mwalimu
mwalimu
study guide
ENGLISH Language ‘A’
[NEW SPECIFICATION: Anthology 9-1
By Oluotch Jack
2. DEDICATION………………………………………………………………………..iv
15. ANALYSIS: BEYOND THE SKY AND THE EARTH- BHUTAN ……………….59
ii
26. SAMPLE EXAM PAPERS 1 AND 2………………………………….……
101
FOREWORD
iii
DEDICATION
iv
TIPS ON ANALYSING THE TEXT.
1. Don’t re-tell the events of the story. Since your teacher or examiner already
knows exactly what happens in the story you're writing about, they'll deduct
marks if you choose to waste valuable writing time re-telling them such details!
Below is an example of the kind of 'retelling of events' that you need to avoid. It
uses an example from Adeline Yen Ma's story, 'From Chinese Cinderella' - How
does the writer make the readers sympathise with Adeline Yen Mah in
‘Chinese Cinderella’?
'In paragraph 1, Adeline says that she was playing Monopoly with her friends, but
her heart was not in it. In fact, she says the thought of leaving school throbbed at
the back of her mind like a persistent tooth ache.
You know by now that what are needed are: analysis, interpretation and
discussion. How might the above example of re-telling be written so that it gains
better marks?
‘To begin with, the writer makes the readers sympathize with the Adeline by
showing how extremely disturbed she was. She says, “The thought of leaving
school throbbed at the back of her mind like a persistent tooth ache.’’ The use of
simile here to show how badly she felt at the thought of leaving school is well
captured by comparing it to a terrible toothache. This suggests that this was a
disturbing thought and she did not want to finish school, possibly prematurely.
POINT- To begin with, the writer makes the readers sympathize with the Adeline
by showing how extremely disturbed she was. She says,
EVIDENCE- “The thought of leaving school throbbed at the back of her mind like a
persistent tooth ache.”
STYLE- The use of simile here to show how badly she felt at the thought of leaving
school is well captured by comparing it to a terrible toothache.
EXPLANATION- This suggests that that this was a disturbing thought and she did
not want to finish school, possibly prematurely.
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2.Using Quotations - The candidate is not expected to quote all the times directly
otherwise, the script starts looking coached or memorized and that is the least
your examiner expects of you. The above response on Chinese Cinderella can be
written with embedded quotation such as this:
To begin with, the writer makes the readers sympathize with the Adeline by
showing how disturbed she was. She says, the thought of leaving school throbbed
at the back of her mind like a persistent tooth ache. The use of simile here to
show how badly she felt at the thought of leaving school is well captured by
comparing it to a terrible toothache. This suggests that this was a disturbing
thought and she did not want to finish school possibly prematurely
•Keep them short –they shouldn’t take up more than one quarter of your total
essay.
•Use ellipses (...) to omit intervening material you want to skip. This is called
truncated quotation,
•Use block quotes for longer passages, i.e. quotes on separate lines.
•Use a mixture of both (i) point-quote pairs and (ii) point-quote-comment triads.
•Avoid overuse of point: quotation device. Unless it’s obvious, indicate the
relationship between your point and the quotation.
The highest marks are given to students who are careful to avoid nonsense by
writing only about those aspects of the story that are relevant to the essay or
exam question. This means thinking about aspects of the story such as setting,
plot, mood, tension, characters, audience and events.
It also requires a discussion of the various layers of meaning that exist within a
story and how the author creates these through effective choices of literary
technique and language.
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4. It's important when doing analysis to discuss the characters and events of
fiction from a 'critical distance'. This means separating yourself emotionally from
the story and analysing it coolly and objectively unless asked otherwise.
5. Understand the dictates of the question and keep referring to it in your answer.
If the question is: How do various people treat the soldier in ‘Disabled’
before and after the war?’ Then it is advisable to refer to this question in each
fact you elicit
Example. Initially, the writer shows how various people treat the soldier in
‘Disabled’ before and after the war by stating how lonely he feels since even his
care givers and the children ignored him.
However, you cannot keep on repeating this phrase[…the writer shows how
various people treat the soldier in ‘Disabled’ before and after the war by…]So, in
your next paragraph you could write something like-Another way through which
the writer shows the soldier’s treatment prior to and after the war is by…
6. The exam council [Pearson] has inflated the marking range so that the marks in
Paper 2 forgone question are no longer 15 but 30! You cannot earn these marks
by simply writing in a few paragraphs. You are expected to write about 10
paragraphs for this response. In paper, 1 you could do well with 8 paragraphs.
