snows, she also emphasizes the tactile qualities (November 1934/ Real Snow):
Nothing blowing,
such calm,
like after a fever,
wet,
clinging to the earth,
melting into the dirt.
Tactile and auditory imagery are combined as she describes trying to sleep with dust blowing into her room (January 1935/ First Rain). The sound of rain soon joins that of her heartbeat:
I place a wet cloth over my nose to keep
from breathing dust ...
I am kept company by the sound of my heart
drumming ...
I hear the first drops.
Like the tapping of a stranger
at the door of a dream.
References