Brown

Please break your essay up into the following component parts, highlighting the various parts of each paragraph as follows:

Thesis: dark blue Topic sentence: red Opinion/analysis: light blue Supporting detail:purple Commentary: green Transitions: pink

Introduction: Many places come out of obscurity through literary description by an author who chooses to use it as its setting for a story. In Capote's, __In Cold Blood__, he begins by describing Halcomb, Kansas with imagery, diction, tone, and structure to set the stage for his novel.

Body Paragraphs: Capote uses imagery to allow the reader to get a sense of what it would feel like to live in a place like Halcomb, Kansas. He described the " local accent [as] barbed with a prairie twang, a ranch-handed nasalness" (Capote). The author uses images to help the reader get an idea of how the local people sounded. He also makes an analogy about the land to explain the extensiveness of the fields. "The land is flat... a white cluster of grain elevators rising as gracefully as Greek temples visible long before a traveler reaches them" (Capote). Greek temples are well-known for being obvious and expansive, so alluding to them in comparison to the fields helps the reader realize their own breadth. Imagery is created by words and specific phrases can create a deeper meaning than others possibly used in a description.

Diction is another literary device used by Capote to enhance his description of Halcomb, Kansas. He uses terms such as "lonesome", "hard", and "haphazard" to reinforce the obscurity and isolation that the village was accustomed to (Capote). It was left to fend for itself out in the middle of nowhere. He also states that that the village was full of the "thickest dust" when it was dry, and the "direst mud" when it rained (Capote). It creates a scene of melancholy surroundings, with no break from hardship or helplessness.

Capote's tone toward Halcomb is very evident through his writing. Throughout the passage he is very factual serious, and at some points, melancholy. At one point, Capote, referring to Halcomb, states "not that there is much to see..." even though it can be seen from very great distances (Capote). This creates a degrading image of the village through the tone of the author. Throughout the excerpt, Capote sounds matter-of-fact, as if Halcomb is as could be expected. "And that, really, is all" (Capote).

In this passage, Capote also uses structure to characterize his view of Halcomb, Kansas. He begins by describing the surrounding area in which Halcomb is found in Kansas, "that other Kansans call 'out there'" (Capote). He then narrows slowly down to the fields surrounding the village until he enters the village. Next, Capote describes buildings one by one, starting with the structure at the end of the village, a dance studio that has gone out of business. He proceeds down the line of buildings, through the village. After describing the majority of the buildings, through a general statement, Capote goes on to describe a few of the people of the village, including the postmistress, the Chief, and Mrs. Hartman. The description ends he with is the seemingly most modern and conventional part of the town, Halcomb School. Capote goes from a broad view of the area of Halcomb to the specific buildings and people inside the community.

Conclusion: In Capote's, __In Cold Blood__, imagery, diction, tone, and structure are used to help the reader view the area of Halcomb, Kansas through the author's eyes. His use of these literary devices helps further his purpose as a writer as well as helping the reader to understand his point of view.