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Literary devices in In Cold Blood
Analysing truman capote
Literary devices in In Cold Blood
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Literary devices in In Cold Blood
Analysing truman capote
Literary devices in In Cold Blood
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
The work In Cold Blood was written with extremely varying syntax. Sentence length became shorter and more urgent when it coincided with the plot, and the length became long and drawn out during sections with no real action. Truman Capote utilized telegraphic sentences after the murders, many being very similar to the quote above. The author inserts a four word sentence followed by a one word sentence and then a 3 word sentence, emphasizing the fact of the matter, the Clutter family truly was no more; the wholesome ideal family was never coming back and the citizens of Holcomb were coming to that realization. If Capote had written the sentence differently, the reader would not have felt the blunt truth that the townspeople did.
In Cold Blood Rhetorical Analysis Typically upon hearing about a murder, especially a brutal and unwarranted one, we find ourselves feeling a great sense of disgust for the murderer or murderers who committed these crimes; however, in Truman Capote’s novel In Cold Blood, the lives and experiences of the murderers, particularly Perry Smith, are displayed in a way the makes you feel pity for him as well as the victims. When comparing Capote’s Novel to a typical news article on a similar topic it is easy to see the that Capote's style varies from typical journalism. An article written by Frances Robles and Nikita Stewart titled “Dylan Roof’s Past Reveals Trouble at Home and School,” discusses the childhood and background of Dylann Roof, a twenty-one
In Cold Blood, written by Truman Capote in 1966 tells the story of the murder of a prominent family in 60’s Kansas. Capote traveled to the small town of Holcomb, and befriended many of the townsfolk and the detectives involved in the trial to tell the story of a violent event that shaped this community for the decade until the eventual conviction and execution of the killers. Because of information being told, Capote makes the choice of writing his novel as if it were a news report. This journalistic structure and word choice helps to establish the serious and dark tone of the novel.
The novel, In Cold Blood, is an anomaly in the literary paradigm. The author, Truman Capote, designed his novel in a way that made it unique when compared to others. His fundamental purpose was to present the problem of American violence and the fragility of the American Dream and how it can be so easily shattered. In order to portray his purpose, he used many rhetorical devices including syntax, diction, tone, ethos, logos and pathos. These devices allowed Capote’s novel to be different from the spectrum of other non-fiction novels and to support his purpose.
Exigence: Truman focuses on details that you wouldn’t think he would focus on such as the description of the town. The main focus I think Truman focuses on is the background of the murderers such as Dick with his car crash that his father believed was at fault for him committing these crimes. Truman spends a lot of the book focused on Perry’s past with his alcoholic mother and mentally abusive father and the abuse he endured as a child especially in the children’s home by the nun he makes it a prominent factor of the murder. As Dr.Jones believed these experiences lead Perry to killing without motive.
“He did not smoke, and of course he did not drink; indeed, he had never tasted spirits, and was inclined to avoid people who had—a circumstance that did not shrink his social circle as much as might be supposed, for the center of that circle was supplied by the members of Garden City's First Methodist Church,a congregation totaling seventeen hundred ,most of whom were as abstemious as Mr. Clutter could desire.’’ (10) ( Culture and Community ) Capote used this quote to illustrate the culture of the village of Holcomb, where Mr.Clutter lived and how the social life of a religious family is rooted in their church. This quote represents culture, because is trying to tell us that people in Holcomb should live a life according to their religion ,because their actions affect their social circle and their community.
Truman Capote’s novel, In Cold Blood epitomizes the shifting sentiments related to the murder of the Clutter family which range from terror, to sorrow, to pride, and all mixed emotions in between. Yet through Capote’s particular descriptions about each character, the connection between their feelings and their actions become further clarified. In effect, the readers experience feelings of sympathy for the victims, their friends and family, the investigators, and even the brutal murders of the innocent family. In order to craft this association, Capote employs a pathos appeal to amplify the audience’s ability to sympathize with each and every character.
