- Lecturer: Prof Kibiwott Kurgat
TEXT THREE: HAL BORLAND'S "AUGUST"
1. Understanding the passage: Borland's text is an extended description of August. But August is not described through a simple calendar definition. Instead, August is represented through:- birds; - fruit;- flowers; - insects;- water;- colours;- sounds; - plants; - seasonal change; - human existence.
The central structural device is repetition: «"August is..."» This makes the month appear almost as though it were a living thing with many identities. The accompanying travel advertisement provides an interesting contrast because it describes the same month from a very different perspective.
Borland's passage invites contemplation of nature. The advertisement sells an experience. This makes the two texts especially useful for studying language, description, register, purpose and audience.
A. PHONOLOGICAL LEVEL
1. Alliteration: Borland deliberately chooses words whose sounds reinforce one another.
Examples include: «"bushes are bowed"» «"foretellers of first frost"» «"mucky margin"»
The repetition of initial sounds produces musicality. "bushes are bowed" The repeated b sound creates cohesion.
More importantly, the sound pattern draws attention to the phrase."foretellers of first frost" The repeated f sound gives the expression a distinctive rhythm. It also connects the words conceptually: the phrase announces the approach of cold weather.
"mucky margin": The repeated m sound gives the phrase weight and memorability.
2. Onomatopoeic and sound-sensitive vocabulary: The passage contains words associated with natural sound: «"rattling"» «"fiddle"» «"trill"» «"rasp"» These words do not merely tell us that insects make sounds. They make the reader imagine hearing them.
3. Rhythm: Consider: «"tree crickets, which fiddle monotonously every evening, and field crickets that trill without pause..."» The long sentence creates a continuous movement. The syntax seems to imitate the persistence of the cricket sounds.
Critical question: «Can the rhythm of a sentence imitate the sound or movement being described?»
Further question: «Read the cricket paragraph aloud. Does the sentence sound different from a short factual statement such as "Crickets make sounds in August"? Why?»
B. LEXICAL LEVEL
This is one of the richest features of Borland's writing.
1. Nature vocabulary: The passage contains a dense lexical field associated with nature: chokecherries, jays, robins, fruit, elderberries, chicory, grasshoppers, katydids, crickets, pond
Cattail, joe-pye weed, ironweed, vervain
The abundance of specific nouns makes the description concrete. The writer does not simply say:
«"August has many plants and insects."» He names them. Specific vocabulary creates specificity.
2. Colour vocabulary: The passage uses colour words such as: «"purple"» «"blue"» «"magenta"»
Colour transforms the description into a visual experience.
3. Sensory vocabulary: The language appeals to several senses: sight: blue, purple, magenta
sound: rattling, fiddle, trill, rasp; taste: pucker, fruit, jelly; touch/texture: scummy, mucky, fat
The description therefore becomes multisensory.
4. Personification: August is repeatedly described as though it were made up of living things:
«"August is grasshoppers"» «"August is crickets"» «"August is algae"» This is not a scientific definition. It is a poetic way of saying that these things constitute the experience and identity of August.
Critical question: «Why does Borland say "August is grasshoppers" rather than "There are grasshoppers in August"?»
That difference is central to understanding literary description.
C. MORPHOLOGICAL LEVEL
1. Repeated form "August is..." The recurring grammatical construction:
«August is...» creates a pattern.
The same noun is repeatedly followed by a different complement. The grammatical structure therefore becomes a framework for accumulating images.
2. Participles: Borland uses forms such as: «rattling» «scolding» «quarreling» «shortening» «turning» «purpling» These -ing forms create a sense of continuing activity.
Nature is not presented as static. It is constantly doing something.
3. Word formation and specificity
Words such as: «"monotonously"» «"synchronized"» «"luxurious"» «"air-conditioned"» show how morphological forms can expand basic words into more precise descriptions.
For example: «monotone → monotonously» The suffix -ly turns an adjective into an adverb and tells us how the crickets fiddle.
Critical question: «How would the passage change if Borland replaced the -ing forms with simple verbs?»
Compare: «"grasshoppers, their wings rattling..."»
with: «"grasshoppers, whose wings rattle..."»
The meaning is similar, but the rhythm and immediacy are different.
