Corcordancing In The Cop And The Anthem Essay Example For Students

Corcordancing In The Cop And The Anthem Essay Concordancing in The Cop and The AnthemA concordancer is one of the simplest but , at the same time, most powerful tools to elicit certain types of information-in a quick and effective way- from the diverse corpora available nowadays. Concordancers have been widely used in linguistics, above all in text-type studies which rely on quantitative analysis. There have been significant development in corpus linguistics during recent years. Yet linguistics is not the only field where concordancers may prove useful. Literary criticism might also be benefited from it. This paper argues for the use of concordances to literary texts. As an extremely powerful hypothesis testing device on vast amounts of data, the computer allows controlled speculation, makes hidden structures visible, enhances at the same time imagination and checks it by inductivity, thus making higher degrees of objectivity possible .Here I choose as topic the plot and characterization and writing style in a famous short story by an American writer O. Henry The Cop and The Anthem . The concordancing programs I use in this case is Wconcord and Wordsmith . I load the text The Cop and The Anthem into Wordsmith. It provides some general statistics about the text:Bytes13,892 Tokens2,374Types965Type/Token Ratio40.65Standardised Type/Token48.85Ave. Word Length4.54Sentences117Sent.length20.15sd. Sent. Length16.66Para. length1,187.00sd. Para. length1,667.361-letter words852-letter words3503-letter words5634-letter words370For this text the bytes is 13,892 and the tokens are2,374 and the sentences are 117,which can be interpreted as a sign for a short text. Its token/ratio is 40.65.This can be interpreted as a sign for a middle-leveled variation in vocabulary. It’s sentence length is 20.15, which means sentences in this text are long compared to some easy texts .The number of its paragraph length is 1187.00. This means the paragraphs in this text is not long in general. If we plus total numbers of 1-letter 2-letter 3-letter and 4-letter words we can know the words less than 4 letters are 1368 together. But the tokens in the text is 2374 . Thus 43 per cent of the words are more than 4-letter words. Therefore we may predict this text is middle-sized in difficulty. We are thus confronted with a short text middle-sized in difficulty. Then I load this text into Wconcord. The frequency list in Wconcord yields some interesting material . The following is the 244 most frequent words(Other following words just appear once.). This helps us form an idea about what the story is about. Word frequency F% The |168| 7.179|And |93| 3.974|A |72| 3.077|Of |67| 2.863|His |57| 2.436|To |56| 2.393|Soapy |48| 2.051|He |43| 1.838|In |40| 1.709|S |22| 0.940|Was |22| 0.940|That |21| 0.897|Would |21| 0.897|Him |20| 0.855|At |19| 0.812|On |18| 0.769|With |18| 0.769|Had |17| 0.726|Policeman |17|It |15| 0.641|For |14| 0.598|You |13| 0.556|As |12| 0.513|Be |12| 0.513|An |11| 0.470|Said |11| 0.470|But |10| 0.427|Emdash |9| 0.385|Umbrella |9| 0.385|I |8| 0.342|Island |8| 0.342|One |8| 0.342|By |7| 0.299|Into |7| 0.299|Man |7| 0.299|No |7| 0.299|Not |7| 0.299|Seemed |7| 0.299|Set |7| 0.299|Young |7| 0.299|Against |6| 0.256|Bench |6| 0.256|Cop 6| 0.256|Himself |6| 0.256|Is |6| 0.256|Made |6| 0.256|Out |6| 0.256|Page |6| 0.256|There |6| 0.256|This |6| 0.256|Upon |6| 0.256|Were |6| 0.256|When |6| 0.256|Where |6| 0.256|Woman |6| 0.256|About |5| 0.214|Call |5| 0.214|Cigar |5| 0.214|Corner |5| 0.214|Don |5| 0.214|From |5| 0.214|Hands |5| 0.214|If |5| 0.214|Its |5| 0.214|Mind |5| .214|Moved | 5| 0.214|Restaurant |5| 0.214|Square |5| 0.214|Street |5| 0.214|T |5| 0.214|Two |5| 0.214|Winter |5| 0.214|Without |5| 0.214|Again |4| 0.171|Are |4| 0.171|Away |4| 0.171|Coat |4| 0.171|Come |4| 0.171|O |4| 0.171|Hand |4| 0.171|Have |4| 0.171|Little |4| 0.171|Ready |4| 0.171|Word Frequency F%So |4| 0.171|Their |4| 0.171|Them |4| 0.171|Then |4| 0.171|Three |4| 0.171|Through |4| 0.171|Time |4| 0.171|Turned |4| 0.171|Up |4| 0.171|Waiter |4| 0.171|Well |4| 0.171|Who |4| 0.171|Window |4| 0.171|Ambitions |3| 0.128|Anthem |3| 0.128|Been |3| 0.128|Before |3| 0.128|Broadway |3| 0.128|Came |3| 0.128|Caught |3| 0.128|Table |3| 0.128|They |3| 0.128|Thought |3| 0.128|Took |3| 0.128|Uneasily |3| 0.128|Walked |3| 0.128|What |3| 0.128|Which |3| 0.128|Why |3| 0.128|Above |2| 0.085|Across |2| 0.085|Along |2| 0.085|Annual |2| 0.085|Arm |2| 0.085|Around |2| 0.085|Arrest |2| 0.085|Avenue |2| 0.085|Bed |2| 0.085|Blocks |2| 0.085|Caf? |2| 0.085|Church |2| 0.085|Club |2| 0.085|Coats |2| 0.085|Word Frequency F%Coin |2| 0.085|Coming |2| 0.085|Course |2| 0.085|Days |2| 0.085|Dead |2| 0.085|District |2| 0.085|Door |2| 0.085|Doubt |2| 0.085|Entering |2| 0.085|Even |2| 0.085|Face |2| 0.085|Fact |2| 0.085|Fate |2| 0.085|Feel |2| 0.085|Fell |2| 0.085|Fence |2| 0.085|Find |2| 0.085|Followed |2| 0.085|Four |2| 0.085|Front |2| 0.085|Gentleman |2| 0.085|Go |2| 0.085|Halted |2| 0.085|Hat |2| 0.085|Heart |2| 0.085|Here |2| 0.085|High |2| 0.085|Hope |2| 0.085|Jack |2| 0.085|Joint |2| 0.085|Kind |2| 0.085|Know |2| 0.085|Lady |2| 0.085|Lap |2| 0.085|Large |2| 0.085|Left |2| 0.085|Life |2| 0.085|Like |2| 0.085|Looked |2| 0.085|Magistrate |2| 0.085|Make |2| 0.085|Mallard |2| 0.085|Masher |2| 0.085May |2| 0.085|Missionary |2| 0.085|Modest |2| 0.085|More |2| 0.085|Mugs |2| 0.085|My |2| 0.085|Near |2| 0.085|Next |2| 0.085|Night |2| 0.085|Officer |2| 0.085|Once |2| 0.085|Organist |2| 0.085|Park |2| 0.085|Philanthropy |2| 0.085|Place |2| 0.085|Presented |2| 0.085|Private |2| 0.085|Quarters |2| 0.085|Route |2 | 0.085|Running |2| 0.085|Sabbath |2| 0.085|Shaving |2| 0.085|Shoes |2| 0.085|Show |2| 0.085|Sidewalk |2| 0.085|Smiled |2| 0.085|Soul |2| 0.085|Spirit |2| 0.085|Steps |2| 0.085|Still |2| 0.085|Store |2| 0.085|Streets |2| 0.085|Sure |2| 0.085|Sweet |2| 0.085|Taken |2| 0.085|Thin |2| 0.085|Things |2| 0.085|Together |2| 0.085|Toward |2| 0.085|Trousers |2| 0.085|Voice |2| 0.085|Watching |2| 0.085|Ways |2| 0.085|Wind |2| 0.085|Women |2| 0.085|Yet |2| 0.085|Your |2| 0.085|From this evidence it can be concluded that the story ever happened on the park? island? corner? restaurantstreet? Broadway ?Madison Square? caf church? club ,etc. in winter. It’s about a person named Soapy who had something to do with a policeman? a woman ?a waiter? a man and an officer. This is the moment to move on to concordance. A concordance of Soapy and he will yield some actions performed by Soapy and thus the main plot of this short story can be manifested clearly ( selected lines only). . On his bench in Madison Square, | Soapy | moved uneasily. kind to their husbands, and when | Soapy | moves uneasily on his benchand the Riviera each winter, so | Soapy | had made his humble arrangements for his | Soapy | left his bench and strolled But as | Soapy | set foot in side the restaurant door the | Soapy | turned off Broadway. | Soapy | took a cobblestone and dashed it through | Soapy | stood still, with his hands in his pocket | Soapy | , with disgust in his heart, loafed alone Into this place | Soapy | took his accusive shoes and tellta Five blocks | Soapy | travelled before his courage permitted tight little isle | Soapy | straightened the lady missionarys ready With half an eye | Soapy | saw that the policeman was watching him | Soapy | followed, boldly stepping to her sideinging ivy to his oak | Soapy | walked past the policeman overcome with On the sidewalk | Soapy | began to yell drunken gibberish at the Disconsolate, | Soapy | ceased his unavailing racket. | Soapy | stepped inside, secured the umbrella and | Soapy | walked eastward through a street damaged At length | Soapy | reached one of the avenues to the eastunusually quiet corner | Soapy | came to a standstill. anthem that the organist played cemented | Soapy | to the iron fence, He would | Soapy | felt a hand laid on his arm. At the corners of four streets | he | hands his pasteboard to the North And | therefore | he | moved uneasily on his bench. H failed to repulse the cold as | he | slept on his bench near the spurring and eleemosynary, on which | he | might set out and receive Up Broadway | he | turned, and halted at a glittering caf With drawn club | he | joined in the pursuit. At a table | he | sat and consumed beefsteak, flapjacks, And then to the waiter | he | betrayed the fact that the minutes| He | arose joint by joint, as a carpenters Already be imagined | he | could feel tile cozy warmth of the sta At the next corner | he | shook off his companion and ran. | He | halted in the district where by nigh panic upon it and when | he | came upon another policeman lounging g transplendent theatre | he | caught | at the immediate straw of diso | He | danced, howled, raved, and otherwise|He | buttoned his thin coat against