Language

Here, we take a look at Bernie McGill's use of langauge in his short story "No Angel".…

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General description of the language

The language of the short story is simple and easy to follow in the narrative passages. The dialogue passages mimic the colloquial way of talking of Irish people, including some typically Irish expressions which may sound strange to readers unaccustomed to this style of speaking: “ ‘Are you going to marry thawn boy?’ he said. Not so much as a ‘Hullo’.” (l. 47)

The language of the story mixes narr…

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Similes

Similes help the author convey images in a more creative way, through comparison. The simile “They looked like film stars” (l. 36) used to describe Annie’s parents in a photo shows the narrator’s fascination with her younger parents.

The simile “…they left him, lying on the road like a bag of rubbish” (ll. 63-64) helps desc…

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Metaphors

A few metaphors (implicit comparison) can also be identified in the text. The “umbilical iPod threading its way from her ear to her pocket” (l. 27) is a figurative expression which suggests iPods have become a natural extension for people, like the umbilical cord between mother and foetus. The met…