Outside Reading: Reflective Essay

Mano A Mano
By: Susan Schorn

In this reflective essay Schorn recounts an encounter she had with a magazine subscription seller who had scars he was showing her, with a story behind them, but also her take on violence. She takes a relaxed friend to friend kind of tone that works very well to convey her ideas because they are the kinds of things that you complain about to a friend. She creates this tone using conversational syntax and every day diction. She uses comas frequently in her sentences which makes it feel like she is taking a breath or pausing for effect in a conversation. The diction that she uses never extends far beyond the smaller group of words that tend to be uses everyday, using typical verbs, never getting technical or using flowery specific words. this makes it easier for the reader to connect to her as a reliable source or atleast someone with a thought through position. Her tone shifts to one that is still friend to friend but more heated in her opinion as she discusses her opinion on Bush. It shifts because Schorn uses more sarcastic diction.
Personally, this tone made my response to this piece more on the side of humor. It was funny but I think that if she had used a different tone it would have been harder for my to connect to the content. On the other hand this wouldn't be the best tone to strike on an AP exam because it does not portray the author as a reliable source, more like an opinionated friend.