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   gbeatty Teacher
   College - Freshman

   eNotes Editor

   The diction used in the story is inflated—falsely elevated—so as to match the characters discussed. Take a look at these lines near the start of the story: " It was at a banquet in London in honor of one of the two or three conspicuously illustrious English military names of this generation. For reasons which will presently appear, I will withhold his real name and titles, and call him Lieutenant General Lord Arthur Scoresby, V.C., K.C.B., etc., etc., etc.""Conspicuously illustrious" tells us that the narrator is very much aware of people's social rank. "One of the two or three" shows that he follows such things closely. This is a person to whom importance matters, and the diction follows that need closely.

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   http://www.victorianweb.org/history/crimea/beck/1.html

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   Posted by gbeatty on Wednesday August 13, 2008 at 10:27 AM