Blog Post Number 20: "The Rainbow" Essay

Part 1:
By using anaphora, repetition, and rhetorical questions, D.H. Lawrence’s “The Rainbow” amplifies the differences between the woman and the men of the time period; this shows the audience what her character is really like.

Lawrence first shows the men’s perspective through the use of anaphora, saying that “their senses always full fed, their faces always turned to the heat of the blood.” This repetition emphasizes the thought of these men being alive and what this means to them. It is senses, the blood within our veins, that makes us living after all. By emphasizing this and then going on to say “but the woman wanted another form of life”, the author makes it quite obvious that the woman has a much different, calmer, style of life. The use of anaphora is shown later on as well, when describing the vicar; “who spoke the other, magic language, and had the other fine bearing, both of which she could perceive, but could never attain to.” The vicar, a man, had a completely different way of living, with different capabilities than her. He is the “other” to her; she is the “other” to him.

In 1915 men were most definitely seen as more powerful than women, if not simply in the physical sense. The vicar, a man, didn't have power over other men but “strip them and set them on a desert island and the vicar was the master.” Lawrence points this battle of power out but does not give an answer as to why the vicar is “the master”. He simply states that "as Brangwen had power over the cattle, so the vicar had power over her husband." He hands the question over to the Brangwen: “And why— why? She decided it was a question of knowledge.” Women, filled with knowledge and that which is familiar, simply seeking more but unable to find it. Men, filled with possibilities but lacking in the same point of view, simply too focused on the sun, blood, change, life. They are two very different viewpoints and concepts.

By using literary devices such as repetition, anaphora, and rhetorical questions, D. H. Lawrence not only characterizes the woman but amplifies the differences between her and others around her, making it clear that she is both different as well as strong in her own way. The men may be well-built and adventure-seeking, but she has found a new found strength created from her own prior knowledge and experiences as a woman.

Part 2:
I scored my essay as a 5 because though I did make a fairly clear argument, it was as clearly developed as it could have been. I identified the different literary devices but I definitely could have described how they affected the characterization more. I made an argument but it was, quite frankly, underdeveloped.
I think that if I paid closer attention to the text and pulled better text examples. If i spent more time developing my argument before I started writing, I feel that I would have done much better.