Close Reading Twilight Session 1 – Word Choice

What is Word Choice? Word Choice refers to specific words chosen by the writer in preference to another. The words are often verbs or adjectives. The words usually reflect the writer’s attitude about the topic. For example if the writer says: “She is knowledgeable” What is suggested? Suggests respect. “She is opinionated” Suggests she is irritating.

How To Answer Focus on individual words. When thinking how to answer compare your word to a more neutral word. For Example: ‘strode’ compared to ‘walked.’

Things To Consider and Comment On Colloquial language / slang. An informal tone is created. Perhaps uses second person (you), informal reference to a person e.g. using their first name or a nickname, abbreviations. Emotive language – strong words to stir / manipulate emotions. These words will have strong connotations. Emotive language often reveals the writer’s attitude to their topic. Jargon – technical / formal language. Archaisms – old fashioned words. Dialect – the opposite to standard English; English spoken in a particular area, e.g. Glaswegian dialect. This makes language more expressive, lively and natural.

Example When did we start worrying about binge drinking? Not when I was growing up, when the wilder adolescents of the town would congregate in the swing parks to swig vodka chased down with lime cordial. Not at university, when we all got blitzed on whatever the union bar was promoting that month at knock-down prices. None of this was considered binge drinking – we never used the phrase. Nor do I recall the many respectable middle class people at the posh functions I occasionally attend referring to their consumption of champagne and wine in these terms. Or, on more relaxed summer evenings, when neighbours distribute chilled white wine at garden barbeques or tipple on front steps until the light eventually fades … no, that’s not binge drinking either. Question: Show how the writer’s word choice in these lines creates a clear contrast between the drinking habits of the young and those of the middle aged.

Answer Young people ‘swig’ means rushed, undignified; ‘Blitzed’ is slang and means lack of control or immaturity ‘knock-down’ implies cheapness, lack of sophistication. Middle aged ‘Posh’ means upmarket, attended by well-off, socially respectable people ‘Functions’ means high class and more dignified that ‘party’ ‘distribute’ is a dignified process, contrasts to ‘hang around’ ‘Tipple’ suggests restrained, innocuous and harmless.

Example 2 Binge drinking is what other people do. They are always in documentaries about cheap package holidays, where teenagers share goldfish bowls of spirits masked with something sickeningly sugary. Binge drinkers are the young people staggering, brawling, yelping incoherently though our city centres late on Saturday night. They are the after office pub crowd of giggling ladettes. Question: Show how the writer’s use of language conveys her contempt for any one of the groups.

Answer ‘People in documentaries’ ‘Cheap’ – implies tackiness as well as being inexpensive. ‘Package holidays’ has connotations of lacking good taste and not being selective. ‘Goldfish bowls’ – excess of behaviour, ridiculous, degrading. ‘Something sickeningly sugary’ – distasteful, over sweet, sickening, mocking. ‘Young people staggering’ – out of control, uncoordinated. ‘Staggering, brawling, yelping’ – sense of restless, aggressive behaviour. ‘Yelping incoherently’ – primitive, uncontrolled, irritating sound.

Example 3 One of the most disturbing examples of our holidays causing problems for local people is that of Burma. A beautiful country, Burma is described in brochures as ‘The Golden Land.’ But life for the Burmese is far from golden. Torture, murder and rape are everyday occurrences at the hands of the military junta. Over the past few years the junta has forced hundreds of thousands of Burmese to labour on tourism projects and millions more have been forced from their homes to make way for widened roads, hotel developments and other tourist- related infrastructure. Burma’s human rights abuses are therefore directly related to developing holidays. Question: Show how the author’s choice of words reveals her attitude to the effect of tourism on the local people of Burma.

Answer ‘Disturbing’ – shows distaste Contrasts the beauty of Burma with ‘far from Golden’ life of the population. ‘everyday occurrences’ to describe human rights abuses. Stresses lack of personal freedom by ‘forced.’

Example 4 At the same time, this constant reassurance – that you are listened to, recognised, and important – is coupled with a distancing from the stress of face-to-face, real-life conversation. Real-life conversations are, after all, far more perilous than those in the cyber world. They occur in real time, with no opportunity to think up clever or witty responses, and they require a sensitivity to voice tone and body language. Moreover, according to the context, and indeed, the person with whom we are conversing, our own delivery will need to adapt. None of these skills are required when chatting on a social networking site. Question: Show how the writer’s word choice in the whole paragraph makes clear the difference between the two types of communication (real life and cyber world).

Answer “Stress” indicates the strain and anxiety the writer feels can be caused by face to face conversation. “Perilous” also describes face to face; this suggests extreme danger and threat. “Chatting” describes the safer world of cyberspace as it connotes warm, easy-going friendships and relationships. “Reassurance” establishes the online world as calming, comforting and encouraging.

Question: Show how the writer’s word choice emphasises the extent of changes she describes. It’s not that nothing has changed in that time, of course. There has been turbo-charged economic growth, wave upon wave of migration, a massive shift from an industrial to a service economy, and a generation of unprecedented change in sexual politics and family life. Example 4

Answer She describes economic growth as “turbo- charged” which links to the idea of an engine charged for power and speed. This means change will be dramatic and quick. “Massive” describes the shift from industry to service the economy. This stresses the extent of change as the word connotes a huge, unstoppable force.

Example 5 We are caught up on a treadmill of turbo- consumption powered by the unfounded belief that having more will make us happy. We are part and parcel of a consumer society whose credentials are becoming more tarnished. Question: Show how the writer’s word choice emphasises his low opinion of “consumer society”.

Answer “tarnished” suggests that the gloss, the attractiveness has gone from something (in this case the appeal of consumerism). It was once shiny but now it is tainted. “part and parcel” suggests that we are no more than commodities in a warehouse, all the same and wrapped up ready for someone to use.

Close Reading Twilight Session 2 – Imagery