Question

How would the meaning of the following passage change if Wiesel used the word “pain” instead of “anguish”?

"Yet, for the person who is indifferent, his or her neighbor are of no consequence... Their hidden or even visible anguish is of no interest. Indifference reduces the Other to an abstraction."

Question 2 options:

A) “Pain” is a stronger word.


B) “Anguish” implies a more manageable type of suffering.


C) “Anguish” carries more intense connotations, so using that word instead of “pain” raises the intensity of the passage.


D) “Anguish” implies a level of confusion along with the suffering, whereas “pain” does not.

Answer 1

Answer:

C

Explanation:

Anguish also means a kind of pain, but it denotes extreme, almost unbearable pain. Anguish can also be used to refer to intense mental distress, but that does not necessarily imply confusion.

Using anguish instead of pain makes the suffering more intense and adds a more intense tone to the whole passage as well.

Answer 2

Answer:

The meaning of the following passage changed if Wiesel used the word “pain” instead of “anguish” as C: “Anguish” carries more intense connotations, so using that word instead of “pain” raises the intensity of the passage.

Explanation:

'Anguish' means 'severe pain' or anxiety. It can also be used as a verb and is used when someone is felling extremely distressed about something.

Use of anguish refers to stronger pain one might feel. Whereas, 'pain' refers to a feeling of suffering caused by a damage. It lowers the intensity of the feeling of the person when used in a sentence as compared to use of 'anguish'. Use of anguish brings out deep emotions of the character. Thus, its use raises the intensity of the language used by the author.