In this essay i will talk about how Ron Suskind uses language devices to make Cedric’s education and life seem difficult. I will do so by comparing quotes from part 1 and part 2 and explaining what kind of language devices and techniques that have been used .The story is about a boy called Cedric who grew up in poverty. He attends a school called Ballou High which is known to be one of the most dangerous schools in Cedric’s neighborhood. While studying in Ballou High,he surpasses all of his students and still studies hard and strains to get the best possible grade to endeavor his dream to go to Massachusetts Institute of Technology . One of the most successful universities in America . Throughout his life in Ballou high he receives abuse from other students and also struggles with his work, although he surpasses all of the pupils in his school he still struggles to keep up. it’s not long when he realizes that he is one of the lowest students in the entire university . Suskind uses various amounts of language devices that may suggest that it was extremely difficult for Cedric to get a good education .
The first quote is in part 1,The quote ” This city’s most crime-infested ward” suggest how Suskind is describing how Cedric education is difficult with crime around him. The quote suggests that it is a metaphor,the word ‘ infested’ suggest that there is lots of crime and Cedric is sometimes the main victim. Cedric has to risk his life for a simple education, there is also lots of seduction that Cedric has to face. The seduction of doing crime and harming his future and his destiny of what he wants to be. The reason crime exist in Ballou high is because Cedric lives in poverty , studies show that areas that are affected from poverty have more crime.The crime also interferes with Cedric’s education,from abusing him or stopping him to endeavor in his education.The city is a melting pot for crime and racism.
The second language technique that Suskind uses is a metaphor.The quote ” The arduous odyssey ” is located in part one and explains the long and back-breaking journey Cedric has to has to face for his education. The word arduous suggests that its requires strenuous effort.The word odyssey defines as a Greek myth . Suskind refers Cedric as Odysseus which has to face monsters alone , this refers that Cedric has to face bullying,crime,poverty and his teachers to have a better education alone . He has no friends to help him and fight his fears and problem. The whirlpool in the Greek myth represents all of Cedric’s challenges,fears,bullying and his education sucking him inside the whirlpool. Each time someone cause him harm or thinks about his education the whirlpool sucks him inside deeper and deeper until he drowns . This represents failure or giving up,Cedric’s life is like a roller coaster there’s ups and downs and turns .
Another example is ” Failure is persuasive here, even seductive ” the quote suggests that it is a Personification. The quote tells that Cedric has to face people persuading him to failure , It also suggest that in Cedric’s school lots of students fail, even smart kids that try and put effort is sometimes persuaded to fail. In Ballou high people also seduce people to fail and be the people in the sideline. Failure is super common in Ballou high .Some students who try to succeed , fail. This quote links up with Cedric education is because he is one of the people in his school that cares about education, many have given up now there trying to take Cedric down. This makes Cedric education more difficult. In contrast in M.I.T its the opposite , student are willing to learn. The reason i know that this quote is a personification is because of how the word failure cannot really be persuasive or seductive, as it isn’t a person. A personification means the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something non-human. The word ‘ persuasive ‘in the quote suggest that failing subjects is easy accomplish. Also the word seductive suggest that failing is tempting.
There are many reasons why M.I.T is different than Ballou High in Cedric ‘s perspective. One of the main reason is because Cedric was born in a poor area with black people, he is used to Ballou High because it is a black school but when he is transferred from Ballou high to M.I.T it wasn’t what he expected.The quote ” Being a minority and high achiever means you have to carry extra baggage” The quote explains that Cedric has to work extra hard to keep up with other student,unlike M.I.T Cedric was the top student in Ballou high but the school had no equipment to keep him studying , as Ballou high is a poor school. On the other hand M.I.T was a university with white and mixed people, the quote that links with this is ” carry extra baggage ” this mean that Cedric has to carry the baggage of being black around a white mans university.The extra baggage is heavy and painful to carry round. Cedric can not handle the extra baggage . Students that have been in M.I.T for a long time have no extra baggage because they lots of experience in M.I.T,
for these reason Cedric finds his education difficult. In a realistic perceptive the extra baggage represents that Cedric needs to have more equipment to revise,to catch his rivals. This adds stress to Cedric until Cedric collapse and fails also the word extra in this quote suggest that he needs to bring more than who he is, to show he can achieve well .
Another example of Suskind language device quote is” i tell him those people on the sideline are already out of the race” this metaphor suggest that the people who have failed, evolved in crime are out of the race being successful in life. this indicates that if Cedric keeps going and working hard he won’t be the people on the sideline. The quote also suggest that Cedric has to face lots of competitors like in a race. The word those people in the quote represents the students who have failed there education in the past or will in the present.This also represent that the people on the sideline are spectators of Cedric’s race .This means that they might be jealous or inspired by his achievement, the word sideline means the long side that cover the football pitch. This represents the people spectating Cedric race. The word race suggest that Cedric has many competitors during the race , thus Cedric has to push him self to his limit to excel his other competitors. The most obvious point in the quote is that cedric is in a race with his education.
Another quote that shows M.I.T is hard for Cedric is the quote ” the hours that he begged for from his teachers, the years focusing so single mindlessly on school that he didn’t even have friend.”This quote explains that cedric does carry that extra baggage, but becuase of that he had to make a sacrifice, of which caused him to lose his friends. Cedric has been working extra to stay ahead that he lost friends .The word begged in this quote suggest that he needs his extra work to catch up with other pupils and that he is really desperate to get his extra work.
Another quote i will use is a metaphor ” But where i started form is far behind where the other kids are,i have to run the distance. This indicates that how Cedric tells the reader about the his education and life.Cedric compares his education as a race and he has to run a certain amount of a distance to be the top student.Even though Cedric had to revise , read books and work through hundreds of work he still finds it challenging.Cedric never had this opportunity in Ballou high becuase it was a poor school and none educational,thus Cedric missed out on his education and now has no knowledge for M.I.T.
Another quote i will also use ” that being a smart minority kid is the most normal thing to be ” This quote was said by WillIam Ramsey , administrative director of M.I.T ,this suggest that you can not be a smart rich kid or be smarter than a priority student . M.I.T is a mixed university with a lot of minority students and a few priority,thus this means that a smart minority student is normal for M.I.T because a smart priority student is rare.For this reason it is very hard to be a smart rich person if you live in a poor area and had no education in the past.
In conclusion I think that the most effective quote ” But where i started form is far behind where the other kids are, i have to run the distance.” this is because that he can to work harder to catch up to the other competitors and revise hundreds of work sheets,until his bone ache like in a race when you get tired.this is how Suskind uses language devices to make cedric education seem difficult.
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