Prose Analysis of 'Venice'

The writer sets this passage in Venice, a place which has several restrictions and limitations geographically. This helps him portray the unnatural lives of the children out there.  Maybe he thought that the limitations of mobility might help show the unnatural side of the kids. This sense of restriction further contributes towards establishing the atmosphere of the extract. The setting has allowed the writer to create as atmosphere full of dullness. It can undoubtedly be said that there is an underlying feeling of negativity in the passage. The limitations on the children further interfere with their mood. It has made them somewhat lethargic and lazy. As a result they lack that childlike energy. It can be inferred, without much doubt that their lives have surely stagnated. By creating such an atmosphere and by using such a negative tone the writer creates a picture of Venice in the minds of the readers. We are able to view it as a place where there are many boundaries and limitations. People don’t have the freedom to do as per they wish. In fact they are forced by situations to behave in a particular manner. For instance the children used to remain neat throughout the day simply because of the scarcity of the parks to play.

This passage mainly deals with the Venetian families. It gives us an insight into their lives. It puts across the benefits and also points out the drawbacks of living in Venice. The writer says that the Venetian parents love their children immensely but actually don’t pamper them out of their love. ‘Sickly intensity’ and ‘instant cardiac crisis’ are some words used by the writer to exemplify this feeling. In fact they force them to work very hard. The children are overburdened with studies at very small ages. As a result they are much more mature than any other normal kid would be at that age. The phrase ‘frighteningly well informed’ helps denote this fact. Venice further does not allow them to play that much as there are literally no parks to play or they are very far off to go to frequently. These are the main reasons why the writer feels that their lives are highly unnatural. These things urge him to make use of a negative mournful tone throughout the passage.

While reading the extract the reader can literally feel the limitations of the city. This sense of restriction is coupled with claustrophobia. The writer makes use of words like, ‘inescapably urban’ and ‘distant’ to exemplify this thought. With the use of these words the writer makes the reader feel as if they themselves are jammed. The word ‘distant’ denotes the fact that the parks are really far away and also helps reiterate the strong feeling of the limitation in the city. We as readers straight away realize the fact that the writer is being critical of the city of Venice. Throughout the passage the writer remains dismal and mournful. The words like ‘lugubriously’ and ‘sickly’ help convey this feeling.  With the use of such words the reader understands the writer’s attitude towards the Venetian families. The writer is amazed and at the same time also sad at the way the Venetians lead their lives. He likes everything about Venice other than the fact that children out there don’t get chances to feel the true essence of their age. They are unable to go to parks due to the geographic location of the place. Due to this immobility the writer calls them unusual.

In addition to all of this the reader also learns a lot about the writer from this passage. The reader instantly realizes that he likes writing memoirs of the places he has visited. Not only this, we also come to know that he is a lively kind of a person. He believes that sports are a very essential aspect of our lives. This can be said as he criticizes the city of Venice for not having sufficient number of parks. He also believes that children in their youthful days should enjoy life to the most. He further appreciates the Venetian parents for loving their kids immensely.

Thus to conclude this passage quite clearly mirrors the lifestyles of Venetian families. It gives the reader an insight into it and also portrays the plus points and drawbacks of living in this city. The passage mostly talks about the children residing in Venice. It can be said that in comparison to other kids of their age they are quite unusual and unnatural. This is so mainly because of the limitations of the city in which they live. Due to a shortage of parks they do not get an opportunity to go to parks that frequently. This has affected their overall development. Because they are indoors most of the time they have actually become lethargic and lazy. They no longer have that childlike energy and enthusiasm. And this is the main reason why the writer is being critical of the city as it has undoubtedly ruined the children’s sporty days.