Structure

The short story “Another Language” by Craig Cliff is structured by following James, a boy from New Zealand, in his attempt to understand his grandfather.

The short story is structured into several episodes which alternate: some scenes and dialogues are to be seen at the grandparents’ house, others at school and a final scene takes place in James’ home.

“Another Language” follows, more or less, the traditional pattern of the structure called plot. The story has a beginning in which the main characters are presented; a rising action in which the boy tries to find out more about his grandfather’s condition; a climax in which the boy finds out the truth; a falling action in which the boy comes to terms with him being lied to; and a resolution which resembles more with an open ending.

Title

The title of the short story only partly reveals what the story is going to be about.

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Beginning

The beginning of the short story contains the exposition, which reveals who the main characters are, including the identity of the narrator:

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Middle

In an attempt to make the boy stop asking questions about him leaving Yugoslavia, the grandfather explains that he had to leave because of his stutter. This makes James even more curious and inquisitive, as Dedo mentions that he only stutters in Serbian:

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Ending

James’ father tries to make his son understand that Dedo did not lie to him on purpose, but because he wanted to protect him.

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