Language
and Style of Writing
Shanghai
childhood
by Christopher Banks
by Christopher Banks
At the rear of our garden in Shanghai, there was a
grass mound with a simple maple tree rising out of its summit. From the time
Akira and I were around six years old, we enjoyed playing on and around the
mould, and whenever I now think of my boyhood companion, I tend to remember the
two of us running up and down its slopes, jumping right off where the sides
were at their steepest.
From
time to time, when we had worn ourselves out, we would sit panting at the top
of the mound with our backs against the trunk of the maple tree. From this
vantage point, we had a clear view over my garden and of the big white house
standing at the end of it. If I close my eyes a moment, I am able to bring back
that picture very vividly : the carefully tended ‘English’ lawn, the afternoon
shadows cast by the rows of elms separating my garden and Akira’s, and the
house itself, a huge white edifice with numerous wings and trellised balconies.
I suspect this memory of the house is very much a child’s vision, and that in
reality, it was nothing so grand. Certainly, even at the time, I was conscious
that it hardly matched the splendour of the residences round the corner in
Bulling Well Room.
Based on this
passage, the style of writing used are descriptive
and narrative. This passage is not
using expository writing style because writer tends to include own opinion and
emotion. Descriptive writing style can be shown when the writer describes the
scenery based on his garden in Shanghai. For examples, the writer describes how
the grass mound with a single maple tree rising out of its peak. Next, in the
second paragraph, writer also portray his writing with the description on how
the afternoon shadows cast by the rows of a certain type of tree, elms, separate
his garden and his Japanese friends, Akira’s.
The writer includes
narrative writing style in his writing. He delineates his passage by stating
his own emotion, opinion and experience. The writer tells out the experience
that he and Akira been to and been through together when they were six years
old. Furthermore, the writer stated a clear view and flashback memories that he
had when he was with Akira. He uses narrative writing style when he portrayed
himself as protagonist and Akira as antagonist, who spend times together. The
writer also stated a specific setting, which is garden in Shanghai, to make a
clearer imagination for the audience.
In this passage, the write uses informal language, subjective language,
colloquial language and figurative language. This passage is using informal
tone because this passage is sketching out the experience of the writer and
using the complexity of thought that he shares with his Japanese friend. Subjective
language is used when describing on emotion,
feeling, or opinion. This language can be shown when the writer he and Akira
would sit panting at the top of the mound and lean against the maple tree when
they tired.
Colloquial language refers
to familiar and ordinary language which gives a deep insight to the audience to
get into writer’s story and usually use in informal writing. Writer also
included some figurative language which is used to exaggerate a form of actions
to create a particular linguistic characteristic. For an example, writers
illustrate the shadows is separating his garden and Akira’s.
