Question

Joan Didion speaks of herself at home as "paralyzed by the neurotic lassitude engendered by meeting one's past at every turn" (paragraph 3). What about the essay helps explain these feelings?

A. Descriptive language creates a vivid atmosphere.
B. Flashbacks reveal past experiences.
C. Reflective tone emphasizes self-awareness.
D. Dialogue captures emotional struggles.

Answer 1

Joan Didion's use of descriptive language and flashbacks, as well as a reflective tone, elucidates her feelings of paralysis when facing her past. These literary techniques help create an immersive reading experience that vividly presents her emotional struggles with history.

Step-by-step explanation:

Joan Didion's feelings of neurotic lassitude when encountering her past can partially be explained by her use of descriptive language, which utterly immerses readers into the scenes she paints.

Didion's narrative strategy involves reflective tone and flashbacks, which reveal past experiences and augment self-awareness.

By focusing on sensory detail and utilizing descriptive diction, Didion's text adheres to the principles of showing rather than telling, thus vividly recounting her encounters with her past.

These techniques not only exemplify the power of Didion's writing but also allow readers to feel the emotional weight of her history, thereby understanding her paralysis when faced with it.