Language Use and Stylistic Devices in The Samaritan
1. Imagery
a. Vivid description
The scene starts at Madingo Golf Club in a Sky Room which looks exactly like the Jungle Room and it is well furnished and arranged. The Deputy Mayor, Hon.Ramdaye, Hon. Seymour, and Hon. Ted are standing around the tables on which are bottles of God White and Dark Rum (P.74).
b. Personification
That’s a fat lie (P.86).
c. Metaphor
Ted says “They are headless chicken (P.77)."
d. Simile
You whizzed past me like an express train (P.75)
It was like a military operation (P.75)
Ramdaye says “They are like headless chicken (P.77).
2. Hyperbole
Ted says he is on phone almost all night but there is little support forthcoming
(P.76).
Ted comments of ethnic group as waiting for the leader to make decisions to go topee for them (P.77).
3. Allegory
There is the reference to Mossi-oa- Tunya as the smoke that thunders (P.75).
Hon. Yongrui is also called Mr. Developer (P.78).
4. Ideophones
Aaa, aah, aah aah (P.74).
Sshs (P.78)
5. Story within a story
Basdeo talks of Shang Ramas who went to fetch water and found two girls drawing water at the river hence married and settled them. One wife became the mother of the Indo while the other was the mother to the oriental people (P.83).
6. Irony
Ted says he is on phone almost all night, yet there is little support forthcoming
(P.76)
Ted wonders they call Hon. Ferreira Key when he can hardly commit to anything and can never make up his mind (P.76).
Ted finds irony in Basdeo’s behaviour, a man full of deceit and cunning behaviour (P.84).
7. Humour
Ted expresses humour in the kind of stone that almost hit his head (P.74).
Seymour expresses shock that Ted could run so first and this is a source for laughter (P.75).
Ted says there is always a winner even in a beauty contest of monkeys (P.79).
8. Mother tongue/Direct translation
Ted says many wise things and did strange things on phone (P.79).
Ted says He said that what will be, will be (P.76).
They vote with the stomach, so to speak. That means they will vote the side that gives more money (P.77)
9. Flashback
The scene starts with Ramdaye recalling the violent disruption of their recent meeting (P.74).
10. Juxtaposition
Ted recalls the recent violence and says “Sadly, we never anticipated this. I think
The Mayor is a good organizer (P.75).”
Ramdaye suggests that Mr. Key cannot decide what and how much to eat (P.77).
11. Idiomatic expressions
It missed my head by the thickness of a pig’s bristle-almost hit him (P.74).
There is more than meets an eye-it is more difficult to understand (P.75).
Ted says Ferreira has never seen a fence on which he can’t sit (P.76).
He also says Mr. Key kept talking in circles-repeating self (P.76)
Money changes hands-bribery (p.77).
His political star has been rising steadily-a successful politician (P.77).
That man is now crossing the red line-risking (P.85).
12. Rhetorical questions
Ted asks “We live only once, don’t we? (P.84)”
Seymour asks questions such as “Do I look like an errand boy to you? Have you forgotten I will soon be your boss? (P.82).”
13. Elipsis
Basdeo says, Just a story … eh… like… (P.83).