Moore 1

Commonplace Book

A Collection of Literary and

Professional Writing
Excerpts

Kayla Elizabeth Moore

 Moore 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Pg. 1 - Cover Page
Pg. 2 -Table of Contents
Pgs. 3-5 - Introductory Letter
Pg. 6-7 - Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf - Imitation and Analysis
of Parenthesis
Pg. 8- Bream Gives Me Hiccups by Jesse Eisenberg Analysis of
Cumulative Style
Pg. 9-10 - We Live Through Institutions by Robert Bellah
Analysis of Cumulative Style
Pg. 11 - Because I could not stop for death by Emily Dickinson
Analysis of Metaphor
Pg. 12 - The Snows of Kilimanjaro by Ernest Hemingway
Analysis of Polysyndeton
Pg. 13 - The Road by Cormac McCarthy Analysis of Parallelism
Pg. 14 - Lady Lazarus by Sylvia Plath Analysis of Anastrophe
Pg. 15 - The Struggle for Human Rights, Speech, Eleanor Roosevelt
Analysis of Anaphora and Tricolon

Pg. 16 - ScienceFor Her! by Megan Amram Analysis of

Hyperbole

Pg. 17 The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath Analysis of Additive Style

and Polysyndeton

Professor Malek,
 Moore 3

I just want to begin this letter in saying that it has been an absolute privilege analyzing

various works of literature and professional documents over the course of this semester thus far. I

hadnt realized how much of the English language and its forms of discourse that I had ignored

before I took this course. In the beginning of the semester, I felt that I had entered into another

grammatical course afraid, I wrote our first assignment about the frustrations of my elementary

school days of grammar and structure problems with English.

But then the class progressed, and I have come to discover some of the amazing

conventions which authors utilize to hook their reader, and not only hook the reader but to make

an argument stronger. To initiate a different discussion with the reader than any other has ever

done before. In this discovery, I have noticed how my own personal writing has changed

throughout the course of the semester.

My arguments have become stronger because I fully understand how various tropes and

schemes work with a text to make them stronger, and my literary analysis has come full circle

because of this understanding. My focus on how sentences work individually and in the whole of

a work has entirely transformed, merely because I comprehend how parenthesis aids in emphasis

of a phrase, and that I understand that metaphor is the basis of language. My language has

changed how I manipulate words and phrases for emphasis has been altered, and I absolutely

love the fact that I have the ability to analyze my own language down to the structure of each

sentence.

With this understanding that I have gained, the following pages of my commonplace

book are filled with passages that I have either loved and never analyzed, or discovered in my

journey through understanding the differentiating styles of sentences and circumlocutions of the

English language. Some of the ideas will blend well together, especially in terms of my fictional
 Moore 4

pieces, and my professional writing pieces take a much more analytical perspective into

argument and how the structure of each piece folds into their argument effectiveness, in

essence.

I have also done some imitations of authors whose work I have always found interesting

Virginia Woolf, to be precise. Her language has always confused me in the past, but in taking

this course I understand more about the language she is utilizing and what she is attempting to do

by means of sentence construction and language.

Alongside of this enlightenment with Woolfs work, I have also noticed that I have

gained a deeper appreciation for the immense stylistic value held within the commas and

hyphens of a speech. Before taking a closer look at speeches in class, alongside of in the work

for my commonplace book, I had never understood the craft it takes to form a beautiful and

persuasive argument. While this may sound silly, Ive come to find that speeches may be one of

my new favorite things to analyze envisioning the orator, and then analyzing their speech in

context of its time is actually very interesting, and with the knowledge I have gained in sentence

structure and schemes, their arguments seem even more valid.

Above all, I have learned that literature is not just a clustering of words to form

sentences, which form paragraphs, and pages, and novels. They are SO much more style,

structure, argument, image, tropes, schemes, motives, and the list continues. Literature and

language are so much more than their individual components, they are these components

working together to solidify meaning and argument. They are working together to make

something beautiful, but also something impacting, and I feel that thats what the commonplace

assignment has shown me that writing is not just words on a page, its so much more.
 Moore 5

I hope that you enjoy reading my analyses and imitations I thoroughly enjoyed writing

them.

Sincerely,

Kayla Elizabeth Moore

- Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf - Imitation and Analysis of Parenthesis

 Moore 6

Original quote For they might be parted for hundreds of years, she and Peter; she never wrote

a letter and his were dry sticks; but suddenly it would come over her, If he were with me now

what would he say? - some days some sights bringing him back to her calmly, without the old

bitterness; which perhaps was the reward of having cared for people; they came back in the

middle of St. James Park on a fine morning indeed they did.

My rendition Since we may have loved for an eternity, he and I; he never sent me anything,

and mine were nevermore; but suddenly it comes to my mind, what if we still loved- would I

stay? some days I see him in breezes and snowfall, without the harsh cold; which maybe is the

reward I reap for my kindness; he comes back to me in the middle of my dreams in cold winter

evenings yes, yes he does.

