Florence Nightingale By Lytton Strachey Analysis
In “Florence Nightingale” Lytton Strachey uses diction, tone, and symbols to define his views on Florence Nightingale. He does this in order to show how heroes are more complex than just their accomplishments. In regards to diction, Strachey uses phrases that are comparing her actions to religious ideas. He refers to Florence as, “The saintly, self sacrificing woman,” (Strachey 2). By comparing her to a saint he is showing how highly he admires her. Also, by comparing her to that of a saint he is implying that the work she does is so honorable that it made her holy in his eyes. He then says, “A demon possessed her. Now demons whatever else they may be, are full of interest,” (Strachey 12). This quote is saying that she was exposed to so
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In the final paragraph Florence's mother states, “We are ducks,” she said with tears in her eyes, “who have hatched a wild swan” (Strachey 60). Her mother only sees her as a defiant girl who didn’t live up to her expectations. The ducks represents her simple parents and how ordinary they are. Her mother calls her a wild swan. What makes her a wild swan is that she went against what most people expected of her. Strachey refers for Nightingale as an egal. He’s saying that she’s a complex, noble, and brave person, but most people won't see that in her. This also ties in with the idea of the complexity of role models, because it show how people see different versions of one person. In conclusion diction, tone, and symbols are used by Lytton Strachey in “Florence Nightingale” to describe his views on Florence Nightingale. He does this in order to show how heroes are more complex than just their accomplishments. This is important because often we see social heros for only their face value. It is asked, “What did they directly do to make a change in the world,” and then that is what we remember them for. Strachey uses this story and the literary elements in it to argue that by analyzing the people we look up to we can gain much more insight about them, and their
In the final paragraph Florence's mother states, “We are ducks,” she said with tears in her eyes, “who have hatched a wild swan” (Strachey 60). Her mother only sees her as a defiant girl who didn’t live up to her expectations. The ducks represents her simple parents and how ordinary they are. Her mother calls her a wild swan. What makes her a wild swan is that she went against what most people expected of her. Strachey refers for Nightingale as an egal. He’s saying that she’s a complex, noble, and brave person, but most people won't see that in her. This also ties in with the idea of the complexity of role models, because it show how people see different versions of one person. In conclusion diction, tone, and symbols are used by Lytton Strachey in “Florence Nightingale” to describe his views on Florence Nightingale. He does this in order to show how heroes are more complex than just their accomplishments. This is important because often we see social heros for only their face value. It is asked, “What did they directly do to make a change in the world,” and then that is what we remember them for. Strachey uses this story and the literary elements in it to argue that by analyzing the people we look up to we can gain much more insight about them, and their