Discussion 3

I'm going to have to elaborate on the imagery and vivid descriptions that Rushdie uses throughout the course of Midnight's Children. It is such an important part of the story because it gives such detailed descriptions that really allow you to picture what's going on in the story in a most creative way. It not only does that, but also subconciously gives you access to the character of Saleem. This vital since much of the story is about people of the past, like Saleem's grandfather, father, mother, etc. We get to see little bits and pieces of what Saleem is like and his opinions and feelings are craftily seeped into the text. So you're not only getting to know the characters and the setting described by Saleem, but also getting to know him. I think this is a genius move by Rushdie. He also uses a lot of foreshadowing throught the novel. Much of this alliteration you do not have to derive from complicated text (as a reader) because Saleem usually tells you in a most simple way: by just saying it. This use of alliteration and the up-front way in which it is presented evokes curiosity in the readers, promting them to read on and find out what's to come. This method of alliteration is effective because all readers are now anticipating events. If he'd tried to spin a tricky riddle to foreshadow, only some of the readers would catch on, resulting in only some readers anticipating the outcomes of the story. The only complaint I have about Rushdie's alliteration is that it seems to take him a while to fulfill on actually elaborating on what he'd foreshadowed (hinted at) and it's a bit of a drag. You're anticipating and anticipating and anticipating and at a certain point you just want him to get on with it and by the time he does, you've forgotten you were even anticipating it in the first place, and it's not as exciting when he actually follows through. One other thing I noticed when I was reading was his use of rhyme in the riddle that the fortune teller character tells. It really stood out and entertained me. It makes the riddle that much more exciting because you already want to know what it means (from a foreshadowing standpoint) and using the rhyme is crafty and cunning, which adds to your desire of wanting to know what it means.