oing off, the sound of naked feet across the floor. The sense of daily life is strong in this opening, using works like "clanged," "creaked," "grunt," "tinny ring," "swished," and "mumbled."
2. The narrative moment develops from the opening sounds which wake up the characters and the reader through the introduction of each character, revealed as much through their sparse dialogue as through any external description. The drama of the moment increases as the girl is frightened by the rat and as the slow morning becomes a bustle of activity as Bigger chases it and kills it, followed by the fainting of Vera and the interaction between mother and son. The moment is very realistic, revealed in short bursts from the sounds at the beginning through the simple and realistic actions of each character. Transitions develop through dialogue--the opening words, the cries of Vera, the demands of the mother, the surly answers of Bigger. Only the second son
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