Read the excerpt from "Fern” in Cane. She sprang up. Rushed some distance from me. Fell to her knees, and began swaying, swaying. Which best describes Toomer’s use of syntax in this excerpt?

The excerpt breaks Fern’s actions into brief, abrupt phrases: “She sprang up,” “Rushed some distance,” and “Fell to her knees.” This clipped syntax makes the actions seem to happen quickly, one after another. The fragments emphasize the speed of Fern’s movements, rather than the narrator’s thoughts or closeness to her.

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