Model Style Analysis

Because Daniel Keyes depicts Charlie through a journal written in Charlie’s own words, the spelling, grammar, diction, and syntax reveal a great deal about the change in his intelligence. In the first passage the reader can literally see Charlie's character on the page through the specific words that he uses to express his thoughts. In his second progress report, Charlie writes: “I was very skared even tho I had my rabbits foot in my pockit because whent I was a kid I always faled tests in school and I spilled ink to” (240). These words create a timid and childlike tone. We can see Charlie’s naively superstitious and fearful attitude towards tests. He is so terrified of failing a test that his lucky rabbit’s foot is all he has to hang on to, all he has to give him enough confidence to even start the test. Despite this fear, his diction, “I told him I saw an inkblot. He said yes and it made me feel good” shows his motivation to try his best even though he has probably failed hundreds of tests in the past. For most of us, failure causes us to give up. For Charlie, his perseverance . . . By the second passage, however, Keyes reveals to us a completely different Charlie Gordon. The diction in this passage creates a confident and academic tone for Charlie’s voice. . .