Venetian Prose Analysis For Commentary

Commentary Analysis of Venice.
This extract from Venice opens with an introduction to the Venetians and the sickly intensity with which they love their children. The passage seems to follow the writers opinions of Venetian families and their appearance, as well as their everyday lives in the inescapably urban city. It explores the actions of the Venetian mothers and children and how their demeanor of happiness seems forced, despite their colorful surroundings. Jan Morris employs articulate vocabulary, such as use of descriptive adjectives and rich imagery to create a detailed scene and a rather oppressive atmosphere, conveyed by the slightly negative tone. The first sentence of the extract focuses the paragraph on the Venetians and their relations with their children. They are said to love their children with a sickly intensity, which conveys a slightly suffocating image and actually opposes the statement the Venetians love their children, creating irony and a mocking tone. The Venetian fathers have unashamed delight towards their children, which emphasizes their pride and joy due to the use of two positive descriptive words. Morris then uses alliteration to emphasize the intensity of the Venetian mothers love as they show signs of instant cardiac crisis if their child ventures near water, and also adds a mocking tone, the writer seems to think the Venetians are overreacting. The writer then moves on to describe the children, when again a ridiculing tone is suggested as she describes them as ludicrously dressed. The use of tautology in the minutest little baby girls emphasizes how fragile and delicate the children are, and this is continued when she states that even the most pallid, serious children wear lace-embroidered drawers. It also emphasizes how exquisitely the children are dressed for informal occasions. The same waxen children are described as being lapped in tinsel tawdry which makes them seem overdressed and flamboyant by likening them to decorated Christmas trees. The next paragraph contains descriptions of the inescapably urban city in which the Venetians live in. The oppressive atmosphere created by the parents love for their children is continued in the details of the city, where parks are only found in the distance and children are lucky to have gardens. The children that do not rely on their parents to take them to play are described as blithe but pathetic and this oxymoron illustrates that these children who seem to have more freedom are joyous, yet still rather pitiful. The description of the city as having hot dry squares and dripping alleyways again
emphasizes the oppressing, negative atmosphere and gives us an unappealing impression of the city, which is reflected by the smothering image of the Venetian mothers and children. These urchins play seeming simple games, yet create so many rules that it becomes complex for others to understand, depicting how almost everything Venetian appears to be exaggerated and detailed, which is reflected in Morris descriptions of not only the city but the people and their appearances too. The Venetian schools present a paradoxical situation, as although they are lavishly staffed and heavily decorated with pot plants, there is a feeling of emptiness and gloom as the schools have no playing fields or yards and occupy tall, dark, overheated buildings. The writer emphasizes this bland, dull atmosphere by the alliteration of the blank brown desks. The childrens lack of freedom is also emphasized as when they do have the opportunity to play outside, they celebrate midmorning break by remaining inside. The use of the word celebrate creates a mocking tone, as it contradictory to how the Venetian children actually spend their break time. The oppressive, looming atmosphere is lifted somewhat when school is over as the children are taken for a breath of air along the quayside. Despite this freedom, the children still appear restrained and somewhat doll-like as they are described as being dauntingly spotless, and this image is continued when they are said to stroll sedately along, which is unusual behaviour for young children and demonstrates how repressed and tranquil they are. The writer then goes on to describe the fair that is present during winter, which creates more of a joyous atmosphere, as our connotations of fairs are those of merriment and delight. However, there is still a lack of freedom and joy from the children, as all the apparatus of gaiety is there yet the writer explains how she has always felt pathos there as the children seem to be so restrained and forced into enjoying themselves. This reflects the image created previously, that the children have little freedom to express their emotions without provocation. This negative opinion is explored further as the Venetians work their children very hard and the children are load[ed] with work, to uphold the family honour or enter university. This again makes the parents appear controlling and suffocating, and the children seem over-worked and repressed. A tone of pity is also conveyed, which demonstrates how saddening the writer finds this, and this is also reflected in how she describes the little Venetians as acting older than they are being frighteningly
well-informed. The use of the adverb frighteningly displays how worrying the childrens controlled and forced actions are, which reflects how their behaviour is described at the fair. The last two sentences of the passage have a similar effect to that of a caesura, as it appears as a slightly sudden change of thought. It is used as an example to demonstrate just how hard the well-informed children work, as an eight year old copied inscriptions from the walls of a palace that he was inspecting. The use of parenthesis detailing how he then went on to write the history of the world not only demonstrates again how hard working the Venetians are, but also conveys a sarcastic and rather dismissive tone, as this is an admirable achievement, yet is merely mentioned as an afterthought. This extract from Venice contains rich descriptions of its people and places, and an oppressive atmosphere is created particularly through the descriptions of the controlling Venetian parents and the seemingly unpleasant city. Due to the writers sarcastic tone, the piece can be seen as satirical irony as the Venetians are subtly mocked throughout the extract.
Sam + Emma 1036 words.

Venetian Prose Analysis For Commentary

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Commentary Analysis of Venice.

Sam + Emma 1036 words.

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