1. Diction

2. Diction refers to the author’s choice of words. When we examine an author’s diction, we pay special attention to how he or she uses specific words to convey a theme or purpose.

3. Helpful Questions What do you notice about the connotations of the specific words chosen? Does the author use figurative language? Why? Is the wording detailed or specific? Why? Is the language formal or informal? Why?

4. Does the author use repetition? Why? What tone is the author trying to create? What mood is the author trying to create? Can you tie any of the above answers to a possible theme / author’s purpose?

5. Quotes to Consider “We know the scene of the crime... high in that... that funereal tree by the river. There wasn’t any poison, nothing as subtle as that” (81).

6. “They seemed to be having a wonderful time, their uniforms looked new and good; they were clean and energetic; they were going places” (89).

7. “ Everything that had happened throughout the day faded like that first false snowfall of the winter” (94).

8. “Oh Christ, it’s not made up. What is all this crap about no maids?” (96). “I felt a certain disapproval of him for grumbling about a lost luxury, with a war on” (96)

9. “I stood trembling in front of Phineas, still holding his crutches in place, unable to turn and face Brinker and this joke he had gotten into his head, this catastrophic joke” (98).

10. “But the war had modified even his standards; all forms of physical exercise had become conventional for the Duration” (113).