7. Your exam question will most likely ask you a question like this: How does the
writer use language and style to…
NOTE – Language requires the candidate to comment on: the author’s intent and
its effect on the readers, sentence structures, lexis [word choice],verbs, noun
phrases, unique punctuation, tone, attitude mood and presentation. On language,
comment on sentences used that stand out. For example, in 'Whistle and I Will
Come to You,' the writer frequently uses compound, compound complex and
complex sentences to slow down the pace of the plot since she is building up
suspense. Example-‘The first thing I must have was a light and I groped my way
back across to my bed, reached over it and got my hand to the torch at last, took
a step back, stumbled over the dog who was at my heels and dropped the torch.’
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Example: a].'Besides a medal, the prize comes with a cash reward of FIFTY
ENGLISH POUNDS.' [From Chinese Cinderella] So, people will often capitalize
certain words and phrases to show emphasis.
Example: b] ‘Come on…move!’ Nothing.' [From Between a Rock and a Hard Place.
] One-word sentences - when carefully crafted - can create impact like nothing
else - and that's where the real value lies.
Example: c] 'And then there was the face I will never forget.'- A one sentence
paragraph [From A Passage to Africa, George Alagiah.] Use such sentences when
you want to create heavy emphasis for an idea. This particular one also creates
foreshadowing.
Note the use of ellipses herein to capture the writer's hesitation or the series of
questions in rhetorical sentences to show her diminishing confidence.
How does the writer use language and style to show the character of the
soldier in ‘Disabled,’ by Owen?
a] The writers says that the soldier came back from the war without limbs. He sat in
the wheelchair without arms and legs as children played at the park.
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b] Firstly, the poet says, “He sat in a wheeled chair, waiting for dark, And shivered
in his ghastly suit of grey, Legless, sewn short at elbow. Through the park Voices of
boys rang saddening like a hymn, Voices of play and pleasures after day, Till
gathering sleep had mothered them from him.” So he is helpless
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c] One way in which the writer shows the character of the soldier is by telling us
that he lost his legs so we feel sympathy for him.
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1. Use of ‘I’ or ‘we.’ what I like to call “the danger of the -Creates emotive
single story.’ effect.
[The Danger of a Single Story.]
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5. graphic explanation paintwork.’ [From Beyond the
for memorability. Sky and the Earth: A Journey
into Bhutan.]
Tripling/Triad- the ‘She had no fine dresses, no
-To grab attention.
use of three nouns, jewellery, nothing’ [The
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had been glad, he had passed
away.
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are used to emphasise her
impatience.
Direct speech/ ‘That’s right. That’s probably it. Did -Build character
Dialogue; The you get his number?’ traits.
verbatim use of
12. ‘No. Did you happen to notice it?’ -Break authorial
words from a
‘No.’ [The Necklace.] intrusion or
speaker then
dominance.
assigning it a
speech tag.
. messing About”]
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‘To be in a feeding centre is to hear
and smell the excretion of fluids by
Euphemism – use of -Creates a sense of
people who are beyond controlling
kind, decent or decency in
their bodily functions.’ [A Passage
respectable words language
to Africa.]Most likely the writer
instead of vulgar
meant, vomit, urine, blood and
pornographic of
diarrhea.‘...and that ended it.’ [Out
disrespectful words
Out.] ‘…his language growing
more colourful with every vehicle
that tried to cut in front.’[From A
Game of Polo.]Most likely Yaqoob
15. used dirty swear words.
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or lower animals.
20. Simile- indirect
comparison that ‘Just like moons and like suns
employs the use of [Still I Rise.] -Mnemonic effect.
‘as… as’ or ‘like.’
Sarcasm- an
21. ironically worded ‘In the old times, before he threw -To criticize.
statement meant to away his knees’ [Disabled.]
hurt someone’s
feelings.
Rhetorical
22. questions- require -Instigate food for
no answers or that ‘Does my sexiness upset you? thought.
require simple [Still, I Rise.] -For emphasis.
affirmation or
negation.
23. tense - tenses are and make myself a drink, stir up the -To show frequency
used to speculate fire a little and sit beside it…’ of action or at times
about what ‘…for which I could do nothing…’ to show doubt.
happened [Whistle and I Will Come to
habitually, could You.]
happen, what might
have happened,
and what we
wish would
happen.
