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Debra Marquart's Syntax In The Horizontal World

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Charlie Chaplin once said, “I don't think the real America is in New York or on the Pacific Coast; personally, I like the Middle West much better, places like North and South Dakota, Minneapolis and Saint Paul. There, I think, are the true Americans.” Debra Marquart distinguishes this so-called ‘true America’ in her 2006 memoir titled The Horizontal World. This memoir is a detailed account of her childhood in the Midwest. In an excerpt from The Horizontal World, Debra Marquart utilizes syntax, diction, and imagery to characterize the Midwest. First, to make comparisons that enhance the audience’s understanding, the author employs powerful syntax. The first notable use of the Marquart’s syntax is when she juxtapositions the Midwest to coastal hubs. This is demonstrated in the following quotation: “Being blond, fresh-faced, and midwestern makes their descent …show more content…

When Marquart utilizes this imagery, she allows her audience to experience a trip through the Midwest, not only read about. Imagery is captured in the following quoatation: “Driving west from Fargo on I–94, the freeway that cuts through the state of North Dakota, you’ll encounter a road so lonely, treeless, and devoid of rises and curves in places that it will feel like one long- held pedal steel guitar note.” This allows readers, who have never stepped foot in the Midwest, to feel as if they personally have driven on the desolate interstate. The author also employs imagery to explain the grid system and why it did not work outside of the Midwest. The grid is explained when Marquart writes, “…the neatness of the grid was foiled by steep valleys, rivers, foothills, and mountains…” In that quotation, imagery describes the conditions in which the grid system, used to outline the Midwest states, does not work. In conclusion, imagery adds to the audience's overall understanding of content, in this case the

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