Prose: "The Problem That Has No Name": A Brief Analysis

Friedan's magazine report "The Problem That Has No Name" is a piece of expository prose. Here, the writer objectively discusses the issue and the situation, and reports different people's ideas, while she doesn't give her own views.  The writer acts as a camera and tries to be as objective as possible. Her report is narrated from first person objective point of view.

The title of the text serves as a means of provoking the reader's attention. It talks about an unnamable problem and this is strange enough to arouse different question's in the mind of the reader such as: "What is the problem?"; "Is there any such problem with no name?"; … etc. Therefore, the reader is persuaded to read the article in order to answer his own questions. Moreover, the reader gets more interested when, after finishing the first paragraph, he realizes that even then he has no idea what the problem is.

 

There is no sign of the writer's personal views in the article; therefore, she is objective. Her report looks like a camera view. Her camera starts a journey from her own office to different parts of the country. She traces the problem everywhere. The direct quotations prevent her report from being subjective and it remains objective and documentary. At last, the text ends open ended and without any conclusion. Thus, it leaves the reader to decide about the true nature of the problem.

 

She is also indirect which is the best way to effectiveness. She does not directly state that the problem is widespread. On the contrary, she implicitly shows the range of the problem by moving from the old ranch houses in the country to modern apartments in big cities.

 

This report could simply be changed into a narrative if there was a tightly knit plot with certain characters shown through a series of events and dialogues instead of scenes and quotations.

 

 

Prose: “Disciplining Children”: A Brief Analysis

 This article is written by John Holt. It is a piece of expository writing (in which the writer explains and analyzes an issue). The title of the article "Disciplining Children" shows the subject matter. In this article the writer tries to familiarize the reader with three very important sources of experience for a child: nature, culture, and superior force.

The writer directly starts his treatise by a general thesis statement – the very first sentence. The article is divided into three distinct paragraphs each explaining one of the three sources of disciplining children. The writer starts each paragraph with a general idea (a general definition of the related discipline). Then, with the help of different examples, he tries to clarify his major point. Afterward, he goes into details and explains different aspects of the main idea. At last, he ends each paragraph with a brief note on the related discipline as a conclusion.

The examples given by the writer are not straightforward. He does not explain the situation to the reader. Instead, he faces the reader with the situation all of a sudden. For instance, he says, "If he hits the wrong key, he hears the wrong note". In this example, the writer is certainly talking about a piano or another musical instrument of the same kind. Thus, the writer is not clear enough for two reasons: first, it is not necessary for the reader to imagine the exact situation in order to understand the writer's point; second, the reader's mind is activated and he will not be limited to only one situation. Therefore, it is not important to know exactly what kind of "key" the writer means; moreover, the reader can think of piano, keyboard, organ, … and he will see that as one of the rules of nature – something tat happens over and over again.

The writer's diction is plain and simple. He does not want to be technical and is trying his best to convey his own meaning. He is synonymous and expresses the same idea in different ways so that his readers – regardless of their education– understand what he means. For example, in the phrase "Discipline of Culture, of Society, of What People Really Do", he starts from a somehow technical term and ends in a very commonplace phrase to express his idea. Thus, his audience, are not limited to any particular group of the society. Or in another example, he says, "Nature, is impersonal, impartial, and indifferent

Prose: “The Baby Who Came to Stay”: A Brief Analysis

The title of the story is "The Baby Who Came to Stay" and it is written by Danny Seifer. It is a narrative prose which is naturally made up of a series of events. It is the story of a family in which a newborn infant comes into being. There are five characters in the narrative: the father, the mother (Maxine), the boys (Mark and Andrew), and the infant (Jeffrey). The father is the narrator of the story and he relates it from first person point of view. The subject matter of the story is jealousy.

The main conflict of the story lies in the fact that the parents being modern educated ones greatly rely on the theoretical information which is found in psychological books. Therefore, they think that with the introduction of the baby into the family, the elder brothers naturally will show jealousy towards it because they think that their parent's love is directed to the baby and thereby they will be less loved than before. (This kind of jealousy is called sibling jealousy.)  Nevertheless, what happened in reality was different and unexpected: the children "were immediately enchanted" with the baby. This caused the parents to think that their children are pretending to love the baby in order to protect themselves from being underestimated and degraded. This strategy and reaction was considered as "false front" by the parents. So they started to reassure the children of their love. On the other hand, the children's love was real and not a mere pretension; therefore, the parent's misunderstanding lead to another misunderstanding on the part of children – they thought their parents are jealous of the boys because Jeff loves them more than them.

