This is an editorial that reflects the authors experiences of the 9/11 terrorist attacks 10 years ago. The author talks about the impact the attacks have had in his life.
In terms of diction, the reflection is clearly to inspire patriotism for the U.S. From the beginning, the author states "We are one nation united, and we will never forget." Three words come out to me in this sentence: "one", "united", and "forget". These are all words used by the author to arouse people. It sets the tone of what the author will say for the entire editorial. The author himself is clearly proud to be an American and we can see that very clearly. "We are still Americans, and darn proud of it." In this sentence the word "darn" jumps out, as it puts emphasis on what the author is trying to say about American patriotism. Also the last two sentences when the author uses the words "God Bless" repeatedly, it gives the reader a last reminder of the purpose of the editorial. It gives us a sense of how much the author himself is thankful to be well and good while also praising that America is still a great country.
The author uses imagery extensively throughout the entire editorial. Since this is a reflection, the author provides us with a anecdote to make his point more realistic. He talks about when the attacks occured when he was in fifth grade and how he learned of the attacks. He explains, realistically, how he and his friends talked about the attacks and later tells us of how he felt when walked into his family room. As he is describing his 9/11, 10 years ago, we get the sense as if he was hit by a tidal wave called truth. Although he was not literally hit by a tidal wave, we can easily see and feel what he experienced through his use of imagery.
The author's use of details is very important in the editorial as it gives accurate examples that regular people who may read the editorial can easily relate to. When the author talks about the many ways people have tried to heal from the shocking attacks, he uses sports as a huge sign that people are "all looking for peace and searching for some sign that it was going to be alright." More specifically he talks about sports teams in the New York area, where the attacks occured, such as the Yankees, Mets, Jets, Giants. He uses these examples to make an even greater point which, I think, is the most important message in this editorial (apart from promoting patriotism): "Time simply can't heal all wounds, it can only mask the pain for a little while."
http://boston.sbnation.com/2011/9/11/2418438/september-11-2001-terrorist-attacks-we-will-never-forget
This is a very good close-reading response! I just have a few suggestions:
ReplyDelete1. Make sure to always connect your examples back to the overall meaning. You do a very good job with this in your examples of diction. However, is there an overall meaning that each technique connects to? Or does each technique lead to a different meaning? I think this is important to understand for this paper, but it will also help with other essays that we will write in class.
2. Your paragraph about details confused me a little bit. Make sure that your explanation for the use of details is very clear. This will help your point and the audience.
3. You can always add more! Don't feel you ever have too many examples. I think this paper could benefit from more examples and more explanation. It will make your paper more understandable and will make your points stronger!
Overall you excellently pointed out how the author used literary technique to portray meaning. However in the future maybe try to create transitions between paragraphs and maybe ones that connect back to meaning as Sarah said? Also more direct examples would be helpful to strengthen your point when you talk about details and imagery.
ReplyDeleteAll in all this is really good and reading your response clarifies the techniques for me.