BLACKEN, COAT, PLASTER, FESTOON, ENCASED
These words are used to describe what the fish flies do to the town. They don’t just cover the windows, they “blacken” windows. When windows are blackened, it suggests that an effort has been made to hide. It’s secretive. Other things are “coated” or “plastered”, as if to disguise any imperfections. When the bugs “festoon”, it is as if they are adding decoration, and when they “encase” is is as if they are protecting something. This diction conveys the idea that the town is clouded with this haze, making it difficult for anyone to see what is really happening beyond it.
They allude to the fact that despite the hot season and sunny days, the city still is obscure, secretive. There is something weird.
She looks at the neighbor with SPIRITUALIZEd eyes.
CROAK, she isn’t afraid of death and doesn’t respect it. Perhaps this sheds some light on her attitude towards life.
Certain details in this paragraph give a clearer picture of the setting. The fish flies come from a “POLLUTED LAKE” and cover “STREET LAMPS”, “MUNICIPAL DOCKS” and the “RIGGING OF SAILBOATS”. Not only is the setting by a lake, but it must be a big lake if it supports sailing. Plus it’s polluted. From that we can infer an element of industry, successful industry and capitalism, and industrial waste is what causes pollution.
This conveys that despite beautiful things being there, things aren’t going as they should.
PARALLELISM
The use of components in a sentence that are grammatically the same, or similar in their construction,sound,meaning or meter
This method adds balance and rhythm to sentences
Giving ideas a smoother flow
And thus can be persuasive because of the repetition it employs.
In literature, parallelism is used in different ways to impress upon the readers in order to convey messages or moral lessons.
“it was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch f incredulity…”
Charles Dickens: The Tale of Two Cities
Antithesis: a type of parallelism
you were right i was blind
Page 39 extract
What effect does the use of parallelism create in this extract?
“we knew/learned”
- It contrasts with what they don’t know: why did they kill themselves?
- very intimate details about the girls
- shows how the boys care about the sisters
- they are extremely peculiarly detailed
- they seem obsessed
- make the girls more human and “usual”
- doesn’t help us to understand why
- more believable
- gender differences
- shows how the boys care about the sisters
POINT OF VIEW
Focus: How the use of flashbacks changes how the Lisbon sisters are viewed
- Throughout the text, but especially in Chapter 3, Eugenides uses flashback to tell us more about the Lisbon sisters.
- Our goal today is to see how Eugenides manipulates time in order to provide readers a new view of the Lisbon sisters, one that wouldn’t exist with the information he provides through flashback
From page 65-84, Eugenides presents Trip Fontaine as an adult, some years after the events depicted in the narrative present of the novel.
We learn that Trip Fontaine is not too much younger than 50, maybe around 40?
Movie comparison
Film starts showing Cecilia in the tub. Ems truck is fast. Boys shown immediately. Baldino claims he found Cecilia after the first attempt. Do not show Cecilia after the first attempt. Focuses on the part with the doctor. Don’t pray before eating in the book. Cecilia doesn’t look amused at the party. The Lisbon girls sob at Cecilia’s death. Mr. Lisbon doesn’t seem to care about Cecilia’s death. Don’t take the fence off in the book. Everyone sees Cecilia after her death.