Blood Red Horse
The 277 page novel, Blood Red Horse, was written by K.M. Grant. It is a historical fiction that takes place during the Third Crusade, the story beginning at Hartslove Castle in England with a quarrel between two of the main characters, William and Gavin, sons of Sir Thomas de Granville, the head of the castle, and a young orphaned girl, Ellie. Ellie and Will have a strong bond tying them together, but because Gavin is the eldest son, Ellie is promised to become his wife when they are old enough. While reading and evaluating the syntax, rhetoric, and literary elements within the novel, as well as annotating it, I have noticed that it is stronger in some areas than it is others.
While annotating the novel, I noted that there was a sufficient amount of imagery throughout the story, but an abundance of it was towards the beginning, when Sir Thomas and his sons Will and Gavin are called on to fight in King Richard’s army against Saladin for the Holy Land. Will must choose a Great Horse to ride in the war and when sent to pick one out, he chooses Hosanna, “[who] was bred to be a Great Horse, but can’t quite make the size…The stallion was liver chestnut, almost red, the unusual color unbroken except for a small white star between his eyes. His mane and tail being exactly the same color as his coat seemed to flow out from his body, and his slender legs [like those] of a fallow deer. The horse’s eyes were luminous and reflective, his muzzle slightly darker than the rest of him.” (Grant 25) Grant does a remarkable job when describing events in her story, creating a clear mental picture for the reader. Although imagery was relatively easy to discern, diction on the other hand was not. The only word I could find for diction is “thundered”, which usually refers to weather conditions. In this case, though, Grant uses it to describe how the horse, Montlouis, runs, “…urged on by Gavin, [he] thundered toward the victims…” (Grant 121). In regards to an overall theme, I discovered
While annotating the novel, I noted that there was a sufficient amount of imagery throughout the story, but an abundance of it was towards the beginning, when Sir Thomas and his sons Will and Gavin are called on to fight in King Richard’s army against Saladin for the Holy Land. Will must choose a Great Horse to ride in the war and when sent to pick one out, he chooses Hosanna, “[who] was bred to be a Great Horse, but can’t quite make the size…The stallion was liver chestnut, almost red, the unusual color unbroken except for a small white star between his eyes. His mane and tail being exactly the same color as his coat seemed to flow out from his body, and his slender legs [like those] of a fallow deer. The horse’s eyes were luminous and reflective, his muzzle slightly darker than the rest of him.” (Grant 25) Grant does a remarkable job when describing events in her story, creating a clear mental picture for the reader. Although imagery was relatively easy to discern, diction on the other hand was not. The only word I could find for diction is “thundered”, which usually refers to weather conditions. In this case, though, Grant uses it to describe how the horse, Montlouis, runs, “…urged on by Gavin, [he] thundered toward the victims…” (Grant 121). In regards to an overall theme, I discovered