Commentary - a scanner darkly

[Neeraj Chawla]

hi

my class has read the novel 'a scanner darkly' and now must write a commentary on a chosen 40 line passage in the book. if anyone has ever read the book, what would you suggest as being an appropriate passage that effectively conveys the use of language and effect (in terms of language issues such as register, perspective, meaning rather than what my teacher calls 'lame' i.e. alliteration, metaphor etc.).

Thanks a lot

[Sandwich]

Seeing as YOU are going to be the person analysing it, YOU are the person best placed to pick a section which you personally are most capable of analysing, would be my comment.

Don't just look for literary features either, a section which reveals a lot about a character, holds a key point in the plot, makes explicit one of the themes and so on as well as just containing literary features is going to give you the most to talk about.

It is worth doing this yourself because at the end of the day, it could be a passage which gives me loads of ideas but you don't pick up on all the stuff I was going to say. Pick your own passage and it'll be much better because it'll be a section which gives loads of ideas for YOU! Who is going to be writing the essay, no?

[Neeraj Chawla]

brilliant.