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English 11.67
Writing Exercises: Concision
Take
a moment to determine exactly what information each passage below conveys.
Then, using whatever strategy you think most
effective, reduce
each passage’s length without removing any essential detail.
1) Many diverse emotions evoked within an audience can keep a story interesting,
as shown very well in Famine. This story keeps the reader fascinated
by allowing them to choose the characters with whom to be sympathetic, and
it also allow
the reader to place themselves in the position of the characters to better
understand how they would themselves react in certain situations.
2) By portraying and describing a multitude of different scenes of horror,
pain and hardship filled with impossibly horrible incidents, Liam O’Flaherty
keeps his reader in a constant state of anxiety bordering on the deepest kind
of depression.
3) The author uses a multitude of literary tools to evoke both loving feelings
and at the same time create a deep pity for the characters on the behalf of
the reader.
4) O’Brien uses the narration of the story in first person to his advantage
in conveying a humorous tone to a situation that would normally sound sad and
humorless.
5) In the short story “Hunger” by James Stephens, there is an emotional
influence of pity rooted in the reader. The reader is overwhelmed with sympathy
for the characters in this story. By using descriptive words and extended imagery,
the author paints a specific picture of sorrow in each reader’s heart.
6) In the novel, the author uses vivid imagery to describe the scenery. In
Chapter 1 of the passage, the narrator describes what the scenery of Ireland
looks and feels like.
7) James Stephen shows the struggles of these people by using vivid imagery
and dramatic analogies throughout the story that paint a picture of the suffering
and pain caused by malnutrition. He shows the hopelessness of being poor without
food and the struggle they go through each day just to survive.
8) Obvious stupidity is when someone is evidently unintelligent yet does not
realize it. Being obviously stupid is not very hard to do if one is initially
lacking common sense.
9) The reader has no choice but to feel both the passionate love that family
has and at the same time pity for the poor saps as the author chooses only
the words that will spark these feelings from deep within the reader.
10) The characters in the story never once complain about their wretched condition.
This concept is outlandish to the reader, who will now feel deep pity for the
characters as well as thankfulness for his own blessings, knowing that if he
had to live a day as the characters lived, his attitude would be repulsive
and would be continually griping about his situation.
11) Lastly, the dialogue plays a huge part in the author’s effective
use of pathos to draw out the main theme of hopelessness. This short story,
told through third person, is written like a conversation.
12) Most people would agree that it is important to pass on the history of
one’s family from generation to generation. However, many still are bored
by the stories of the past. Often, an author has difficulty holding the focus
of the reader for the extent of his or her historical narrative.
13) Throughout the entire short story Stephens never uses any specific names
to identity the characters. This may seem insignificant; however, after further
analysis one is able to realize that this helps to make the story seem more
real and personal for the audience.
14) The Poor Mouth: A Bad Story about Hard Life is a story about life in Ireland
written by Flann O’ Brien. It is the story of Bonaparte O’ Coonassa,
told in the wake of his impending death, about the hardships he encounters
throughout his lifetime.
15) The setting in Ireland is that of a poor village, one that overlooks the
nicest and richest parts of Ireland. Everything in this village looks the same
as far as houses go except for Bonaparte’s, already making them different.
16) Sarcasm is used abundantly throughout this story. One of the earliest forms
of sarcasm is shown through Bonaparte’s mother.
17) O’Brien talks about the life of the family through the eyes of a
young child. The child is the son of the mother in the story.
18) Flann O’Brien’s The Poor Mouth: A Bad Story About the Hard
Life causes the reader to feel many emotions throughout the piece. Sadness
plagues the entire piece from beginning to end, leaving the reader feeling
sorrow toward the family. The reader feels sympathy toward the family as well.
19) The tone that a writer uses to express himself/herself is very important
in determining how a reader enjoys that writer’s work. Without the author’s
tone, certain works would not have nearly the same affect as they do with such
special features such as this.
20) James Stephens’s “Hunger” (1928) tells a story about
a poor family who fights against the poverty followed by the great Irish famine
and against the nature during the cold winter. This tragic story evokes sadness,
sorrow, depression, bitterness, and even horror as it continues.
“Feminist research in Ireland covers a large and rapidly-growing range
of areas and disciplines, with particular emphasis on and interest in Irish
historical, social and cultural studies” (Irish Women’s Studies
Reader v).
“
Constitutionally speaking, the period 1794-94 was largely one of activity without
movement. It was a confusing time, packed with incident, notable for a variety
of diverse but interrelating factors” (The Troubles 179).
Paul Marchbanks
marchban@email.unc.edu