young and dyslexic

Question 1

Inclusive pronouns and anapohora?

Answer 1

• employs inclusive pronouns to foster sense of collective identity and solidarity
• more than a linguistic choice — rhetorical strategy designed to collapse distance between speaker and audience
• anaphora - mnemonic device - “We are” creates emotional proximity with reader

Question 2

Motivational lexis?

Answer 2

• “You’ve got it going on” - colloquial and affirming - frames dyslexia as a strength
• final line “Bloody non-dyslexics… who do they think they are?” - humorous and rebellious - empowering - shifts power dynamic

Question 3

Juxtaposition?

Answer 3

• first sentence - immediate serious tone - juxtaposes his painful school experiences with his later success and empowerment
• allows Zephaniah to challenge assumptions about dyslexia - by placing hardship beside success - reframes condition not as a deficit - source of unique power

Question 4

Shift in Tone

Answer 4

• narrative shifts from autobiography to direct address
• structural pivot ejects struggles of past to promise of bright future of readers - from a personal anecdote into a motivational message