Blog Topic #1: Rhetorical Strategies

• Simile: “For a moment the last sunshine fell with romantic affection upon her glowing face; her voice compelled me forward breathlessly as I listened- then the glow faded, each light deserting her with lingering regret, like children leaving a pleasant street at dusk” (14). “With fenders spread like wings we scattered light through half Astoria...” (68).
• Dialect: “‘He went to Oggsford College in England. You know Oggsford College?’” (72).
• Onomatopoeia: “...only half, for as we twisted among the pillars of the elevated I heard the familiar ‘jug-jug-spat!’ of a motorcycle, and a frantic policeman rode alongside” (68). “I must have stood for a few moments listening to the whip and snap of the curtains and the groan of a picture on the wall” (8).
• Anaphora: “Her face was sad and lovely with bright things in it, bright eyes and a bright passionate mouth, but there was an excitement in her voice that men who had cared for her found difficult to forget: a signing compulsion, a whispered ‘Listen,’ a promise that she had done gay, exciting things just a while since and that there were gay, exciting things hovering in the next hour” (9).
• Hyperbole: “‘The whole town is desolate. All the cars have the left rear wheel painted black as a mourning wreath, and there’s a persistent wail all night along the north shore’” (9).
  

In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald employs a wide range of rhetorical devises, all of which assist in creating his style of writing. Most commonly found throughout the novel, is Fitzgerald’s colorful use of descriptions, where he uses varied strategies such as similes and onomatopoeias in order to create a better mental picture for the reader. Similes allow the reader to better understand what is going on in the storyline through a pointed comparison. Similarly, when Fitzgerald applies onomatopoeias to the passage, not only is the reader’s sense of hearing boosted, but also, the other senses become heightened, as well. Another technique Fitzgerald reveals is the use of exaggeration and emphasis. By deliberately elaborating on some of his statements through the employment of a hyperbole, the author’s purpose becomes clearer and creates a lasting effect on the reader. In addition, Fitzgerald further emphasizes his point though repetition and multiple uses of anaphora; he purposely repeats certain phrases and statements to make his point more apparent. The final device Fitzgerald utilizes is dialect, which is used in order to make his characters appear more personable. In reality, not every person speaks the exact same way; although a group of people may all speak English, they generally each speak different versions of the language or with diverse accents. Fitzgerald creates this in his novel by spelling words differently and compelling the reader to read the word with a varied pronunciation. In the end, Fitzgerald applies several types of figurative language throughout the course of his storyline to ultimately shape his style of writing and to effectively create a better overall image for the reader.