the chi In a cigar store | he | saw a well-dressed man ]lighting a cig | He | hurled the umbrella wrathfully into an | He | muttered against the men who wear hel| He | set his face down this toward Madison | He | viewed with swift horror the pit into the pit into which | he | had tumbled, the degraded days, unwort | He | looked quickly around into the broad fFrom the collocations of Soapy and he we can know the main plot of the story: (1)Soapy moved uneasily on his bench in winter. He might set out to look for his lodgings. Then he made his arrangement. (2) Soapy slipped out of the park and halted at a caf? upon Broadway. But he turned off Broadway. (3) Soapy took a cobblestone and dashed a window . Then he stood still . (4) Soapy loafed alon e with disgust in his mind. After that he sat and consumed beefsteak and flapjacks at a table. But to the waiter he betrayed something and it seemed he was beaten. (5) Soapy traveled again. When Soapy saw the policeman was watching him he followed a woman. But Soapy walked past the policeman safely. At the next corner he shook off his companion and ran away. (6) On the sidewalk Soapy began to yell drunken gibberish. He danced , howled, raved. Yet he ceased his unavailing racket disconsolately. So he buttoned his thin coat. (7) In a cigar store he saw a well-dressed man Soapy stepped inside and secured an umbrella. But he hurled the umbrella wrathfully . (8) Soapy walked eastward through a street .At length Soapy reached one of the avenues to the east. He set his face down this toward Madison Square. But on an unusually quiet corner Soapy came to a standstill. And the anthem that the organist played cemented Soapy to the iron fence, for he had known it well. He viewed with swift horr or the pit into which he had tumbled, the degraded days, unworthy desires. (9) Soapy felt a hand laid on his arm. He looked quickly around . Henry Ford: The Life and Achievements (712 words) EssayO. Henry also uses adverbs to characterize the characters. Here is a list of adverbs of this story. his bench in Madison Square, Soapy moved | uneasily | . to their husbands, and when Soapy moves | uneasily | on his bench in the park, you may know t And therefore he moved | uneasily | on his bench. So the Island loomed big and | timely | in Soapys mind. ough conducted by rules, does not meddle | unduly | with a gentlemans private affairs. The pleasantest was to dine | luxuriously | at some expensive restaurant; and then, ter declaring Insolvency, be handed over | quietly | and without uproar to a policeman. inquired the officer, | excitedly | . said Soapy, not without sarcasm, but | friendly | , as one greets good fortune. | Neatly | upon his left ear on the callous pavemen s time the opportunity presented what he | fatuously | termed to himself a cinch. tanding before a show window gazing with | sprightly | interest at its display of shaving ghs and hems, smiled, smirked and went | brazenly | through the impudent and contemptible li saw that the policeman was watching him | fix edly | . Soapy followed, | boldly | stepping to her side, raised his hat and ut to beckon a finger and Soapy would be | practically | en route for his insular haven. Sure, Mike, she Said, | joyfully | , if youll blow me to a pail of suds. omen in furs and men in greatcoats moved | gaily | in the wintry air. he came upon another policeman lounging | grandly | in front of a transplendent theatre re he caught at the immediate straw of | disorderly | conduct. d the umbrella and sauntered off with it | slowly | . The man at the cigar light followed | hastily | . My umbrella, he said, | sternly | . The policeman looked at the two | curiously | . ll Of course its mine, said Soapy, | viciously | . He hurled the umbrella | wrathfully | into an excavation. But on an | unusually | quiet corner Soapy came to a standstill. pedestrians were few; sparrows twittered | sleepily | in the eavesemdash;for a little And also in a moment his heart responded | thrillingly | to this novel There was time ; he was | comparatively | young yet: he would resurrect his old ea He looked | quickly | around into the broad Most of the adverbs that refer to Soapy are clearly negative and remain so throughout the story: uneasily, brazenly, boldly, disorderly, sternly, viciously, wrathfully. They all reflect Soapy’s annoying state of mind of not being able to be put into prison. Yet in order to enhance the ironic