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Allusions
Key Examples in The Hairy Ape
Scene One
Explanation and Analysis—Working Class Markers:
Throughout the text, many of the unnamed workers (i.e. the "voices" at the beginning of the play) speak using slang and idiomatic language that marks their socioeconomic class. As lower-class working men, they frequently use English that would be considered grammatically improper or "coarse." Several instances of this "coarser" dialect being used occur at the beginning of Scene 1, when the workers yell out to one another:
Drunk as a lord, God stiffen you!
Ho, Froggy! Where the devil have you been?
Related Themes:
Scene Two
Explanation and Analysis—Working Class Markers:
Throughout the text, many of the unnamed workers (i.e. the "voices" at the beginning of the play) speak using slang and idiomatic language that marks their socioeconomic class. As lower-class working men, they frequently use English that would be considered grammatically improper or "coarse." Several instances of this "coarser" dialect being used occur at the beginning of Scene 1, when the workers yell out to one another:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Drunk as a lord, God stiffen you!
Ho, Froggy! Where the devil have you been?
Related Themes:
