Text C, as a poem, should have more emphasis on emotion than the other two, and as a poem the techniques used to evoke emotions should be different. The most prominent emotion from this Text C as it reads to me is anger, the insinuations about the missionaries in China who “reveled in the cracking of the maidens bones”, this horrific depiction is almost a sadistic act by the missionaries and the simple use of “godly” as a juxtaposition only serves to emphasize the almost loathing hatred Beer evokes for her audience through her use of language.
Moving from emotions to the different authors attitudes and values that can be seen through these pieces, all three pieces have a sarcastic tone to them Text A has an almost sexually sarcastic trait “…shrunk to a second skin, leaving nothing to the imagination” that may, without psychoanalyzing the author may suggest a sexual side to her humor. The almost feminine tone to the authors writing is created by the conveyance of their values, “Unfortunately, despite their good intentions, both men have missed the point.” this almost condescending quip towards men is the prelude to “Its not just women who have suffered for fashion”, these two quotes also emphasise the former quote “leaving nothing to the imagination” another female orientated quote. However the gender of the author is not essential to understanding the values portrayed, there is a certain light-heartedness to the piece and the italicization of “meant” is almost condescending towards Baby Spice, the victim of fashion, the author is also playful with the final quote “Real fashion – agony, my pet, but always worth it”.
The value system in Text B is much more somber and more offensively sarcastic to society, as would befit the focus on the subject matter, it is important to note that this piece is an autobiography and therefore is meant to show her feelings more than create an interesting piece simply to read. Chang uses a semantic field in the forth paragraph of disapproval, using such intended diction as; “insulting”, “disdain”, contempt” and “shame” however she uses context, “In those days” and adds her own comment about feet larger than ten and a half inches – “meaning normal feet”. Chang uses this juxtaposition of such strong diction with subtle yet effective comments of her own to express her opinion of this practice and with the reaction it evoked within the society.
Another far cry from the jovial approach that Text A adopts is Text C, in fact this Text seems to represent a number of opinions, Beer seems to express disgust, as Chang does, in her first stanza but then in her second proposes two view points as if from another person, it is almost as if Beer is torn between the elegance of having such small feet and the “approval” they would bring, and the fact that it is such a barbaric practice. The image of “gold and angry colors” is almost used a microcosm for her feelings and maybe the feelings of society, considering Chang’s statement of the mothers untying the bonds. The most powerful part of the poem to illustrate this point is the final line, the antipathetic effect that this has is not only the work of careful structure but serves the audience with a taste of her somewhat confused value system, “An aim the missionaries did not mention”, this flat almost missable statement, represents the conflict that it apparent within the poem as a whole.
The structure of these pieces as relevant to their authorial intention is also important, as previously mentioned Text A is fast paced and flits from example to example, intention in this piece is to create an interesting article that will keep audience attention, therefore it is fitting that “Simply to die for” should have many short sentences “And the West has not been far behind.” or clauses “: legend claims birds even nested there.” Text A also noticeable uses many short paragraphs, a journalists technique to create the illusion of a smaller text, short paragraphs also make the reader feel as though they are not ploughing through a mountainous work, therefore sustaining interest through the use of structure.
Text B also uses structure to influence the audience, Chang uses short sentences for impact rather than to simply sustain interest, most notably she uses “For years my grandmother lived in relentless pain.” as a single direct statement, it also reinforces the syntax of the previous paragraph where “pain” is left to the very last word as a way of stamping this word in the audiences mind, this is also the case with the last paragraph, “torment” being the operative word. The last paragraph as well as being similar to the short sentences in Text A is almost identical in structural value, as regards emphasis on authorial intention as the final stanza of Text C.
Both Text B and C leave their ultimate judgments of the practice until the very end, Chang makes it quite clear that she would not have wanted her feet bound while Beer although ambiguous in her judgment does leave her “conclusion” until last. Both writers have used this technique to create a final impact on the audience, a final attempt to convey their viewpoints, which given the genre of the pieces is their intention.
Finally the use in all three pieces of phonological features to influence their audience and achieve their authorial intentions. Alliteration is a common feature of all three texts, “flames fanned into a fury” provides Text A’s author with an onomatopoeic clause artfully describing the terror of crinoline fires, using both alliteration and rhythm to add authenticity to the example. Text B’s “Slender figure and sloping shoulders” makes use of assonance to give beauty to Chang's grandmother, this is then later used as a weapon against her targeted society, making the audience feel anger for this small grandmother who although “bursting with suppressed energy” was unable to form properly, a tragic tale is doubtless created through Chang’s use of this technique. Text C, “handsome”, “hard” and “heavy” form the example of alliteration, the authorial intent is to express her opinion and evoke emotions, this piece of alliteration with conflicting choices of lexis serve to illustrate her ambiguous feelings about the practice Chang so openly condemns.
