More Image Grammar

I also wanted to mention that I really liked the activity on page 51 of Noden's Image Grammar. This activity is one that I remember Professor Noden reading aloud in class when I had him a few semesters ago. Called "Beating Rhythms of Literal Repetition," the activity uses the parallel structure of literal repetition, which Noden describes as repeating the exact same words to create an echoing refrain. The part that immediately stood out to me as memorable was the repetition that I instantly remembered so well from class. Something about Mr. Noden's voice was very memorable to me as he read this passage. Reading the passage to myself silently, I can literally still remember and hear the exact way in which Mr. Noden read this. I realize now that the passage was so memorable because of the repetition and the shocking twist of meaning at the end: "Remember the day I borrowed your brand new car, and I dented it? I thought you'd kill me, but you didn't...There were lots of things I wanted to make up to you when you returned from Vietnam. But you didn't." (page 51). The shock value of this last line managed to stick with me, which reinforces the idea that literal repetition can indeed construct great dramatic effects. Noden also uses the example of Edgar Allen Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart," which also uses repetition. The sound of the beating heart, whether real or imaginary, caused great tension in the story.

Noden also has strategies in relation to this idea of literal repetition (page 60). The first, "Add Grammatical Music to a Sketch," has students add repeated words (either prepositions, subordinate clauses, or relative pronouns) to further the depth and imagery of descriptions. The example of the remote mountain cabin is an excellent one. The only concern that I have about this strategy is that I hope that students don't overdo the use of rhythm and repetition in their writing after this activity.