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Analysis of Literary Techniques Employed in the Novel the Revelation: Flashback in Focus

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Analysis of Literary Techniques Employed in the Novel the Revelation: Flashback in Focus Journal of Literature, Languages and Linguistics www.iiste.org ISSN 2422-8435 An International Peer-reviewed Journal Vol.63, 2019 Analysis of Literary Techniques Employed in the Novel The Revelation: Flashback in Focus Tsegaye Abie Gebeyehu Lecturer and Researcher at Wachemo University, Ethiopia Abstract This study mainly focused on a critical analysis of flashback employed in the novel The Revelation . Descriptive research design with qualitative data analysis approach was employed. Purposive sampling technique was employed to select the novel under scrutiny. In addition, the researcher used document analysis as data gathering tool. The novelist employed different past events in the novel to reflect different life lessons or experiences. This helped the leading character Blen to learn various life experiences; for instance, she shared the wedding tradition of her grandparents, what traditions they were practicing, the life journey of her parents and this, in turn, helped her to be conscious about her stand, especially on her education and it also helped Blen to know her parents’ and grandparents’ background very well. Inculcating the past events in the novel had in short motivated Blen to be dynamic in everything. In addition, the author inserted these past events to create tension in the readers mind especially when Hiwot narrated how her husband or father of Blen, Alemayehu escaped from death and left his homeland to a new country. Finally, Conclusions and recommendations have been drawn Keywords: Literature, Novel, Literary Technique, Flashback DOI : 10.7176/JLLL/63-01 Publication date: December 31st 2019 1. Introduction In a piece of literary work, writers employ different literary devices so as to make their works effective and meaningful. Among literary devices, narrative techniques or literary techniques are vital devices. Some of them are flashback and foreshadowing. Let us see what flashback is and its functions in literature. A flashback, according to J. A. Cuddon (2013), is a term which probably derives from the cinema, and which is now also used to describe any scene or episode in a play, novel, story or poem which is inserted to show events that happened at an earlier time. It is, on the other hand, an interruption in the present of a vivid memory set in the past. There are a variety of things that can cause a flashback to occur, which include songs, food, people, places, or similar events to those in the past. Through flashbacks, we are able to reflect upon experiences we have had in life, both positive and negative, and apply them to the present. A flashback is an interruption in the chronological narrative of a literary work to relate events from an earlier time. Cuddon (1979) adds that flashback reminds the reader of past events; reveals and develops themes of a text; and supplies background information of characters and events. Mafela (1997) also supports it as flashback is the technique mostly used by authors to supply background information of characters and events. The author waits until things are moving and then goes back to fill in the necessary background information. According to Mafela (1997) and Baldick (1990) flashback infers the narrator’s interruption of the chronological sequence of events in a literary work. By inserting past events while facing new ones, the narrator relates both sets of events. Authors use flashbacks to give readers necessary background information or to create tension or contrast. It is an interruption that writers use to move the audience from the present moment to the past via inserting events in order to provide background or context to the current events of a narrative. Authors use flashbacks as a means of adding background information in the present events of their story. They interrupt a specific event within their story by using events that have already occurred or that have not been presented. This gives the reader added information about a character's past, including his or her secrets, inner or external conflicts, or significant events that affected his or her life. If the author is able to do this well, the reader will begin to convey reasoning for the actions of the characters throughout the story and develop a better understanding of present events. This also helps the author create a theme for the story and increase the emotional impact it will have on the reader'' (Sedillob, n.d as cited in Hadj Yahia Hadj Mahammed, (2016)). Authors use flashbacks in their works for many different reasons. One key reason is to fill in elements of one or more characters’ backstories. Flashbacks can help the reader understand certain motivations that were otherwise unclear, or provide characterization in other ways; it can also create suspense or add structure to a story; it breaks the present action of the story to reveal an event from an earlier time; it provides background information to help readers understand the story, and often contributes to the mood, characters, theme, or setting of the story. A flashback is a way of presenting events that happened prior to the current action taking place (Littlehale, n.d. as cited in Hadj Yahia Hadj Mahammed, (2016)). The use of a flashback is to convey information to the readers regarding the character’s background and give them an idea of the characters motives for doing certain things later in the story. Therefore, it deepens inner conflict. It provides stimulus for the conflict deepens the 1 Journal of Literature, Languages and Linguistics www.iiste.org ISSN 2422-8435 An International Peer-reviewed Journal Vol.63, 2019 touching effects and allows the reader to sympathize even with the villain. Flashbacks also increase tension. A mere mention of the past event makes readers wish to know the secrets. So, he/she reads on to find out what the secret is, and how terrible is the secret that it provides the motivation for the conflict in the story. It is a popular literary technique for writers to use when starting a story in the middle of things, to add suspense, or to provide the reader with important information. A flashback typically is implemented when the narrator tells another character about past events, the narrator has a dream about past events, the narrator thinks back to past events, revealing the information only to the reader and the narrator reads a letter that prompts back to an earlier time. Flashbacks are a useful way to start a story at the end, and then fill the reader in on the events that got the characters at a certain point. It also mirrors the way our minds work, as we often think back to past events or people as the result of triggers we may see throughout a normal day. In literature, flashbacks are incredibly useful for different objectives it is linked to the author's purpose. The writer may opt for various aims, understanding characters' relationships and background, understanding a character’s motivations and perspective, disrupting the chronological linear order of a narrative for more depth and complexity, creating surprise or suspense, giving clues or hints to remember which foreshadow future events, enhancing understanding of an important theme or idea. In order to use flashback, it is important to be aware of why the flashback is necessary to the story. The flashback must reveal something intriguing which propels the plot forward or supplies essential information for the reader’s understanding of the story. To use flashback, the writer has first to write the story in the present situation and then insert the necessary information using flashback. Doing researches on different literary devices helps to add something in the readers mind. It may deliver hints or clues how to conduct a research paper on this regard. It also adds a knowledge regarding to literary analysis. Therefore, this research focused on the analysis of flashback events employed in Kibrom’s novel The Revelation. The novel “ The Revelation” is written by Kibrom Gebremedihn. It is written with 125 pages and 20 chapters. It is winner of 2013 Burt Award for African Literature which recognizes excellence in young adult fiction from African countries. 2. Objectives of the Study The general objective of this study basically aimed at analyzing and interpreting flashback events used in Kibrom’s novel The Revelation. In addition, this study attempted to achieve the following specific objectives. To scrutinize the relevancies of the past events or flashbacks employed in the novel To appreciate the writer and his utilization of flashback events. 3. Research Methodology This study was designed on library research and used documentation method in collecting data. The researcher also used qualitative data analysis approach to analyze the data since words, phrases and statements were used in expressing the collected data. Purposive sampling technique was employed to select the novel and the title under scrutiny. This is because the novel is written in English language and the events related to the flashback are highly used in the novel. The researcher utilized different documents, theses, dissertations, journals, articles, and books as sources of data. These sources can be labeled as primary and secondary sources. The primary source involves the actual literary text that is Kibrom Gebremedihn’s novel The Revelation . On the other hand, the secondary sources include any materials, published and unpublished, related to the study under scrutiny. Document analysis was used as a research tool to collect valuable data for the study at hand. The novel “ The Revelation” is written by Kibrom Gebremedihn. It is written with 125 pages and 20 chapters. It is winner of 2013 Burt Award for African Literature which recognizes excellence in young adult fiction from African countries. The researcher, in conducting the study, followed procedures to collect the relevant data for the study.
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