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sSubject/Class Paper was submitted for  [AP English             ]
SSubject/Topic of paper (Please Be As Descriptive As Possible)   
a[AP English Question 3 essay: Re: Tall Paidoboron              ]3 Letter
YYear of AP Exam unknown.                                      Abbrev.
 [                                                              ]for
S       Grade Level (For High School Students):      9 [ ] 11 [ ]Major
u                                                   10 [ ] 12 [X]Education
B                                       (for Ont., Canada) 13 [ ]Areas,
m       Year (For University/College Students)       1 [ ]  3 [ ]MARK one:
I                                                    2 [ ]  4 [ ]
s                                                           5 [ ]English
SSchool/University/College/Institution [St. Joseph's Collegiate ][ENG] [X]
iCity & State (Province) of Inst.      [Buffalo, NY             ]History
OName of Teacher/Prof. submitted to    [Mr. Zabawa              ][HST] [ ]
nGrade Received (If Received Yet)                           [85 ]Science
 Date Paper was submitted (mm/dd/yy)   [ 11/23/92               ][SCI] [ ]
FName of Author (Real or Alias)        [The Saint               ]Health &
oHigh School Avg./College GPA of Author                 [95.6   ]Sports
RIf used, Textbook/Novel/Classic Translator/Editor and Version/  [HTH] [ ]
m Edition Info [                                                ] -
 Additional Comments [                                          ]The
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Paper 3: Tall Paidoboron                   Due date: 11/23/92

     The author of the passage characterizes the kingdom,

which Paidoboron is king of, as a very melancholy and bleak

realm. He also characterizes it as a kingdom that is

unchanging, stubborn, and incorrigible. The author presents

this characterization of the kingdom by using techniques such

as diction and repetition.

     The themes incorporated in the passage have the effect

of characterizing the kingdom of Paidoboron as a stubborn and

gloomy place. One theme incorporated in the passage was the

theme of oldness. Many things, such as the kingdom itself,

are described as old. The effect attained by doing this is

one of portraying the kingdom as antique and outdated. The

connotive value of attributing oldness to the kingdom is one

of describing it as a place without any energy or

youthfulness, an effect consistent with the effect of the

other literary elements in attributing a lack of liveliness

to the kingdom. Another theme that appears in the passage is

one of stoniness. This is apparent through the attachment of

the word 'stone' to many objects. By attributing this stony

quality to the objects the author effectively associates

'stone' with almost every aspect of the kingdom. In this way

the connotive qualities of stone are also attributed to the








kingdom, namely the qualities of incorrigibility, hardness,

harshness, and lack of liveliness. The reader is affected by

this characterization as to think of the kingdom as a place

where these generally negative qualities make up the way of

life. A third theme used by the author in the passage is the

theme of colorlessness and gray. Since color is a

characteristic which connotes the liveliness, youthfulness or

dullness and gloominess of a mood, the author uses many

phrases which describe the kingdom as colorless and gray to

negatively characterize the kingdom. By describing the

components of the kingdom as colorless, the author

communicates to the reader that there is a lack of diversity

and liveliness in the kingdom. Also, by associating the color

gray with many aspects of the kingdom, the author assigns a

quality of gloominess and dreariness (the connotations of the

color gray) to the kingdom.

     A second element of writing the author uses is diction.

Most of the diction used in the passage is abstract, however

certain words the author uses cause more vagueness.  One

prominent word which does this is the word 'gray.' Since the

color gray itself has the connotation of being vague, because

it is considered to be an unidentified middleground between

black and white, it attributes vagueness to any object it is

associated with. By attaching vagueness to an object, the







author draws from the vividness of the image of that object

and thus makes it appear significantly less lively than as it

might have been if described with concrete diction. An

example of this is where the author says 'the gray Atlantic.'

The word 'gray' used here has the effect of transforming the

Atlantic from a concrete object to an abstract object.  This

occurs due to the fact that the reader cannot imagine a gray

ocean because gray is incongruous with the usual image of the

ocean and furthermore it is a generally indefinite color and

thus hard to imagine.  It is also notable that a number of

phrases are used to attain vagueness. An example is the use

of the phrase 'they knew no culture' instead of 'they were

uncivilized.' By saying 'they knew no culture' the author

stops short of saying they were uncivilized and thus does not

draw a vivid picture and leaves a vagueness. Another example

of this is where the author uses the word 'beautyless'

instead of 'plain' and stops short of being more concrete in

his description of the women of the kingdom.  Also, the

connotations of 'beautyless' are slightly more negative than

'plain' because if something is beautyless it lacks beauty,

whereas if something is plain it stands for itself.

Furthermore, there are a number of descriptive words used in

the passage which sustain the author's portrayal of the

kingdom as a sombre realm. Examples of such words include







'bleak,' 'silent,' 'dim,' 'gloomy,' and 'slow.' Although most

of these words are not used to directly describe the

kingdom, they describe it indirectly because they describe

the components of the kingdom, i.e. "bleak men."

     Another technique that the author uses is repetition.

The author repeats certain words in order to sustain a theme.

For example, the word 'stone' is repeated several times so

that the association, between the qualities of stone and the

aspects of Paidoboron's kingdom, remains intact. The word

'stone' is used in the description of many things that are

related to the kingdom, e.g. "the stone-filled ships." Also,

the word 'old' is repeated quite a few times, e.g. 'old

beasts,' and 'aeons old.' This word contributes to the theme

of oldness and by repeating it the author effectively

sustains the theme throughout the passage.

     Finally, it should be said that the author's portrayal

of Paidoboron's kingdom was generally negative. He attributed

incorrigibility, outdatedness, and lack of liveliness to

their civilization through the use of different themes and

literary techniques such as diction and repetition.
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