September Lesson

   While critics may argue Rowling's lack of talent, we as readers can not intelligently fight off their
comments with remarks like "Ron is cool" and "Hermione is smart."  Think for a moment about
how we come to those ideas, even in their simple form.  We see Ron for all his depth and
applaud Hermione's drive.  But how do we know these things?  The bare nature of all writing lies
in the words and the order the writer puts them in.  Best make writing an art.  

   Below are terms for occurrences in writing that make a piece extraordinary.  Read them and start
commiting them to memory.  We'll see how they can be found in Rowling's writing.


Style: the consideration for style has two purposes (1) An evolution of the sum of the choices an
author makes in blending diction, syntax, figurative language, and other literary devices.  (2)
Classification of authors to a group and comparison of an author to similar author.  By means of
such classification and comparision, one can see how and author's style reflects and helps to
define and historical period, such as the Renassaince or Victorian period, or a literary movement,
such as the romantic, transcendental, or realist movement.

Diction: refers to the writer's word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness,
or effectiveness.  

Mood: the prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura or a work similar to tone and atmosphere.  

Imagery: the sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or
represent abstractions.  On a physical level, imagery uses terms related to the five sense; we
refer to visual, auditory, tactile, gustatory, or olfactory imagery.  On a broader and deeper level,
however, one image can represent more than one thing.  For example, a rose may present visual
imagery while also representing the color in a woman's check.  

Simile: often used as imagery.  Images are usually linked by the word "like."  Example: "The
woman's cheeks were like a rose, the color like newly awoken petals."

Metaphor:  implies comparision of seemingly unlike things or the substations of one for another. 
Example: "The woman's cheeks bloomed, a shower of pink velvet petals."

Repetition: the duplication, either exact or approximate, of any element of language, such as a
sound, word, phrase, clause, sentence or grammatical patter.  When repetition is poorly done, it
bores, but when its well done, it links and emphasizes ideas while allowing the read the comfort
of recognizing something familiar.  Example:  "He saw with his own eyes a cold death, he tasted
the dirt of a grave, and he felt with his heart the passing of a soul."  The use of "he saw," "he
tasted," and "he felt" are examples of patterns using the senses of the body.

Theme: The central idea or message or a work, the insight it offers into life.  Can be described as
the moral or lesson of the piece.

Tone: Similar to mood, tone describes the author's attitude toward his or her material, the
audience, or both. Some worked describing tone are playful, serious, businesslike, sarcastic,
humorous, formal, ornate, and somber.

How can these terms be applied to Rowling's writing?  The diction, imagery, similes, metaphors,
and repetition are easy enough to understand.  The brilliance of effective writing is the writer's
ability to convey his or her emotions and ideas in a way that the reader quickly absorbs them and
understands the information being presented.  

Let's study this passage from The Goblet of Fire: 

"His hands were like large, pale spiders; his long white fingers caressed his own chest, his arms,
his face; the red eyes, whose pupils were slits, like a cat's, gleamed still more brightly through the
darkness.  He held up his hands and flexed the fingers, his expression rapt and exultant.  He took
not the slightest notice of Wormtail, who lay twitching and bleeding on the ground, not of the great
snake, which had slithered back into sight and was circling Harry again, hissing.  Voldemort
slipped one of those unnaturally long-fingered hand into a deep pocket and drew out a wand.  He
caressed it gently too; and then he raised it, and pointed it at Wormtail, who was lifted off the
ground and thrown against the headstone where Harry was tied; he fell to the foot of it and lay
there, crumpled up and crying.  Voldemort turned his scarlet eyes upon Harry, laughing a high,
cold, mirthless, laugh."

Recognize any of the terms listed above?  Some terms must be found first to understand others. 
Barely into the first line we see the word "like."  That can signal a similie, an easy and effective
way to create imagery.  Voldemort is described with many terms relating to animals such as
spiders and cats.  The point of these comparisons is to describe his appearances and perhaps
depict the Dark Lord as something inhuman.  We see repetition as Rowling repeatedly describes
Voldemort's hands as long-fingered and his actions often "caressing."  Why would she repeat the
verb "caress?"  Its meant to remind us that he does it at the beginning of the passage.  The action
is unnaturally gentle for his reputation so the repetition reminds the reader how unnatural the
movement is.  There are other words that seem to offer a similar contrast.  Voldemort, a character
of darkness, has eyes that "gleamed," a word that refers to light.   His victim "twitch" and lie
"crumpled," evidence of his dark-heart.  However, his face is "rapt and exultant" and at the end of
the piece he "laughs."  We're seeing words that are full of contrast.  From this we can define the
mood.  It is not only dark but also unfamiliar, which is created by words that don't fit the image of
the Dark Lord expected.  Rowling's tone implies seriousness in the situation.  She obviously
wants the reader to understand the danger Voldemort is.

That is my interpretation.  As readers we should all the get thing from our reading but don't be
afraid to see things you may not have seen on simple reading.  Anything can be right if you have
the proof to back it up.