In the novel that I read earlier this semester called Martyn Pig by Kevin Brooks there is an inductive leap to far.
In this novel Martyn's mother has left him and his father. As Martyn gets older, his father begins to drink and when he does so, he abuses Martyn. One night, Martyn's father his drunk and goes to strike Martyn. Instinctively, Martyn jumps out of the way and pushes his father away. His father falls over and cracks his head against the edge of the fireplace, killing him. Martyn begins to freak out. Thoughts of going to jail and being a criminal for the rest of his life begin to swirl in his head. He leaps to the conclusion that he will be found guilty of killing his father, when in fact he would have been let free due to the situation that his father but him in.
This leap alters the story in a dramatic way. Martyn could have just called the police and the whole thing would have ended, but instead, he devises this "master" plan to ditch the body and make it look as if he had just gotten drunk and fallen into a gravel pit located near the bar. Through Martyn's inductive leap to far, he sends himself on this ridiculous cover up mission that ends up causing the death of his best friends boyfriend as well as ruining his relationship with his best friend.
Friday, June 15, 2012
Style
In the story Yellow Line by Sylvia Olsen the poetic device pathos is used
Pathos: the quality or power in an actual life experience or in literature, music, speech, or other forms of expression of evoking a feeling of pity or compassion.
" "Vinny. Vinny." Girlie voices interrupt him. Charlie and a bunch of guys from the reserve are standing at the gym door. "We're counting on you, Vinny. You're our man."
I can't see who's got the smart mouth.
A girl shouts, "Hey, white boy, you sure got hairy legs."
"Vince0, keep your eye on the ball, " Coach Baker yells as I job back onto the court.
"Look at his spider legs," the girls hollers again. "He looks like he just crawled out of a cave."
"Vince," calls Nick. "Where's your game, man?'
I shake my head. The only thing I can think about are the taunts coming from the huddle of losers.
"Looks like he's gonna break," someone by the door says. There is an eruption of giggles.
I wheel around to take a look at them and smash face first into the wall. They are laughing their guts out like they've just seen the funniest thing in the world. " (Olsen 19)
Olsen, Sylvia. Yellow line. Victoria, BC: Orca Book Publishers, 2005. Print.
This scene creates Pathos towards the main character Vinny. In this scene Vinny is being made fun of by guys and girls from his High school because of his skinny and hairy legs. This creates pathos because being made fun of is something that no one wants to go through, but unfortunately everyone has. This adds to the feeling of sympathy because no matter who reads it they will feel bad for Vinny because everyone has been through it and knows what it feels like.
This is significant to the story because, as a reader, you feel pathos for Vinny and, as a result, begin to root for him to rise above all the hate that is being directed at him. This is also significant because it allows the reader the identify Vinny's situation early on in the story.
Pathos: the quality or power in an actual life experience or in literature, music, speech, or other forms of expression of evoking a feeling of pity or compassion.
I can't see who's got the smart mouth.
A girl shouts, "Hey, white boy, you sure got hairy legs."
"Vince0, keep your eye on the ball, " Coach Baker yells as I job back onto the court.
"Look at his spider legs," the girls hollers again. "He looks like he just crawled out of a cave."
"Vince," calls Nick. "Where's your game, man?'
I shake my head. The only thing I can think about are the taunts coming from the huddle of losers.
"Looks like he's gonna break," someone by the door says. There is an eruption of giggles.
I wheel around to take a look at them and smash face first into the wall. They are laughing their guts out like they've just seen the funniest thing in the world. " (Olsen 19)
Olsen, Sylvia. Yellow line. Victoria, BC: Orca Book Publishers, 2005. Print.
This scene creates Pathos towards the main character Vinny. In this scene Vinny is being made fun of by guys and girls from his High school because of his skinny and hairy legs. This creates pathos because being made fun of is something that no one wants to go through, but unfortunately everyone has. This adds to the feeling of sympathy because no matter who reads it they will feel bad for Vinny because everyone has been through it and knows what it feels like.
This is significant to the story because, as a reader, you feel pathos for Vinny and, as a result, begin to root for him to rise above all the hate that is being directed at him. This is also significant because it allows the reader the identify Vinny's situation early on in the story.
Social Issues
In the book I am currently reading Martyn Pig by Kevin Brooks, the main social issue is child abuse. In the story, Martyn's father is an alcoholic. He is drunk almost 24/7 and whenever he is drunk he gets really angry really easy. When his father gets angry he often yells at and hits Martyn.
This social issue is very significant to the story. One night his father comes home completely drunk and gets upset at Martyn for no real reason. He goes to punch Martyn but Martyn is able to jump out of the way and pushes his father away. Unfortunately, his father falls and hits his head on the side of the fire place killing him. This becomes the motivating incident of the story. So, without the social issue of child abuse, their would be no real plot to the story.
In general, the story is saying that child abuse is wrong. The story is told from Martyn's point of view and through this he reviles many of his depressing emotions about his abusive situation. This novel lets you into the head of someone who is being abused which isn't something we always get to see.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)