Faulkner’s use of Repetition and Parallelism within his Nobel Prize Address
Both repetition and parallelism are repeated numerous times throughout Faulkner’s Nobel Prize Address. The prominences of these two devices not only cause the message to become something indelible in the mind of the audience, but also breathe a second life into it. Rather than being a dull, characterless piece, it becomes something else entirely. It becomes a creature that takes root within the mind of the listener, and makes it’s task seem of utmost importance.
There are many examples of Faulkner’s vehement use of repetition within his speech. This verbatim repetition causes Faulkner’s message of the danger of frigid, unimpassioned, and deadpan style of writing to ingrain itself in the mind of the audience. Speaking to the suffering and trials that exist within The Human Condition and compose truly valued writing, the…show more content… This is made apparent by Faulkner’s use of the parallel statements “He writes not of love, but of lust,” and “He writes not of the heart but of the glands.” The use of this similar structure serves to further push the point that a writer whom lacks a bona fide understanding of the underlying truths of the universe will produce works that are hollow, ostentatious shells of their potential selves. Another incident of effective parallels can be seen when Faulkner professes that, “[The writer] must learn [the truths] again,” and “Until [the writer] relearns these [truths], he will write as though he stood among and watched the end of man.” The introduction of this parallel invigorates Faulkner’s sentiment that the writer, though man, can also be held as an ethereal being whom, by wielding the truths as their sword, can vanquish any crucible sent upon man. However, if unarmed, the writer does nothing more than hasten the downfall of