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Analysis Of In Cold Blood By Truman Capote

Decent Essays

Ulysses Ng
Mrs. Smith
English 11AP-1
1 November 2017
In Cold Blood Analytical Essay
Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood is sold under the label of “non-fiction.” However, Capote original purpose behind In Cold Blood was to experimentally introduce a new genre, narrative journalism, to the American consumer. It contains the defining features of a narrative in its vivid descriptions of scenery and character, as well as aspects of journalism in its precise dates and logical explanations behind key events. Capote’s opening is an exemplification of narrative journalism and its role in fictional and non-fictional narratives. He describes the serenity of the landscape by saying “ The land is flat, the views are awesomely extensive; horses, herds of cattle, a white cluster of grain elevators rising as gracefully as Greek temples are visible long before a traveler reaches them”(1). He also says that the Holcomb village was on the high wheat plains in the western parts of Kansas. It was a lonesome place, and other residents of Kansas called it ‘out there.’ The book describes a haven for the residents, a place free of the commotion and crowdedness that was characteristic with the rest of Kansas. It is an essential description since it creates a notion of safety and tranquility until the murders. This narrative method is standard in most stories with a picture-perfect beginning until a strong force that is beyond the residents’ control brings chaos and disorder. Capote gives the reader a

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