tim bo ryan

(This prompt is similar to Q2 on the AP Exam. Keep in mind that this isn’t timed but should be similar in length to a 40 minute, timed writing period).

This will be due on Tuesday, October 8th.
Follow MLA format—Times New Roman, 12 size font, double-spaced, etc.



In a well written essay, analyze the strategies Tim O’Brien uses to convey the tone of the piece.




-Anaphora/repetition
His use of anaphora during moments of tension/anxiety conveys a sense of madness that he has in relationship to his conflict. (Repetition of I)
-Extended metaphor/metaphor
By using a metaphor to describe his coming to terms with war, he expresses the feeling of clarity/aftermath that the tone of this writing ends with. (A sort of calm after the storm effect) (his description of the parade towards the end)
What makes the great tumult that is going on in his mind so powerful is that it acts as the climax of the story by itself. The use of the metaphor becomes so immersive that you almost begin to think that his method has more to do with the character’s madness over anything else.
-exactness of syntax/short sentences
He uses short, cacophonous sentences to give the feeling that he is rushed and anxious while he is describing his emotional state. (Short sentences used to be concise)




All those eyes on me - the town, the whole universe - and I couldn’t risk the embarrassment. It was as if there were an audience to my Iife, that swirl of faces along the river, and in my head I could hear people screaming at me. Traitor! they yelled. Turncoat! Pussy! I felt myself blush. I couldn't tolerate it. I couldn’t endure the mockery, or the disgrace, or the patriotic ridicule. Even in my imagination, the shore just twenty yards away, I couldn’t make myself be brave. It had nothing to do with morality. Embarrassment, that's all it was. And right then I submitted.



In Tim O’Brien’s On the Rainy River, several strategies of tone expression are used to articulate the inner conflict with which his character struggles with. The use of anaphora to express his anxiety, a powerful metaphor to express the madness which comes before his realization and the cacophonous syntax he uses during tense situations to show his panic all creates a tone which drives the reader right where he wants them.

In Tim O’Brien’s “On the Rainy River,” the narrator uses several literary strategies in order to articulate the intense and anxiety-provoking inner conflict the character undergoes in deciding whether to stay in the United States and be drafted, or flee his life and family and become a runaway. The use of anaphora and abrupt, cacophonous syntax highlight the character’s sense of restlessness and inner turmoil which borders on madness, while the powerful use of extended metaphor highlights the immense societal pressure weighing on his decision, on top of his own moral and personal conflicts. The extreme pressure and fear these devices express demonstrate the horrific emotional effect of the draft on a youth with everything to live for.


Building and building, the great parade that he is constructing adds a sense of anxiety which repetition can’t do. What makes the great tumult that is going on in his mind so powerful is that it acts as the climax of the story by itself. The use of the metaphor becomes so immersive that you begin to see that his character’s madness is incalculable, showing just how impossible his thoughts are to follow at that instant. With such an overflow of thought, the breaking point reveals itself powerfully. He submits. A powerful change of pace that completely changes the tone that has been kept throughout the story transpires. The consternation of the metaphor leaves stacks of thought disheveled. Little of the tone and atmosphere remains the same, but this creates a moment which makes the reader pause and really think about what they have just read.
-exactness of syntax/short sentences
He uses short, cacophonous sentences to give the feeling that he is rushed and anxious while he is describing his emotional state. (Short sentences used to be concise)
	Time may be one of Tim O’Brien’s greatest antagonists. He runs and runs to freedom without break. He runs from the thoughts of war. He runs from the fear of being weak. He runs from himself. O’Brien use of anaphora creates the first half of his powerful description of his panic. The reuse of sentence beginnings is used primarily during times that express his emotional stress. Most of the time, the word ‘I’ is used for repetition at the beginnings of sentences. This shows us that he can only think of himself in these moments of panic, which gives the reader a subtle feeling that he is cutting ties with the society that has mistakenly chosen him.
But what makes these sentences have effect is the sharp, precise syntax in conjunction with his use of anaphora.