Question 2 of Paper 1

    This short extract from Quoz: An American Mosey by William Least Heat-Moon is a part of a travel book. The point of view from which it is told from the first person, this can be seen through the use of ‘I’, ‘we’ and 'our’ as seen in the extract. Since the text is from a story it is going to be written in chronological order. Chronological order is a sequence of events that occur one after the other. Chronological orders are what tell a story. In the context of this story. It’s the scene of getting sandwiches or hoagies at a store.

    Along with the text being chronological order it can also be identified as a story because it holds one of the elements that makes up a story, the main character, conflict, and how that conflict could be resolved. The text is small and mainly informational details so the readers can’t find the conflict or problem. So to identify the text, the chronological order comes into play.

    The language of the story is told in a informal-ish fashion. What sets it in the middle are the types of words the author uses. There aren’t any big vocabulary words and in a fancy way, however at the same time there aren’t many slurs and conversation-like sentences besides the one time the narrator uses ‘you’. But the context of the sentence it is used in, it could either make it seem like the narrator is talking to the audience or is using it to solely use it to describe how the food bar in the back works.

    The words they use in the story are still proper words but that’s what was used in the time period the story was written. For example, hoagies is a word for sandwiches or subs. The place the narrator and wife visit is like an old style Subway. This can be seen from the quote, “... assemble lunch ingredients you select from a slant front glass case.”

    Another thing is the character themselves. The reader is able to get a good idea of the scenery from the text. The narrator gives details about the store, like “... one of the four wooden booths.” and “... a slant front glass case.” We also know the narrator is all in detail from the naming of all the ingredients on his hoagie. “... black pepper held in place with olive oil and vinegar.” In this quote he uses ‘held in place’ which adds to detail and imagery of the sandwich being made. Lastly we can see his interest in the town through his actions of taking the pamphlet and letting the daughter show them something on her laptop as they finished their sandwiches. And if it wasn’t his interest in the town, we can see that he is considerate and let the girl show them anyway instead of turning her down.

    As for the tone of the short, it’s hard to point out since most of the text is information about the setting, about the setting and a little on what’s happening. All the reader knows is that the man goes to a store to get a sandwich with his wife and is offered a pamphlet about the town and its history. So from what is given, the text has a tone of relaxation. The tempo of the text is slow and takes its time getting through all the details. The man walks in and enjoys a sandwich with his wife. Not much is happening during this scene besides eating and observing the sandwich bar. While someone is sitting down to eat, usually not much is running through their head and it’s a time to enjoy the food and rest. This is carried on into the rest of the text and can be seen because of it.