MLHT- Style Chapters 1-4

1. MLHT- Style Chapters 1-4 By: Sheenal P. Nicole S. Sanya B. Megan M.

2. Thesis/theme In the heat of the moment hard times and disastrous events can often bring about tragic emotions and bad memories. In contrast, the use of amusing anecdotes and rhetorical devices shown in Thurber’s writing style promotes the notion that it is acceptable to laugh at hard times.

3. Chapter 1 • Emblem: Thurber uses two pictures on page six and seven • The lack of detail and simplistic illustration allows the reader to focus on the tone portrayed in the picture • These two pictures show chaos and confusion through the dark shading, body placement, and facial expressions of the characters represented on the images

4. Emblem These illustrations also give off a childish and playful tone, reiterating the theme of finding comedy in hard times

5. Chapter 1 • Connotation: the opening line of the chapter and novel say “I suppose that the high-water mark of my youth ... was the night the bed fell on my father” • This gives a tone of sarcasm from the start of the novel • Sets the style of the novel as sarcastic and also an understatement • This tone also introduces humor

6. Chapter 1 • Onomatopoeia: When Briggs spills camphor on himself, Thurber has him making noises like "'Ugf, ahfg'" and "'Gugg'" (pg 8) • This combined with Thurber's bawling and "frantic endeavor" (pg 8) adds to the chaos of the scene of his mothers panicking and Herman shouting to calm her down

7. Chapter 1 (Cont. Onomatopoeia) • This also adds comedy into the situation because of the exaggeration of the situation and use of caricature

8. Chapter 1 • Syllepsis: "father came down the stairs, sleepy and irritable but safe and sound." (Pg 10) • These contrasting ideas of being irritable yet sound are used to bring the situation to a conclusionas the father comes in

9. Chapter 1 (Cont. of Syllepsis) • This phase is also symbolic of the theme to find enjoyment in hard times because the mother was convinced the father was dying but he comes down safe, making the situation something to look back at and laugh about

10. Chapter 1 • Wisecrack: "'I'm glad,' said mother who always look on the bright side of things, 'that your grandfather wasn't here.'" (Pg 10) • This witty remark is thrown in to add to the theme because even after all the chaos of the misunderstanding, she is still able to add humor to the situation

11. Diction: through word choice Thurber is able to create an image of the characters for the readers • “returned growling and out of temper” • Exaggeration through over animation of characters • uses stock characters

12. Chapter 2 (The Car we had to push) • Hyperbole: exaggerates a serious event for comedic purposes • “Get-Ready Man: The Worr-uld is coming to an end!...” (14) • “...he caught the same disease that was killing off the chestnut trees in those years, and passed away. It was the only case in history where a tree doctor had to be called in to spray a person” (18).

13. Chapter 2 (The Car we had to push) • Alliteration: adds a playful tone • “—O, do de, do de, do de!” (13) • “Halloo, halloo, loo, loo!” (13)

14. Chapter 2 • Personification and Onomatopoeia: offers humor to a terrible event from the past • “...electricity was dripping invisibly all over the house” (16). • “Tires booped and whooshed, the fenders queeled and graked, the steering-wheel rose up like a spectre and disap- peared in the direction of Franklin Avenue with a melancholy whistling sound, bolts and gadgets flew like sparks from a Catherine wheel” (16).

15. Emblem (Repetition: offers a visual to reiterate theme)

17. Chapter 3 Anaphora and punctuation "Go east! Go East! Go East!"(23) -Whenever the dam is mentioned, exclamation points are used to show people's panic arising. -These specific words are repeated through chapter 3 to emphasize how important it was for the people to go East so the flood would not get them.

18. Chapter 3 Uses comedic diction/similes to tell an anecdote that is not funny to many people. "We were all as safe as kittens under a cooking stove.(22)" "Dr.Mallory, who will shut up like a clam if you mention the Afternoon of the Great Run.(33)" -Thurber shows how serious events in life can be viewed as humorous events.

19. Chapter 3 "black streams of people flowed eastward"(23) Theomorphism -In a time of chaos, people forgot to think. -They just go with what other people are doing, similar to a stream it follows the path it has to take. As he says," There are few persons capable of stopping to reason when the clarion cry strikes upon their ears,even persons who live in towns no nearer than five miles to a dam."(22).

20. Chapter 4 • Characterization- "...he always half suspected that something would 'get him' in the night" (p.33) "Most everyone we knew was subject to wild attacks" (p. 35) • Long sentences with lots of clauses • Onomatopoeia- “Awp” “Psst” (33)

21. Diction “Musta got away-- whatt’d he look like?" (36) In contrast to "What on earth are you boys doing?" (33) • Hyperbole- "You haven’t a stick on, she pointed out, You’d catch your death” (35)

22. Connotation- “Well, whattsa matta, ya hot?’ he asked. It was, as a matter of fact, cold…” (36) Anaphora- “... doors were yanked open, drawers were yanked open…” (36) Theomorphism- “‘Looky here, Joe’ he said, strumming it with a big paw” (36)

23. Understatement- Brushing off the fact that Grandfather has just shot a cop

24. Works Cited • Thurber, James. My life and hard times. New York: Harper & Bros. Publishers, 1933. Print.