The prose piece, Kiss and Tell by Alain de Botton, offers the reader a humorous, as well as embarrassing, glimpse into the life of a young woman named Isabel. Botton establishes a comical ambiance between the daughter and her parents, by creating a situation that many can relate to, by way of dialogue.
Isabel faces an embarrassing, as well as common, circumstance, the presence of her parents when she desires it the least. When she first notices that her parents are attending the same show that she and her new boyfriend are she begins to commentate on their current state, her attention to detail is what one finds amusing. In line five and six Isabel is quoted: "â¦And what's that dress? It looks like a willow treeâ¦" Botton uses an effective simile here to convey the daughter's embarrassment in a comedic way by relating her dress to a completely different entity.
Isabel Lucas at the Asos Fashion Cocktail Party, 2...When referring to her father, Isabel remarks "â¦And he's about to sneeze. Look, there we go, aaahhtchooo. Out comes his red handkerchief. I just hope they don't stop us and we can escape quickly at the end." One might find this particularly amusing considering the girl goes from narrating her father's actions, and without missing a beat, jars right back to planning her and her consort's furtive escape. The onomatopoeia used in the quotation helps add to the imagery that the extract inspires, not only does one gather a mental visual, but an audible one as well. Isabel's words set the stage for the rest of the piece, which increases in its comedic daring as it progresses.
The parents' reactions upon finding their daughter seated behind them reflect those that a child might make when meeting a long absent friend. Her father stands up, ignores that...