Steven's Point of View

" Yet I would venture that the landscape of our country alone would justify the use of this lofty adjective. And yet what precisely is this 'greatness'? Just where, or in what, does it lie? I am quite aware it would take a far wiser head than mine to answer such a question, but if I were forced to hazard a guess, I would say that it is the very lack of obvious drama or spectacle that sets the beauty of our land apart. What is pertinent is the calmness of that beauty, its sense of restraint" (Ishiguro, 28-29).

                 The passage is about discovering 'greatness'. The author presents the audience with a definition of 'greatness' from the character's point of view. It seems as though the character himself is unsure of the definition as though he took it from someone else. With that, the tone of the passage is  uncertain. The audience observes that when the character mentions, "I am quite aware it would take a far wiser head than mine to answer such a question." The character doesn't rely on his own intelligence to figure out the definition of 'greatness'.  He gives the audience a guess rather than a brave statement about the topic. This gives the audience the sense that the character is not a self confident person and relies on others beliefs.


                   The diction used in the passage describes the character. For example, when the character mentions, "far wiser head." This section of the passage is to illustrate that the character doesn't now the difference between head and intelligence. Additionally the use of symbolism in the passage is prominent. The character is relating the landscape in front of him to his own personal life. The reader discovers this relation when the character explains beauty. The character explains," Lack of obvious drama or spectacle that sets the beauty of our land apart." This quotation is symbolizing the character. It illustrates that the beauty of the character can be set apart from all other beauty. All in all, this passage gives the reader a description of the character and his point of view of the world.