D. SYNTACTIC LEVEL
1. The repeated syntactic frame: The dominant structure is: «August is + image» For example:
«August is ripe chokecherries...» «August is grasshoppers...» «August is crickets...» «August is algae...» The repetition creates parallelism.
2. Long descriptive sentences: Borland frequently uses long sentences containing several coordinated and subordinate structures. For example, the cricket sentence accumulates several details before reaching its conclusion. This syntactic expansion imitates abundance.
3. Listing: The writer frequently lists objects: «"the grasshopper cousins, the katydids..."»
and: «"joe-pye weed... ironweed... vervain..."» Listing creates the impression of richness.
The reader encounters one element after another.
4. Contrast: The syntax of the final paragraph changes the direction of the argument:
«"August gives the lie to the boast that man possesses the earth."» The passage moves from physical description to philosophical reflection. Thus the syntax mirrors the movement: observation → description → reflection
Critical question: «Why does Borland delay the philosophical statement until after several paragraphs of detailed description?»
E. SEMANTIC LEVEL
This is where the passage develops its deepest meaning.
1. August as more than a month: At the beginning, August appears to be a time of year.
By the end, however, it becomes a symbol of: - natural abundance; - continuity; - seasonal change; - human limitation; - the endurance of life.
2. The semantic significance of "is" :The repeated: «"August is..."» does something more powerful than: «"August contains..."»
"Is" creates an identification. The month becomes inseparable from the natural world being described.
3. Human beings versus nature: The final paragraph states: «"Life is the possessor, not man..."»
This reverses the usual assumption that human beings possess nature. The language therefore moves from description to philosophy.
4. Nature as enduring: The final statement about life outlasting human beings gives the earlier images a new meaning.
The insects, plants, flowers and seasonal cycles are no longer merely decorative details. They become evidence of a larger argument about the endurance of nature.
Critical question: «Does Borland merely describe August, or does he use August to make an argument about human beings and nature?»
THE TRAVEL BROCHURE: A USEFUL CONTRAST
The accompanying travel advertisement describes August very differently. Its language includes:
«"What better place to be in August than Wisconsin!"» and vocabulary such as:
«"excitement"» «"delight"» «"colorful panorama"» «"luxurious"» «"yacht club"» «"swimming pool"» «"water skiing"» «"golf"» «"horseback riding"»
This is a different register. The purpose is not contemplation. The purpose is persuasion.
Comparing the Two Descriptions: Feature| Borland| Travel brochure
Purpose| Reflection and literary description| Promotion and persuasion
Dominant vocabulary| Nature and seasonal life| Leisure and tourism
Audience| Reader seeking reflection/experience| Potential tourist
Tone| Contemplative| Cheerful and promotional
Description| Sensory and philosophical| Attractive and commercial
View of August| Natural cycle| Opportunity for pleasure
Nature| Something to contemplate| Something to experience/consume
Language| Literary| Advertising
The two texts demonstrate an important principle: «The same subject can be described differently because language changes according to purpose, audience and context.»
Critical question: «Which text gives us a deeper understanding of August, and which gives us a more useful understanding of August for a tourist?»
Do not simply choose one. Ask: «What does "understanding" mean in each context?»
SYNTHESIS: HOW THE FIVE LEVELS WORK TOGETHER
The five levels should never be treated as independent compartments. Consider Borland's phrase:
«"foretellers of first frost"»
Phonological: The repeated f sound creates alliteration.
Lexical: "foretellers" suggests prediction; "first frost" introduces seasonal change.
Morphological: "foretellers" contains the noun-forming element associated with a person or thing that tells/predicts.
Syntactic: The phrase functions as a compact noun phrase modifying or identifying the relevant natural phenomenon.
Semantic: The phrase gives the insects/plants a prophetic quality and connects August with the coming end of summer.
Therefore: «Sound + word choice + word form + sentence structure + meaning = literary effect.»
A SECOND SYNTHESIS: "AUGUST IS..."
Take: «"August is crickets."»
Phonological: The short phrase is emphatic and memorable.
Lexical: "crickets" introduces a specific natural image.
Morphological: The plural noun presents crickets collectively.
Syntactic: The copular structure August + is + noun creates identification rather than mere association.
Semantic: August becomes conceptually identified with the sound and presence of crickets.
