A Closer Look at Writing Style

Style, in literature, refers to a method or manner of writing. It is the distinctive way in which a speaker or writer says what "they" say. Writers can use many different stylistic devices in their writing.

What creates style?

1. Diction - the choice of words and how they are used according to purpose and audience.

2. Syntax - or sentence structure. Sentences can be simple, complex, complicated or straightforward.

3. Figurative language - language beyond the literal sense and how it is used and how often. Sensory language (imagery) is included.

4. Point of View - the perspective from which the story is told

5. Rhetorical strategies - repetition, parallel structure, paragraph length

6. Dialogue

This list is not exhaustive.

Task:

John Steinbeck's "The Turtle," chapter three of The Grapes Of Wrath, is an exemplary expression of the way in which the choice and arrangement of language create harmony between an idea and its manner of expression. The turtle functions as a metaphor for the Joad family - and for other migrant families. It moves slowly, carrying its home on its back, and fights all kinds of adversity, never losing its will to carry on.The purpose of "The Turtle" is to affirm, imaginatively, the power of the life cycle, to assert the indomitability of the urge to life, and to emphasize the circularity of its pattern. This purpose is encased and expressed in the formal elements of the passage: structure, diction, sentence patterns, mood, symbol.

Read a short chapter from John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath.

Describe the author's style of writing in a 200-300 word paragraph. Use text examples to support your analysis.