‘After the hours that Sarajevans
24 Rhyming Couplet- a pass
rhyming pair of queuing with empty canisters of -Mnemonic effect.
successive lines of gas
verse, typically of to get the refills they wheel home in
the same length. prams,
or queuing for the precious meagre
grams
of bread they’re rationed to each
day,
and often dodging snipers on the
way
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[Bright Lights of Sarajevo.]
Repetition-the use
27 of same words or ‘Why don’t they come
phrases or clauses And put him into bed? Why don’t -Emphatic effect.
again and again for they come?’ [Disabled.]
effect.
Refrain-the
28 repetition of same ‘But still, like air, I’ll rise’ [Still I Emphatic effect.
words at the ends rise.]
of several stanzas.
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of words with ether.’[Out Out]
deeper meaning.
Idiom - is a figure
32 of speech -Language
that means somethi ‘Rest in peace,’ [Whistle and I enrichment.
ng different than a will Come to You.] -Challenges
literal translation of perception.
the words would
lead one to believe.
Anaphora- is
the repetition of a ‘Stories matter. Many stories Anaphora has
word or phrase at matter. Stories have been used to the effect of
the beginning of dispossess…’ [The Danger of a engaging your
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each line of a Single Story.]‘…no rage, no audience in a
poem, sentence, whimpering…’[A Passage to particular emotional
speech, Africa.] experience
or sermon.
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cigarettes]
Use of second
Language- when
‘…calls bread hjleb or hleb or calls it
words used in a kruh…’[Bright Lights of -Creates realia.
Sarajevo.]
lingua franca is
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derived from
another language
Use of Passive -Creates
case- is used to ‘— they’ll probably have their helplessness or
show interest in the bottoms kicked and be sent home vulnerability.
person/object that the long way.’
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experiences an ’ [Explorers or Boys Messing
action rather than About.]
the person or object
that performs it.
Suspense- the ‘Standing on that, I brace my thighs -Heightens tension
feeling of under the boulder and thrust and enhances pace.
excitement or upward repeatedly, grunting, ‘Come -Gives food for
nervousness that on...move!’ Nothing.’ [Between a thought.
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you have when you Rock and a Hard Place].
are waiting for
something to
happen.
-‘ single ivory tusk, which can grow
Listing- up to six feet in length, was used
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45 Flashback-is a -‘Their last expedition ended in
transition in a story farce when the Russians threatened -For justifying plot
to an earlier time to send in military planes to development.
that interrupts the intercept them as they tried to
normal cross into Siberia via the icebound
chronological order Bering.’ [Explorers or Boys
of event. Messing About...]
‘“…will look like New York to you
Humour- the when you come back after a year in
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‘In the old times, before he threw
Dysphemism- away his knees.’ [Disabled] -used to shock or
51. deliberate use of ‘It was rotting, she was rotting.’ [A sober up or gain
harsh or vulgar Passage to Africa] attention.
words for effect.
Cliché –
stereotypical ‘…the twin evils of hunger and -Can be used to
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8. The drama began at around 1am British time when Mr Brooks, 42, and 40-year-old
Mr. Smith, also known as Q, ditched into the sea 100 miles off Antarctica, about 36
miles north of Smith Island, and scrambled into their liferaft.
_________________________
9. Ms. Vestey said: “They have been checked and appear to be well. I don’t know
what will happen to them once they have been picked up by HMS Endurance —
they’ll probably have their bottoms kicked and be sent home the long way ”.
________________________
10. This technique is known as stemming or chimneying; you can imagine using it to
climb up the inside of a chimney. ___________________________
11. ‘Come on…move!’ Nothing. _____________________
12. As a child I suffered, _________________________
13. , “I’m not stupid – you’re the one who’s stupid ___________________
14. We waited for eternity ____________________
15…. of the approaching vehicles grew; horns tooting, bells ringing, ___________
16. We stayed near to the front, his hand permanently on the horn and his language
growing more colourful.. ____________________
17. Mountains all around, climbing up to peaks, rolling into valleys, again and again.
. _________________
18. The women wear a kira, a brightly striped, ankle-length dress and the men a
gho, a knee-length robe that resembles a kimono, except that the top part is
exceptionally 60 voluminous. ___________________________
21. Besides a medal, the prize comes with a cash reward of FIFTY ENGLISH POUNDS
______________________________
23. In the old times, before he threw away his knees. ________________________
24. The buzz saw snarled and rattled in the yard _________________________
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25 In the evening bazaar
an unknown girl
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34. On the coach, Lev chose a seat near the back and he sat huddled against the
window, staring out at the land he was leaving: at the fields of sunflowers
scorched by the dry wind, at the pig farms, at the quarries and rivers and at the
wild garlic growing green at the edge of the road. _______________
36. The thought that I could strangle my little sister, who was asleep in the bunk
below me and whom I loved more than anybody in the world.
