Rhetoric Study

One of the key rhetorical devices that Richard Yates uses is imagery. "But oh God, to be there with April Wheeler. To swing down those streets with April Wheeler's cool fingers locked in his own, to climb the stone stairway of some broken old gray house with her; to sway with her into some high blue room with a red-tiled floor; to have the light husky ripple of her laugh and her voice up there ("Wouldn't you like to be loved by me?"); to have the lemon-skin smell of her and the long, clean feel of her when he - when she - oh Jesus" - (Shep Campbell, 208). This passage is a perfect example of the detailed imagery that Yates uses throughout the novel. He goes into such detail to describe just one of Shep's momentary fantasies. Not only does this imagery help the reader understand the scenery and surroundings, but it also allows the reader to get to know the characters better. For instance, from this passage, I have learned that April has cool skin that smells like lemons, she has a light and rather husky laugh, and April's walk contains many swings and sways. Now these details are so little and seemingly unimportant, but they build up throughout the story to create a character so real that you can imagine April standing right in front of you.
This passage is also a great example of the repetition in sentence structure that Yates loves to include. The third sentence is one long sentence that is broken up by many semi-colons, and after every semi-colon there is an infinitive to lead off the next phrase (i.e. to swing, to sway, to have). I think that this repetition creates a very pleasant tone and makes the novel more enjoyable. In my opinion, this passage from Shep is one of the most important passages in the novel, because it sets the stage for future conflict, and it foreshadows that the Wheeler's will spread their dissatisfaction to their friends like a disease. Yates is so clever in how he writes this passage, because he uses rhetorical devices to emphasize the importance. The imagery and the repetition are used exceptionally well and they help convey the significance of the passage.