The story starts with an exposition, meaning that the writer introduces the situation to the reader in the first paragraph. To provoke the reader's interest, the writer raises a question: why are the boys "enchanted"? This way, he creates suspense and the readers naturally will follow the events in order to know the answer to the question. In the course of the story and through a series of actions and reactions, the problem gradually gets bigger and more complex up to its greatest possible extent. This point is called the climax of the story and the points in which the problem gets more tense and complex are called turning points. In this story, each time the parents face an unexpected reaction, we have a turning point. (Maxine, Mark) interaction: "freeing himself from her kiss…", (Andrew, father) interaction: "he shifted her shoulder from under my comforting arms …", (Mark, parents) interaction: "go away for a while …", and (boys, parents) interaction: " … 'cause you're jealous …", are different examples of turning points in the story. These are the key events in the story.

The first two interactions are called the rising actions and they increase the intensity of the problem and help provoke the reader's interest.  The third interaction ("the last straw") is where the problem reaches its height, so it is the climax of the story. The last interaction is the resolution or the point when the problem is solved and the cause of all these misunderstandings is revealed.

The theme of a story is the central idea that connects every other part of the story together. The theme should be a sentence. However in a descriptive piece of prose, usually there is no theme but a subject matter.  The easiest way to get to the theme of a work is to ask ourselves, "What is the story trying to tell us?" The theme of this story may be that: you cannot always rely on books because things that happen in reality are not always mentioned in the books.

The writer's diction – the choice and use of words in a text – also helps to the essential point the writer is trying to make. The words used by the parents (like "sibling jealousy", unperturbed behavior", "unshakable basic sense of security", "reassurance", "false front", "normal disturbed reaction", …etc.) are quite technical and scientific while those used by the children ("mummy", "daddy", "You bet", "don't be cross with…", … etc.) are quite simple and natural for a child. This choice of words is quite intentional. This way, the writer wants to show the opposition between the practical reality in nature and the theoretical knowledge in books. Besides, use of negative words such as "unnatural", "unperturbed", "unshakable", & "unresented" intensifies the above opposition. It also shows that the parents' expectations arising from the books have not been satisfied.

An Introduction to Literature 1: Literary Terms

Instructor: Mr. Esnaashari

 

Some terms related to Short Story

 

Action:

The events that take place in a story. These may be either external (those events that are narrated or dramatized) or internal (the thoughts of one or several characters).

 

Dialogue:

The conversation or exchange of words between or among characters in a story. Very often the dialogue will be the means by which the author reveals an important part of the plot or demonstrates some facet of character.

 

Setting:

The time and the physical location in which the actions of a story take place. This does not always necessitate the elaborate use of description; the setting of a story may be wholly concrete although a specific geographical location is not revealed. Setting may assume a relatively important place in the effect of a story. It can be obliquely and impressionistically. In order to achieve a special effect, the author can employ setting to convey a certain tone and atmosphere.

 

Tone:

The author's attitude toward his material as it can be inferred from his work. Not to be confused with atmosphere, or mood. The author's tone may be light, serious, ironic, compassionate, sympathetic, or unsympathetic.

 

Atmosphere:

The prevailing mood or feeling aroused by the different elements in a story or novel.

 

Mood:

The emotional effect or feeling that the story evokes in the reader; not to be confused with tone.

 

Diction:

The choice or selection of words by the author.

 

Theme:

The central idea elaborated in a story. [There may also be minor themes.] In a good story, the theme should be closely related to the other elements of the story such as characters, scenes, setting, ….

 

Character:

A character is a person in a story or novel. There are many ways to identify characters, each being dependent on the extent to which the author has identified them for us. A flat character is one who has little or no variety; he may be described as one-dimensional. A stereotype is a character who has been used so often in fiction that he is recognized immediately and his traits are predictable. He may be, for instance, the strong, silent sheriff of the typical Western movie or story. A round character is the opposite of either a flat or stereotype one; he is a complex personality and cannot be "typed." He is, in short, very much like most human beings, a mixture of good and bad, conventional and unconventional.

 

If a characters undergoes a crucial change so that his central personality is affected, the character is dynamic. And if there is no character change, he is static.