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at the back of my mind like a persistent toothache,’ another simile to show
the extent of her mental torture at the thought of leaving school.
Another thing both texts share includes use of direct speech….
Use your quotations sparingly.
1.
Furthermore, her siblings are not referred to by their given name, but by
the pecking order of their birth: ‘Little Sister, Third Brother.’ The deliberate
omission of their proper nouns identifies another attempt to show lack of
bonding with them.
The fact that she does not know her family had moved house to a location
near her school shows how little personal attention she receives from them.
The writer satirizes this lack of emotional wealth and as seen again later,
her opinions carry no weight in the household.
Once she arrives home, we note that she is not received by any family
member, yet she has just scooped a top award in the world in play writing!
The fact that Ah Gum, most likely another domestic hand, welcomes her
home instead of her family is a disappointment and ironical.
She reverts to exaggeration to refer to her father and his office. The word
‘Father’ is capitalized; this suggests respect, formality and fear. Her
father’s room is termed the ‘Holy of Holies’ [a biblical reference/ quotation
from authority.]and the exaggeration adds a dose of humour that borders
on the absurd since it is hyperbolic.
The meeting that plays out between father and child lacks any amount of
familiarity or warmth that we would expect from members of the same
family that have not seen each other for a while. Instead, it is a cold,
clinical and traditional exchange between a father and his child. Yen Mah
references the psychological abuse she has been subjected to when she
poses the rhetorical questions ‘Is this a giant ruse on his part to trick me?
Dare I let my guard down? ’These rhetorical questions show how
uncomfortable she is with her father. In fact in the immediate previous
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paragraph she begins with the word, ‘Timidly.’ Such is not the hallmark of
a healthy, loving parent-child relationship, so her claims of a miserable
childhood are well-founded.
When her father announces that she has won the writing contest, she
continually expresses her doubt and confusion- this is the reason the writer
uses the triple rhetorical questions: Is it possible? Am I dreaming? Me, the
winner? Yen Mah thus humanely portrays her insecurities in life. She has
been conditioned to feel inferiority complex so much that she cannot
believe she has actually won.
Her father does not congratulate her directly. He sees the merit in her
accomplishment in having won over a colleague’s children and gaining him
some publicity. For him this good news is not about being proud of his
daughter’s achievement, but he is simply proud because it makes him feel
respected by his acquaintances. To add insult to injury, he expresses open
doubt at her achievement, even asking her directly ‘How come you won?’ It
means he doubts his own daughter’s capability.
The answer she gives is formal and well-reasoned if modest. The dialogue
between them again is bereft of familiarity. She uses both hyperbole and
simile to characterise what going to England to study would be like to her.
By describing England as ‘heaven’, she emphasises how desperately she
wants to quit her oppressive family. She adds weight to her feelings with
the rhetorical question that follows the comparison. ‘Does it matter what
you do after you get to heaven?’
Her father is shown to be insensitive and cruel, as he dismisses her choice
of study rudely. The use of the strong verb ‘scoffed’ emphasises this. He
refuses to see her literary merit (even when she has just won an
international writing contest), and appears to heartlessly crush her dreams
by countermanding her career choice.
Since no one takes her opinions seriously in the household, she meekly
accepts his suggestion. But she is delighted at the chance to go to England
and escape her current circumstances. She quotes Wordsworth in her mind
to great dramatic effect, to highlight her excitement. ‘How did that line go
in Wordsworth’s poem? Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive.’ This quotation
from authority serves two aims: to confirm her great knowledge in literary
world and secondly, to show her euphoria at the possibility of freedom and
acquisition of further studies. She finishes the narration by thanking her
Father a lot for the chance she has been given. The repetition at the end is
used as another emphasis as if her father is doing her a favour by letting
her pursue her right to education!
The fact that the only times she went home were when either
someone died or she was in trouble with the family. [Ostensibly for
punitive measures.]
Her fear of her own father and the fact that she had never entered
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Her father’s selfish interest in her win as it gives him pride among his
contemporaries.
The fact that even though she has capability to join a university, she
automatically go.
speaks with her father. How does the writer help us to understand
her thoughts and feelings during this section? You should refer
during the course of this passage. How does the writer enable the
3. How does the writer bring out her thoughts and feelings for her
father?
