Journal #4

Word Choice
- Either Camus uses a simple vocabulary, or Ward chose to translate it that way.
-Did not translate "Maman" and uses kilometers instead of miles.
Question: Is there an underlying reason for Camus' choice in lower level words?

Sentences
- Choppy sentence paragraph followed by a descriptive paragraph with fuller sentences
- No rhetorical questions
- Sentences, even choppy ones, are complete.
Question: Did Camus write with choppy sentences to annoy me? Haha, kidding, but I find it harder to read.
Actual Question: Why does Camus vary the sentence structure/length? Is he trying to emphasize something?

Images
- Uses "blood" to describe colors
- Images are used to describe his physical sense, never his mentality.
Question: Why does Camus often describe darkness next to brightness?
example: "From a distance I could see the small, dark mass of rock surrounded by a blinding halo of light and sea spray." (57)

Symbols
-The Sun and the heat
- Brightness vs Darkness
Question: What message is Camus trying to convey with the motif of the sun?

Figures of Speech
- Personification
Question: Why doesn't Camus use more figures of speech? Does the lack of it contrivute to our perception of Mersault?

Rhetorical Devices
- First sentence of pretty much all chapters is a statement of a short fact.
Question: Why does Camus choose state a concise fact at the beginning of every chapter?

Patterns
- Motif of describing things using "blood" or "red"
- Motif of the sun, of course
- Brightness vs Darkness
- Sun = Sleepy
Question: Why does brightness bring discomfort to Mersault?

Narrators
- First person
- We can't read into his thoughts as much as we normally would in a first person narrative
Question: Why does Camus write this in first person narrative, if he doesn't express Mersault's feelings at particular times?

Structure
- Chronological order
Question: Why does Camus pause to describe in fuller details of certain scenes, and not others?