Question

Explain the following statement that enriches the language and create a powerful impact.

There are many features of language that contribute the smooth sailing of the plot.

Answer 1

Braithwaite’s detailed description of the school’s atmosphere, before the event, paints a vivid picture for the readers. The use of long and complex sentences, suggestive of the narrator’s rich educational background, intricately describes the scenes on the day of the event. The narrator’s realisation that Mr. Florian associated himself with the school and everyone in it, his use of the words like “condemnable gravity”, when the students take their seats on the stage in all seriousness, and his observation about the lowest class students being shy and frightened to stand before the entire school, give the readers an insight into the minds of the characters and the emotions felt by them. The narrator has employed a number of literary and stylistic devices to make the plot elaborate. He uses a lot of negatives to emphasize a positive point  “in no way remote from his school”, “it was an experience which I shall not easily forget”, and “Denham was not to be put off by these sugary remarks”. Transferred Epithet like “blunt criticisms”, “adroit questioning”, “innocent eyes” and “sugary remarks” has also been used to beautify the narration. The narrator even makes use of Simile in the line “I had heard quite a deal about these occasions and became as excited as the children as the day approached.” Antithesis has been used by the narrator to describe Denham’s character. On the one hand, he is proud to see Denham’s leadership qualities, organization skills, and confidence, but on the other hand, he presents Denham as blunt, aggressive and rebellious when Denham presents his report on P.T. The narrator’s antithetical view of Miss Phillips highlights his objectivity in describing her character; because the narrator, who initially refers to Miss Phillips as showy and apparently foolish, changes his perception about her as the event proceeds, and describes her as well-informed, calm, tactful and authoritative. The literary technique of Metaphor has also been employed when the narrator describes the discussion between Miss Phillips and Denham as ‘crossing of staves’, thereby indirectly comparing it to physical combat with wooden-sticks. The use of Metaphor is also evident when he indirectly compares Miss Phillips to ‘a cat’ and Denham to ‘a canary’ at the end of the question-answer session. The literary device of Symbolism has also been used to drive the plot. The narrator and his students are symbolic of the outcasts, who have no place in civilized society, and have now come to create their own community by bringing about improvements in each other. The school is symbolic of mid-1940s East End London, which was not an ideal environment for growing children. Thus, the various features of the language, employed in this extract, contribute to the smooth sailing of the plot.