Showing Off by Janice Galloway
The article 'Showing Off' by the Scottish writer Janice Galloway describes how she overcame obstacles in her life to become a writer and shows that even if you are not blessed with the best oppurtunities in life and suffer from prejudice, it is still possible to achieve your goals. Through the clever use of language and technique, Galloway presents her writing in such a way that it has a great deal of inspirational impact on the reader.
In order for a text to be inspiring, it must be written in such a way that the reader can connect with it emotionally. In 'Showing Off', Galloway addresses social issues that many in people, in particular many women fell strongly about. Set in the 1960s, as references to music in the text suggest, women suffered a great deal from gender discrimination and had to set aside their creative and intellectual ambitions and settle for much more traditional roles as Galloway emphasizes - "I was a good teacher, the Head informed me one day, but not promotional material". This gives the impression that women were considered inferior to men and were overlooked in society.
Galloway also - unusually - makes use of capitalization throughout the text which contributes towards creating an emotional connection between herself and the readers. She uses this to highlight occasions which have left a lasting impression on her, in particular, when she has been patronized or criticized, such as when she is told: "WOMEN CANNY WRITE...CAN YOU NOT BLOODY LEARN?"; and "GIRLS OFTEN GIVE UP, IT'S NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED OF". She also capitalizes the names of texts, such as: "OOR WULLIE and THE BROONS"; and "the BEANO and BUNTY" which a reader may recognize from their own childhood. The capitalization of these phrases draws attention to the prejudices that Galloway has overcome and the impact they have had on her life, therefore contributing toward the inspirational impact of the text.
Possibly the most striking feature of the text - and something that makes it
In order for a text to be inspiring, it must be written in such a way that the reader can connect with it emotionally. In 'Showing Off', Galloway addresses social issues that many in people, in particular many women fell strongly about. Set in the 1960s, as references to music in the text suggest, women suffered a great deal from gender discrimination and had to set aside their creative and intellectual ambitions and settle for much more traditional roles as Galloway emphasizes - "I was a good teacher, the Head informed me one day, but not promotional material". This gives the impression that women were considered inferior to men and were overlooked in society.
Galloway also - unusually - makes use of capitalization throughout the text which contributes towards creating an emotional connection between herself and the readers. She uses this to highlight occasions which have left a lasting impression on her, in particular, when she has been patronized or criticized, such as when she is told: "WOMEN CANNY WRITE...CAN YOU NOT BLOODY LEARN?"; and "GIRLS OFTEN GIVE UP, IT'S NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED OF". She also capitalizes the names of texts, such as: "OOR WULLIE and THE BROONS"; and "the BEANO and BUNTY" which a reader may recognize from their own childhood. The capitalization of these phrases draws attention to the prejudices that Galloway has overcome and the impact they have had on her life, therefore contributing toward the inspirational impact of the text.
Possibly the most striking feature of the text - and something that makes it