Question

read the excerpt from chapter 2 of night.
it took us a long time to recover from this harsh awakening. we were still trembling, and with every screech of the wheels, we felt the abyss opening beneath us. unable to still our anguish, we tried to reassure each other.

how does the fact that night is a memoir rather than a biography or informational text help the author achieve his purpose in this excerpt?

• the author is able to present an objective account of the situation.
• the author is able to personalize the event by using the words we and us.
• the author is able to give only the facts so that the reader understands the situation.
• the author is able to rely on the denotative meanings of words to tell about the event.

Explanation:

A memoir is a personal account of experiences, so the author uses first - person plural ("we", "us") to personalize the event. An objective account (first option) and giving only facts (third option) are more characteristic of biographies or informational texts. Relying on denotative meanings (fourth option) is not specific to memoirs. The use of "we" and "us" in the excerpt shows personalization.

Answer:

The author is able to personalize the event by using the words we and us.