Language

uses some grammaticalThe language of the short story “No Witchcraft for Sale” by Doris Lessing is relatively simple and easy to follow. The choice of words reflects both the background of the Farquars (the English vocabulary) and of Gideon (African words like “baas” or “kraal”). Furthermore, when Gideon is quoted speaking, the author intentionally slips some grammar mistakes to suggest English is the man’s second language:  “Little Yellow Head is the most good thing we have in our house.” (p. 1, l. 15).

The story is rendered mostly in the narrative (discursive) mode, with occasional dialogue lines.

Imagery

Imagery is used to convey mental images of the way the character acts or to describe the setting to make the text more vivid for the reader,...

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Similes

A few similes also contribute to creating vivid descriptions in the short story through comparisons. Here are the most notable examples:

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Symbols

Symbols are words or images which have an additional hidden meaning apart from their literal one. In this short story, Teddy’s nickname, Little Yellow Head, is symbolic of the cultural...

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Also, here you can read about the repetitions in the text.