The Quiet Ones
by Tim Kreider
This article by Tim Kreider is about Amtrak’s Quiet Car
and his disapproval of the people who don’t follow the protocols of the Quiet
Car. The Quiet Car is the Car on Amtrak
trains that requires everyone to be quiet so that people can focus on their
work or sleep. Kreider takes advantage
of this car often, but has encountered many people who aren’t so considerate of
the protocols. Through anecdotes and the
techniques of diction, syntax and details, Kreider shows his feelings towards
the people who seem incapable of remaining quiet and the overall trend of
things becoming louder.
When
talking about people who talk in the Quiet Car and the noise level in public
places, Kreider uses pejorative diction.
This helps to show his disdain for the rising noise levels. Kreider gives the example of the noisy Amtrak
rider who “commences prattling on her cell phone the instant she sits down.” The word “prattle” has a negative connotation
suggesting that the passenger’s talking is insignificant and unnecessary. Kreider also refers to the noise levels in
public places as an “imbecilic din.” The
word “imbecilic” implies foolishness and is usually an insult. By using pejorative diction when describing
noise levels and talking, Kreider helps to show his opinion on the noise levels
in public places.
Kreider
also uses figurative language to help prove his point. Kreider uses an analogy
to help show the importance of the Quiet Car and to show why he has such strong
opinions about keeping it quiet. He
compares the Quiet Car to a battleground, the last place where people who
appreciate the quiet can stand up for their opinions. Kreider describes the Quiet Car as “the
Thermopylae, the Masada, the Fort McHenry of quiet.” These three places he compares the Quiet Car
to are places of great battles in history, which helps emphasize the importance
of the Quiet Car. Another example of
figurative language is in one of Kreider’s his anecdotes. He compares a couple that wouldn’t stop
talking in the Quiet Car to “a grade-school cafeteria after the lunch monitor has
yelled for silence.” By comparing their
talking to something as childish as an elementary school cafeteria, Kreider
implies that the couple’s behavior on the train was childish. He also describes the talking to be “as
maddening as a dripping faucet at 3 a.m.”
This helps show Kreider’s disapproval of the couple’s talking on the
train.
The
details that Kreider includes in this article also help him convey his
message. When explaining how people are
louder, he mentions how people complain “at length and in detail about their
divorces or gallbladders.” This detail
shows how people now talk about anything, even something as irrelevant to other
people as your gallbladder. Kreider also
writes about the library and how they “now have music and special segregated
areas designated for ‘quiet study’”.
This detail helps him to show how noise levels have increased
significantly by showing how a place that is typically thought of as a silent
place now has constant noise and is only quiet in specific places. These details all help to show how the noise
levels are increasing and how Kreider doesn’t appreciate the increased noise
levels.
Through
his anecdotes and use of details, diction and syntax, Kreider effectively show
the reader his feelings towards people who talk in the Quiet Car. He also shows his feeling about the
importance of quiet and as a result, his frustration towards the increasing
noise levels in public places.
You did a nice job showing how the author uses pejorative diction in the first paragraph. One thing that I suggest would be to show how that specific word effects the sentece as a whole as opposed to another word, and then maybe give examples of other words that wouldn't that much of an impact. I think that would give the reader a better idea of how his word choice was significant and meaningful to the text.
ReplyDeleteI thought that the author comparing the Quiet Car to some great battles in history was an interesting and good example of figurative language. I also liked how you pointed out that one of the examples of figurative language was in one of the author's anedcotes. That goes beyond what we were supposed to look for, so good job!
You did a good job showing how the details he added show his disapproval of people talking on the Quiet Car. Overall you did a great job with this close reading!
This is an excellent essay! You did a great job showing how the author's use of pejorative diction showed his disdain for the people who don't follow the rules on the quiet car. In your paragraph about figurative language however you didn't do a very good job explaining your reasoning. You said that relating the quiet car to important battles showed the importance of quiet cars, however the reader will still be left confused as to how the quiet car is related to battles and why the author decided to relate the car to battles of all things. Was he trying to show that it is a battle to keep the car quiet? Or that there is a clashing of desires within the car? In general though I thought this was a great essay!
ReplyDeleteHey Natalie :) Sorry for responding so late, my computer is having issues. First of all, I really like your introduction - it seems like an introduction to an actual paper. Your thesis statement is really good, too. I liked how in diction, you mentioned how "prattle" had a negative connotation...I wouldn't have thought to do that. I think the only problem I have is that you mention "figurative" language, but that's the only type of language you talk about. Overall, though, it's an extremely good essay!
ReplyDelete