This is why literary language cannot be adequately explained by simply saying: «"The writer uses personification."»
The stronger analysis asks: «What does the personification achieve?»
A PRACTICAL FIVE-LEVEL METHOD FOR STUDENTS
Whenever you are given a literary passage, ask:
LEVEL 1 — PHONOLOGY
What do I hear? Look for: - repetition; - alliteration; - assonance;- consonance; - rhythm; - rhyme where applicable; - sound symbolism; - dialogue and voice; - pauses; - punctuation that affects reading.
LEVEL 2 — LEXIS
What words has the writer chosen? Look for: - key words;- lexical fields; - adjectives;- verbs;- concrete nouns;- abstract nouns; - formal/informal vocabulary; - emotive words;- specialised vocabulary;- connotations.
LEVEL 3 — MORPHOLOGY
How are the words formed and grammatically modified?
Look for:- prefixes; - suffixes;- tense;- aspect;- number;- person;- pronouns;- contractions;- compounds;- derivations;- participles.
LEVEL 4 — SYNTAX
How are the words organised?
Look for: - sentence length; - repetition of structures;- parallelism; - coordination;- subordination;
- questions;- commands;- fragments;- lists;- sentence openings;- clause patterns.
LEVEL 5 — SEMANTICS
What does all this mean?
Ask: - What is the literal meaning? - What are the connotations? - Is there irony? - Is there ambiguity?- Is there metaphor?- Is there symbolism? - What relationships or contrasts are created? - How does the language shape our interpretation?
THE FOUR QUESTIONS THAT SHOULD GUIDE EVERY ANALYSIS
Students should train themselves to move through these four questions:
1. WHAT?What linguistic feature is present?
2. HOW?How has the writer used it?
3. WHY?Why might the writer have chosen it?
4. SO WHAT? What effect does it have on meaning, character, tone, description, theme or the reader?
A strong examination answer should move beyond: «"The writer uses repetition."» towards:
«"The repeated structure draws attention to the speaker's insistence and creates a cumulative rhythm, thereby reinforcing the sense of emotional pressure."»
The second statement explains function, not merely identification.
1. Understanding the passage: Borland's text is an extended description of August. But August is not described through a simple calendar definition. Instead, August is represented through:- birds; - fruit;- flowers; - insects;- water;- colours;- sounds; - plants; - seasonal change; - human existence.
The central structural device is repetition: «"August is..."» This makes the month appear almost as though it were a living thing with many identities. The accompanying travel advertisement provides an interesting contrast because it describes the same month from a very different perspective.
Borland's passage invites contemplation of nature. The advertisement sells an experience. This makes the two texts especially useful for studying language, description, register, purpose and audience.
A. PHONOLOGICAL LEVEL
1. Alliteration: Borland deliberately chooses words whose sounds reinforce one another.
Examples include: «"bushes are bowed"» «"foretellers of first frost"» «"mucky margin"»
The repetition of initial sounds produces musicality. "bushes are bowed" The repeated b sound creates cohesion.
More importantly, the sound pattern draws attention to the phrase."foretellers of first frost" The repeated f sound gives the expression a distinctive rhythm. It also connects the words conceptually: the phrase announces the approach of cold weather.
"mucky margin": The repeated m sound gives the phrase weight and memorability.
2. Onomatopoeic and sound-sensitive vocabulary: The passage contains words associated with natural sound: «"rattling"» «"fiddle"» «"trill"» «"rasp"» These words do not merely tell us that insects make sounds. They make the reader imagine hearing them.
3. Rhythm: Consider: «"tree crickets, which fiddle monotonously every evening, and field crickets that trill without pause..."» The long sentence creates a continuous movement. The syntax seems to imitate the persistence of the cricket sounds.
Critical question: «Can the rhythm of a sentence imitate the sound or movement being described?»
Further question: «Read the cricket paragraph aloud. Does the sentence sound different from a short factual statement such as "Crickets make sounds in August"? Why?»
B. LEXICAL LEVEL
This is one of the richest features of Borland's writing.
1. Nature vocabulary: The passage contains a dense lexical field associated with nature: chokecherries, jays, robins, fruit, elderberries, chicory, grasshoppers, katydids, crickets, pond
Cattail, joe-pye weed, ironweed, vervain
The abundance of specific nouns makes the description concrete. The writer does not simply say:
«"August has many plants and insects."» He names them. Specific vocabulary creates specificity.
2. Colour vocabulary: The passage uses colour words such as: «"purple"» «"blue"» «"magenta"»
Colour transforms the description into a visual experience.
3. Sensory vocabulary: The language appeals to several senses: sight: blue, purple, magenta
sound: rattling, fiddle, trill, rasp; taste: pucker, fruit, jelly; touch/texture: scummy, mucky, fat
The description therefore becomes multisensory.
4. Personification: August is repeatedly described as though it were made up of living things:
«"August is grasshoppers"» «"August is crickets"» «"August is algae"» This is not a scientific definition. It is a poetic way of saying that these things constitute the experience and identity of August.
Critical question: «Why does Borland say "August is grasshoppers" rather than "There are grasshoppers in August"?»
That difference is central to understanding literary description.
C. MORPHOLOGICAL LEVEL
1. Repeated form "August is..." The recurring grammatical construction:
«August is...» creates a pattern.
The same noun is repeatedly followed by a different complement. The grammatical structure therefore becomes a framework for accumulating images.
2. Participles: Borland uses forms such as: «rattling» «scolding» «quarreling» «shortening» «turning» «purpling» These -ing forms create a sense of continuing activity.
Nature is not presented as static. It is constantly doing something.
3. Word formation and specificity
Words such as: «"monotonously"» «"synchronized"» «"luxurious"» «"air-conditioned"» show how morphological forms can expand basic words into more precise descriptions.
For example: «monotone → monotonously» The suffix -ly turns an adjective into an adverb and tells us how the crickets fiddle.
Critical question: «How would the passage change if Borland replaced the -ing forms with simple verbs?»
Compare: «"grasshoppers, their wings rattling..."»
with: «"grasshoppers, whose wings rattle..."»
The meaning is similar, but the rhythm and immediacy are different.
D. SYNTACTIC LEVEL
1. The repeated syntactic frame: The dominant structure is: «August is + image» For example:
«August is ripe chokecherries...» «August is grasshoppers...» «August is crickets...» «August is algae...» The repetition creates parallelism.
2. Long descriptive sentences: Borland frequently uses long sentences containing several coordinated and subordinate structures. For example, the cricket sentence accumulates several details before reaching its conclusion. This syntactic expansion imitates abundance.
3. Listing: The writer frequently lists objects: «"the grasshopper cousins, the katydids..."»
and: «"joe-pye weed... ironweed... vervain..."» Listing creates the impression of richness.
The reader encounters one element after another.
4. Contrast: The syntax of the final paragraph changes the direction of the argument:
«"August gives the lie to the boast that man possesses the earth."» The passage moves from physical description to philosophical reflection. Thus the syntax mirrors the movement: observation → description → reflection
Critical question: «Why does Borland delay the philosophical statement until after several paragraphs of detailed description?»
E. SEMANTIC LEVEL
This is where the passage develops its deepest meaning.
1. August as more than a month: At the beginning, August appears to be a time of year.
By the end, however, it becomes a symbol of: - natural abundance; - continuity; - seasonal change; - human limitation; - the endurance of life.
2. The semantic significance of "is" :The repeated: «"August is..."» does something more powerful than: «"August contains..."»
"Is" creates an identification. The month becomes inseparable from the natural world being described.
3. Human beings versus nature: The final paragraph states: «"Life is the possessor, not man..."»
This reverses the usual assumption that human beings possess nature. The language therefore moves from description to philosophy.
4. Nature as enduring: The final statement about life outlasting human beings gives the earlier images a new meaning.
The insects, plants, flowers and seasonal cycles are no longer merely decorative details. They become evidence of a larger argument about the endurance of nature.
Critical question: «Does Borland merely describe August, or does he use August to make an argument about human beings and nature?»
THE TRAVEL BROCHURE: A USEFUL CONTRAST
The accompanying travel advertisement describes August very differently. Its language includes:
«"What better place to be in August than Wisconsin!"» and vocabulary such as:
«"excitement"» «"delight"» «"colorful panorama"» «"luxurious"» «"yacht club"» «"swimming pool"» «"water skiing"» «"golf"» «"horseback riding"»
This is a different register. The purpose is not contemplation. The purpose is persuasion.
