Style (Grade 12 NSC Matric English FAL): Revision Notes
Style
Understanding style in literature
Style is a crucial literary element that shows how an author uses language to create meaning. It includes the writer's choice of words (vocabulary), sentence structure, figurative language, and how sentences are arranged. All these elements work together to establish the mood, tone, images, and overall meaning in the text.
Definition of Style in Literature: Style refers to the unique way a writer expresses themselves through their choice of words, sentence structure, figurative language, and sentence arrangement - all working together to create mood, tone, imagery, and meaning in the text.
In "My Children! My Africa!", Athol Fugard uses various stylistic techniques to bring his characters to life and convey the play's powerful themes about education, politics, and relationships during apartheid. Understanding these techniques helps us appreciate how Fugard crafts his message and creates emotional connections with his audience.
Word choice (diction)
Writers carefully select their words to create specific effects and emotional responses. In this play, Fugard demonstrates masterful use of language to convey the complex realities of apartheid-era South Africa.
Diction Definition: Diction refers to how a writer chooses and uses words. It encompasses vocabulary selection, word connotations, and the overall language register used to communicate with the audience.
Fugard uses emotive language that helps readers and audiences connect deeply with the characters and understand exactly what they are experiencing. This careful word choice creates immediate emotional impact and helps convey the intensity of the situations his characters face.
Figurative language
Figurative language involves using words in creative or unusual ways to express ideas and create special effects. Rather than stating things directly, authors use imaginative comparisons and expressions to help readers visualise and feel what they're describing. Fugard employs several types throughout the play:
Simile
A simile directly compares two things using "like" or "as". This technique helps readers understand unfamiliar or complex emotions by comparing them to familiar experiences.
Worked Example: Simile in Action
When Mr M describes how his heart responds to intense emotions, he says it "jumps out" and "savages" him "like a wild beast".
Analysis: This comparison shows the violent, uncontrolled nature of his internal emotional turmoil. His feelings about apartheid hurt him in the same way a wild animal would attack - suddenly and painfully.
Metaphor
A metaphor makes a comparison without using "like" or "as", directly stating that one thing is another. This creates even stronger imagery than similes because it suggests complete identification between the two things being compared.
Worked Example: Metaphor Development
In Act 1: Scene 4, Mr M develops his animal comparison into a full metaphor: "I've got a whole zoo in here, a mad zoo of hungry animals".
Analysis: He compares his conflicted emotions to a zoo filled with wild, hungry animals. This metaphor reveals how frightened he is by his own feelings and how he struggles to control his emotions whilst trying to serve his learners effectively under the oppressive apartheid system.
Irony
Irony occurs when there's a contrast between expectation and reality, or when the opposite of what's expected happens. This technique often highlights the absurdity or tragedy of a situation.
Worked Example: Situational Irony
Thami ironically calls the killing of Mr M (someone he loved dearly) "self-defence" by the mob, yet the mob actually attacks one unarmed, defenceless man (Act 2: Scene 4).
Analysis: This shows the tragic contradiction in the situation - what should be protection becomes destruction, and love becomes violence.
Dramatic irony
Dramatic irony happens when the audience knows something that the characters don't. This creates tension and often makes situations more poignant or tragic.
Critical Example of Dramatic Irony: Mr M believes he still has influence over Thami, whereas Thami tells Isabel that he no longer listens to what Mr M says and won't follow his advice. The audience can see this breakdown in their relationship whilst Mr M remains unaware, creating dramatic tension.
Monologue
Drama uses various techniques to reveal character thoughts and emotions. One of the most direct methods is the monologue, which gives audiences intimate access to a character's inner world.
Monologue Purpose: A monologue occurs when a character speaks alone on stage, revealing their inner feelings and thoughts directly to the audience. The main purpose is to show the deepest thoughts and emotions of individual characters without the philtre of dialogue with others.
Worked Example: Mr M's Opening Monologue
Act 1: Scene 4 opens with Mr M delivering a monologue directly to the audience. He begins by discussing life and Confucius' ideas, identifying himself as a follower of Confucian philosophy.
Content: He speaks specifically about how learning and thought are interconnected, and how the greatest goal is to be righteous and do what's morally right. Mr M compares the hope he carries in his heart to a hungry animal that needs to feed on young people to survive.
Effect: This monologue reveals his deep commitment to education and his complex emotional state, establishing his character's core motivations.
Dramatic elements
Understanding the structural elements of drama helps us appreciate how playwrights craft their stories for maximum impact. Fugard uses specific dramatic conventions to enhance his storytelling.
Two-Act Play Structure: "My Children! My Africa!" is structured as a two-act play. The play contains scenes with action (where characters interact with each other) and monologues (where individual characters address the audience directly). Each of the three main characters has opportunities to speak directly to the audience.
Stage Directions: Stage directions provide instructions for directors and actors. They suggest how actors should move, where they should position themselves, what they should wear or carry, and technical aspects like lighting. Stage directions appear in italics and often in square brackets when they come immediately after a character's name.
Tone and mood
The emotional atmosphere of a literary work comes from two related but distinct elements: tone and mood. Understanding the difference helps us analyse how authors create emotional effects.
Tone
Tone refers to the feeling or atmosphere that the author creates through the characters' words and actions. It reflects the author's attitude towards the subject matter or characters.
Characters sometimes speak to each other using a sarcastic or mocking tone when they feel angry or frustrated. Sarcasm involves saying the opposite of what you actually mean, and this becomes obvious to the person you're speaking to.
Worked Examples: Sarcastic Tone
Example 1: In Act 2, Scene 1, Isabel desperately wants Thami to remain friends with her, but she knows he won't. She uses sarcasm when she says, "Well don't waste your time here!" (pg.85). What she really means is that she wants him to stay.
Example 2: In the same scene, Mr M feels angry with Thami for expressing his political views. Mr M responds sarcastically: "Oh Thami... you learn your lessons so well!" (pg. 87).
Changes in tone are shown through dialogue and stage directions that indicate how actors should speak. The author uses directions like [pause] or [laughs] to show tone shifts. Throughout the play, the tone changes dramatically:
- During arguments, the tone becomes angry
- When characters resolve their differences, it becomes calm and hopeful
- During lighter moments, the tone becomes humourous
Mood
Mood Definition: Mood is the feeling that readers or audience members experience when reading or watching the play. The setting, props, actors' voices, and movements all work together to create the overall mood.
Key Difference to Remember:
- Tone = the author's created atmosphere (what the author conveys)
- Mood = the audience's emotional response (what the reader/viewer feels)
Key Points to Remember:
- Style encompasses word choice, sentence structure, figurative language, and arrangement to create meaning and atmosphere
- Figurative language (similes, metaphors, irony, dramatic irony) helps readers connect emotionally with characters and understand deeper meanings
- Monologues allow characters to reveal their innermost thoughts directly to the audience, particularly Mr M's opening speech about education and hope
- Tone is the author's created atmosphere, often shown through sarcasm and emotional shifts between characters
- Mood is what the audience feels, created through all the dramatic elements working together