Use the passage from Sharon Draper's Out of My Mind below to answer questions 1 and 2.
Words have always swirled around me like snowflakes - each one delicate and different, each one melting untouched in my hands. Deep within me, words pile up in huge drifts. Mountains of phrases and sentences and connected ideas. Clever expressions. Jokes. Love songs.
From the time I was really little - maybe just a few months old - words were like sweet, liquid gifts, and I drank them like lemonade. I could almost taste them. They made my jumbled thoughts and feelings have substance.
My parents always blanketed me with conversation. They chattered and babbled. They verbalized and vocalized. My father sang to me. My mother whispered strength into my ear. Every word my parents spoke to me or about me I absorbed and kept and remembered.
Write a RARE response in which you explain how the author's word choice impacts the tone.
What can you tell about how the narrator feels about words?
(4 points)
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In this passage, the author's word choice impacts the tone by conveying a sense of wonder and appreciation towards words. Phrases like "Words have always swirled around me like snowflakes" and "Words were like sweet, liquid gifts" create a whimsical and almost magical feeling, suggesting that the narrator sees words as something precious and beautiful. The use of phrases like "deep within me, words pile up in huge drifts" and "words were like lemonade" conveys a sense of abundance and richness, indicating that the narrator values and cherishes the power of words.
From the passage, it is clear that the narrator feels a deep connection and love for words. They describe words as delicate, different, and precious, indicating a sense of admiration and reverence. The narrator mentions how words made their thoughts and feelings have substance, highlighting the importance of words in their life. The references to the parents' constant conversations and singing further emphasize the significance of words in the narrator's world. Overall, the narrator feels a deep appreciation and fondness for words, seeing them as gifts that have shaped their existence.