Monday, April 2, 2012

Frankenstein - Mary Shelley - Juxtaposition

"We perceived a low carriage, fixed on a sledge and drawn by dogs, pass on towards the north, at the distance of half a mile; a being which had the shape of a man, but apparently of gigantic stature, sat in the sledge, and guided the dogs." - pg. 8
The literary technique used here didn't need an English major to utilize. Such a way of describing the creature is necessary for the reader to begin to understand. It only makes sense to compare the creature to something we know in order that we can better visualize the creature. In this juxtaposition of the creature and regular humans, we learn already that the creature is quite large. He also seems to be advanced when we learn that he guided the dogsled at a much faster rate than the regular human who was two hours behind. This juxtaposition is continually used to describe the creature, and it helps the reader to understand who the characters in the story are up against. Juxtaposition is a very simple, yet effective, way of explaining objects that readers have no prior knowledge of. Without it, it is like trying to explain the color red to a person blind from birth.

1 comment:

  1. omfg, i want to high five you. This helped me so much...thank you :')

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