Understanding Chic

Question 1

State the text type.

Answer 1

Memoir

Question 2

What evidence is there of the text type? (2)

Answer 2

• First person narration, past tense: ‘I was 13 and went with my grandmother’.
• Use of anecdotes (about the Frenchman slapping her at Versailles)
• Expresses personal feelings: ‘I was too rebellious to be terrified’.

Question 3

State the mode.

Answer 3

Written mode with multimodal elements.

Question 4

What evidence is there of the mode?

Answer 4

Written mode: edited, grammatically correct, uses Standard English and low frequency lexis, creating a
more formal tone. Evidence that the text has been pre-planned.

Multimodal elements reflected in communication with the reader.

Question 5

State the audience type. (2)

Answer 5

As, it is a memoir, it has a fairly broad audience. However, the use of words from the semantic field of fashion, celebrity and luxury could suggest that the text would appeal to those interested in the glamorous
aspects of Paris, who would share the writer’s interests and values.

Question 6

State and describe the purpose of the text.

Answer 6

The main purpose of the memoir is to entertain. The anecdote contains hyperbolic language and alliteration to
create a dramatic contrast between the writer’s idealised notion of Paris and her experience.

The secondary purpose is to inform, through declaratives.
However, these statements, although delivered authoritively, are still only the writer’s subjective personal opinions.