Apropos the passage on Captain MacWhirr, we are introduced to a character that is portrayed as bland and unemotional, almost machinelike. Supported by the speaker's comments, his use of general names, and references to the Captain's letters, it is as if he wishes to show a man with achromatic mannerisms. The attitude, diction, as well as the detail are the mediums which he conveys this feeling.

The unnamed speaker of the passage uses his attitude on the subject as the most effective way to promote his idea of the type of person that Captain MacWhirr is. It is interesting how the speaker never actually refers to the Captain by his real name, Tom. "An Ordinary seaman", "Captain MacWhirr", or simply "he" seems to be the only names that the speaker sees fit to use. For a person calling him by such informal names, one would assume that the speaker would be a person with little knowledge of the man; but on the contrary, the speaker knows quite a bit about him and his life. This gives the reader a feeling that Tom is a man of little words who rarely lets anyone have an insight to his real emotions. Due to these pent up feeling that nobody is able to witness; th

The speaker's use of diction allows the reader to learn why the Captain actually takes the actions that are explained in the passage, giving the reader somewhat of an insight to Tom's past. His childhood seemed to be none too pleasant, judging from the father's comments. With saying such things as: "Tom is an ass" or "We could have gotten along without him" shows how the father feels in regard to his son. MacWhirr's father had expressed the he could have lived without him "but there's the business" shows how the father views his son as an object, which, "like father like son", has transferred to Tom. This may explain his motivation for running away at the age of fifteen to seek a life at sea. This neglect may also be the reason why the Captain became such an emotionless character. In his letters Captain MacWhirr talks about such things as the weather, the climate, or how well he can do the work; hardly what one would think to talk about with a parent whom hasn't been seen in years. The blandness of the Captain's feelings affects everyone around him, especially his parents. While the father "never really [forgives] him for [his] undutiful stupidity" towards the family, the mother cannot help but to

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 812
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)