can someone give me advice as to writing an analysis of a english coursework non fiction travel article: as in what features are most common and effects etc. Mine reads so far:
My travel-writing article, Heaven in Hell, was abut a holiday on the island of Bryher in the Scilly Isles. I decided to use this destination as it is unrecognised as a holiday resort. I wrote the article in the style of the Notes On section of the weekly Spectator political magazine, which is mostly read by conservative upper-class individuals. To make the text more genuine I read articles from this section in past publications of the magazine which helped me realise the layout, structure and language used in general pieces of travel-writing which is why I included adverts and supplementary images at the bottom of my article.
The dual-purpose of my article is first to entertain my audience with an anecdotal account of my travels and also to open their eyes to the holidays available in the Scilly isles. Consequently my article is both a travel- writing article and an advertisement guide. The tone is buoyant, enthusiastic and at times, humorous. My audience would be the wealthier upper-class British who would be able to afford luxury holidays at any cost and the article would interest those who like travelling or are seeking a luxury holiday close to England. The register is relatively informal as the text is more successful when it is unorthodox.
I used direct speech in the second person pronoun, ‘you’, which makes the article appear individually appealing as it would appear that I am recounting the events one-on-one to every individual reader. Additionally, humour personalizes the text and distinguishes it from similar texts, and it interests the reader who is led to believe that the writer is expressing the good humour the holiday brings to you, as in ‘having to…remember the green cross code’. I believe that the humour can relate to the main purpose which is to entertain the audience. Moreover, the article is written in the first person, as I am describing the holiday as I experienced it as seen in the anecdote about my past travels. I included the parenthesis to make the article sound more like a face-to-face conversation. The humorous simile comparing the island to the moon lightens the article’s tenor.
My lexical choices such as ‘Heaven in Hell’ are unorthodox and this title is a alliterative pun, as the holiday resort is located in Hell’s Bay whereas my descriptions demonstrate the perfection of the location as in ’closest to heaven’. The repetition of ‘heaven’ emphasises how this holiday supersedes every other. This theme of heaven is used to denote the idyllic nature of Bryher.
Comparative pithy sentences, in the second paragraph, are used to highlight the isolation of the island, arouse the reader’s curiosity and stimulate a desire to explore the relative island wilderness. I mix reflections on the experience with the retelling to help the reader see the importance of the experience. Furthermore, the semantic field of perfection and exploration plainly tells the reader my opinion of the holiday.
I use complex sentence structure throughout my article, with the idea of thus expressing my unquenchable enthusiasm for the experience. I juxtaposed many noun phrases to portray the island as one of striking contrasts, for instance in, ‘rugged yet deeply beautiful’.
I included direct quotations from a reliable source to show that I wasn’t alone in my enthusiasm for the experience. The proper nouns such as ‘Timmy’s Hill… Samson Hill’ show intimate knowledge of the island, which adds credibleness to my account. Additionally, I successfully suited my article to the travel-writing genre by using detailed profound descriptions of events and by using the senses to create the perfect atmosphere for the reader and to describe through my own eyes the scenes as they unfold. It was for this purpose that I set out the article in chronological order. I used as many descriptive noun phrases as possible, which not only helps complete a clear image of the events but also reinforces the fact that I was viewing these events through my own eyes; this would make my article more credible.
The phrase ‘St Mary’s rises to welcome you’ is the quintessence of the welcoming and friendly spirit of the islanders and is representative of the accessibility of the isles. The syndetic listing in the third paragraph helps condense the descriptions into a collection of clear concise noun phrases with positive pre-modifiers. I used quipping, as in ‘slices of heaven’, as a subtle tool to show how the excellent accommodation and local resources are inseparable from the peace and serenity of the visitor.
Overall, I believe that my article is a successful sample of the travel-writing genre and I have fulfilled the dual purposes of my article, by carefully blending promotional advertising of the holiday resort with a personal anecdotal account from a recent visitor to the Scilly Isles. The tone is informal whilst the lexis is relatively formal and would easily be understood by the educated upper class readers of The Spectator magazine.
Thanks in anticipation Lyndon
or contact lyndon97@outlook.com
Heaven in Hell
The Hell Bay is not just a hotel – it’s a destination; and not an ordinary one at that. You have to visit the isle of Bryher to truly believe that such an idyllic and stunning locale exists so close to boring old England. Bryher is the smallest inhabited island in the Scillies and I found it the ideal place to escape all your worries.
Birdsong. The sounds of the ocean waters lapping gently onto the nearby beach. The occasional crash of the waves. The warmest climate in the UK. And that is pretty much it. With no cars, a sparse smattering of buildings and vast, empty beaches, the smallest of the Scillies offers an unspoilt haven of tranquillity, isolation and romance at the westernmost point of the British Isles.
