This passage was written by a 9th grader
Style
In The Landlady, by Roald Dahl, the author uses style and other techniques to bring the story to life. In the very first paragraph, Dahl uses figurative language to describe the setting of the story, “But the air was deadly cold and the wind was like a flat blade of ice on his cheeks.” In this sentence, not only does Dahl use a metaphor, he also uses a simile. Along with figurative language, Dahl uses characterization. The story says, “Billy was seventeen years old. He was wearing a new navy-blue overcoat, a new brown trilby hat, and a new brown suit, and he was feeling fine. He walked briskly down the street. He was trying to do everything briskly these days.” The author brings the character to life by first mentioning the character’s age, and then by describing what the character is wearing and mood he is in. Even though the author only uses this once, allusion is also a key part of the story, “As though they were both famous for the same sort of thing, if you see what I mean-like…like Dempsey and Tunney for example, or Churchill and Roosevelt.” Not only is the allusion a way to keep the reader engaged and relate to the story, it also provides a time period for the story. The mentioning of Churchill and Roosevelt can lead the reader to believe that the time of the story is shortly after World War II. By adding these techniques into his writing, Roald Dahl efficiently creates an animated story.