Oedipus 4

Readers are attracted to moments of intensity in a writer's work. By what means and with what effect have writers in your study offered heightened emotional moments designed to arrest the readers attention?
In the tragedy Oedipus emotional moments are established in the form of violent acts accompanied by shouting and ranting. Oedipus gouges his eyes out when he figures out Jocosta is his mother, after he sees that she hanged herself. These acts of extreme violence are used to exaggerate their feelings, while drawing the reader in. There is also a lot of shouting. Oedipus keeps shouting how he is the lowest thing in the world, and how he should be banished and killed. The use of these vivid images and despairing tone help create a feeling of pity for Oedipus, which contrasts with how he was portrayed earlier in the book. The loud dialogue also makes the reader pay closer attention to the words.
In the book The Crucible, the author creates moments of emotion through the use of dramatic irony. The reader knows that Abigail is a fraud, but none of the people with power think so. As the reader reads about all the innocent people getting convicted of witchcraft, he/she becomes angry at her. This involement of the reader emotionally really makes the book more interesting to read.