Prose Commentary: “The Dragon Can’t Dance”

The extract from Earl Lovelaces novel, The Dragon Cant Dance, is a highly descriptive prose which reveals the feelings the reference book Aldrick Prospect has for the outrage of his confederacys traditional warrior mentality. The piece of prose provides us with a third-person withal detailed account of how antediluvian customs in Aldricks home (presumably Trinidad and Tobago, as the capital of Port of Spain is mentioned as being a part of his locality) be disappearing in the face of more modern and temperate customs.Aldrick, the star of the prose, yearns to reignite the peoples passion for celebrating traditional carnivals, which he portrays in uniquely slam-bang, sinister, splendid and energetic depiction. He has a sense of nostalgia for the past, when carnivals were more beastly. Even with this preferably austere rendering of past carnivals, Lovelace insists that antiquated traditions supersede the significance, awe and merriment of modern carnivals, which present cl pr otests and fancy robbers. Aldrick laments at the exhalation of almost antediluvian traditions, and his sadness is effectively conveyed in the intensely passionate prose.The passing game is incorporate in two paragraphs, each comprising of twenty lines. The equal organization of the act aids in making it idleer and more coherent. Lovelace is able to intelligibly seam two opposing carnivals (past carnivals and the carnival Aldrick is experiencing in the present), gum olibanum allowing readers to make clear distinctions between them. The tone of the prose is for the most part calm and monotone, with the fabricator exposing a fragile sense of dread towards what has become of the famous carnival.Although the language of the passage is generally simple and direct so as to give the reader a clear impression, Lovelace likewise adds a few colloquial phrases which originate from the western United States Indies. In simple eye 23, for engross, calypsos of rebellion is mentione d, describing Philos anomic sense of tradition. In transmission line 30, comprehend jabs atomic number 18 mentioned as being part of the present carnival, again contribute a sense that the narrator is conversing with the reader in a quotidian manner appropriate for the West Indies.Rhythm in the passage is achieved through with(predicate) a multifarious number of methods. Most sentences are lengthy, and pauses are pee-peed with the normal use of commas, which are regularly spaced to create a roaring rhythm. It is the role of commas in long sentences which give the passage most of its flow, as it creates a calm and slow-paced atmosphere, in which the narrator appears to be intensely contemplative. The lose of punctuation, however, aids in speeding the pace. Repetition is also used to create rhythm, as it accelerates the pace.Usage of this can be observed in Line 6, where and is reiterate three times, and in line 6 to 7, in which back is repeated twice. Rhyming, especially in Line 1, provides the prose with a strikeer flow, when the backs of these thin shacks are described. Rhyming, however, is not a in truth significant element in the passage, and usage of it is minimal. The listing of homogeneous terms is evident throughout the passage and clearly generates a rhythmic beat. Line 10 contains a quintessential example of this technique, where the village, the tribe, warriorhood and feminity are grouped.Alliteration is applied for the same reason of creating a smooth beat, as it connects neighboring words more intensely, as is apparent in Line 1, with the phrase Monday morning. The usage of imagery in the passage is very subtle, and mainly utilized to describe what carnivals used to be like. The main symbolism used to represent antediluvian customs is the dragon costume that Aldrick wears in preparation of the carnival. When Aldrick wears the dragon costume, he feels a sense of entering a sacred mask that invested him with an ancestral authority, a ccentuating the amount of reverence that sole(prenominal) Aldrick feels for ancient tradition.In Line 19 to 2o, the dragon is again used to instance Aldricks attraction to ancient carnivals, as the narrator describes his aspiration to reestablish hoary traditions like the unsolved claws at a dragons hand, threatening destruction. The terms open claws and destruction serves to reinforce the link between ancient customs with violence and evil. Yet, steady with this rather negative characterization of ancient customs, Aldrick urges people to practice them, so as to let them see their beauty, as is shown in Line 18. In this line, however, ancient customs are linked with the release of beauty.The fusion of both violence and beauty to depict the carnival celebrated in gone(a) years creates a particularly strong oxymoron that enhances the mystery and virility of ancient customs. The image of the ancient carnival as evil, raving