Reading Rhetorically
I chose to analyze the section where Evelyn first meets Tateh and the little girl. The style throughout this section of text is nearly uniform throughout. Doctorow uses short choppy sentences to describe how the characters are feeling and the appearance. Doctorow tends to use longer sentences when listing more important details of the characters, though. An example is “He wore a threadbare coat. One sleeve was torn. He wore a soft cap and a collar with a tie. He stood on the sidewalk in front of a display cart of framed silhouette portraits pinned to a black velvet curtain. He was a silhouette artist.” The short choppy sentences make each detail stand out in its own way and the longer sentences give a more broad view, that usually includes a description of the setting. The sentences are declarative and simple for the most part. The use of words that were actually used in the early 1900′s makes the reader put more focus into understanding what he/she is reading. The style of this writing can be tied into the purpose of this section, because Doctorow is trying to inform the reader about the life of Tateh and the little girl which was mentioned previously in the reading. He uses Evelyn almost as a medium to bring Tateh and the little girl back into the story-line. It is almost used as an introduction to show how Evelyn Nesbit is related to the middle class and isn’t always about all the money. I personally liked this section of the book particularly well because it started to bring things together and it became easier for me to follow along without being confused.
The choppy sentences almost make the text seem like it’s suppose to be read out loud with pauses.
natalieng12 said this on February 10, 2009 at 7:34 pm
What does Evelyn’s interactions with Tateh and the girl teach us about their characters? Does the choppy/long pattern also fit when Doctorow is describing other characters?
weaveral said this on February 10, 2009 at 7:34 pm
The interactions between Evelyn and Tateh show how Evelyn cares for the poor and how some of her heart is still there. The choppy/long pattern is recurring with descriptions of other characters as well. I think the choppy style helps the reader point out certain details and gain a better understanding of each character. Tateh’s reaction to Evelyn shows that he is a proud man and feel disrespected by Evelyn coming to his place of work and trying to help him.
horvatkz said this on February 10, 2009 at 7:42 pm