young and dyslexic? you got it going on

Question 1

line 2 & 85: “We are the architects, we are the designers. … We are the architects, we are the designers.”

Answer 1

• cyclical writing:
  repetition in beginning and end. At the start he’s convincing himself but at the end he’s preaching to others = personal growth
• pronoun:
  “WE” shows unity - as a child he felt isolated, but now he’s a part of the dyslexic community
• anaphora:
  “WE ARE” makes it sound definite and emphasises his point

Question 2

line 4-5: “no compassion, no understanding and no humanity.”

Answer 2

• power of 3 & repetition:
  “NO” to emphasise how harsh it was and how little respect and care there was for dyslexic kids in the education system at the time

Question 3

line 7-8: “…the past is a different kind of country.”

Answer 3

• present tense:
  “IS” makes the reader feel more involved as of they’re looking back on the past with him - more personal
• metaphor:
  to emphasise the change because from now the “PAST” seems so different it is like a different place. emphasises the progress

Question 4

line 15-32: ““Shut up, stupid boy. … “local savages” … “How dare you challenge me?” … We can’t all be intelligent, but you’ll end up being a good sportsperson … He could say that in the classroom.”

Answer 4

• sibilance:
  “SHUT UP STUPID BOY” adds a harsh tone - shocking start to para. and shock to reader
• anecdotes:
  > Lets the audience on on his character and to see how his experiences shaped him as a person and how he learns from the experiences/relates them to his story and man point - reader is more involved - to see how the past has an affect on the present
  > includes different topics to shock the reader e.g. racism, aggression, stereotyping from teachers who are meant to lift kids up
• structure:
  all the bad things are listed consecutively in 3 paras. so they pile up and highlight the bad treatment in the school

Question 5

line 27 & 52: “… could ask a mate … and i was like …”

Answer 5

• colloquialism:
  informal and modern language, allows the reader to further understand his viewpoint and personality but also makes them feel more involved - more personal like a conversation

Question 6

line 35: “Being observant helped me make the right choices”

Answer 6

• verb:
  “HELPED” contrasts all his negative experiences of being put down and shows his maturity at a young age - how dyslexia helped him get further in life

Question 7

line 37-40: “If you look at the statistics, I should be in prison: a black man brought up on the wrong side of town whose family fell apart, in trouble with the police when I was a kid, unable to read and write, with no qualifications and, on top of that, dyslexic.”

Answer 7

• colon:
  indicates a v. long list to emphasise all the negatives in his life and the final comma gives a natural pause to emphasise the word “DYSLEXIC”

Question 8

line 47: “I just had self-belief”

Answer 8

• adverb
  “JUST” emphasised the fact that he only needs one thing, therefore teaches the reader how to behave in that situation

Question 9

line 55: “I wrote more poetry, novels for teenagers, plays, other books and recorded music.”

Answer 9

• list:
  long list of positives to contrast the negatives and show the quality of his achievements and how he always looked to help other even though he got no help himself, emphasises the hope for dyslexics

Question 10

line 64-65: “… if you don’t have passion, creativity, individuality, there’s no point.”

Answer 10

• power of 3:
  positive to contrast the negative of “NO POINT” to emphasis the key aspects are the positive qualities

Question 11

line 57-60: “How do I … When I look … I see …”

Answer 11

• personal pronouns:
  we understand more about him and we relate more and the reader feels more involved a we can see his process and understand it

Question 12

line 70-71: “If someone can’t understand dyslexia it’s their problem. In the same way, if someone oppresses me because of my race I don’t sit down and think, “How can I become white?” It’s not my problem, it’s theirs and they are the ones who have to come to terms with it.”

Answer 12

• comparison:
  compares “DYSLEXIA” and “RACE” relates it to a more wide spread issue so more of an audience can relate and understand his viewpoint, shows his care as he doesn’t prejudice those who judge him

Question 13

line 73-74: “it’s not you.”

Answer 13

• monosyllabic sentence:
  clear, powerful, impactful on reader and sounds like good advice - really stands out
• personal pronoun:
  “YOU” makes reader involved

Question 14

line 79: “ So don’t be heavy on yourself.”

Answer 14

• imperative & colloquial statement:
  sounds commanding but is really good advice,and being commanding to be helpful

Question 15

line 80-81: “ Dyslexia is not a measure of intelligence: you may have a genius on your hands. Having dyslexia can make you creative. “

Answer 15

• positive language:
  puts dyslexia in a positive light and shows how it can benefit you

Question 16

line 87-88: ““Bloody non-dyslexics … who do they think they are?””

Answer 16

• rhetorical question:
  makes the reader think about the situation from a new perspective/viewpoint , last thing is impactful and gives the reader an ironic sentence to remember, as the rest of the article outlines how dyslexics struggle