Analysis:

In reading Virginia Woolf, I have always been confused by her sentence structure and

style. In undertaking an excerpt from one of her most famous works, I noticed one very

prominent stylistic element parenthesis. While various writers utilize this to get the reader

thinking, I feel that Woolf utilizes this various times throughout a majority of her works. For this

one in particular, I feel that the utilization of parenthesis functions to show how the speaker is

thinking, and slow down the reader to actually absorb what the writer is saying.

In attempting my own rendition of this, I noticed that this was abundantly true not only

did my writing take longer, but I really had to concentrate on content and organization of my

thoughts. Especially nearing the middle of the passage where Woolf begins to ask questions, like
 Moore 7

what would he say?, it was especially difficult to maintain a clear stream of consciousness and

sound coherent in text. This is how her use of parenthesis works so well it forces the reader to

slow down, thoroughly analyze the thoughts of the speaker, and understand the statement in

depth.

- Bream Gives Me Hiccups by Jesse Eisenberg Analysis of Cumulative Style

 Moore 8

This is something Mom always does. She says something nice to me and then yells at me right
after. Like she couldnt just say, youre very sweet. She had to say, Youre very sweet but take
the bike out of my room. And even though it should make my feeling hurt to be yelled at, I also
like it because its a pattern that Mom and I have, and its oursAnd I guess even if someone is
a terrible person like Mom, they can still be special if you know them well

This excerpt is especially interesting to me, as I absolutely love this book of short stories.

I love this section of the book because it is a section in which a child is providing restaurant

reviews. The type of language throughout the bulk of the text is interesting, primarily because the

cumulative nature of the text adds a childlike tone which would otherwise be lacking if not

written in this way.

It is extremely apparent in the second sentence, where the narrator states She had to say,

Youre very sweet but take the bike out of my room. And even though it should make my

feeling hurt to be yelled at, I also like it because its a pattern that Mom and I have, and its

ours. While this isnt necessarily a cumulative sentence, it is a cumulative cluster of sentences.

The whole paragraph feels like one large run-on sentence, and I feel that this best embodies the

way in which a young child would think to himself, or tell a story about his mother. I feel that

Eisenbergs utilization of this is extremely effective, because this choppy sentence style that feels

like it never ends is what truly presents a childish feel to the work and presents the correct tone

to the reader.

- Professional Writing example : We Live Through Institutions Robert Bellah

 Moore 9

Analysis of Cumulative Style

Analysis:
In initially going through this piece I thought nothing of the stylistic approach of the text,

but in doing further analysis, I have come to find the style to be particularly interesting. In this

particular passage from Bellahs work I notice cumulative style, especially in the second

sentence where there is a list of societal possessions, as the main clause of the sentence is at the

end and the list is toward the beginning.

This stylistic choice on the part of the author is extremely interesting in the second

sentence merely for the fact that he could have placed the main clause we pass homeless men

and the beginning of the sentence but what effect would be lost if it was placed differently?

Here is the sentence with a different placement of the main clause:

In the midst of affluence we pass homeless men or, often, women with children asking money

for food and shelter perhaps with a guilty sense of the absurd wastefulness of the expensive

meal, new blouse, or electronic gadget that has brought us to town.

I feel as though the authors initial choice to place the primary clause towards the end is

to guilt the reader before they even know they feel guilty I mean to say that this list of greedy
 Moore 10

thoughts is placed first to emphasize the needs of others before their own. If the author chose to

forgo the cumulative sentence, the effect would be lost, and the reader would pass over this

statement without as much impact. Thus, the placement and utilization of cumulative style is

effective in that it allows the reader to comprehend the guilt before feeling it.

- Emily Dickenson Poem [712] Because I could not stop for death Analysis of
Metaphor
 Moore 11

Because I could not stop for death-

He kindly stopped for me.
The Carriage held but just Ourselves-
And Immortality.

We slowly drove He knew no haste

And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
For His Civility.

This excerpt is primarily fixated on the trope of metaphor. While it is obvious that death

is not a person, that is precisely what Dickenson plays into in this work. Her personification of

death as a person, ie. the grim reaper, is what plays largely into this work. It is what the

remainder of the poem relies on as context, and is what the remainder of the poem works off of

in terms of metaphor as well. For instance, in the second sentence of the first stanza she

discusses a carriage toting people and immortality. While this is not physical or possible, the

metaphor utilized throughout the rest of the text makes this line hold some sense of meaning.
 Moore 12

- Ernest Hemingway The Snows of Kilimanjaro Analysis of Polysyndeton

So now it was all over, he thought. So now he would never have a chance to finish it. So this
was the way it ended in a bickering over a drink. Since the gangrene started in his right leg he
had no pain and with the pain the horror had gone and all he felt now was a great tiredness and
anger that this was the end of it. For this, that now was coming, he had very little curiosity.

