In Cold Blood, a nonfiction novel by Truman Capote about the murder of the Clutter family by the murderers Perry Smith, and Dick Hickock was definitely an interesting read. Starting off, Capote used a lot of detail to describe the Clutter family yet left out the details of the actual killing committed. This created a sense of curiosity in the reader; it left me itching to learn more--even though I was not particularly interested in the writing itself. I am one to enjoy various applications of rhetorical strategies, but unfortunately, the first section had very little to annotate. As the story progresses, Capote begins to get into detail about the lives of both Dick and Perry. Dick was described to be more of an independent man, while Perry had a tougher time due to the fact that he pretty much had no one left. Although these men take lives, learning more about their personal lives and past made me sympathize for them--well at least Perry. Interestingly, I was quite intrigued when one of the investigators accused Perry of being a paranoid schizophrenic. That is because we have learned a lot about this mental disorder in Psychology class, and seeing it come up in a reading excited me. I felt as though I could say "I got this." Another point of interest was the mentioning of the parrot. I was trying to form some type of connection with that particular animal to the story itself, and so far, I have not come up with much. All in all, this was an interesting read. The lack of description in some instances worked to Capote's favor, while excess details about certain events left me bored.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Text Connections
"The tattooed face of a cat, blue and grinning, covered his right hand; on right hand; on one shoulder a blue rose blossomed" (30).
This particular description of a tattoo located on Dick's hand reminds me greatly of Cheshire Cat from the movie Alice in Wonderland. Not only are the features described similar to the cat, but the purpose is also similar. Within the movie, Cheshire cat appears from time to time either saving the other characters or need, or just as a hinderance. The Cheshire cat is also very sly. These characteristics are a lot like those of Dick which is further displayed throughout the novel. Dick slyly accomplishes his tasks of robberies and murders and disappears- the authorities have a difficult time finding him after he committed the crimes just like the Cheshire cat; he disappears and appears as he chooses. I believe that this tattoo is a symbol of those characteristics of cats in general. Quick to get out of situations, yet biting in certain situations.
This particular description of a tattoo located on Dick's hand reminds me greatly of Cheshire Cat from the movie Alice in Wonderland. Not only are the features described similar to the cat, but the purpose is also similar. Within the movie, Cheshire cat appears from time to time either saving the other characters or need, or just as a hinderance. The Cheshire cat is also very sly. These characteristics are a lot like those of Dick which is further displayed throughout the novel. Dick slyly accomplishes his tasks of robberies and murders and disappears- the authorities have a difficult time finding him after he committed the crimes just like the Cheshire cat; he disappears and appears as he chooses. I believe that this tattoo is a symbol of those characteristics of cats in general. Quick to get out of situations, yet biting in certain situations.
Syntax
"The Garden City representative of New York Life Insurance smiled as he watched Mr. Clutter uncap a Parker pen and open a checkbook" (46). Versus, "Among Garden City's animals are two gray tomcats who are always together--thin, dirty strays with strange and clever habits" (246).
It is apparent that Capote switches from the past tense to the present tense during section III, The Answer. This syntactical move helps the reader see that Capote is revealing the climax of the novel. This volta is effective in emphasizing the importance of this chapter. The chapter is called the answer due to the fact that Perry and Dick finally reveal their wrongdoings and intentions along with all of the long awaited details.
"The furniture of the den, a cement-floored room that ran the length of the house, consisted almost entirely of examples of his carpentry (shelves, tables, stools, a ping-pong table) and Nancy's needlework (chintz slip covers that rejuvenated a decrepit couch, curtain, pillows bearing legends: Happy? and You Don't Have To Be Crazy To Live Here But It Helps)" (38).
In this passage, Capote utilizes parenthetical phrases in order to better develop his characters' behaviors or lifestyles. This interesting sentence structure brings outside information that is not necessarily needed, but it adds somewhat of a humorous tone. The development of the Clutters is vital due to the fact that the entire novel revolves around their murder. The reader can sympathize for this family by learning that they are of a kind nature and were not deserving of their tragic deaths.
