AP English – C&P Style Analysis Part I Samples

AP English – C&P Style Analysis Part I SamplesSample #4:In this excerpt from Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, the author reveals much aboutRaskolnikov’s state of mind by juxtaposing the Raskolnikov of the past with the Raskolnikov of the present. Thesurroundings of Raskolnikov’s inner turmoil alienate him from the pristine scenery surrounding him, furtherenhancing Raskolnikov’s feelings of isolation, regret and impurity. Dostoevsky also employs unusual and tellinginstances of diction to emphasize particular ideas, especially that of Raskolnikov’s removal from his innocentpast.Dostoevsky juxtaposes Raskolnikov’s past with his present to demonstrate the dramatic shift incharacter that has recently occurred. This juxtaposition is achieved by placing Raskolnikov in a setting hefrequented as a student and then revealing his reaction to his encounter with the past. As a student, Raskolnikov“marveled at a vague and mysterious emotion” the setting roused in him, his troubles then were merely themeaning and origin of these emotions. However, now Raskolnikov can only “[recall] those old doubts andperplexities,” not feel the “cold” the palace had once evoked within him. Raskolnikov even thinks it “strange”that he should even “imagine he [could] think the same thoughts…that had interested him,” a clear and obviousdemonstration of Raskolnikov’s alienation from his past. This realization “wr[ings] his heart”, alsodemonstrating his regret, revealing that there has been an occurrence between his student days and the presentthat has drastically altered him for the worst that he cannot even connect with his own past “so short a timeago.”The setting that inspires Raskolnikov’s introspection also serves to further realize his isolation. The skyaround Raskolnikovis “without a cloud”, though the character himself is obviously muddled and in turmoil, hisown thoughts are cloudy. Likewise the water is “almost bright blue”, the Neva “glitters in the sunlight.”Meanwhile, Raskolnikov is dark and brooding, out of place in his surroundings. Dostoevsky’s use of setting isone of the subtleties the author employs to reveal Raskolnikov’s state of mind.Another subtlety lies within the diction of the passage. Dostoevsky manipulates the very syntax of asentence, such as where Raskolnikov reveals his separation from the “theories and pictures that had interestedhim” to read even deeper. In this case, Dostoevsky includes a simple three periods [ellipses] after the word“him” and before the next statement “so short a time ago.” The resulting pause and break between the twothoughts imply that while technically it was “so short a time ago”, the drastic change in Raskolnikov hasseparated him from his past much more than the lapse in time would imply. Later on in the passage, Dostoevskyplays with the same idea of old Raskolnikov and new by including the word “old” repeatedly in one lengthysentence. This sentence lists Raskolnikov’s “hidden” character aspects, his “old past…old thoughts…oldproblems [and] old impressions.” The resulting effect is once again Raskolnikov’s alienation from his own past.By juxtaposing Raskolnikov’s concerns of the past with those of the present, revealing his isolationfrom his pristine surroundings, and by creating subtle implications within the syntax and diction of the passage,Dostoevsky reveals much of Raskolnikov’s state of mind. What is revealed is alienation from the past and adeep sense of regret for this separation; however, it is not nostalgia but a want [desire] for an entirely differentquality of life than that of which he is currently living due to his unknown circumstances{*cough*murder*cough*)