mad, and mysterious is further accent by terms such as stickfighters in Line 25, warriorhood and devils in Line 26, and black in Line 27, which are used by the narrator to recount an actual description of the ancient carnival. The usage of imagery is a vital component of enhancing the depiction of the ancient carnival, as it adds elements of mystery and fear. embodiment is another literary device used by Lovelace for a mix of reasons. In Line 1, the narrator describes Monday as the morning breaks upon the backs of these thin shacks, enceinte morning the ability to physically influence the structure of shacks. The phrase exudes a lithesome sense violence with the use of the word breaks. With this, one is reminded of the physically violent ancient carnivals. In Line 4, personification is again used in a similar method, with the term awakening Hill.Bestowing a hill with a human action gives the prose a mysterious and lively quality, which supports the main head of attempting to prompt a return of primeval and violent traditions to Ald ricks homeland. The main beginning of ancient carnivals in contrast with present-day carnivals is focused throughout the passage, part due to repetition. Rebellion is a word frequently used in the prose, and underscores the violent nature of ancient carnivals which Aldrick tries to revive. Black is another term that is apparent in affluent amounts throughout the passage.The repetition of black heightens the sense of mystery and evil border ancient carnivals. The author Lovelace, primarily to add emotion and drama to the passage, also practices the literary device of onomatopoeia. The terms crow, in Line 2, beating in Line 4, cries in Line 9, and crack and tinkling in Line 31 exemplify the use of onomatopoeia, and present readers with a more dramatic narration. Onomatopoeia also amplifies the amount of postal code which the ancient carnival contains. All these literary devices effectively give the passage a somewhat poetic quality that enriches the impression of the carnivals to readers.The passage is a narrative account of how one person (Aldrick Prospect) yearns to revive his communitys ancient carnivals, in the face of new, more peaceful carnivals. This ancient carnival originates from Africa, which is presumably where Aldrick and his community of people derive from. His longing for this has a certain stargaze-like quality, because of the mournful and monotonous tone. The consequential implication is that Aldrick yearning is more a pipe dream rather than a goal, and indeed, his desire for a return to ancient traditions are unachievable in the end.The narrator reveals that ancient traditions have always been a part of the people of the community, yet it has been suppressed in the face of modernization. This questionable warrior mentality has, instead, remained if not in brain, certainly in blood, connoting that people still book a primitive instinct which could be freed. The notion is starkly similar to Goldings novel Lord of The Flies, in which child ren who were taken away from their school atmosphere and placed in a natural environment liberal of human interference become more violent, evil, and generally primitive.In the passage, however, it is only Aldrick which retains and exhibits his primeval instincts, as he fails to make other people practice like him. As observed in Line 35, the dragon unsocial was left to carry the message, depicting Aldricks loss of support. Ultimately, even Aldrick himself admits that his thirst for ancient traditions is diminishing, as it states in Lines 39 to 40 that maybe he didnt suppose in the dragon anymore. The last believer in ancient traditions- the dragon, has lost not only support for his cause, but perhaps even his own heart, as the forces of modernization triumph against the peoples original roots.The basic theme presented is the loss of culture and primitive passion, which have simply developed into more Pacific actions and behaviors with the progression of time. The peoples hav e to rebel and fight has abated, and resultantly there is less of a need to demonstrate violence and fear. Aldrick is plainly a character who is trapped in an age where ancient violent traditions hold no practical value, thus creating a mournful atmosphere of suffering. In conclusion, I can say that the passage from the novel The Dragon Cant Dance, by Lovelace, is exquisite in its depiction of one mans loss of identity.The passage utilizes a combination of unalike literary devices to instill a lugubrious and melancholic atmosphere to utterly suit the theme, which is the loss of ancient traditions. This unique theme is thus conveyed to readers in a very idiosyncratic yet effective manner, and the authors message is successfully expressed. On the whole, the passage is able to elucidate the complicated theme of the loss of tradition due to civilization in a simple and tasteful and effective manner.