Bob Geldof's Autobiography on "Adolesence"

In the extract “Adolescence” from Bob Geldof’s autobiography “Is That It?” there are numerous issues such as sex, peer group, fashion, music and religion raised in the extract. Geldof uses strategies and techniques that positions me as a reader to respond in a certain way to the issues represented in the text.

One way that Geldof positions us to respond to fashion is by the technique, point of view. It is through first person’s point of view where the secret thoughts of a single character are transposed. And that happened through Geldof’s point of view. While the point of view is through Geldof’s eyes, we can see that he appreciates fashion according to its role model and wore different sorts of clothing’s right throughout the text. Not only does this text uses point of view to respond to this issue, but also with the use of short syntax. By using short syntax, it is trying to make a point to us whereas long syntax’s is used to change the setting. To illustrate my point, here is an en example taken from the fifth paragraph, “At fourteen I liked clothes. I wore shirts that has different coloured collars with a tab button. I wore denim shirts with a false polo-neck beneath the open shirt collar.” The words in this extract are vivid and simple. We are positioned to see that he seeks new fashion according to its current role model.

Selection of detail is another method where we are positioned to respond to the issues right throughout the text. The selection of detail such as “denim shirts” “false polo-neck beneath the open shirt collar” “plastic belt with a huge tin buckle” etc, shows us that he is going through his adolescence life where he starts to like clothing’s and he becomes more of a person in his prime, getting involved with politics and reading. We are positioned to see that he is going through the time of intellectual expansion into a mature one.

He uses descriptive words to create the characteristics of adolescence in him. “I felt sorry for his...