Kashmir and Qazigund
The author of An Area of Darkness utilizes distinct language that describes Kashmir in a very positive light and describes Qazigund in a negative opinion. Kashmir has a “milky blue sky” while Qazigund possesses “dust in the sunlight.” The use of “milky” gives me, as a reader, the view that Kashmir is a calmer place. The inclusion of “dust” gives me a feeling that the area is untidy. Bill Colegrave discusses Kashmir’s “morning mist” which additionally provides the reader with a soothing and refreshing effect. Morning mist typically references dew, which is found in luscious biomes. In the region of Qazigund, the author focuses on the ‘cold air” and the aroma of “charcoal, tobacco… and human excrement.” When I think of charcoal, I think of the smell of fire. Moreover, I personally hate the smell of tobacco from my experience with the putrid odor of cigarette smoke. The last smell was of human excrement which is one of the foul scents to experience. These words actively illustrate how nauseating the conditions of this town are. At the end of the first paragraph, the author mentioned the “steep wet rocky slopes” of Kashmir’s mountains, which shows that this beautiful town has a dangerous environment. Although unspecified, Qazigund’s terrain seems to be flat and lacks diversity. The bazaar seemed chaotic and the people live in cottages with roofs made of mud with grass growing on top. This shows this uninviting town still attempts to show some aspect of liveliness.
Both paragraphs of the text begin by discussing the appearance of the environment, followed by the area’s conditions. The paragraphs conclude by describing how the people of each region look. The writer mentions the “fields” and “slopes” of Kashmir and the “mud-packed roofs of cottages” in Qazigund. By doing this, the author gives the reader an external and an internal view. This helps the reader completely understand the town and how it functions, strengthening the contrast between the two. While Kashmir is a vibrant and mood-boosting territory, the area of Qazigund is a place that draws any positive energy out of the people there and leaves them with a depressed feeling.
After re-reading my blog, I will give myself three marks for my AO1 score. Even though I used a generous number of characteristic feature references, I could have gone more in-depth on the explanation of how the author feels in this situation. I focused mainly on what it tells the reader, not necessarily how the author is affected. For my AO3 score, I would give myself fourteen marks. I used effective and appropriate language like “milky” and “dust” to link my evidence with my explanations. My analysis was detailed, coherent, and effectively structured. I structured my paragraph by focusing on the language used to describe both regions, followed by how the structure of the paragraph affects the readers' perceptions of the areas. I could have expanded on the included elements of speech. I wish I separately wrote about Kashmir first and then Qazigund second because it helps fulfill the requirement of following the writer’s stylistic choices.
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