Analysis of the article “Dots and Dashes Still Alive”

The article “Dots and Dashes Still Alive” is taken from the book Upstream Proficiency,
the author isn’t mentioned. It’s designed for the people who are studying English or just for
people who want to explore what the Morse Code is.

Despite the fact that the headline is not very long, it contains some stylistic devices which
make the reader interested about what this article is about and what is meant by «Dots and
Dashes Still Alive». Obviously, dots and dashes can’t be alive; however, the first letters of these
words are capitalized, as though they are living beings, so it is a personification.
Personification connects readers with the object that is personified and makes description of non-
human entity more vivid. Then, having the article read, we realize that dots and dashes refer to
the Morse Code, accordingly it is a case of metonymy. Reading the first passage we already find
out what are these dots and dashes, the author states that it is the Morse Code, the language that
has survived the assault of higher technology for a century and a half and it is the subject-matter
of the whole text.

The style of the article is semi-formal. The item is logically built and well-structured, it
consists of 3 main parts: introduction, main body and a concluding paragraph. In the introductory
paragraph the author states that despite the fact that there is copiousness of different means of
communication nowadays, the Morse Code is still alive. The main body tells about the history of
code, how it works, why it is more reliable than modern means of communication and where it is
used. In the concluding paragraph author cites the expert Burke Stinson saying that it is difficult
to find another method that is as flexible and reliable as the Morse Code, and it will probably
never die. Therefore, the author not only states his own point of view but also confirms his
beliefs mentioning background information, particularly historical data and experts’ thoughts.

The type of writing is rather narrative, the slant is casual. In the first passage the author
also addresses to the reader asking thought-provoking question, in the conclusion he/she
summarizes main information from the text and makes prediction for the future. Vocabulary is
mainly neutral but with some descriptive and technical features.

Semi-formal and informal styles of writing presuppose using of miscellaneous stylistic

devices. In the article we can find some of them, for instance similes ‘the Morse Code as a dying
art’, ‘Morse telegraphy may seem like a quaint anachronism’. Similes are explicit comparison
that compare the Morse code to the other object, and help readers to understand the idea the
author is writing about.

The author definitely achieved his/her aim and persuaded the readers that the Morse Code
is really still alive and used in many spheres.