Growing Up

Relevance to AP Lang

Background

-Russell Baker was born on August 14, 1925 in Morrisonville, Virginia.

-His father passed away of diabetes when Baker was only five years old, leaving Lucy, Baker's mother, to give up her youngest child and to continue her life with two children to support.

-After his father passed, Baker moved to New Jersey and then to Baltimore.

-He experienced the hardships of both the Depression and World War II.

-Baker graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a degree in English literature.

Baker’s style is key in informing his audience of the lifestyle he has had. The several different stylistic elements- imagery, syntax, diction, similes, repetition- create an opinion with storng support for each story. In AP Language, we are taught to examine and write several essays, all composed of advanced language. Baker’s style helps show the effects of language on a piece, and that is relevant to this course because it teaches us to see the importance of rhetorical devices used to support examples.

Imagery

Stylistic Elements

“Aunt Pat, Uncle Allen, Uncle Charlie, and Doris were sitting in the parlor, and my mother was at the piano wearing her dark suit and a small dark hat with a little veil that fell over her eyes, and she was playing ‘Rock of Ages.’” (page 173)

Similes

Repetition

"Reports from Brunswick had it that Uncle Tom and Aunt Goldie treated Audrey like a princess, dressed her in clothes from the finest stores in Washington, kept her perpetually scrubbed and so thoroughly combed that she dazzled the eyes." (page 185)

"Though most of my childhood there had always been war. War in Ethipoia. War in Spain. War in China. Dimly, I had been aware through all those years that worlds were burning, but they seemed far away." (page 248)

"I was like a person on a summer night seeing heat lightning far out on the horizon and murmuring, 'Must be a bad storm way over there someplace.'" (page 248)

Quotes

Diction

Varying Sentence Structure

-imagery

-repetition

-varying sentence syntax

-simple, descriptive diction

-similies

"This wasn't easy, for Doris was at the age in which her favorite pastime was playing with mud. Aunt Sister had nicknamed her "Dirty" The day of Audrey's visit, they soaked Doris in a tub, washed her hair, swabbed out her ears, and scoured out under her fingernails." (page 185)

"I had gone down from New York To Baltimore, where she lived, for one of my infrequent visits and, afterwords, had written her with some banal advice to look for the silver lining, to count her blessings instead of burdening others with her miseries. I suppose what it really amounted to was a threat that if she was not more cheerful during my visits I would not come to see her very often. Sons are capable of such letters." (page 11)

Original Text

My Imitation

"Now and then I could make out a distinct phrase or two. “Lucy, remember the time old Mr. Digges…?” This was Uncle Charlie addressing my mother. “-reminds me of the time the cops arrested Jim over in Jersey City.” This was Uncle Allen retelling a story I’d heard many times. Uncle Hal’s mellow drawl would come in: “-so I didn’t do a thing but tell that dirty scoundrel, ‘Man, don’t you ever try-‘” And I would drop off to sleep again, lulled by the comforting familiarity of those kitchen sounds." (page 147-148)

Now and then I could make out a disticnt story or two. “Liesl, remember the time old Baroness Schraeder…?” This was Fredrich addressing my sister. “-reminds me of the time the abbey dismissed us over in Salzburg.” This was Brigitta retelling a story I’d remembered many times. Kurt’s loud opinion would come in: “-so I didn’t do a thing but tell that sweet nun, ‘Miss, will you please try-‘” And I would drop off to sleep again, lulled by the comforting familiarity of those morning sounds.

Kristen Burch

Period 3

Growing Up

by Russell Baker

Video

“The only thing I was fit for was to be a writer, and this notion rested solely on my suspicion that I would never be fit for real work, and that writing didn't require any.”

-Russell Baker