narrative voice Flashcards
what is the tone of the narrator in WOTW?
journalistic, reportage style writing. remains measured, logistical and descriptive
what is the importance of the first person narrative in WOTW?
becomes more reflective as his narration continues. his hubris is clear at the beginning of the novel as he is disbelieving or misexplaining the existence of martians, but continues to grow in understanding that he does not hold all the knowledge
why is the narrator a good source of knowledge?
-was present for many of the key events eg. first star landing
personal witness to the first heat ray usage
seeks the troubles to find answers and therefore has value
how is the narrator a somewhat unreliable or unrealistic
survives everything
witnesses other people dying
repeats self for audiences of the weekly newspaper
is aware of his brothers pov before seeing him
why is it important that the character of offred is a first person perspective?
she is otherwise silent/forbidden to speak
gives power through storytelling in a place where she is not meant to tell a story
how does her first person perspective manifest into physical form?
recorded audio tapes of her story
allow her story and a realistic section of someones daily life in history to be continued in future generations
however it is not treated with much respect and is joked about or used
what is the structural effect of the first person narrative?
limited by what she is willing to speak about
confinement of her mind
mirrored by her white wings
her scattered mind traps us as readers, waiting to hear about the past or future. we experience it as she does
