Language and Style of Writing

Shanghai childhood
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.