Language

The language of the story plays a very important role in Push by Sapphire, especially because of the way the author uses it to support her characterization of Precious. 

This can be seen in the style of language, which is generally very informal to reflect Precious’ lower class background and limited education. However, the story also shows how Precious’ language develops as the lessons of her reading class take effect.

The story also contains a number of literary devices that help support the narrative. Just like the general style of language, these devices also end up supporting the characterization of Precious, because they reflect her poetic imagination and unique way of viewing the world. Humor is an especially important device here, because it helps counteract the very dark elements of the book and make it more bearable to read. 

You can read much more about the language features of the novel in the following sections.