"And myself... In Juneau, my father as making bootleg hooch" (273).
Within Perry's letter of confessions, he went off to describe himself as who truly was. Within the letter, his use of ellipses displays the doubt and hesitation in his thought process. He did not feel comfortable revealing that not only he, Perry, engaged in illegal activities, but his father did as well. It also shows pain due to the fact that Perry lost most of his family at a young age.
"Gone. And Bonnie, too." (121).
These telegraphic sentences serve the purpose of creating a sad, depressing tone. Bonnie Clutter was a mother who was killed by Perry and Dick. This frankness on Capote's part hits the reader hard. We immediately feel worry which is what the author was trying to achieve.
It is apparent that Capote switches from the past tense to the present tense during section III, The Answer. This syntactical move helps the reader see that Capote is revealing the climax of the novel. This volta is effective in emphasizing the importance of this chapter. The chapter is called the answer due to the fact that Perry and Dick finally reveal their wrongdoings and intentions along with all of the long awaited details.
"The furniture of the den, a cement-floored room that ran the length of the house, consisted almost entirely of examples of his carpentry (shelves, tables, stools, a ping-pong table) and Nancy's needlework (chintz slip covers that rejuvenated a decrepit couch, curtain, pillows bearing legends: Happy? and You Don't Have To Be Crazy To Live Here But It Helps)" (38).
In this passage, Capote utilizes parenthetical phrases in order to better develop his characters' behaviors or lifestyles. This interesting sentence structure brings outside information that is not necessarily needed, but it adds somewhat of a humorous tone. The development of the Clutters is vital due to the fact that the entire novel revolves around their murder. The reader can sympathize for this family by learning that they are of a kind nature and were not deserving of their tragic deaths.
"And myself... In Juneau, my father as making bootleg hooch" (273).
Within Perry's letter of confessions, he went off to describe himself as who truly was. Within the letter, his use of ellipses displays the doubt and hesitation in his thought process. He did not feel comfortable revealing that not only he, Perry, engaged in illegal activities, but his father did as well. It also shows pain due to the fact that Perry lost most of his family at a young age.
"Gone. And Bonnie, too." (121).
These telegraphic sentences serve the purpose of creating a sad, depressing tone. Bonnie Clutter was a mother who was killed by Perry and Dick. This frankness on Capote's part hits the reader hard. We immediately feel worry which is what the author was trying to achieve.
Diction
"The expert execution of the crimes was proof enough that at least one of the pair commanded an immoderate amount of coolheaded slyness, and was--must be-- a person too clever to have had become aware of several particulars that reinforced his conviction that at least one of the murderers..." (103).
In this passage, the words such as "coolheaded," "slyness," "clever," and "reinforced" add to the tone of arrogance in this passage in that the inspector Dewey is self-assured that he understands this case although he does not know who the victims are. He feels as though regardless of the crime committed, the people who committed it are geniuses. They are able to engage in such activity without getting caught by the police and inspectors that inhabit the town.
Later on, in a passage describing the characteristics of Perry Smith, words such as "tough," "refinement," "dreamy," "actorish," and "sensitive" create a sense of acceptance although throughout the rest of the novel, Capote held a negative tone towards this character. In this case, Perry was viewed through the eyes of Marie therefore her way of speaking puts Perry in a positive light. Although he is a criminal, his physical attributes make him seem like a kind person.
Later on, one sees low and informal diction a prisoner is being interviewed by Dewey creating an ominous tone. The prisoner repeatedly uses the word "n*gger" and shouts "goddam." This shows that the prisoner is of a lower class, creating an evil persona. As opposed to using the words "says" or "states, when speaking of the prisoner's speech, Capote uses the word "spits" making this prisoner seem undisciplined and serpent-like.
