Syntax

Definition: Syntax is the study of rules, patterns and the formation of sentences in a language.

In his writing, Rabinowitz states "Notice can also be directed through syntax." He is conveying that change in syntax can transform the direction of a story. Readers tend to notice the adjustment in sentence structure, for example the change between long, drawn out sentences to simplistic, shorter sentences. This causes them to realize a new direction or change in plot that is being provided by the author.

Example 1 from __The Plot Against America-__ page 301 "Yes, my father admitted, he had been wrong all along and Bess and the Tirschwells had been right-- and then, as best he could, he shook off his abashment over everything he'd mismanaged and badly misjudged, including the improbable violence that had smashed to bits, along with our coffee table, that lifelong barrier of rigid rectitude that had stood between his harsh upbringing and his mature ideals. 'That's it,' he told Shepsie Tirschwell, 'I can't live any longer not knowing what will happen tomorrow,' and their phone conversation moved onto emigration and the steps to be taken and the arrangements to be made, so that by the time Sandy and I left the house, there was no misunderstanding that, quite incredibly, we'd been overpowered by the forces arrayed against us and were about to flee and become foreigners. I wept all the way to school. Our incomparable American childhood was ended. Soon my homeland would be nothing more than my birthplace. Even Seldon was better off now. But then it was over. The nightmare was over..." The sentence in the pink links the two different types of syntax Roth uses. Before that sentence, his sentences were long and detailed, but towards the end of the first paragraph, they became short and direct. This emphasized the extreme change in plot that was about to take place in the following paragraph. This causes the reader to pay more attention to the drastic change in syntax.

Example 2 from __The Plot Against America-__ pg. 254 "Seldon. Seldon was //my// summer. Seldon's muzzle in my face like a dog's, and kids I'd known all my life laughing and calling me Sleepy, kids with their arms raised stiffly out in front of them and walking with slow, clumpy, zombie steps. supposedly in imitation of me lurching toward the orphanage in my sleep, and the team in the field all chanting "Hi ho Silver!" whenever I came to bat in a choose-up game."

This paragraph has a drastic change in syntax. The first "sentence" is simply one word, Seldon. The next sentence is short and straightforward as well. However, the following sentence is extremely long and could probably be considered a run-on sentence. Why did Roth change up his choice of syntax so drastically? According to Rabinowitz, this grabs the reader's attention. The first sentence of this paragraph is so frankly blunt that the reader can't help but notice it. This emphasis lets the readers know that this paragraph is focusing on Seldon and that he is the topic of discussion for this particular paragraph. So not only does this change in syntax heighten the reader's anticipation, but it shows them what to pay closer attention to.