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4. How does the writer show her thoughts and feelings in this
answer. You may include brief quotations. (10) June 2017 [R Paper]
STORY
monopoly? _______________________________________________________________
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3. Give two odd things about how Adeline is treated by her family________
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4.Give two pieces of evidence that suggest the Adeline’s father was distant
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5. Give two pieces of evidence which suggest that Adeline was made to feel
unworthy of herself_________________________________________________________
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2.
From his journalistic view, they are just faces, just surfaces and expressions.
This is emphasized in the ending of the sentence: ‘…but there is one I will
never forget...’ [Another face] This creates developmental suspense.
Note that this statement strongly suggests that in spite of all that suffering
and death he witnesses, it is the face that touches him the most – a
remarkable irony at best.
The writer’s choice of words such as the use of the ancient noun ‘hamlet’
instead of ‘the village’ tells the readers how remote the writer feels the
place was. This is continued in the next expression of the hyperbole in the
idiomatic expression ‘back of beyond.’ The fact that agencies cannot reach
that village, the long sentence giving directions of how to reach there, the
dash before further elaborating on the bleak picture and the use of the
simile comparing the place to a ‘ghost village’; all convey the isolation and
inaccessibility of the village.
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Their collective feeling of disgust is shown in the ellipses in ‘my
cameraman… and I’-this hesitation is out of shame and self-disgust, before
admitting his being blameworthy. He admits the mistakes in his profession.
It makes him heartless and stoic.
To implant specifics in the readers’ minds the writer gives two disturbing
examples in the next paragraphs. The effects of this are strengthened by
the use of names [Amina Abdirahman, Ayaan and Habiba] as the plight of
two daughters and their mother is described. The writer says the mother
had gone in search of wild edible roots- note again that the woman has
been so dehumanized by hunger that she eats roots and leaves, much in
the same way wild animals would. The anaphora in ‘no rage, no
whimpering’, the dash followed by sibilant adjectives such as ‘frictionless,
motionless deliverance [triad] all are used to suggest that dying was a
kinder, more humane [ironically] option than the prolonged suffering of a
terminal hunger. The description of the girl’s existence as a ‘half-life’ and
her death as ‘deliverance’ are used as if life is a punishment, something to
be rescued from.
The remarkable one sentence in the sixth paragraph-‘And then there was
the face I will never forget’ implies the great significance of the meeting. It
hints at how important it must have been for the author and indeed it was.
The writer goes back to the day of the meeting which has since been
foreshadowed. The writer tells of how everyone else he met that day
caused him to feel disgust. The repetition of this fact in a short sentence:
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‘Yes, revulsion,’ not only implies that the readers should be shocked by
this, but also shows how ironical the author himself is surprised and
ashamed in confessing this. The fact that the writer faces the truth of his
own inadequacy herein lifts him above his fellow journalists and is an act of
redemption.
The reader is won over by his honesty to trust his opinion. His revulsion is
explained in his description of the feeding camp, where people are ‘beyond
controlling their bodily function. - a euphemism’ to take the sting off such
disgusting but natural functions as diarrhoearing, urinating and vomiting.
He also uses parallel here ‘to be in a feeding center…’ to emphasize that
this is no mean task. The reader too is disgusted by the effect of the
imagery, despite the intense sadness which the scene produces. He cleans
his hands ‘surreptitiously’ as if he knows that he should not be feeling
disgust, so he tries to hide it.
It is in this flood of extreme suffering that the writer espies a face- the face
that smiles. It is a face, not a man, not a name, simply a face; as were
those faces that he saw and forgot that were mentioned before. But the
smile is what makes it special, something unearthly in its message. He
cannot pin down what the smile means: he describes it in negative
sentences- it was not one of greeting or joy. He wonders at it as it has
moved him to a feeling much ‘beyond pity and revulsion.’
The dramatic use of active ordinary verb ‘clicked’ signifies his epiphany
which the author experiences as he realizes that the smile has been one of
shameful apology. He is moved with disgust at himself and appreciation for
the man’s fortitude and dignity. The irony is evident. The man surrounded
by, disease, suffering, destruction and death is ashamed of his
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circumstances and appearance, but the man who is healthy, well-fed,
confident and strong stands among them -unashamed. He admits ironically
that the smile got to him in a way that death, misery and everything else
could not, using short direct sentences to explain his meaning. The fact
that the man tries to apologize for his suffering metaphorically ‘cut to his
heart.’ So deep is the impact of the man’s unspoken question.
