Aspects of Style in Oral Narratives.

 

Aspects of Style in Oral Narratives.

Being a genre of oral literature, oral narratives depend on language  for performance and delivery.  This language used in narratives is always unique so as to sustain the audience’s attention to get the main idea in the story. To achieve this, narrators use aspects of styles. Aspects of style refer to the unique use of language to achieve a particular purpose.

The following are some common aspects of styles in narratives.

1.     Dialogue

This is a conversation between two characters presented in quotations. The direct speech makes most stories sound natural and real as they develop plot and the main idea in a story.

Example

“Hey there hare,” the Hyena cheerfully said.

“What is it?” Hare angrily responded.

Task

Identify dialogue in this passage.

 

2.     Direct speech

This is a speech by a character addressed to another in quotations but the other charcter does not respond directly or does not respond at all.

“Where is your mother?” the ogre asked the children greedily. Horrified by the ogre’s grotesque appearance, the children clustered together at the corner.

3.     Simile

This is a form of imagery where two things or people are compared indirectly by using the words ‘like’ or ‘as’. Similes help the reader create mental pictures of what is being described.

Example

His feet were as cold as ice.

The antelope sounded like a famous singer in the village.

His legs trembled like a chameleon a feeble tree.

Identify instance of simile in this paragraph.

 

4.     Metaphor

This is a direct comparison of two things or people without using ‘like’ or ‘as’

They also create mental pictures in the mind of the audience as they emphasize certain qualities.

Tom was a fierce lion. Tom has been compared to lion suggesting that Tom was threateningly charged.

The family was going through a ravaging storm in their life. A ravaging storm here refers to the tough times the family is going through.

 

Mwangi is the light of his family.  Mwangi has been compared to light suggesting that he is the one to guide and give hope to his family.

A cloud of fear hovered over as we waited for sad news. Fear has been compared to a cloud emphasizing how fearful they were.

 

Did you know we can change similes into metaphors? Just drop the ‘as’ or ‘like’ and you will have a metaphor.

Example

 

Karen is as beautiful as Queen Cleopatra.- simile

Karen is Queen Cleopatra.- metaphor

 

He was raving made like a charged rhino.- Simile

He was a charged rhino.- Metaphor

Task

Identify metaphor examples in this paragraph

5.     Personification

This is the act of giving non- human characters or objects the qualities of human beings. Simply put, it is making them look like or behave like real human beings. In most narratives, animals are made to speak and carry out themselves like human beings. In The Crow and the Fox we read, the two animals engage in dialogue like humans.  The crow even sings.  Most narratives use personification of animal characters to avoid direct confrontation with human characters depicted in the story. Instead of talking about a bad leader in the society, oral artist creates an animal character who exhibits traits of a bad leader.  The personification also makes the story  interesting .

Task

State examples of personification in this paragraph

6.     Repetition

This is the act of using a particular word,phrase or sentence more than once in quick succession so as to create a particular effect such as emphasis or call to attention the implied meaning of the repeated expression.

Example

The hare danced and danced and danced until He couldn’t dance anymore.  The repetition of danced here emphasizes how the hare danced and brings out the excitement and the rhythm of his movement while dancing.

Task

Identify instances of repetition in this paragraph.

7.     Monologue

This is where a character speaks alone  in a story.  It normally reveals a character’s thoughts or struggles with internal conflict.

Example.

‘I don’t know what to do should he come for me. I really tried my best to ensure he got it but still he did not appreciate y efforts. Now my end is near.’

8.     Irony

This is a style where things happen opposite to our expectations. Based on a story we read, there are certain things that happen in life but sometimes they do not happen the way we expect. This is irony.  A story may also prepare us for certain events that will happen but they fail to happen as prepared – this is also irony.

For example

A lion steals a monkey’s calf and says that his bull gave birth to a calf.  It is ironical to say that a bull gave birth to a calf since bulls cannot give birth.  We expect only cows to give birth bulls as they are male.

A child is warned not eat food without washing hands for it will make them sick but  still the child eats it without washing hands.

It is ironical that the child eats food without washing his hands yet his mother warned him not to eat without washing hands. We expected the child to heed his mother’s warning but he did not.

9.     Symbolism

This is the use of an object, a person or an event to represent a particular idea,behaviour or quality. The ogre for instance represents greed and evil in the society. The lion represents authority or power in the society.  To identify symbolism, asks yourself a question about the characters,objects or the events in the story on what they reveal. Oral artists use symbolism to hide certain things so that the reader uncovers the meaning on their own.

Task

 

10.  Sarcasm

It is saying something to mean the opposite of what you wanted to say. For instance, a person steps on your toes and you tell them,’Wow,I like it.’ This is sarcastic;you do not like it.

11.  Song

This is the use of songs ina story. A character or the narrator may sing a song to pass a particular message in the story. The use of songs in a story break monotony of narration as they develop plot,themes and characters in the story.