Analysis of “My Irish Clean Plates Neurosis”  hyperbole

Subtitle: the BBC is a narrator here, since the article is written by Connor in 1st
person. Paratextual?
Summary
Irish people are taught from a very young age to eat up all the food that is on
the plate. For Colm O' Regan this was, and still is, compulsory. It became an
obsession not only towards himself but also towards his children. The guiltiness
that leaving food arises in people can be due to either two reasons; the first
being kids not wanting to offend their mothers and to make them think they
disliked the dish, and the second because they were taught to value having
something to eat when there are many other people in the world who are
suffering from starvation. As it is known, people in Ireland had experienced a
great famine many years ago and ever since then it is impossible for them not
to be grateful.
The constant insistence seen especially in mothers in the past was because
they thought kids will later burn its calories playing around, which was true. But
in the present, children prefer to play sedentary games indoors which has
caused an increase in obesity. When Colm was a child, technology did not exist
and they had no other alternative rather than going to the park.
Since the habit is so immersed in Irish culture, one solution would be to eat
smaller portions.
Textual patterns
Phenomenon reason: the phenomenon is food waste and the obsession to eat
until your plate is clean. There are two main reasons the writer provides: 1st
one being that he was guilt tripped into eating the whole thing because of
starvation or hunger in 3rd world countries. The 2nd reason is because the
mother would go through all the trouble to make the food and wanted to please
her.
Embedded: problem-solution. The problem was that he had trouble finishing his
plates or felt guilty if he didn’t, and the solution would be to buy smaller plates
so as to not have leftovers. (Last paragraph).
Textual segments
P11: Phenomenon example. “Even China was on the Clean Plate Index”
P16: Cause-consequence: “climbing, jumping, exploring” cause “calories were
burned off” consequence.
P19: Contrasting-relations: “For example the price of the bottle of cola now is
not too much more than it was 20 years ago.”

Tone resentful, sarcastic.

P6: “I blame everyone’s mother”
P11: “The Chinese must be delighted to have passed that particular
development milestone.”  ironic/sarcastic.
P11: “even China was on the Clean Plate Index” sarcastic the use of clean
plate index. The Clean Plate campaign is a movement initiated in 2013 to
reduce food waste and ensure food security in China.

Macrofunction
Emotive. The writer shows his resentment and bitterness towards his childhood
and how his mum would always make him eat his whole plate when he didn’t
want to. Also, because he ate much more than he wanted or needed, he was
forced to go outside and play to burn the calories.
Tenor of discourse
a. relative status: with the reader (close relationship) inclusive we.
b. social distance: near minimal. (Contracted forms, experiencing I, inclusive
we, short structures or paragraphs, idiomatic expressions, parenthetical
remarks that function as personal comments  inserts.) Reciprocal lang.
c. personalization: overplayed. The whole story is about him and what he’d do
with his kids in the future.
d. standing: experience. From his country and his mother comes the obsession.
Also authoritative sources: P7 “scientists show that”

Rhetorical devices
Extended metaphor: P4-5 “the worst sin of all” “Spoiling your appetite is as
human a fall from grace as the first eating of the apple.” P16 “Scare the
proverbial out of them”. “Lenten sacrifice”
Simile: P5 “Spoiling your appetite is as human a fall from grace as the first
eating of the apple.” Comparing not being too hungry with a sin: eating when
you’re not supposed to (as did Eve).
Hyperbole: “Lenten sacrifice” P10 an exaggeration would be to call a sacrifice to
eat smaller portions as a result of religion.
Metaphor: “paint the past” to describe it P15.
Personification: P20 “Since circles have a habit of turning 360 degrees…”

Syntactic devices
Parallelism: P16 “Climbing, jumping, exploring, doing things that…” -Ing non
finite clauses with asyndetic coordination.

Connotative or figurative language

Subt: “ritual”: uncomplimentary associations. It is a fixed set of actions and
words, especially as part of a religious ceremony. (Part of the extended
metaphor). Items clustered around: routine, habits.
P17: “Elysian Park”  complimentary associations. Elysium: a place of
complete happiness. According to ancient Greek stories, Elysium is the place
where good people go after their death. Relating to heaven. (Part of the
extended metaphor).
P19: “Augustus Gloop from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”
uncomplimentary associations: gluttony, indulgence, body fat, obesity.

Floutings of the cooperative maxims

MANNER:
P10 “Bob Geldof”  irish singer and political activist from the Bommtown Rats.
Performed in live aid.
P15 “Famous Five”  a collection of books written by an English author about 5
kids with a dog going on adventures as “detectives”.
P19 “Augustus Gloop from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”
QUANTITY: plate, third world countries.

Floutings of the politeness principles

Make the receiver feel good: “If you were out on the 3rd world, you’ll be glad of
it.”
Do not impose: “being a small country, we think everything is specific to us”.

Parenthetical remark: An ironic and funny remark of the author to shorten the
distance with the reader. P5