Exam Practice: Paper 1 Question 2

 Before the narrative even starts there is a variety of background information given to the reader. The first being that the author himself is a travel writer, and the setting takes place in rural America. Obviously the setting is important, as the narrative is about traveling. It is also important to note that this piece of travel writing contributes heavily to the form. As stated this piece is a narrative because of the author's use of second person to tell a story. Heat-Moon uses phrases like “her” and “she” to tell the story. He also uses the past tense to continue to show that he is telling a story, this isn’t a present event. While this is definitely a narrative, it is also a personal account. Heat-Moon speaks of his own involvement with his story. This is gathered through his use of words like “my” and “I”. 

As the author writes about his personal experience and his involvement in the story he is telling, he does so in a way that makes it easy for the reader to follow. The structure of the narrative is written chronologically, so that the reader knows the order of events. This also means that the structure was written in a linear style. The author uses key phrases like “about the time” to indicate what is happening next in the order of the story. For the most part, the paragraphs are also short and concise. The first paragraph is on the lengthy side, but this was used to give a background of the setting. With the paragraphs being written this way, it causes the readability to increase. 

As previously mentioned, the setting plays a vital role throughout the travel writing. The setting stays a constant theme throughout. The first paragraph connects setting and language very well. It gives the background knowledge of what different areas call sandwiches. For example, “Western Pennsylvania (calls sandwiches) zeppelin(s)” and “(the) Eastern Corner (calls them) hoagie(s)”. This establishes how setting can cause language to morph. The conclusion also ends with the theme of setting. It uses phrases like “the lone building” to show how desolate the setting is. Heat-Moon isn’t just describing any place, he is describing somewhere that may be perceived as hidden or unimportant, and he is bringing importance to it. 

To add, imagery builds off of the setting very well. The author is traveling around rural America, and he describes the place he’s at now very well. Even in the first paragraph Heat-Moon uses the phrase “old village grocery” to establish both the setting, but also how the building may be worn. This old and worn theme is continued as the author states in the third paragraph, “yellowed news clippings”. This phrase definitely paints a picture in the reader's mind of how aged this town is. I believe this theme contributes to the language of the narrative, as it is written in old American English. 

Furthermore, there were both various similes and metaphors used to continue to support the imagery. A prime example of this would be the simile, “well-filled grinder from a grocery, as shaken milk is to a milkshake.” This phrase does cause the reader to think a bit, but really it is just highlighting the importance of a grocery store, just as milk is important to a milkshake. This also proves how setting has continued to stay constant, as the grocery store is used in this simile. A good metaphor was also used and it stated the phrase, “running commentary… Susquehanna”. This, again, causes the reader to think. Susquehanna is considered the setting, as it is a river. Therefore, the running commentary is being compared to a running river. 

It is finally important to note that the narrative is informal. This may be confusing because of the old English used, but because the narrative was written in a personal setting it is considered informal. The author continues to show this “informality” by expressing his opinions. Even something as simple as the phrase, “Of all ingredients, none exceeds bread”. This phrase shows Heat-Moon’s view on bread and brings further informality to the narrative.


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