The story of “Rapunzel” has been passed throughout generations in the form of a fairy tale. Typical fairy tales come to a resolution ending ‘happily ever after’. It seems that there is always a villain, always a hero, and some sort of a moral or lesson to be grasped from each story (Rhetoric 102K/L class discussion/lecture, January 18, 2001). Most of the traditional fairy tales involve a ‘damsel in distress’, in which she is happily rescued by a true love. These types of stories leave readers feeling that those who are in pain and anguish will eventually rise above and be granted pure happiness. It is this break in the traditional style that sets the Grimm stories apart from others.
Using the formalistic approach allows for the Grimm version of Rapunzel to be analyzed closely. For starters, the way a story begins and the first impression upon the reader are extremely important. The authors creatively set up a situation in which they manipulate the minds of their readers. They have to pave the road they want their readers to follow in order to have a greater impact. The road starts with the title, which is a direct indication of the main character, Rapunzel. While reading the story the authors have already given the reader a previous insight of what is to come. The story begins describing the situation of “a man and his wife, who had long wished for a child, but in vain”(Grimm 514). This opening line begins to unfold much of the story and reveals the main part of the story, how Rapunzel was the center of their wishes.
The names of the characters are insightful for the reader to relate the events and make connections. In th…
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…ere no one else can go without permission. They climb a golden ladder to discover beauty. Rapunzel is perceived as innocent and pure. When the witch discovers her sin of connecting to the world and ruining this purity, her beauty is lost. Hence, the loss of her famous trait, her locks of hair.
This version of Rapunzel is still a fairy tale. It has the villain, the ‘damsel in distress’, the hero, and the happy ending. However, the tone of the story is more disturbing. The prince has a genuine affection for Rapunzel despite the loss of her gorgeous hair. The story explains how he seeked finding her originally because her “song had entered his heart”(Grimm 516). The word choice here is very effective. The prince liked her before the display of her beauty. This is a typical fairy tale idea that they are meant to be together through fate.
Things They Carried Essay: Syntactic and Paratactic Style
Syntactic and Paratactic Style in The Things They Carried
Many times, when an author writes a story, he will use different techniques to influence the way that the reader absorbs the work. Writers use both paratactic style and syntactic style. These two styles contrast each other greatly, but on the same term, they greatly compliment one another. In the book The Things They Carried, O’Brien uses both of these styles. In this essay, syntactic and paratactic style will be examined in the story “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong”. Examples in the story will be examined and described according to the two styles of writing. The syntactic style will be focused on more intensely however, because of the way that it effects the sections of the story that will be discussed. It will also show that the historical context of the story effects the styles of writing.
Historically, women have played a subservient role in society. This still proved true when this story was took place. During the years of the war, women began to play a stronger part in society, but were still looked upon as less than men. In the story of the sweetheart, the female character breaks the gender roles. The soldiers make her first introduction into the story by the. They describe her as “This cute blond-just a kid, just barely out of high school- she shows up with a suitcase and one of those plastic cosmetic bags. Comes right out of the boonies. I swear to God, man, she’s got on these culottes. White culottes and this sexy pink sweater. There she is.” (“Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong”, 102) Without using the most …
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…nbsp; This manner and tone would not have been used to write about other women. Because she succeeded in a male dominant society, she has “earned” the right to have the masculine attention.
Syntactic style plays a strong role in writing. Without it, an author can not leave anything for the reader to think about. If the writer strictly wrote using paratactic style and let the words say exactly what the story involved, interpretation would be useless. Both syntactic and paratactic style benefit the work best is they are used in conjunction with one another. In the absence of one style, the other has a hard time standing on its own, and if a piece tries to work that way, it makes for a very dull or confusing piece. Using various styles in one work makes it more dynamic and intriguing.