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Syntax In Araby

Decent Essays

Arguably one of the most iconic written stories written by Joyce, Araby is a romantic short story illustrating an unnamed young boy who fell in love with his peer, Mangan’s, sister. Joyce effectively reinforced the theme of epiphany and characters of this story through his use of elements of fiction, stylistic choices, and rhetorical devices. To begin, Araby is discussed through elements of fiction which causes the reader to focus on the narrator’s thoughts and feelings. Discussing this story in first person was a good choice because it created better intimacy between the reader and the story. For example, when the reader learnt that the boy grew romantic feelings for Mangan’s sister, this aided in conveying the boys homelife, perspective, …show more content…

Although sentences were long, the transitions were quite smooth. For example, “Air, musty from having been enclosed, hung in all rooms and the waste room behind the kitchen was littered wild old useless papers.” This example of syntax provided the reader with a clear visual which was significant to understanding society in the early 1900s. As for diction, adjectives were predominantly utilized by the author to provide a sense of visual for darkness; blind, cold, and gloomy. Weather was demonstrated with imagery. In the end of story when the bazaar was empty and dark, the boy was alone. It showed the reader how lonely he was. Light appeared when Mangan’s sister would appear. This lead to a greater tone because the boy’s desire for this girl kept the story positive. Finally, Joyce successfully utilized literary devices to contribute to the theme. Joyce was able to use simile to show the boy’s relation with Mangan’s sister, “my body was like a harp and her words and gestures were like fingers running upon the wires.” Personification was also used to give human characteristics to a non-human. “Our shouts echoed in the silent streets.” Since a street cannot make noise nor be silent, “silent streets” is the personification. These important literary devices that were frequently used to invoke emotions and thoughts provided a deeper interpretation for the reader to

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