Black Water by Joyce Carol Oates
Annotation Guide 2018
Themes
● Gender roles
● Politics/ Power in Politics
● Power Struggles (in relationships)
● Identity
● Irresponsibility (alcohol, partying, sex)
● Vulnerability
Motifs
● Drowning
● Flirtation
● Names/Identity
● Masculine/Feminine appeal
● Language
○ Innocence
○ Power
○ Sexual desires
○ Time
○ Eyes/Sight
Technique/Sentence Structure
● Winding/rambling effect
● Juxtaposition effect
● Shifts in point of view
● Repetition
● Non-linear structure
● Lack of punctuation
● Passive voice
● Flashbacks