Word Whisperer - Ivanna Hidalgo

Ivanna Hidalgo

Word Whisperer

Week 4 - Chapters 10, 11, 12

Red Scarf Girl - A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution

By David Henry Huang 

1) What's the meaning of the stylistic device (rhetorical device)?  

2) What's the effect on the story/reader?

"Red Guard Betrays Family in 1976 Cultural Revolution Comic." ChinaSMACK. Web. 15 Sept. 2014. <http://www.chinasmack.com/2014/pictures/red-guard-betrays-family-in-1976-cultural-revolution-comic.html>.
Foreshadowing (254)

"'He knew that he would be detained sooner or later. He told me not to worry too much.' Grandma's voice was steady, but her tears kept dropping on my hand."

          This quote is what I call a foreshadowing because it gives a warning or indication of a future event. In another words,  Jiang Ji-Li's father warned their family about his arrest without being saying direct words. I consider this an interesting use of foreshadow because it was not only warning his family, but also warning the people that lived around him, as well as his environment. People that knew him had the possibility to confront the Red Guards. As a result, Jiang Ji-Li's father knew himself that no matter how contradicting he was against his own believes he would be detained. Now, I realize that the meaning of this stylistic device conveys a message of not only warning the people that are really close to you is important towards the future, but the people that surround you everyday. Further, the effect that this device gave me took me back to understanding the core values. The first core value that I thought of was responsibility, meaning doing an act of honesty and integrity. To me, this represented an act of responsibility because he didn't think of himself at that moment, but instead thought of his loved people. From this, I can tell that foreshadowing will always say something about a person, whether it's a good thought or a bad one.

Imagery (Page 279)

"New Study Reveals That Brown-eyed Guys Seem More Trustful than Those Blue Eyed Ones." Web. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thatericalper.com%2F2013%2F01%2F12%2Fnew-study-reveals-that-brown-eyed-guys-seem-more-trustworthy-than-those-blue-eyes%2F>.
"It was dark on the stairs. Everything appeared dim except for his piercing, shining eyes. I felt an older brother's sincerity and trust in his look." 

           Imagery is words that are described explicitly and smoothly making the reader see what the words look like. Imagery is something that humans can feel their eyes looking into what is really the precious world of words. Therefore, the reading becomes more of a life experience, and less like word reading. In this case, I can see how pitch dark the stairs were. I can see how the only thing you can see is oblivion and his dazzling eyes with only that spark of trust in them. Having imagery in something makes the reading interesting, innovative, and ingenious. This is the true way you eye can stay on track with as many words it could possibly read. The biggest effect imagery has on readers is their way of seeing neglected words. It made me live the moment within this important scene. I could stare at the professor and get mesmerized by his piercing, shining eyes.

Metaphor (Page 279)

"The sun was setting, and the western sky was a sheet of gold and rose."

The meaning of a metaphor is an object or action that can be applied to ones thoughts, in order to make it more expressive. In my opinion, a metaphor makes words sound beautiful and enjoyable to hear. The way I see it is just like words are being processed and molded into a beautiful outcome. This certain device makes the words powerful, rich, and enchanting. Just as the mint ice cream always needs its chocolate chips. Metaphors mean something on top of the sentence that makes it sweeter and more flavorful. Every descriptive sentence makes me feel passionate about what I'm reading. The impact is colossal because it makes me think about the whole idea there is to think about. Metaphors make me realize how important a few words can be or sound like. It makes a difference to the story because it makes you imagine without really turning the sky into a sheet of gold and rose. When you read the quote, you instantly comprehend the how it should look like.  

Tone (Page 285)

"The dark silence seemed to gradually thicken, until even time could not move as usual. Each minute seemed endless. My eyes were dry and heavy, and I could not control my hands."

        The definition of tone is the choice of words in a speech making the voice stronger, better, and appealing. The tone can make the words sound more eloquent. As another definition, it's like a mash up of metaphors, imagery, and a crumb of foreshadowing delivered passionately and with a fervor tone. According to my experience, having tone in your words makes a stronger piece of writing and a most comprehended one. The tone has a great impact on the reader and text as both represent it immensely. Firstly, the text itself makes the writing more realistic if tone is included because it makes the writing smoother. Moreover, it makes the reader have an alternated understanding depending on how the piece of writing is read. Explaining the quote, I noticed some tone because it seems that Jiang Ji-Li expresses what she really feels on the inside. As she describes it, it makes me feel tired too. Overall, tone made this quote really expressive and truthful.