Duke Senior: "Hath not old custom made this life more sweet Than that of painted pomp? Are not these woods More free from peril than the envious court?" (II.i.17)
Native to the life of the city, Duke Senior is totally out of his element in the wild. First of all, Duke Senior and Jacques show pity for killing a deer in the forest as dinner. A true huntsman would not even care about the life of the deer. But yet, Duke Senior still praises the country life.
In the excerpt above, Shakespeare uses rhetorical questions to illustrate Duke Senior's current attitude about his situation. Since he was banished from his own kingdom, the Duke is attempting to make the best of his situation. He simply states that his life in the forest is free of worry and care. Also, his surroundings are more natural and not as showy and ornate. The Duke literally has no responsibilities or work. Instead, he can focus on one thing - survival. Rhetorical questions emphasize the thought process of the Duke to the audience allowing the audience to feel more connected with the characters.
Showing posts with label rhetorical question. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rhetorical question. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Questions, Questions.
"Or does it explode?"
("Dream Deferred" - Langston Hughes)
This poem only consists of rhetorical questions. When I was first reading it, all I could think of was an annoying first grader who asks a millions questions. However, these questions actually have a purpose. These questions create images of things that slowly decay over time. For example, a raisin that is left in the sun eventually will dry up. Each image is connected to the question of how a dream is deferred. The author is really asking: How does a dream end in a person's life? The slow-tempo images are juxtaposed with the question stated above. This quote also contains an example of a metonymy. The action of exploding is used to represent a bomb without directly mentioning the bomb. This is effective because in the previous stanzas, imagery and similes are used to back up the reasoning. The image of a bomb is powerful in and of itself to explain how a dream can die quickly and effect many people. Rhetorical questions allow the reader to see the thought process of the speaker. The last question is sudden and the opposite of the rest of the poem. This really emphasizes that the speaker feels as if dreams can be taken from a person suddenly.
("Dream Deferred" - Langston Hughes)
This poem only consists of rhetorical questions. When I was first reading it, all I could think of was an annoying first grader who asks a millions questions. However, these questions actually have a purpose. These questions create images of things that slowly decay over time. For example, a raisin that is left in the sun eventually will dry up. Each image is connected to the question of how a dream is deferred. The author is really asking: How does a dream end in a person's life? The slow-tempo images are juxtaposed with the question stated above. This quote also contains an example of a metonymy. The action of exploding is used to represent a bomb without directly mentioning the bomb. This is effective because in the previous stanzas, imagery and similes are used to back up the reasoning. The image of a bomb is powerful in and of itself to explain how a dream can die quickly and effect many people. Rhetorical questions allow the reader to see the thought process of the speaker. The last question is sudden and the opposite of the rest of the poem. This really emphasizes that the speaker feels as if dreams can be taken from a person suddenly.
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