Passages to SWIFTT

1. Passages to SWIFTT Pre-AP Analysis Practice

2. SWIFTT method of analysis • S – Symbolism • W – Word choice/Diction • I – Imagery • F – Figurative Language • T – Tone • T - Theme

3. Richard Selzer – “The Knife”The passage is written by a surgeon about his profession. • One holds the knife as one holds the bow of a cello or a tulip – by the stem. Not palmed nor gripped nor grasped, but lightly, with the tips of the fingers. The knife is not for pressing. It is for drawing across the field of skin. Like a slender fish, it waits, at the ready then, go! It darts, followed by a fine wake of red. The flesh parts, falling away to yellow globules of fat. Even now, after so many times, I still marvel at its power – cold, gleaming, silent. More, I am still struck with a kind of dread that it is I in whose hand the blade travels, that my hand is its vehicle, that yet again this terrible steel-bellied thing and I have conspired for a most unnatural purpose, the laying open of the body of a human being.

4. What is symbolic? How is it symbolic? What effect does this have on the reader? Why did the writer choose this? The knife is symbolic of the power and responsibilities of the surgical profession. Using a knife as a symbol for something positive provides the reader with a very new perspective on an object usually associated with violence. The writer uses a knife because it holds powerful emotional impact for the reader. The knife takes on a personality and life of its own. Using a needle or a clamp would not have had the same impact. Symbolism

5. What specific words are used? What affect do the words have? Why would the writer want that affect? “One holds the knife like one holds the bow of a cello or a tulip” These words create a contrast between the violent knife and something artistic or “pretty”. Selzer wants to show the inanimate knife as opposed to something more natural and graceful. This creates a duality for the reader, leaving him/her on unsure territory. Diction/Word choice

6. What images are presented in the text? What affect do the images have on the reader? Why did the writer choose these images? “Not palmed nor gripped nor grasped, but lightly, with the tips of the fingers.” The writer uses touch images to make usage of the knife more real for his readers. The reader is introduced to the idea that this is not a knife used impulsively or violently, but used carefully, with reverence. Selzer uses the description of the holding the knife to show his profession as one of precision and not of mere butchery. Imagery

7. What literary devices are used? What do they mean? Why did the writer make this choice? “It is for drawing across the field of skin” and “slender like a fish” both fall under figurative language. Although one is a simile and one a metaphor, both devices serve to animate the knife as part of a living process. “Drawing” implies that the cutting of human flesh contains some degree of artistry. “Like a fish” compares the knife with something alive, graceful and harmless. The writer changes the emotional response, or tone, of the piece with these devices to an almost pastoral tone. Figurative Language

8. What is the tone of the piece? Does the tone shift? Why would the writer choose this tone? The beginning of the passage has a very naturalistic tone. Comparing the knife and cutting to natural things like tulips and fish create a calm tone. However, after the exposing of the human flesh, the tone changes. Uses of words like “power”, “dread”, “conspiracy”, and “unnatural” give the writing a menacing, almost horrific tone. The reader becomes unsure as to whether they are reading about a doctor performing surgery, or the latest popular slasher novel. Tone

9. What is the central idea behind the passage? What evidence is there to back up your idea? This passage illustrates the awe of surgery and the power that rests in the hands of the surgeon. Selzer remarks that no matter how many times he performs surgery he “still marvels” at the power of the knife. He views surgery as a “conspiracy” and something “unnatural” yet still understands it as a necessary part of healing. Theme