стилистический анализ текста

Зачётное задание

Усманова Карина

Гр. Ин 31

Stylistic analysis

«The man with the scar»

1. Author of the poem.

William Somerset Maugham (1874 – 1966), a well-known English novelist, short-story writer, playwright and essayist, was the son of a British diplomat. He was educated at King’s school in Canterbury, studied painting in Paris, went to Heidelberg University in Germany and studied to be a doctor at St. Thomas Hospital in England. Although Somerset Maugham did not denounce the contemporary social order, he was critical of the morals, the narrow- mindedness and hypocrisy of bourgeois society. It was his autobiographical novel Of Human Bondage (1951) and a novel The Moon and Sixpence (1919) based on the life of the French artist Paul Gauguin, that won him fame. Somerset Maugham was also a master of the short story.

Somerset Maugham’s style of writing is clear and precise. He does not impose his views on the rider. He puts a question and leaves it to the reader to answer it. When criticizing something he sounds rather amused than otherwise.

2. Summary of the text.

The author tells us a story which he heard from his friend. The story runs about an awful destiny of a pure tramp. They called him General and there was horrible scar at his face, from his temple to his chin. In the past General took part in a rebellion and led the rebellious troops. Then he was caught and sentenced to be shot at dawn. At his jail he spent a night before the execution playing poker and losing more matches as chips than a man could use in a life-time. Just before General to be shot his wife came to his prison. They were allowed to have the last meeting. General killed her and was let go out. Then he spends days in poverty selling chip lottery tickets and drinking alcohol. By this point the narration’s friend finished this story.

3. The problem raised by the author.

I am certain that a problem raised by W. S. Maugham was a fate’s influence on a human’s life. On one hand General was a murder, a cruel one. How he could kilt his lovely woman I don’t know. But on the other hand readers can easily understand that a motion a General’s mind that moved that tragic moment was a fear to leave a life along. I think it was hard for him to leave his love. Except this he understood his wife’s unhappiness. I’m sure General’s life was happy and fool of love. But the incident broke everything in splinters.

4. Title.

“The man with the scar”. As my point of view W. S. Maugham used this title for the poem because he described a man’s terrible life and severe destiny. I see the General’s scar as a special destiny’s mark of a brute and cruel person’s fate. It is like a secret impulse for every passers-by to have no any business with the tramp. It is no matter the way General got the scar. It was an accident actually. But as was the action with killing of General’s own wife as the scar was a warning sign of a murder.

5. General definition of the text.

I suppose that a story “The man with the scar” is a mixed type of narration. I mean it is a 1^st-person narration including of a 3^rd person narration. The author tells us about a General’s life-story. The story was told him by his friend. That is a General’s life-story is inside the author’s one. Besides it’s a narration interlaced   with   descriptive   passages   and dialogues   of   the

personages. An account of events interwoven with a humorous portrayal of the main character. The author describes a General’s night in jail. He had a very bad luck in poker. It was funny for him.

6. Climax.

As for me I suppose that a climax of the story is the last meeting of a General and his wife. He killed a sweetheart by his own hands. I think it was an assuring of General’s severe and greedy soul. I suppose he fully was ready for his depth and did not want to leave his wife alive. General wanted to take her together. I believe that he was angry cause of any thought his wife could stay alive, get married again and live in happy family life. As a result of all these points General cut his wife’s neck. She died on a ground right in front of him.

7. The denouement

As for me I suppose that the denouement of the story is definition of the real cause of appearing the scar at a General’s face. It was the most attractive point for readers to know how the character had got this awful mark of destiny. Ironically it was got cause of a beer-bottle burst. That’s all. Nothing heroic, not any light of brave action, not any patriotic behavior. It was only a result of General’s alcoholism.

8. Ending.

The story is ending by author’s getting the cause of scar appearing. A General got it due to a bear-bottle burst. It was a real disappointing for me frankly. The narrator’s friend finished his story.

Характеристика героев.

1. The man with the scar before his wife’s depth.

General is a very dramatic character. He has an extremely tragic life. His past was full of fight, passion and fate. General was a head of a rebellion troops, he wanted to do things best. He evidently was full of strength and courage. But there took a place a bad accident. General was caught and sentenced to be short in dawn. I believe it was a climax of his life. Decision of execution was as a brake of General’s destiny. The last meeting with his wife was the worst moment of the story. On one hand General was a victim of circumstances. His life was broken. Decision of his execution was a dead line. It made him desperate. But on the other he was a violent murder killed his enemies and lovers.

2. The man with the scar after his wife’s depth.

General isn’t a general of his troops already. He is a poor tramp in dirty clothes and always drinking alcohol. He lives from hand to mouth trying to sell chip lottery tickets. He is always over drank. There is no love in his life, he lost his point. While the story’s narration he has nothing else more except of some pennies in his pocket. His life became a miserable one.

3. General’s wife

General’s wife was a positive character in the story. She feels a real unhappiness cause of General’s execution. She loved him by all her heart. She can’t stand the thought about his leaving her life. She can’t imagine her destiny without her husband. Her eyes are full of tears meanwhile their last meeting. She really loves General.