In reading this passage, it is obvious that the main idea of narration is the thought of a

character, but what enhances this narration is the use of polysyndeton in the fourth sentence.

When Hemingway perpetuates the sentence with andandand there is a layer of stream

of consciousness added into the mix. This type of language adds a sort of rushing to the anger

noted in the text, and the rush toward the end of this characters life. This rushing adds into the

idea that this characters life is running short in the mind of the reader, and thus enhances the

sensitivity of time in the life of the work.

 Moore 13

- The Road by Cormac McCarthy Analysis of Parallelism

You forget what you want to remember, and you remember what you want to forget.

This passage of McCarthys stuck with me primarily because it seemed like an adage, or a

type of clich that the elderly tell you in times of strife. What makes this passage come off in this

manner is the utilization of a balanced sentence, also known as parallelism. This parallel

structure, repeating the same amount of syllables in separated phrases, allows the reader to

remember this phrase easily, and also creates an impression of wisdom and eternal importance.
 Moore 14

- Lady Lazarus by Sylvia Plath Analysis of Anastrophe

Soon, soon the flesh

The grave cave ate will be

At home on me

And I a smiling woman.

I am only thirty.

And like the cat I have nine times to die.

This poem is one of my absolute favorites, and being so, I have always noticed

something different each time I read. One thing that is extremely prominent in this work is the

persistent use of metaphor, but also her use of anastrophe. This particular scheme creates an

impact which Plath seems to always aim for in her works to force the reader to think, but also

to add a layer of mystery and a creepy tone.

I say this because in the first stanza, she uses the phrase grave cave ate will be, and

while this reversed order of words forces the reader to understand the image of a decomposing

body in a grave, it also forces a sort of cryptic and mysterious tone on the reader, thus making the

idea of suicide and death even more prominent throughout the remainder of the excerpt.
 Moore 15

- -Eleanor Roosevelt, The Struggle for Human Rights, 1948, Paris Analysis of Anaphora
and Tricolon

We must not be confused about what freedom is. Basic human rights are simple and easily
understood: freedom of speech and a free press; freedom of religion and worship; freedom of
assembly and the right of petition; the right of men to be secure in their homes and free from
unreasonable search and seizure and from arbitrary arrest and punishment.

In every historic speech there usually comes a point where the orator stops to take

pause, and define or emphasize the point that they are making by utilizing repetition. In this

particular speech by Roosevelt, she takes the time to emphasize the definition of what human

rights are by explaining them in terms of what freedoms we hold. This constant repetition is

extremely impacting on a reader or audience, primarily because this repetition creates a lasting

impression that freedom equates to human rights which is Roosevelts goal in this particular

speech.

Alongside of this effective use of anaphora, she also utilizes a tricolon crescens, which

adds a somewhat stream of consciousness effect in this excerpt not only creating a

conversational tone with herself and her audience, but also creating a sense of free flowing

thought on part of the speaker. This is effective because it peaks the audiences attention, and

creates an atmosphere in which they feel they have been heard by the speaker.
 Moore 16

- ScienceFor Her! by Megan Amram Analysis of Hyperbole

I was about to write about the apocalypse, but it appears the apocalypse has come EARLY
BECAUSE I FREAKING RAN OUT OF METH, GALS. You never think its going to happen to
you, but then it does and no ones there to help you. Im so stressed out about it, Ive been
grinding my two teeth all night.

This excerpt comes from a comedic science textbook for women, and is humorous for a

variety of reasons, but primarily because of the authors use of hyperbole. Though her mentioned

meth usage in the passage is just a joke, she utilizes hyperbole to enhance her joke and state that

her running out of meth equates the apocalypse. The use of this particular trope is effective

because it makes her sarcastic tone and overzealous joke to an even higher standard of comedic

standing than it was already at. This humor of her joke, plus the hyperbole utilized just makes her

smug sarcasm even better!

 Moore 17

- The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath Analysis of Additive Style and Polysyndeton
We slipped out of our seats and said Excuse me Excuse me Excuse me down the length of our
row, while the people grumbled and hissed and shifted their rain boots and umbrellas to let us
pass, and I stepped on as many feet as I could because it took my mind off this enormous desire
to puke that was ballooning up in front of me so fast that I couldnt see round it.

This passage has so much going on stylistically, but the one thing to fixate on in this

passage is the consistent use of additive language. As the sentence goes on, the narrator piles on

so much information that it is obvious that Plath is going for a nervous, overly-thought out tone

for this part of the novel, which makes sense in context of the work and of the situation at hand.

In trying to seem sneaky, the main character is also nervous, so this stream of thought pouring

into the narrative, and thus effectively using additive language, forced the reader to feel nervous.

This nervousness is caused by the consistent repetition of and (polysyndeton), and the perpetual

outpour of information almost to the point of over-stimulating the audience.