Comparing the Two Descriptions: Feature| Borland| Travel brochure
Purpose| Reflection and literary description| Promotion and persuasion
Dominant vocabulary| Nature and seasonal life| Leisure and tourism
Audience| Reader seeking reflection/experience| Potential tourist
Tone| Contemplative| Cheerful and promotional
Description| Sensory and philosophical| Attractive and commercial
View of August| Natural cycle| Opportunity for pleasure
Nature| Something to contemplate| Something to experience/consume
Language| Literary| Advertising
The two texts demonstrate an important principle: «The same subject can be described differently because language changes according to purpose, audience and context.»
Critical question: «Which text gives us a deeper understanding of August, and which gives us a more useful understanding of August for a tourist?»
Do not simply choose one. Ask: «What does "understanding" mean in each context?»
SYNTHESIS: HOW THE FIVE LEVELS WORK TOGETHER
The five levels should never be treated as independent compartments. Consider Borland's phrase:
«"foretellers of first frost"»
Phonological: The repeated f sound creates alliteration.
Lexical: "foretellers" suggests prediction; "first frost" introduces seasonal change.
Morphological: "foretellers" contains the noun-forming element associated with a person or thing that tells/predicts.
Syntactic: The phrase functions as a compact noun phrase modifying or identifying the relevant natural phenomenon.
Semantic: The phrase gives the insects/plants a prophetic quality and connects August with the coming end of summer.
Therefore: «Sound + word choice + word form + sentence structure + meaning = literary effect.»
A SECOND SYNTHESIS: "AUGUST IS..."
Take: «"August is crickets."»
Phonological: The short phrase is emphatic and memorable.
Lexical: "crickets" introduces a specific natural image.
Morphological: The plural noun presents crickets collectively.
Syntactic: The copular structure August + is + noun creates identification rather than mere association.
Semantic: August becomes conceptually identified with the sound and presence of crickets.
This is why literary language cannot be adequately explained by simply saying: «"The writer uses personification."»
The stronger analysis asks: «What does the personification achieve?»
A PRACTICAL FIVE-LEVEL METHOD FOR STUDENTS
Whenever you are given a literary passage, ask:
LEVEL 1 — PHONOLOGY
What do I hear? Look for: - repetition; - alliteration; - assonance;- consonance; - rhythm; - rhyme where applicable; - sound symbolism; - dialogue and voice; - pauses; - punctuation that affects reading.
LEVEL 2 — LEXIS
What words has the writer chosen? Look for: - key words;- lexical fields; - adjectives;- verbs;- concrete nouns;- abstract nouns; - formal/informal vocabulary; - emotive words;- specialised vocabulary;- connotations.
LEVEL 3 — MORPHOLOGY
How are the words formed and grammatically modified?
Look for:- prefixes; - suffixes;- tense;- aspect;- number;- person;- pronouns;- contractions;- compounds;- derivations;- participles.
LEVEL 4 — SYNTAX
How are the words organised?
Look for: - sentence length; - repetition of structures;- parallelism; - coordination;- subordination;
- questions;- commands;- fragments;- lists;- sentence openings;- clause patterns.
LEVEL 5 — SEMANTICS
What does all this mean?
Ask: - What is the literal meaning? - What are the connotations? - Is there irony? - Is there ambiguity?- Is there metaphor?- Is there symbolism? - What relationships or contrasts are created? - How does the language shape our interpretation?
THE FOUR QUESTIONS THAT SHOULD GUIDE EVERY ANALYSIS
Students should train themselves to move through these four questions:
1. WHAT?What linguistic feature is present?
2. HOW?How has the writer used it?
3. WHY?Why might the writer have chosen it?
4. SO WHAT? What effect does it have on meaning, character, tone, description, theme or the reader?
A strong examination answer should move beyond: «"The writer uses repetition."» towards:
«"The repeated structure draws attention to the speaker's insistence and creates a cumulative rhythm, thereby reinforcing the sense of emotional pressure."»
The second statement explains function, not merely identification.
- Teacher: Elizabeth Asoya Kemunto
- Teacher: Alfred Nyagaka Nyamwange