 

Protagonist:

Originally, the actor who played the chief part in a Greek drama. In fiction, the leading character or the center of interest in a given narrative.

 

Antagonist:

The character or force that represents the opposition to the protagonist.

 

Story:

The chronological arrangement of the events in a short story.

 

Plot:

The scheme or pattern of the events, incidents, or situations of a story. Plot is not a mere succession of events, but an organized series linked by causal relationships.

 

Exposition:

The information concerning such elements as plot, character, and previous events that enables the reader to understand clearly and appreciate fully the development and eventual climax and resolution of the story. 

 

In medias res:

A Latin phrase meaning "in the middle of things;" a term used in the criticism of fiction to describe narratives that open in the middle of events, rather than at the beginning of them. In a story that opens in medias res, there is no or little exposition and the reader is thrown directly into the story.

 

Conflict:

Conflict is essential to any story or novel, for it is the narration or dramatization of conflict and its eventual resolution that create suspense and interest. Conflict may involve two opposing characters or ideas or a character and his environment. It may be external or internal, the latter usually involving the thoughts or ideas of a single character. Most often the conflict is between the protagonist and his antagonist(s).

 

Climax:

The culminating event or idea in a sequence or series of events or ideas; the point in a story where the fortunes of the hero or protagonist take a turn for better or worse.

 

Anticlimax:

A sudden drop from the important to the trivial or commonplace. In a story something becomes anticlimactic when it occurs after climax or major resolution has taken place.

 

Denouement:

The final unraveling or resolution of the plot; the falling action after the climax.

 

Closed form:

A term to denote a story or novel with a clearly defined resolution of denouement. Unlike an "open-ended" story, one with a "closed-ending" leaves very few questions in the reader's mind. There is a sense of "closure," of all loose ends being tied up, of all problems being solved.

 

Open form:

Meaning "open ended." This term denotes a story whose ending does not present a final resolution or denouement, for which term see above. In an open-ended story, the reader is left with many questions unanswered.

 

Deus ex machina:

In Latin, literally, "god from a machine." In ancient Greek and roman drama a deity was often brought in by stage machinery to intervene in the action. Consequently, the phrase refers to any device, character, event, or information brought in unexpectedly to resolve a conflict or situation. The sudden discovery that a character is not really a peasant but is of royal blood is an example of such a resolution.

 

Point of view:

Sometimes called the angle of narration, point of view refers to the angle from which the story is told. The most common angles are first person and third person. In the first person point of view, the story is told by one of the characters. A tale told in the third person is presented by someone outside the story.

 

If the writer chooses the first person point of view, he may be the protagonist or a leading character (major participant), or an insignificant one (minor participant).

 

If he chooses the third person point of view, he may reveal not only the words, actions, and appearances but also the mental activities (thoughts, emotions, desires, and even the subconscious tendencies) of his characters in their various situations (omniscient). Or he can confine the narrative to the thoughts and experiences of a reflector character who reveals only what he knows of the characters and their action in the story (limited).

 

Sometimes the narrator objectively depicts what he sees or hears and does not go into the mind of the other characters (objective). Third person objective point of view is called camera.

 

Sometimes the writer talks to the reader in the course of the story (intrusive).

 

A more complex angle of vision is the multiple point of view in which the circumstances of a single situation are seen through the eyes of more than one character.

 

 

Flashback:

An interruption in the continuity of a story, novel, or play by the dramatization or narration of an earlier episode or scene. A story which begins with a dying man recalling his early years might have a series of flashbacks.

 

Foreshadowing:

A hint to the reader concerning a future action or development.

 

Cliché:

A term that is outworn, trite, overused; as a result of continued use, it has lost all freshness and effectiveness. Examples of trite expressions or clichés are "strong as an ox," "pretty as a picture," and "as easy as apple pie." Situations and plots may also be regarded as clichés. Typical is the one in which the rich, spoiled young man learns to value love and loyalty over money only after a series of reversals and defeats.

 

Style:

The author's style, or mode of expression, is the linguistic aspect of the narrative and involves language in a wide sense – diction, rhythm, figurative language, sound, and sentence patterns. Style should suit, or grow out of, the theme and plot of a piece of fiction and be a part of its total meaning.

 

Characterization:

The writer's method of presenting the characters to the reader. If the writer tells us about the character's personality directly, his characterization is expository. And if, by means of action and dialogue, he shows us the true nature of the character, his characterization is dramatic.