The incident, isolated as it is, is what influences the author to write about
the plight of these people with all his heart and soul in the matter, not all
the other horrible things he could forget. He regrets in the end that he does
not remember the man’s name, implying that his name wasn’t all that
important then [Not as important as his message anyway]. He uses
quotation from authority – the dispatch to BBC- to give this text credibility
The ending is distinctive and different: The writer expresses his gratitude,
his awe, his acceptance, and his apology to the nameless man who smiled
at him amidst the sea of suffering, all in one sentence: I owe you one.-a
self-explanatory idiom.
text.
rotting woman.
The situation of dire need at the feeding center and their attendant
dignity.
1. How does the writer present his thoughts and feelings in this
answer. You may include brief quotations. (10) Monday 19 May 2014)
2. How does the writer show his thoughts and feelings about his
January 2017
quotations
4. How does the writer present the effects of war in this passage?
STORY
1. List down 10 effects of war then compare them with the same effects in ‘A
Passage to Africa.’
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3.
Telling her story from first person voice in this autobiographical approach,
Ndichie impresses upon us her role as narrator. The next sentence unusually
starts with “And”. However, it is very powerful here as it continues with the
direct, conversational tone. She proceeds to inform the readers that she
would like to tell some “personal stories” about herself which she labels as
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“Danger of the Single Story.” She creates a sense of suspense since the
readers’ interest is piqued to find out how a story can be dangerous and to
whom?
In this autobiographical approach, the writer tells the story right from her
childhood. She mentions that she was both an early writer and reader. Her
mother claims that she started reading at the age of two which she
immediately repudiates by saying ‘four ‘is probably the time she began
reading. As early in the story as this, she already introduces the idea of the
danger of a single story. She gives us her mother’s view of when she started
reading and her own view of the same fact - cleverly introduces two versions
of the truth here; there is no “single story” even about something seemingly
as personal as when one started reading. The reader is therefore delicately
introduced to a further aspect– that there are many different ways of seeing
the world, and one’s own memory and opinions are not arbitrary. Notice her
statement of “closer to the truth” – she leaves an open mind lest she is also
wrong about the truth.
By describing her mother as ‘poor’, she suggests that although her stories
were not good enough, her mother politely read them as a sign of
encouragement. All of the details are Eurocentric in origin – elements of
nature such as the surprise of the sun appearing, snow, apples, and the main
characters being “white and blue-eyed”. The advertent use of the colon,
builds the necessity that is foreshadowed.
Since her childhood exposure to stories were only of those written by white
people and peopled by white characters, the writer had thought that only
whites could write books and only whites could be characters in those books.
She again begins her next paragraph with the same discourse marker “Now”
(to re-captivate our attention to her statement: “Now, things changed when I
discovered African books”.
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Her chance discovery of two very reputable African writers: Chinualomogu
Achebe and Camara Laye jares her to the terra firma. This discovery is
truthful and relatable. She then uses an image, “skin the colour of
chocolate” which she juxtaposes with the “white and blue-eyed” characters
of her early stories. She describes how girls like her with “kinky hair could
actually be characters in books
The alliterative use: “colour” and “kinky” with “k” sounds are meant for
dramatic effect. This alliterative use again juxtaposes the stark differences
between her real life and the characters she read about.
For the umpteenth time she starts another paragraph with “Now “in a
deliberate attempt to hint that the plot is till unraveling... Typically of her
intention to create a balanced view in the readers’ minds, she admits that
those books by foreigners were great since they opened her eyes to a new
world and the use of the metaphor ‘‘stirred my imagination’ –means that it
altered her perception. The words “new worlds” [a metaphor] shows how
limitless her newfound knowledge is.
She next cautions against blanket assumptions about other people’s lives as
this can be perilous. The writer then exposes her next incident of the danger
of a single story by roping her family in with a description of her family life in
Nigeria. She hails from a “middle-class” family, with rare privilege of hiring
a “house boy”, a servant who performed domestic chores. Notice that his
name too, “Fide,” is symbolic as it means faithful, in Latin. The fact that the
writer’s mother only brands Fide as poor and nothing else gives the writer
such a narrow view of the house help
The writer’s mother regularly sends; rice used clothes and yams to Fide’s
family. The narrator is reminded that she should eat all her dinner, as she is
fortunate to be born into a well-to-do family and should not be prodigal with
what she has.