"'--and the punishment is death'; each time he came to the sentence, Tate enunciated it with a dark-toned hollowness that seemed to echo the train's mournful, now fading call" (307).
These dark words creates an eerie and ominous tone within this passage. Tate is portrayed as grim man adding to the insensitiveness of Train, the speaker in this passage. These men were also convicted of misdeeds within Kansas, and it is obvious that it is not something that they are proud of. Murder is not something to celebrate, therefore making these words appropriate for this situation.
In this passage, the words such as "coolheaded," "slyness," "clever," and "reinforced" add to the tone of arrogance in this passage in that the inspector Dewey is self-assured that he understands this case although he does not know who the victims are. He feels as though regardless of the crime committed, the people who committed it are geniuses. They are able to engage in such activity without getting caught by the police and inspectors that inhabit the town.
Later on, in a passage describing the characteristics of Perry Smith, words such as "tough," "refinement," "dreamy," "actorish," and "sensitive" create a sense of acceptance although throughout the rest of the novel, Capote held a negative tone towards this character. In this case, Perry was viewed through the eyes of Marie therefore her way of speaking puts Perry in a positive light. Although he is a criminal, his physical attributes make him seem like a kind person.
Later on, one sees low and informal diction a prisoner is being interviewed by Dewey creating an ominous tone. The prisoner repeatedly uses the word "n*gger" and shouts "goddam." This shows that the prisoner is of a lower class, creating an evil persona. As opposed to using the words "says" or "states, when speaking of the prisoner's speech, Capote uses the word "spits" making this prisoner seem undisciplined and serpent-like.
"'--and the punishment is death'; each time he came to the sentence, Tate enunciated it with a dark-toned hollowness that seemed to echo the train's mournful, now fading call" (307).
These dark words creates an eerie and ominous tone within this passage. Tate is portrayed as grim man adding to the insensitiveness of Train, the speaker in this passage. These men were also convicted of misdeeds within Kansas, and it is obvious that it is not something that they are proud of. Murder is not something to celebrate, therefore making these words appropriate for this situation.
Rhetorical Strategies
Allusion: “Teddy… was ever ready to raise Cain” (13).
The biblical allusion made to the story of Cain and Abel serves as a great comparison to the dog. This is due to the fact that Cain was the one with the evil intentions which led to Abel's death. This shows that the dog, in relation to Cain, will have a strong personality and be quite robust. Invective: “Dick, who took a dim view of Willie- Jay, and called the letter ‘Just more of Billy Grahamcracker’s hooey.’ Adding, F****** of scorn!’ He’s the f*****’” (44).
With the use of such explicit language, author Truman Capote is definitely writing as such in order to display the colloquial language of that particular time period. It shows how harsh and volatile these characters had been in their speech whether it had been necessary or not.
Anaphora: "But one can... But as he... But I was... But I wasn't..." (122).
This repetition shows hesitation in the speakers voice, in this case, the voice of Perry. When one is accused of committing a crime, their natural instinct is to dodge each of the accusations--that is what is taking place in this passage.
Anaphora and Hyperbole: "His state of mind was bad; he was emaciated; and he was smoking sixty cigarettes a day" (165).
Mr. Dewey, and investigator of the Clutter family case, was finding a lot of trouble searching for the answers to all of his questions regarding his case. He was to the point that he had began to sacrifice his physical health and mental health. With the use of the hyperbole, the reader understands that Capote is trying to highlight Dewey's unfortunate phase with an addition of humor by exaggerating the amount of cigarettes he goes through in order to stay calm and keep solving.
Simile: "White as a ghost" (252).
During the time of confessions, once again, Perry lets the reader look into his soft side. When Perry was about to engage in the killing of innocent folks, the terror begins to hit him. That is where the simile comes into play. The use of this rhetorical device enables readers to make a visual connection to the amount of fear Perry had endured at the time. This is effective in creating a chilling mood, and for telling a story.
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