Republic of the Philippines

COMPOSTELA VALLEY STATE COLLEGE

Compostela, Davao de Oro

Name: Rachell B. Libron BSED 3B-English

Course: Cognate 1 – Stylistics and Discourse Analysis
Date: December 8, 2021

FINAL EXAM

Read the passage below carefully including the contextualization. Analyze the text written by
Harold Pinter entitled “The Dumb Waiter” using Gricean Analysis. To formally start your
analysis, follow the questions below, to wit:

1. Try to characterize what is going on in Gricean terms in turns 3-15. How do their
different assumptions create the argument between them?

2. How would you characterize the turns 18-19 in Gricean terms and what is their
interpretative significance?

Context: At the beginning of The Dumb Waiter, the two characters, Ben and Gus, have recently
arrived in Birmingham and are in the main room of a bed-sit flat with two beds in it, and a
kitchen offstage. It has become clear that they are professional killers, are waiting to receive
instructions on which they are to kill from someone whose identity they do not know. Just before
this part of the conversation, an envelope containing a small book of matches has been pushed
under the door. Throughout the play they continue to receive objects and instructions in this
anonymous way, sometimes via a small service lift (the dumb waiter which provides the title for
the play). Earlier, Ben has told Gus to go to the kitchen and make some tea. But Gus has not yet
done so because his attention keeps wandering to other, rather trivial, topics, about which Ben
has corrected his views and memories on a number of occasions. The arrival of the matches
prompts Ben to re-issue his order to Gus to make the tea.

3. BEN Go and light it.

4. GUS Light what?
5. BEN The kettle.
6. GUS You mean the gas.
7. BEN Who does?
8. GUS You do.
9. BEN (his eyes narrowing) What do you mean, I mean the gas?
10. GUS

Well, that’s what you mean, don’t you? The gas.

11. BEN (powerfully) If I say go and light the kettle I mean go and light
the kettle.
12. GUS How can you light a kettle?
13. BEN It’s a figure of speech! Light the kettle. It’s a figure of speech!
14. GUS I’ve never heard it.
15. BEN Light the kettle! It’s common usage!
16. GUS I think you’ve got it wrong.
17. BEN (menacing) What do you mean?
18. GUS They put on the kettle.
19. BEN (taut) Who says?
They stare at each other, breathing hard.
(deliberately) I have never in all my life heard anyone say put
on the kettle.
20. GUS I bet my mother used to say it.
21. BEN Your mother? When did you last see your mother?
22. GUS I don’t know, about -
23. BEN Well, what are you talking about your mother for?
They stare.
Gus, I’m not trying to be unreasonable. I’m just trying to point
out something to you.
24. GUS Yes, but -
25. BEN Who’s the senior partner here, me or you?
26. GUS You.
27. BEN I’m only looking after your interests, Gus. You’ve got to learn,
mate.
28. GUS Yes, but I’ve never heard -
29. BEN (vehemently) Nobody says light the gas! What does the gas
light?
30. GUS What does the gas -?
31. BEN (grabbing him with two hands by the throat, at arm’s length)
THE KETTLE, YOU FOOL!
Gus takes the hands from his throat.
32. GUS All right, all right.
Pause
33. BEN Well, what are you waiting for?
34. GUS I want to see if they light.
 35. BEN What?
36. GUS The matches.
He takes out the flattened box and tries to strike.
No.
He throws the box under the bed.
Ben stares at him.
Gus raises his foot.
Shall I try it on here?
Ben stares. Gus strikes a match on his shoe. It lights.
Here we are.
37. BEN (wearily) Put on the bloody kettle, for Christ’s sake.
Ben goes to his bed, but realising what he has said, stops and
half turns. They look at each other. Gus slowly exits, left.

ANSWERS:
Turns 3-15

If we utilize Gricean Analysis to investigate Harold Pinter's work "The Dumb Waiter,"
you might find various prohibitions and refuses to follow that violate the maxim of
quantity of quality, variety, relationship, and style all across the entire extract, which we
shall address more below. But let us understand what really is occurring in Gricean
terms in turns 3-15, and how their opposing beliefs lead to the formation of their
dispute.