Truman Capote's introductory passage from In Cold Blood(1966), asserts the town of Holcomb as a run-down town that every reader has seen before. Capote approaches this idea of familiarity and comfort of Holcomb through effective irony, shifts of mood, and blatant foreshadowing; acknowledging that this town isn’t ideal based on appearance but the community is what makes it the town that it is. He works to establish a sense of familiarity in the reader in order to evoke more emotion as they read through and learn what happened to the Clutter family. While Capote wasn’t a member of the Holcomb community through his research he was able to grow close with members of the town and gain the knowledge needed to write this story intended for an audience
An author can write in two different perspectives, objectively showing no opinion or emotion, and subjectively showing opinion and emotion. In the novel In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, Capote narrates with a subjective perspective. When talking about the murderers, especially Perry, sympathy shows towards them. For instance, When describing the Clutters, he did not know the family, he explained them strictly on the words of their neighbors, friends, and family. Capote writes “She was “nervous,” she suffered “little spells”--such were the sheltering expressions used by those close to her....
Truman Capote, the author of In Cold Blood, creates sympathy for almost every character the reader comes across. Through the use of manipulating the reader's emotions and connecting them to each character, Capote successfully pulls it off. There are four main groups that Capote chooses to create sympathy for the murder victims, the murderers, the law officials involved, and the ordinary citizens of Holcomb, Kansas. Truman Capote created the most sympathy for two characters, Perry Smith and Detective Dewey. From the beginning of the novel, Capote showcases Perry Smith a likable character.
The story In Cold Blood does possess an element of timeliness because of Capote’s brilliant writing and structuring. Even though the story of this small town family is forty years old, it is wildly similar to shows such as CSI: Miami or Criminal Minds. Many of the crime related TV shows are composed in the same way Capote structured this novel. Not only does the book relate the television series on the air today, but murder and other crimes sadly still exist in today 's, which also gives the story an element of timeliness. The time difference in the story does not affect the story or the feeling that the reader is a part of the story.
How crazy would it be to interview criminals who murdered 4 people in cold blood? Well that’s exactly what Truman Capote did in this chilling book. In the novel In Cold Blood, Truman Capote used different rhetorical strategies to create sympathy and influence the idea that there are always two sides to every story. Some of the mainly used rhetorical strategies throughout the novel were imagery, diction, tone, and pathos. Furthermore, Capote also illustrated sympathetical emotion towards both types of characters, the protagonists and antagonists.
In the film, “The Truman Show”, one can make a solid case on the pro’s and con’s of not only reality vs fake in America but, also the questions of morality vs immorality and which is which? In the United States alone, I believe most can agree that there has been an obvious shift in the meaning of morality along with the obsessions of what is real and what is fake. In the film, the main theme is that the main star of the show Truman played by Jim Carrey, comes closer to the discovery that his entire life is nothing but a live television show that is played twenty-four hours a day. From the start of the movie you hear Marlon who is played by Noah Emmerich and plays as the best friend of Truman in the film saying, “It’s all true, it’s all real, nothing here is fake, nothing you see on this show is fake, its merely controlled.” The key word here is
Truman Capote uses variety of language devices to vividly develop Perry Smith in his novel In Cold Blood. These language devices include, diction, similes and symbolism. Throughout the novel diction is used to develop Perry Smith’s character, and suggest reasons for the murder. When Smith explains what happened that night at the Clutter’s family home, he tells agent Alvin Dewey about his moment with Nancy Clutter.
Facts and Fiction: A Manipulation of Language in Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood English is a fascinating and riveting language. Subtle nuances and adjustments can easily change the understanding of a literary work—a technique many authors employ in order to evoke a desired response from their readers. This method is used especially in In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, a literary work which details a true event about the murders of four members of the Clutter family in the small community of Holcomb, Kansas, in 1959. Although Capote’s 1966 book was a bestseller nonfiction and had successfully garnered acclaim for its author, there is still a great deal of confusion about the distinction between the factual and fictional aspects in the book.