Whether you prefer reclining in a cosy armchair in the diminutive Fraggle Rock Bar - a traditional local pub and one of Britain’s best ‘boozers’ - fishing to your heart’s content out in one of the fisherman’s boats, exploring rocky coves, lazing on white sandy beaches or hiking up one of the isle’s small granite hills for some great views, Bryher is definitely my favourite destination: no matter how much you pay.
Travelling to Bryher is part of the exotic experience of the extraordinary excursion - not an arduous task designed to keep you away from heaven. Your journey to heaven is an adventure. It’s unique. It’s part of your ultimate holiday experience. As you travel to Land’s End or Penzance, your breath is taken away as you survey the lush landscape that we proudly call South-West England. But as the silhouette of St Mary’s rises to welcome you, you feel your pulse quicken and you realize that you are entering a very special haven, worlds away from England. As the remote beauty of the island archipelago unfolds, you ask yourself, am I dreaming? Then your boat- The Scillonian III ferry- arrives at St Mary’s Quay alongside numerous fishing boats and private yachts, rocking gently in the swell that meets the shell-strewn beach with a sound not dissimilar to murmuring, offering a serene melody to your peace of mind absorbing, as you are, the scene of quaint cottages and local produce stalls that belong to a bygone era.
You board the Bryher ferry, manned by a grizzled, weather-beaten veteran Bryher fisherman and occasionally a young lad on a summer job. During the crossing the elder man entertains you with tales of shipwrecks in the treacherous waters of Hell’s Bay and life on Bryher, interspersed with pauses as he fills his age-old pipe with tobacco. Upon arrival you are driven to the Hotel in a 4x4, along narrow tracks that pass as roads in this remote outpost, as distant from the developments of the modern world as the moon. As you walk up the path towards the stout, weathered door you are filled with a sense of well-being as you discover that the entire hotel staff has turned up to welcome you. You wouldn’t get that in any hotel I know, whatever price you pay! Your luggage is taken to your suite, as you are ushered into the dining hall where the solid oak table is laden with indescribable delicacies: supper is ready.
But you needn’t worry about having to buy larger clothes when you return to civilization, as Bryher offers you a superb quite unspoilt island and you can walk the whole island to appreciate all its beauty - from the rough, forbidding north (Hell's Bay) to the calm, greener south with its beaches. The whole island coastal walk takes around 4/5 hours at a reasonable pace- that would soon quell any qualms you have about your waistline. The island is virtually traffic free, and is crisscrossed by footpaths and tracks, so you can wander about to your heart’s content, with no fear of getting lost or having to remember the green cross code.
Cumulative Word Count: 658 words
Geoffrey Grigson described Bryher as having ‘more variety than any of the islands. Low on the water, open to the Atlantic on the west… a series of small granite hills from Shipman Head Down to Watch Hill, Timmy's Hill, Gweal Hill, and Samson Hill, joined by curved hollows which give the island an exquisite felicity’. Our overall impression of Bryher, when we first stayed at the Hell Bay Hotel, was that Bryher was a rugged yet deeply beautiful island of dynamic differences.
The hotel offers a 100% commitment to caring for its clients and you can enjoy 4-course meals, including local crabs and other produce, in the excellent ornate dining-hall or, weather permitting, up on the terrace. Here you can devour the breath-taking scenes of a kingdom of untamed wildness, with the Atlantic breakers thundering into Hell Bay whilst in the opposite direction, calm sandy beaches form an astounding frill to the rugged interior. Bryher serves up farm eggs, local vegetables, venison, slices of heaven, freshly-landed seafood and mouth-watering island fudge and a wonderful sense of freedom and
purity that cleanses your mind. You recline in your lounger, drinking a smooth cocktail, whilst the refreshing sea breeze wafts over you makes you want to believe that you have entered through the gates of Heaven. All 25 suites are beautifully appointed with Lloyd Loom furniture and sumptuous Malabar fabrics, some have balconies and most have stunning sea views, so don’t despair at the cost of a holiday in Bryher, you get more than you envisage!
Last Spring, I actually waded from Bryher to Tresco and managed to keep my treasured Binocular set safe
until I slipped on the rocks and fell into a rock pool which are truly more abundant on the islands than craters on the moon (not that I’ve been there yet). That dampened my former lively spirits, as what use was bird-spotting when the left lens of the binoculars was cracked. But all was not lost, as the New Inn provided resuscitation in the form of a draught beer and a piping hot steak and kidney pie and could still relax in the heated hotel pool or watch the annual gig-racing.
And when watching the spectacular rollers of the mighty Atlantic just remember to look up the tide times as last time I was so engrossed in meditation on the sheer power of the ocean that I only woke up when the cold icy waters washed over my sandaled feet.
Bryher is the closest to heaven you’ll ever get, and once you’ve been there you want to stay. Where else can you say that you’ve been to hell and back? You’ll see why this Hotel has won awards for its excellent service and accommodation. Truly first-rate, outstanding provision from the hotel, as one would expect from a hotel surrounded by heaven.