PLAN
1 - Tragedies he witnessed
2 - Role of war reporter
3 - Impact of smile
“a thousand hungry, lean, scared and betrayed faces”
listing emotive language = supposed impact
vague nature of thousand = casual tone, numb to horror
“It was rotting; she was rotting“
semantic field of decay + progressive pronoun = woman defined by wound + more horror
evokes pathos, helps suspense, exacerbates job
“like the craving for a drug”
autobiography = honesty of reporter
simile = unhealthy nature of journalist
cathartic, confesional tone of extract
“pity and revulsion. Yes, revulsion”
reputation + confesional yes = recognition of negative judgement of admission
honest tone, authors humanity + connection to reader
“how should I feel to be standing there so strong and confident”
juxtaposed to “weakened by hunger” = guilt by just doing job
conflicting emotions = struggles of his job
“a thousand… faces” “one” face he “will never forget”
contrast = subverts reader’s expectation, stressing their lack of impact compared to one face
intrigues reader - delaying reveal of story furthers intrigue + suspense throughout
“And then there was a face I will never forget”
continuing intrigue, building to climax
single sentence para = importance to him
“nameless friend” + “I owe you one”
concluding direct address = significance of man, piece was dedicated to him over the readers
paradoxical nature of “nameless friend” = duality of brevity of interaction yet impact of it.