Ben is articulately efficient in his commitment to the precept of quantity when he urges
Gus to 'Go and light it' in turn 3. Gus should be able to deduce Ben's communicative
aim from his usage of the pronoun 'it.' So, it appears like Gus is being uncooperative
and obstructive when he asks, via an echo inquiry, for the reference of 'it' to be
supplied. In turn 5, Ben says 'light the kettle,' which was a typical idiomatic term at the
time the play was originally presented. Light the kettle is elliptical ('light [the gas under]
the kettle'), and Ben's appreciation of this fact is demonstrated in turns 13 and 15,
wherein he describes the 'light the kettle' as a 'figure of speech and a 'regular usage.'
Hence, as Gus responds 'you mean the gas' in turn 6, Gus is breaking the amount rule
in informing Ben something he already knew. He effectively sets out what Grice refers
to as a typical interpretation. In turn 11, Ben violates the quality maxim by saying, 'If I
say go and light the kettle, I mean to go and light the kettle,' since it is clear that even
if he mentions 'light the kettle,' he doesn't mean 'light the kettle,' but 'light [the gas
under] the kettle,' and this implies that Ben desires Gus to do whatever he is told (and
thus act by Ben's assumptions about his status about Gus). When Gus asks, 'How do
you ignite a kettle?' 'In turn 12, he demonstrates his adherence to the quality maxim.
You can't technically ignite a kettle because it's built of non-combustible material under
normal conditions, but it's tough to suppose Gus isn't aware of the traditional
vocabulary that Ben employed in turn 5. (this is why what Gus says seems pedantic).
Gus's patronization contradicts the characterization Ben has just created, demonstrating
his verbal challenge. It's very plausible that Gus is unaware of the idiomatic term he's
contesting and thus isn't breaking any Gricean rules. However, this appears to be
difficult to trust.

'It's a figure of speech!' Ben repeats in turn 13, defying the quantity principle. ',
implying his frustration with Gus's behavior; nevertheless, Gus disputes this in 14,
thereby breaching the quality maxim. The fact that Ben then breaks the quantity maxim
in 15 by repeating the contentious expression and his 'figure of speech' characterization
of it, albeit in different words, only adds to his exasperation, and it is clear that at the
author-audience level, Pinter is implying that the two assassins are completely, and
ludicrously, at odds over this minor phrasing issue.

Turns 18- 19

Gus obviously uses another frequent colloquial term to refer to the activity at hand in
turn 18. (tea making). This expression, like Ben's 'light the kettle,' is elliptical (cf. 'put
the kettle on the stove,' which is elliptical for 'put the kettle on the lighted gas ring on
the stove,') and, while Gus does not violate a Gricean maxim, his alternative
formulation can be read as a challenge to Ben's formulation via the maxim of relation.
Gus' reply clearly indicates that he takes Ben's comments as a challenge.

In turns 19, Who says?' Ben asks questions. ', despite the fact that he asks a question,
he plainly disregards the quality and quantity maxims, as Gus has stated. This implies
that he is contesting Gus's challenge by requesting an indication of who, other than
Gus, says what he says, based on the relational principle. He appears to be requesting,
quite irrationally, that Gus refer to some language authority who shares his viewpoints.
Gus, of course, is unable to produce such an intellectual reference, which is likely why
he declines and does not respond. When Ben claims that he has never heard someone
say "put on the kettle," he looks to be breaking the quality rule. Gus's alternate phrase
is also fairly frequent, and it's hard to think he's never heard it, thus at the author-
audience level, Pinter appears to be implying that Ben is guilty. When we look at the
context of the dialogue, we can see that there is a phonological and semantic conflict.
Neither Ben and Gus violate all the rules, resulting in distinct assumptions that lead to
their disagreement.