The author of How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous is Georgia Bragg, who has written three books, all of which demonstrate details about the lives of notable people such as Cleopatra and King Tut. In the book, Bragg describes how the aforementioned notable people died. Although I said in a previous post that Bragg wrote the book “in order to show the medical conditions of the world at the times when the celebrities died as well as to convince her readers how lucky they are to have modern medicine,” that purpose has yet to be conveyed by any means. As of now, Bragg’s purpose is mainly to inform her young readers of how the nineteen “celebrities” met their deaths, a purpose that is accomplished by the use of an informal tone and diction as well as repetitive structure.
The use of informal tone and diction helps keep the subject matter light enough for Bragg’s young readers to enjoy while also providing them with the knowledge of how the “celebrities” died. Bragg wrote, “Caesar went to Egypt to take over the place, but he met Cleopatra and his plans changed. He kind of liked her, and he really liked all her gold. ” (12). This quote neglects to show how serious an attempt to take over land is while also neglecting to portray the sexual depths of the relationship between Caesar and Cleopatra because Bragg uses words and concepts that are understandable to young children.
The repetitive structure of all of the chapters helps Bragg never deviate from her purpose. Almost every chapter is the structured the same. First, there is a cartoon of the deceased, then a brief history of the beginnings of their lives, then the story of how they died, and then an extra section describing unique traits related to their demises. By having such a repetitive structure, Bragg is able to swiftly achieve her purpose in each chapter.
In conclusion, the purpose of recounting how nineteen famous died is effectively accomplished.
The Woman Behind the Death
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