What kind of language does the author use? Is it formal or casual, technical or personal, funny or serious, simple or complicated? INFER the author's reasoning behind this style of writing.
"Sometimes questions came, making allusions to history. That was another aspect of the identity. Events that had happened quite apart from the me who stood silent in that moment connected my face with an incomprehensible past. “Your parents were in California? Were they in those camps during the war?” And sometimes there were phrases or nicknames: “Lotus Blossom.” I was sometimes addressed or referred to as racially Japanese, sometimes as Japanese American, and sometimes as an Asian woman. Confusions and distortions abounded."
Sample Answer
The Language Characteristics
Formal and Serious: The author uses sophisticated vocabulary (e.g., "allusions," "incomprehensible," "abounded") and a reflective tone. There is no humor or casual slang; the subject matter—identity and racial stereotyping—is treated with the weight it deserves.
Technical yet Personal: While the writing is a personal narrative ("the me who stood silent"), it utilizes the "technical" language of sociology and identity politics. Terms like "identity," "racially Japanese," and "Japanese American" are used precisely to categorize the different ways the world perceives her.
Simple Sentence Structure vs. Complicated Concepts: While individual sentences are relatively easy to follow, the concepts—such as the disconnect between one’s physical face and a historical past one didn't personally live through—are complex and philosophical.