Commentary on Henry Handel Richardson(TM)s The Getting of Wisdom Essay

In this extract taken from heat content Handel Richardsons The Getting of Wisdom, the author social occasions Lauras perspective to present a shooter in which a group of indoctrinategirls ar seated and lectured in front of the rest of the school, of which adept girl in particular, Annie Johns, is publicly c tout ensemble(a)ed upon by their principal and acc habituated of theft. The text is composed of six paragraphs, of which only one is dialogue, followed by a lengthy seventh paragraph. Told in the third-person, the entire draw off is rich in descriptive language, enhanced by the use of initial rhyme and knavishly selective vocabulary, so as to achieve an attention-grabbing and detailed commentary of the purposes thoughts and feelings. I find that Richardson is able to create a serious and distort atmosphere, evoking a suspenseful mood as should be the case for such(prenominal) an incident.In the opening paragraph of this extract, Richardson introduces the characters and sets the scene. The poor quality of the desks, blackened, ink-scored, dusty, with eternally modify ink-wells, indicates that the girls ar mayhap studying in a lower-class school where a higher jibard of culture environment is not available. Although Tilly, Inez and Berthas name calling are mentioned, it is made empty that Laura is the central character as we are given a detailed root word of how she feels.Richardson brings the referee into the needlelike atmosphere immediately, and apart from the literal definition of Lauras flu spew face, her difficulty of breathing and her cold hands and feet, further detail is added by the use of head rhyme and shrewd phrasing. The congruity of the letter f in The cheeks of the quatern were flushed not only lets us imagine the pale tinge of the girls faces alone also picture the girls as they bite their lips in anticipation. This idea is brought to mind when Laura moistens her lips. The repeated use of the letter w, in spot the o thers only whispered and wondered, forms a particular shape of the readers mouth, dissimilar to the shape of a smile.The fact they are whispering and wonder also suggests that there are matters at hand that need to be kept secret to oneself, and the generator is encouraging the reader to oblige reading. In addition, we are given the outgrowth glimpse of Richardsons use of placing a short clause at the beginning of his sentences. Using the word only at the beginning of a sentence in line 4 is grammatically unseasonable, plainly the author writes in this specific way to annex the readers idea of the nervousness the girls are feeling. Also to join on the tension, Richardson employs em dashes to create caesuras (that is, deliberate pauses).Consonance using the letter f is used for the second time in the beginning of the second paragraph. The first foregoing minutes recalls the picture of the girls lips, and the mention of the foregoing minutes, at a time more, attracts the reade r to keep reading. Although silence is already present, Richardson makes a point of stressing the tell quietness, and exaggerating any noise that can be described, as minimal as they may be. This is done carefully when the writer describes the plump after Mr Strachey enters the scene as an ominous hush, the sounds of whispering and Lauras trouble in breathing and when Mr Strachey raises his hand to enjoin a silence that was already controlling. This marks the beginning of a lot of light being shed on these characters.In line 11, the way in which Laura suddenly grows serene contrasts with the emotional nature of Berthas character later on, and this may fate that Laura is less easily frightened or anxious and that she has the force to keep her composure in uncomfortable situations. It is interesting to know that her calmness allows her to clear her mind of all anxiety and take note of everything that passed. Her calmness is brisk for the reader to continue to understand and per ceive the event as we are given her view, and the reader can appreciate Lauras observance and self-control. The reader can also appreciate Richardsons clever manipulation of this characters perspective.As for Mr Strachey, him being labelled as The Principal gives the archetype that he has no need for a name in this stream situation. The title is electroneutral and implies that he is strictly being professional now. This positive occasion is also accentuated by the tidy arrangement of the desks, as unhygienic as they are, and the use of words and phrases such as culprit, a few introductory remarks and the present case, relating the school-situated theft to an actual cost case.Richardson then allows the reader to know Mr Strachey is somewhat of an authoritarian. This is suggested by Mr Stracheys finding to raise his hand for silence that the writer vividly describes as already absolute and his way of ordering Annie Johns to stand up. Will Miss Johns stand up is a question in str ict linguistic terms, but the exclamation mark indicates that it is a command and not an inquiry. Berthas description adds a certain fearful quality to Mr Stracheys character as Bertha cries from an overwhelming sense of panic. Probably the most outstanding use of alliteration is the consonance using the letters b and h in Bertha the stressed in lines 16 to 18. The letter b generates a dramatic sound as we imagine Bertha releasing her emotions, and the letter h produces a assort of sobbing noise that is gradually reduced like the actual use of the letter h.Last of all, Annie Johns is described as pale and silly-looking. Everything from the impersonal disregarding of her name, to the metaphor associating her with a small hunted animal, to the portrayal of her unattractiveness and insanitariness, characterise her as an unappealing person to sympathize for just judging by her appearance. Richardsons use of the letter s in the words, stood, silly-looking, stared, Strachey, stares an d especially the token created by the snake, foreshadow the crime that is to be addressed soon. The sounds created by the words, mouth, fallen, half and fear, emphasize (yet again) the biting of the lips and the ever-changing shape of the mouth.When we reach the last paragraph in line 25, all the components established in the previous paragraphs come together as Richardson uses punctuation, consonance and figurative language to vividly portray the scene and assign actions to the names and faces of the characters we are now familiar with in this particular extract.Lauras ability to pay close attention to her surroundings is referred to as she is described as being unable to take her eyes off the scene, fascinated by Mr Stracheys oratory and appreciating Mr Stracheys points. Richardson mentions lips again and this time, they belong to Mr Starchey. Particular phrases such as the Principal passed on to the present case and He made it all kick the bucket vividly before her create a cac ophonous exertion and the reader may visualize Mr Strachey has he speaks dramatically, perhaps spitting as he enunciates too. Earlier, Mr Strachey is said to be speaking in a low, staggering tone and Lauras admiration of his rhetoric highlights this as well.Information concerning Laura herself is minimal, but we find out almost her by observing Richardsons skilled way of letting us into her perspective without actually writing in the first-person. The reader can know that Laura has the capability to recognize what the rest of the girls are going through by the way the writer talks about how Laura knows what it was to be poor and understands what it would mean to lack your tram-fare on a wet morning (a brief instance of pathetic fallacy).Laura could imagine, too, with a shiver, to what close the details of this crime could be revealed. When Richardson describes the lolly-shop as having octopus arms, and tells us that Laura is considering if every one else agreed with Mr Strache y, it indicates that Laura is imaginative, bright and deductive in her argumentation as she puts her observation skills in good use, and all of this suggests that her aptitude is possibly brought about by some difference between her attitude to education and the other girls approach.This extract was interesting to analyse and to see how a writer can use a character so captivatingly to operate us to what is significant in the actual plot. This includes the characterisations of Bertha, Annie Johns and Mr Strachey, as well as Laura, and the way in which Richardson applies alliteration to this text to create visual impressions. I guess I could say that I was fascinated by Richardsons style as he made the scene and the characters all live vividly before me. I hung on his diction, appreciated his style and the clever way in which he worked up his climaxes. As grammatically incorrect as it is in saying this, I feel I score certainly been getting some wisdom.