Again, to emphasize her surprise during a visit to Fide’s family when Fide’s
mother shows them a pretty basket made of raffia, she uses the very short
sentence “I was startled”. She had been unwittingly brainwashed by her
mother into thinking that Fide’s family – poor as they were –could not
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possibly create anything with colour, beauty and creativity in their lives. She
quips: “Their poverty was my single story of them.”
The writer then fast tracks us to a time when she was a 19-year old student
in a university in the United States of America. She shows her empathy as
she feels exactly how Fide must have felt to be so negatively profiled
Her roommate’s “single story of her and of Africa had hindered her from
seeing both objectively, because of what she had already heard. The
writer’s disappointment at this misconception is very evidently captured in
her use of the plosive “p” sounds of “patronizing”, “pity” and “no possibility
“Her roommate had only heard of negative things about Africans. To her,
“Africa” and “catastrophe” are synonymous. It further shows how the two
negative ideas have become one in the roommate’s mind. By defining Africa
as catastrophic, which means in a terrible disaster or crisis, we see that the
roommate had heard only negative stories of famine, disease or war.
The parallel use of the phrase “no possibility” at the end shows deep
reflection that the “single story” her roommate had, meant there could never
be a link as human equivalents.” To her roommate, she would always be
seen as different.
The writer caps her incident by accepting that she too can make the same
mistakes as her American roommate. She tells us about her experience a
number of years later after a time she spent living in the United States. That
35
is when she understood why her college roommate might have developed a
one-sided view. This is because the only images of Africa splashed in the
Western media are very limited and negative. The conception of Africa as a
place of “beautiful landscapes” and “beautiful animals” with
“incomprehensible people, fighting senseless wars” who are dying of
“poverty and AIDS”.-are pathetic images. The image of Africans waiting for a
“kind, white foreigner” to save them is exactly what readers recollect from
the media coverage in which emotive pictures of malnourished children,
skeletal adults and disease ravaged people in Africa are used to raise
donations.
She gain revisits Fide’s story –she accepts the imperfection of human
nature which she too is a victim of. “...I would see Africans in the same way
that I, as a child, had seen Fide’s family”.
She talks of a time when she visited Mexico from the US. In the United
States immigration was a political hot potato then, fanning uneasiness in the
same ilk as Africans had been equated with civil wars and poverty; the
Mexicans were equated with being the poor parasitic immigrants. She uses
hyperbole and emotive language here. There are “endless” stories of
Mexicans “fleecing the healthcare system” or “sneaking across the border”
or being “arrested at the border”. These negative epithets “fleecing” or
“sneaking” and “arrested” show how hostile some Americans perceive the
Mexicans.
Her conclusion is a powerful anecdote of a family that had moved the north
of USA from the south and a discovery about their past in a book they read
which recreated in them pride and wisdom. Another use of parallel here
[when we reject the single story, when we realize that there is never a single
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story about any place, we regain a kind of paradise] strengthens her view
that stories, how they are told and their content matter.
Her early childhood reading and the fact that she hailed from a middle
Her perception of Fide, their house help, as penurious owing to the idea
Her realization that Fide’s family could actually create things such as
baskets which goes to show they could sell stuff [That is a far cry from the
rescue them.
Her excursion to Mexico and feeling ashamed of her single story of them
The story within a story of Alice Walker and her pride in sharing her
Exam question -1. In what ways does the writer use language and
structure to show the effects that only seeing one point of view may
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have? Support your answer with close reference to the extract. (12
marks)
6
4.
The narrator starts with very descriptive approach in the past tense. She
dwells on the details of the narwhal – their movement, appearance and her
reaction to them - she is clearly in awe of them. With this very explicit and
beautifully described first paragraph, the writer establishes the first side of
the conflict, setting up the whales firstly as beautiful and majestic creatures
to engage the reader and make the reader sympathise with them.
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She creates a magical picture of her surroundings “spectral play of colour.”
This also gives the reader the wonder of what it is like to be in the Arctic. The
phrase “butter-gold” not only conveys light, but indicates the wealth of
beauty in the arctic. The light related phrases are really important in this
paragraph as her feelings are happy, like the light that shines. However, the
paragraph ends on a sombre note in which the light deceives her “shifting
light’’ shows that everything is not as it seems.
In the next paragraphs, she explains why Inughuits need to hunt narwhals to
survive. The detailed explanation makes it seem like she is on the hunter’s
side until she morphs the paragraph into her explanation of the life of a
narwhal. This section is purely informative, making the tone factual, using
jargons like ‘scurvy, blubber, mattocks’ and so on. Obviously, the writer
showcases her in-depth knowledge about the Eskimos and the narwhal.
