Death of A river guide Rickard Flanagan
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Death of a River Guide Richard Flanagan
'Death of a River Guide' by Richard Flanagan is set on the Franklin River in Tasmania. Flanagan uses various stylistic devices and techniques to involve the reader in the story and to create atmosphere and maintain excitement.
'Death of a River Guide' is written in the present tense with a third person point of view, as someone who is an unattached observer is telling the story.
Personification is readily used to give the text life and excitement. Mid-way through the first paragraph, Flanagan writes "just as they reach the lip of the fall." The use of the word 'lip' makes us think of a mouth of a human, which the boat is in threat of being swallowed up by. This creates excitement and a sense of fright. Later on in the same paragraph Flanagan writes, "He feels the boat rear up" The use of the word 'rear' conjures up thoughts of an out of control horse rearing up on its rider, whom has no control over the actions. Again this creates a sense of fright and excitement.
Another example of Flanagan's use of personification is early in the second paragraph...