Stylistic Analysis of Empowerment in Sarah Kay's 'The Type’

Abstract

This research paper presents a stylistic analysis of The Type by Sarah Kay. While literary criticism has traditionally focused on written texts, this study bridges the gap between graphology (the visual structure of the poem on the page) and prosody (the sonic features of performance). Using Systemic Functional Linguistics, the research examines both the 2016 illustrated book edition published by Hachette Book Group and the original 2013 live performance. The findings show that Kay employs graphological variation, deictic shifts, and syntactic parallelism alongside prosodic elements such as voice inflection, pauses, and gestures to challenge traditional portrayals of femininity and construct an empowered female identity. Furthermore, the poem functions as a “doorway,” a concept described by Baumann, enabling identity negotiation. Ultimately, the stylistic power of the poem lies not only in its semantic content but also in the dynamic integration of multiple modes of meaning-making.