Same Passage for Various Audiences

Young Audience

Boy, you know, my first aeroplane ride was super exciting! I was in last week of primary school, and Father surprised me with a glassy envelope, my name on it. I opened it. It was a flight ticket from Sydney to Melbourne. Boy, I was super, super excited! I took the phone and called my friend, Jane. I had to. I mean I could not bear not to share such good news with my best friend. I told it right away; I am flying soon! Then, you know what, something terrible happened. Jane said a child must be at least 11 to fly solo. Damn it. It was disappointing. How could you not believe in Jane's talk on the flight? Her mother is a flight attendant and Jane has had a few flights already. I hurriedly told my father. “I have thought about it”, said Father. In fact, my aunt was accompanying me. Next week, I was watching the plane when it took off, flew up high above the clouds and then landed again. Boy, I was really on cloud nine.

Adult Audience

The memory of my first aeroplane ride is as vivid as it has happened yesterday. I was very keen on getting on the plane and not that much thought about the basics. When I was going through the security check, I was bewildered by the officer as asked me to take off my belt.  I was rocking a pair of loose pants, and as soon as I pulled the belt out, the pants slipped down. I hurriedly pulled it up but. I felt clumsy but it did not last long because a few minutes later I was walking through the jetway. I noticed on boarding pass that my seat was “11 A”. I found it easily. It was just behind the small window. I was watching out. Just when the plane was speeding on the runway, I felt its power and velocity, and then the takeoff. It was eleven years ago, and we landed after an hour, but all the moments are still apparent in my mind.

Differences

The major difference between these two texts is their angle of view. The first one is from a child’s point of view while the second is from an adult perspective. Their voices are different and even the language. The language of the child is more like a dialogue and a friendly, while the adult speaks about his or her own emotions and situation without direct addressing to the reader. Their focuses are also different.  The child focuses more on his own observations, but the adult expresses his feelings.