"The screaming of the babies suddenly changed its tone. There was something desperate, almost insane, about the sharp spasmodic yelps to which they now gave utterance. Their little bodies twitched and stiffened; their limbs moved jerkily as if to the tug of unseen wires."
-Page 21
This quote from page twenty-one in Brave New World is using lots of imagery. Huxley creates an image for the reader by using sensory language. Words like screaming, tone, insane, yelps, twitched, stiffened, and jerkily all create a concrete sensation. The author could have simply said that the babies then started to scream louder. However, he knows that using strong imagery will create a much better visual for the reader to relate to. The reader can easily tell that the babies are experiencing great pain from the shocks by the author's imagery. With further reading, I found out that the purpose of the shocks were to create a fear for books and nature for these specific humans. Overtime the babies' subconscience will tell it to avoid books and nature.
David, you mention the imagery in this quote, and you even identify specific sensory words. But what effect do they have? What is the "concrete sensation" they produce and why is it important? Your analysis needs to dig a bit deeper.
ReplyDelete