- “Noting endures, not a tree, not love, not even a death by violence” (14).
The message of the novel is effectively displayed in the syntax found in the application of an anaphora. Knowles utilizes an anaphora to show that a tree, love, and death are all connected. Gene’s love for Finny is overshadowed by the fears of adolescence; these fears eventually lead to Finny’s deadly fall from the tree and finally his death. While the anaphora shows that trees, love, and death are intertwined in the lives of Devon’s schoolboys, the syntax of this sentence also shows that these events are ultimately overcome by the influence of war.
- “By the time we arrived there the snow had become drab and sooted, wet and heavy” (96).
Unique syntax is used to illustrate a scene of railroad work that aids the war effort. By separating the four adjectives, used to describe the snow, into two separate phrases, the author creates a dreary tone that exemplifies the events of the day. Like the snow, the boys’ work for the day becomes tedious and causes them to drip with sweat and dirt. This description of the snow is also used to convey the effects of the war on Devon. The boys feel that they will be considered drab if they do not have exciting war tales and yet their reluctance to join the war still lies heavily upon their minds.
I liked your perceptive analysis of Knowles' use of syntax. You took a simple sentence and detected the syntax in the organization of the adjectives "drab and sooted" and "wet and heavy". Your breakdown of the sentence and how it contributes to the tone was very insightful. Also, your application of anaphora to syntax shows that a sentence can be given deeper meaning with word repetition, such as your example "not a tree, not love, not even a death by violence”. This sentence contains repetition with the word "not" and your analysis of this strategy, showing the connection between the tree, love and death, is excellent.
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