In Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World, the precision of the language used transforms ordinary story elements and makes powerful symbols like greatness and possibility. For example “Not only was he the tallest, Strongest, most virile, and best-built man they had ever seen, but even though they were looking at him there was no room for him in their imagination.” The simple words used “tallest”, “Strongest,” and “virile” create a vivid and overwhelming image of the drowned man. This straightforwardly highlights the drowned man’s physical presence, making him literally and figuratively larger than life. These common adjectives are used very precisely transforming the man from a mere corpse into a symbol of greatness and possibility, through these simple yet effective words, Marquez conveys how the villagers’ world is limited but expands as they project their dreams and desires onto this drowned man, showing the potential hidden within the ordinary things in life.
Daily Archives: November 30, 2024
In Guy de Maupassant’s short story ”The Necklace”, simple words are used to describe ordinary things, such as a necklace, an apartment, or a dress. These common items become very important because they are described in a compelling way. For example, when Mathilde Loisel receives the invitation to the ball, she dreams of having many things: “She dreams of big rooms with old silk, pretty furniture with many beautiful things, and small rooms with flowers, made for talking to famous men, the kind of men all women want.” Although these descriptions are simple, they are full of power. Through the precise language used to describe these everyday items, the story enhances the emotional resonance of her dissatisfaction with life. This story shows that even the most ordinary objects, when described with precise and expressive language, can be imbued with profound meaning.
In the poem The Mother by Gwendolyn Brooks she writes about her trauma with abortions in a very precise way, her style of writing definitely can give the reader that chill along their spine as mentioned by Carver. “I have heard in the voices of the wind the voices of my dim killed children. I have contracted. I have eased” (Brooks). As a woman who has experienced this trauma as well her words hit home. I’ve always wondered about the what if”s, if when I was younger and decided to go through with my pregnancy what would my life be like now. Also knowing that I’ve made the right decision because at that young age I wouldn’t have been able to provide for my child the way I can today. Nevertheless, precise language just gives off that “right to the point” kind of feel, as the reader we don’t have to try to figure out what the writer is saying when it’s written down in its rawest form. Furthermore, it also makes me have a “wow” moment when reading the short story or poem because it feels like it cuts deep and I am able to visualize what the writer is saying.
In ” The Most Handsome Drowned Man” the moral of the story revolves around imagination, love and innocence. The author uses imagery, the story is mainly about seeing the handsomest drowned man. The story uses imagery to describe the village and the drowned man. The author used symbolism such as the ocean. The ocean symbolized beauty in life and opportunities exist outside the village. In the story, “They noticed too that he bore his death with pride, for he did not have the lonely look of other drowned men who came out of the sea or that haggard, needy look of men who drowned in rivers” (Marquez 4). The narrator used exaggeration to describe the drowned man’s uniqueness. The metaphor, “bore his death with pride” shows an image of the drowned man being put together and strong in his previous life. This language helps the reader understand the point of the story and it helps them imagine what they are reading.
