From Vertical Run by Joseph r. Garber

1. What effect do the opening sentences of the fragment produce on the reader? What expressive means serve this purpose?

2. What mood is the main character in? What syntactic means make the character’s thoughts emotional?

3. What do you think was the character’s problem?

4. What simile reveals the character’s attitude to his pursuers?

5. What stylistic device prevails in the second paragraph of the fragment? What device helps to feel the character’s bitter irony?

Madness. Sheer lunacy. As unnecessary as it was unspeakable. All they had to do was explain it to him. He would have understood. He would not have been happy, but he would not have run. If they had told him what Ransome was telling him now, he would have cooperated. They could have offered to take him somewhere to a clean room, sterile, isolated from the outside world. Or they could have put him on a deserted island, or some other safe place. All they would have had to do was let him die with a little dignity. He wouldn’t have resisted. How could he have resisted? Knowing the truth, he would have surrendered.

But instead, they decided to treat him like a rabid animal. We’re licensed operatives, Mr. Elliot, highly trained professionals, and we know what’s best. Besides, we don’t trust anyone enough to tell you the truth. We don’t trust anyone enough to tell them that. We’ll lie to you, and we’ll lie to your friends, and we’ll lie to the people who pay us. That’s our way. Mr. Elliot, and if you aren’t used to it by now, you never will be. So kindly be a good little citizen, and don’t give us any trouble while we clear up our problem in the traditional way.

From Vertical Run by Joseph r. Garber

1. Read the fragment below. What is the stylistic advantage of the first line of the fragment?

2. Specify the cases of insertion and say what purpose they serve.

3. What trope is the first paragraph built upon? What touch does it give to the narration?

4. Does the first paragraph end climatically or anticlimatically?

5. What other figures of speech round up the fragment? What effect does it produce?

6. Is betrayal pardonable, in your opinion? Give your reasons.

One can lie, cheat, steal, and murder, and do so with an untroubled conscience. David Elliot did not, doubt that a.k.a. John Ransome, to take but one example, slept well at night, and was not troubled in his dreams. Anyone can break the commandments, each and everyone of them, and not feel the worse for it. There is no depravity or sin so vicious for which a man, given time and the proper attitude, cannot pardon himself – and for which others, in the end, will no absolve him… but for one exception, the sole offence that is never forgiven, never forgotten. No soldier will forgive a comrade-in-arms who has betrayed him.

No betrayer will forgive himself.

From The Web by Jonathan Kellerman

1. Read the fragment below and say what parts it falls into.

2. Point out the suspense at the beginning of the first part. Is the reader’s attention grasped instantly?

3. Find the chiasmus and dwell on the effect produced. How did the main character feel about the lizard?

4. What syntactic means are used to describe the lizard?

5. What synonyms are used by the author to describe the way the lizard’s behaviour? What is the aim of rendering one and the same meaning through the three synonymous verbs?

6. Does the first part of the fragment stand in contrast to the second part? Prove it.

7. Pick out cases of irony in the second part of the fragment. How do they hint at the characters’ relations?

8. Point out the case of pun. Why is its use advantageous?

9. Is the image of lizard sinister or innocent or humorous? Is it symbolic?

10. What stylistic device rounds up the fragment? What idea lies behind it?

A rasping noise woke me. Scratching at one of the screens.

I sat up fast, saw it.

A small lizard, rubbing its foreclaws against the mesh.

I got out of bed and had a closer look.

It stayed there. Light brown body speckled with black. Skinny head and unmoving eyes.

It stared at me. I waved. Unimpressed, it scratched some more, finally scampered away…

I told her about the lizard. “So don’t be alarmed if it happens again.”

“Was he cute?”

“Who said it was a he?”

“Girls don’t peep through other people’s windows.”

“Now that I think about it, he did seem to be ogling you.” I narrowed my eyes and flicked my tongue. “Probably a lounge lizard.”

She laughed and got out of bed. Putting on a robe, she walked around, flexing her wrist.

“How does it feel?”

“Better actually. All the warm air.”

“And doing nothing.”

“Yes,” she said. “The power of positive nothing.”