Oregon Journal | Analysis

This study guide will help you analyze the text “Oregon Journal” by Vittwia Mickelson. The text is found in World of English, p. 177. We will show you examples of elements in the text that will be relevant for your analysis. In these notes, we will focus on structure, sender and receiver, theme and message, characteristics of the text and perspectives.

Presentation of the text

Title: “Oregon Journal”
Author: Vittwia Mickelson
Published in: Oregon Journal
Date of Publication: 1924
Genre: Article/autobiography

Vittwia Mickelson (1841 – ?) was a traveling correspondent for various newspapers in the United States for most of her life.

Topic of the text

The topic addressed by the text is the travel of the American settlers from the east to the west. The text focuses on the aftermath of the Oregon Trail, which led farmers to Oregon and California to begin a new life.

Further help

Do you want additional help with analysis of non-fiction? See our general guide to non-fiction analysis.

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Rhetorical devices

In general, Vittwia Mickelson uses simple, straight-forward language to describe her experiences. However, to make her point of view clearer and more vivid for the readers, she occasionally makes use of a number of rhetorical devices.

For example, she employs the following simile to show that the memory of the past is not lost on her: “What I saw as a nurse is as vivid today as if it had happened last week…” (p. 118, ll. 23-24).