Selecting Words to Create Meaning

 
Part of the fun of good literature is the ambiguity of language and the debates over meaning that come with the ambiguity.  But other times, we want to use very specific words to convey a certain mood, to enhance characterization, or to create an image. 
 
When we read, we make inferences about the material based on the words used, our personal history or "baggage," our mood for that day or a myriad of other factors.
 
 
Look at the following passages:
 
William lit his pipe and unlaced his boots.  Esther slipped on her nightdress and got into bed.  It was a large brass bedstead, without curtains.  The room had two windows, one on a line with the head of the bed, the other very nearly facing the door.  The chest of drawers stood between the windows.  Esther had placed there the books her mother had given her, and William had hung some sporting prints on the walls.
 
 
William lit his pipe and unlaced his boots.  Esther slipped on her night-dress and got into a large brass bedstead, without curtains.  On the chest of drawers Esther had placed the books her mother had given her, and William had hung some sporting prints on the wall.
 
 
 
Which version do you prefer?  What is the difference between them?  What do you think the relationship is between these two people?  What are the emotions involved in these scenes?  What is Esther and William's history together?  
 
Write a brief response to these questions, including in your response an explanation of why you have inferred these things.  What things led you to draw your conclusions about these people?



Now revise the version you focused on to make the relationship clearer (without being too obvious) to the reader by using careful word choices and active detail.