Nattha Sawingtong

2202234 Introduction to the Study of English Literature

Acharn Puckpan Tipayamontri

August 9, 2016

Passage Explication

A Happy Announcement of an Ending

The killing passage I have chosen, toward the end of Stephen Crane’s “A Dark-Brown Dog,” begins with a simple-looking conjunction “but”—an ironic connecting word that joins by contrast. Starting with this disruption from the emotional states and points of view that come before, the first sentence of this passage announces: “But the father was in a mood for having fun, and it occurred to him that it would be a fine thing to throw the dog out of the window” (486). Following the lead of the contrary “but,” diction throughout this passage is a series of uplifting words that conflictingly describe a series of depressing actions. “Fun” and “fine” unsettlingly describe the painful act of “grabbing the animal by one leg” despite his resistance (“squirming”) and lifting him up with his entire body weight hanging on that one limb. “Hilariously” unhappily describes swinging the dog in a circle more than one time overhead (486), the force of each rotation increasing the strain on the limb. And “with great accuracy” unfortunately describes the dog’s leaving the father’s hand, the home, and the relative safety and “prosperity” of his life with the boy (484). In light and positive words, the short paragraph describes a violent murder. This passage is the beginning of the end of the dark-brown dog.

Works Cited

Crane, Stephen. "A Dark-Brown Dog." Cosmopolitan Mar. 1901: 481–86. Electronic Text Center. University of Virginia Library. Web. 9 Aug. 2016.