In the article “A Year Later” the author Kevin Cullen uses diction and descriptive details to illustrate how he believes we need to take action against bullying. He does this by selecting specific words that cause the reader to feel different emotions, choosing strong words to allow the reader to have a better understanding, and using descriptive words that cause the reader to feel negative emotions towards bullying.
An example of how the author uses diction to portray his perspective on the matter can be found where Cullen described Phoebe being “hounded to the grave” by her classmates (Cullen 1). The author uses the word “hounded” to portray the fact that she was being forced to kill herself from the pressure that the constant bullying caused. She couldn’t bear to spend another minute dealing with it, and therefore it was her peers who tormented her that forced her to her death. This word choice causes the reader to experience pity and melancholy for the victim, as well as anger and frustration towards those who “hounded” her. If Cullen refrained from using “hounded” to describe this situation and instead chose to only disclose that she killed herself, the reader wouldn’t receive as many strong emotions towards the circumstance because that phrase doesn’t say as much as the use of the word hounded does.
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The use of the word witness causes the reader to interpret the bully’s actions as a crime. If the author said that others saw the incident, the reader might not understand how serious the situation is and how much pain it causes the victims because it’s not as strong or significant of a