Blog Entry # 2: Diction
· “smell of blasted clay and freshly shattered flint” (Hemingway 24)
· “They were sweaty, dusty, and tired.” (Hemingway 33)
· “They all squabbled about divisions and only killed them when they got them” (Hemingway 134 )
· “water spread like sheen over the pebbly bed” (Hemingway 44)
· “the stump twitched and jerked as though it were not connected.” (Hemingway 55)
· “Tears came down her plump cheeks” (Hemingway 196)
· “The retreat was orderly, wet, and sullen” (Hemingway 188)
In A Farewell to Arms, Hemingway uses a selective yet fairly simple form of diction to convey his tone towards the novel. This tone can best be described as one of sentiment and sensation. He chooses words that bring emotion to the text and effectively describe the feelings that are present in the mind of the narrator. For example, with the usage of phrases such as “orderly, wet, and sullen” (Hemingway 188), Hemingway is able to depict the sorrowful tone that is a result of the loneliness and destitution of war. He is also able to describe the sorrow that comes with the concept of love with the incorporation of word choice such as, “tears came down her plump cheeks.” In this case, the simple yet descriptive form of diction conveys the sorrow that the narrator and his wife feel at the moment. As a result of his discriminatory diction, Hemingway efficiently portrays the sentimental tone of the novel in a realistic way.
I appreciate your insight of the effective use of Hemingway's fairly simple diction. Hemingway does not use difficult words, nor many complex sentences, and that makes it seem like a real soldier wrote it. A word like plump does not seem like a conventional word an author uses. Therefore its informality is successful because the word is used by Henry. Henry uses these words freely and they define him as a relaxed character. I agree that Hemingway's use of realistic diction effectively portrays the real feelings and sensations of Henry.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with your analysis of Hemingway's use of informal and simple diction. The characters mostly just state what they are thinking instead of dragging it out through long, complex sentences. I agree with your analysis that the words he uses effectively get the point across without needing a plethora of adjectives to establish effective imagery, like in your example of "tears came down her plump cheeks." I also agree that Hemingway's use of simple diction enables the reader to see the real Henry.
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