Analyzing Syntax Within Beloved

Abstract

This project provides a compact syntactic overview of chapter 17 in Toni Morrison’s novel, Beloved. I have included both a Reed-Kellogg Diagram and a Tree Diagram to detail the different syntactic elements Morrison utilizes to create emphasis within this chapter. Toni Morrison utilizes multiple linguistic features such as anaphora, polysyndeton, and asyndeton to emphasize Paul D’s blind denial of Sethe’s infanticide eighteen years previously. Her use of conjunctions to begin sentences as well as a plethora of adverbial phrases effectively communicates the panic in Paul D’s heart as he refuses to believe the horrific newspaper article that Stamp Paid knows to be true.