Drown: A Consideration
In Drown, a collection of short stories, author Junot Diaz presents readers with an impoverished group of characters through harsh, but vivid language. Through the voice of Yunior, the narrator throughout the majority of the stories, Diaz places the blame for Yunior’s negativity and rebellious nature on the disappointment caused by his father and the childhood illusion of America. Diaz, through language and symbolism, forces readers into an emotional bond with Yunior while exposing the illusory nature of the American dream. Although intertwined with each story, "Fiesta, 1980" allows for a more concise discussion of Diaz’s purpose.
Diaz’s language, even at first glance, appears ...
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aware of Yunior’s culture and homeland, attempting to stop the "stifling" effect America often has on immigrants’ cultures. Also, Yunior’s rejection of the norms of English writing, evident in the phrases "got themselves" and "nothing to nobody" in the above quote, gives his narratives a certain rebellious quality. Not only does he rebel against America’s tendency to smother cultural values but rebelling against American rules in general, even the rules of grammar. Diaz continues his grammatical attack on the United States’ rules with his lack of quotation marks:
Papi pulled me to my feet by my ear.
If you throw up-
I wont I cried, tears in my eyes…
Ya, Ramon, ya. It’s not his fault, Mami said.
All of the conversations are printed in the manner above, without any quotation marks and sometimes even a new paragraph to indicate another speaker. Diaz successfully attacks the United States in Yunior’s defense, but through language style rather than ...
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simultaneously with Yunior. The reader suffers a let down in discovering Yunior’s unhappiness. Diaz creates the effect with language to contrast the reader’s disappointment with Yunior’s.
Once again regarding Diaz’s language style, vulgarity and blatant phrases as well as cultural references add to the power of the story:
He was looking at her like she was the last piece of chicken on earth. (Drown, 36)
The word choice often takes the reader by surprise, as it most likely did in the above quote. However blunt, Diaz creates a vivid picture. The wording, strong and punchy, reflects the difficult situation in which the family must live. Vulgarity has the same effect:
It’s the only pussy ...
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Drown: A Consideration. (2005, December 14). Retrieved November 23, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Drown-A-Consideration/37980
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"Drown: A Consideration." Essayworld.com. December 14, 2005. Accessed November 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Drown-A-Consideration/37980.
"Drown: A Consideration." Essayworld.com. December 14, 2005. Accessed November 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Drown-A-Consideration/37980.
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