Syntax: The way Melinda describes her mom in short choppy sentences to put more emphasis and effect on the words she is saying about when her mom is angry.
Connotation: I think Melinda's silence has a deeper meaning to it. Her being silence is Melinda's way of a scream for help. Her mother doesn’t want to acknowledge the state of her daughter because her mother feels the same way. Her mother takes out her sadness in working, so she calls it “tough love”
Voice: Melinda describing her mother angry side as