1. Elements to consider when analyzing a prose passage
Style Analysis: Prose
Elements to consider when analyzing a prose passage

2. 1. Diction:
Look for words that indicate an author’s tone or words that due to their connotative or denotative meaning add to the understanding of the author’s purpose
EX: The scene with “the gloom hovering over them” was an eerie and dismal picture.

3. 2. detail:
Find concrete images that influence how a reader feels/thinks about the passage.
Douglass’ imagery emphasizes the helplessness he feels as a fugitive. After fleeing slavery, the “panting fugitive” must avoid “the ferocious beasts of the forests [who] lie in wait for their prey.” Although the speaker has found freedom in a free state, he feels he is being hunted like an animal and, therefore, must keep up a constant vigil against those he fears.

4. 3. Point Of view: -Look to see if the story shifts the point of view.
-Is the reader seeing in the mind of one or
several characters or is there an
outside narrator?
-How does how the POV influence the way the
story or scene is described or the way
the reader perceives the action or
description.
-How does the author use POV to convey
his/her purpose?

5. 4. Organization: -Note what happens at the beginning,
middle, and end of the passage.
-What stylistic techniques are
predominant in each section?
-Does the author describe events in a
chronological order or are
events out of sequence
(flashback, foreshadowing, etc.)?
-How do these choices affect the meaning
and the way the reader perceives
the events/characters?

6. 5. Syntax: Look for the following: -Does the sentence length vary?
-Loose and periodic sentences
-Punctuation
-Repetition of words and phrases
-Parallelism and anaphora
-Antithesis
-Chiasmus
Then discuss how these devices influence meaning or affect the way the reader perceives events/characters.

7. Embedding quotes:
Avoid long quotes. Use short phrases or clauses and embed them in your sentence structure.
Poor: The phrase, “the gloom hovering over them,” shows
the ominous feeling of the
scene.
Better: “The gloom hovering over
them” as they walked down the
lonely street created an
eerie and dismal picture.