How does the writer use language to make fire in London sound so dramatic?

In a source from the Guardian Newspaper, the writer makes the event to sound dramatic by making it special to the readers and by describing its suddenness and seriousness.

Firstly, the writer makes the fire special to the readers by creating a feeling of shock and nausea by describing details of scenes in the fire. He describes the victim as being “completely blackened”, as if showing a photo to the readers, forcing them to think about how burnt human skin looks like. This not only draws attention from the readers but also rings an alarm in their hearts, resulting in readers feeling this event special.

Secondly, the writer reflects the suddenness of the fire by the use of hyperbole. “The fire was discovered at about 7.30 pm, and smoke poured through into the mainline station concourse above.” The verb “poured” illustrates that there is a large amount of smoke. The fire was already strong when it was discovered, which emphasizes the idea that it started in a sudden.

Thirdly, the writer demonstrates how serious the fire was by using statistics: “Twenty-seven people died” and “More than 150 firefighters and 30 engines were involved”. 27 directly shows the harmfulness of the fire. 150 and 30 are also big numbers. The big effort in order to put out the fire indirectly demonstrates the severity of it. All these numbers clearly show the seriousness of the fire.

In conclusion, the writer makes the event to sound dramatic by making it special to the readers and by describing its suddenness and seriousness.

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