Стилистический анализ текста: Stan Barstow “The Thin Seam”

The story ” The thin seam” by Stan Barstow is written in the style of fiction. It deals with the author;s emotions and thoughts about his memory of what had happened. The theme of the story is following: the author, he is the main character, was remembering the day when there was an accident on the factory.

In the beginning of the text we have an exposition where we get to know about the main character of it – “a dusty little thinker”, “thinking stony little thoughts” – author uses this epithets to describe the character. Epithet “he was costing them at obvious little shadows” – shows that he was involved into some little thoughts which were of no importance and forgot about them very quickly but suddenly his meditations were interrupted by some noises.

At first he thought he heard a voice. Then he thought perhaps it was a noise of machinery. The author describes it with the metaphor “stresses and strains

make conveyors talk”. In order to show the atmosphere of work at the factory the metaphors “they scream curses”, “they grumble and complain”, the comparison “whistle like butcher boys”, characterize the equipment in bad-working condition.

So then author uses parallel construction “then I heard again” to show us that smth had happened.

The scale of it shows us the metaphor “panic and fear pitched the note of” that the main character heard if “above multiple noises of the machinery” – epithet. The noise was so keen, that it was able to interrupt his meditations. The low-side conveyor was stopped with the help of “wag signal”(epithet) of lamp, but it was late.

After the accident the main character saw Geodies “sweat streaming inquiring face”. This epithet shows us Geodies disappointment. But when the main character looked up?

He saw the light approaching quickly, “it danced”, “it spoke silently, but eloquently” – metaphors show us that everything was on fire.

Then the “watchful silence was broken”. Great gulps for air and threshing of legs and arms striving against the covings. In such a way the author describes the atmosphere of panic and compares it with something terrible using such a comparison “It was more terrible than a great crying out to hear those sounds.


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Стилистический анализ текста: Stan Barstow “The Thin Seam”