effect O. Henry mostly uses positive words such as timely, luxuriously ,quietly, excitedly, sprightly, joyfully, gaily, grandly to modify other characters. These two groups of words are a striking contrast between the poor’s and the rich’s life. Besides the above concordance which exhibit the plots and the characters some nouns’ concordance are meaning as well, which enhance the story’s ironic significance greatly. Here is the concordance of bench:On his | bench | in Madison Square, Soapy moved uneasily. and when Soapy moves uneasily on his | bench | in the park, you may know that winter And therefore he moved uneasily on his | bench | . D repulse the cold as he slept on his | bench | near the spurring fountain Soapy left his | bench | and strolled out of the square and survives even when the home is a park | bench | . We see bench was Soapy’s home before winter. Yet when winter came he felt uneasy on his bench. Therefore he left his bench and tried to find a new â€Å"home†. This is a severe satire to the so-called happiness ?freedom and democracy of the capitalized society. We may suppose if Soapy was not too poor to own a house he might not have tried to break the law to find prison as his home. This concrete word is used accurately , which is an accusation of the society. The concordance of the word island is very meaning as well. Three months on the | Island | was what his soul craved. for his annual hegira to the | Island | . So the | Island | loomed big and timely in Soapys mind. Soapy, having decided to go to the | Island | , at once set about accomplishing his It seemed that his route to the coveted | Island | was not to be an epicurean one. The | Island | seemed very far away. In his fancy the | Island | seemed an unattainable Arcadia. Three months on the | Island | , said the Magistrate in When bench can not be Soapy’s warm house in winter island(in Soapy’s mind it refers to prison) became what his soul craved. Soapy, having decided to go to the island, at once set about accomplish his desire. After he did something evil the policeman did not send him to where he wanted Soapy even felt the island seemed an unattainable Arcadia. Yet just when Soapy decided to abandon the island to be his winter home the Magistrate in the Police Court declared he would be three months on the island. This is actually an unexpected decision as to Soapy as well as to readers. When readers have to admire O.Henry’ superb writing technique they may sigh for S oapy’ tragic destiny at the same time. Some readers may ask: why Soapy did not accept the government’s welfare donate? The next concordance of charity may tell us the answer: orned the provisions made in the name of | charity | for the citys dependents. one of Soapys proud spirit the gifts of | charity | are encumbered. As Caesar had his Brutus, every bed of | charity | must have its toll of a bath, every loafIn this concordance it seems Soapy was proud and scorned the provisions because the conditions of accepting it was strict and the applicants human right was invaded. Thus it is understandable for Soapy to refuse the gifts of charity. From the above analysis based on concordancing we are given basic insights into the structure of O.Henry’ The Cop and The Anthem. From the above concordancing we can grasp the plots? the characters and the writing style of this story easily and clearly. It’s just under the so-called capitalist democracy that Soapy attempted to seek for his special happiness from prison .He did so many evil things yet no policeman sent him to prison. Just when he was moved by an anthem and determined to start a new life he was captured by a policeman and tried for three months captivity in prison. Either on the plots or the characterization or the writing style O.Henry may be rated as a good piece of work. During the course of analyzing the concordancing of this story we are providing a motivation for reading and raising language awareness and enhancing linguistic and stylistic and literary competence and â€Å" learners are able to use literature as a way of increasing their knowledge of English as well as to enjoy literature as to enjoy literature in English in its own right.†( Tribble/Jones 1990:78)References:Concordancing in Stylistics Teaching by Bernhard KettemannConcordancing in The Cop and The AnthemName: Yang JianmeiMajor: LiteratureSubject: CorpusTutor: Dr.Li WenzhongTime: 2001.1.14Arts Essays