The narrator then describes the movement of the whales, "looking as if they
were going to merge, but always slowly, methodically passing each other
by." The use of the words 'merge,' 'slowly' and methodically' gives the sense
of large slow and majestic movements, but also the long structure of this
sentence and the use of longer words, broken up with commas also reflects
the movements of the whales.
The movement of the humans, on the other hand are contrasted with those
of the whales. The writer describes herself as 'Scrambling,' as if her
movements are clumsy and she takes a 'sharp' breath, which perhaps gives
the idea that the whales are awesome. The hunters are described as being
'dotted,' which also signifies the fact that human beings are too small in
contrast to the whales.
In the next segment- there is a sudden change of tone - the writing is much
more informative and factual than descriptive. The use of the words
"escaping" and "dead of winter" now introduce a more dangerous
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atmosphere which contrasts with the previously joyful and beautiful
description of the paragraph before.
Notice how the narrator- switches back to past tense and descriptive writing
"The women clustered on the knoll of the lookout, binoculars pointing in
every direction." - use of the word "clustered" and the phrase "pointing in
every direction" builds up tension and creates an unsettled atmosphere. The
words, "spinning round at a small gasp or jump," - puts emphasis on the fact
that everyone was very eager "It was like watching a vast, waterborne
game..." - use of a simile to compare the hunt to a game gives connotations
of fun but also danger.
In the next paragraph the writer says: "my heart leapt for both hunter and
narwhal". She uses metaphor to describe her emotions and to expresses her
conflicting feelings for the hunter and the narwhal; she's not sure which side
she's on “to dive, to leave, to survive."-This use of triad is to emphasise her
desperation for the narwhal to survive. In stating; "Hunting is an absolute
necessity in Thule,” she clearly puts in a final statement of opinion - use of
the word "absolute" puts emphasis on how important hunting is. It is a short
blunt statement to convey her point clearly. The lack of necessities from the
outside world, tilt the opinion in favour of the Inughuits reliance on animals
such as the narwhal.
survival.
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The importance of the narwhal to the existence of the Inughuits.
EXAM QUESTIONS
How does the writer show her thoughts and feelings about the
race?
How does the writer present her experiences of living with the
2014 PR.
List down all the uses of the narwhal which underpin their
importance to the inuight.
1. ______________________________________________________________________
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2. ______________________________________________________________________
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3. ______________________________________________________________________
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4. ______________________________________________________________________
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5. ______________________________________________________________________
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5.
ANALYSIS: YOUNG AND DYSLEXIC? YOU’VE GOT IT GOING ON
The actual text has a similar opening-. “As a child I suffered, but learned to
turn dyslexia to my advantage, to see the world more creatively. We are the
architects, we are the designers”
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Using the first person voice and a series of triad, the writer captures our
sympathy as he mentions his struggles with literacy and his being kicked out
of school. “I got thrown out of a lot of schools, the last one at 13. I was
expelled partly because of arguing with teachers on an intellectual level and
partly for being a rude boy and fighting.” His challenges include being in a
borstal institution and then learning to read and write at 21, when he
discovered the nature of his difficulties.
He also shows how inspirational he has become to those dyslexic people like
in prison and this irony debunks what his teachers thought of him. He not
only excelled in education, he also became so creative as a result. Laden
with listing, he explains in the subsequent paragraphs that it is a miracle he
made it in life since the odds were stacked against him “If you look at the
statistics, I should be in prison: a black man brought up on the wrong side of
town whose family fell apart, in trouble with the police when I was a kid,
unable to read and write, with no qualifications and, on top of that, dyslexic”
Also note this compound complex usage meant to build the enormity of his
problems,
He continues with his defiant tone on being racially profiled “If I have
someone in front of me who doesn’t have a problem reading and writing
telling me that black people are savages I just think, “I’m not stupid – you’re
the one who’s stupid.”’
Using humour, he next talks about his discovery that he was dyslexic “At 21 I
went to an adult education class in London to learn to read and write. The
teacher told me, “You are dyslexic,” and I was like, “Do I need an
operation?”
Note how consistently the writer uses inclusive first person plural pronoun
‘we’ and second person ‘you’ to engage the readers.
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Lastly, he finishes with a positive if defiant note to pep his listeners, “We are
the designers.’ It’s like these kids are proud to be like me and if that helps
them that is great. I didn’t have that as a child. I say to them, ‘Bloody non
dyslexics… who do they think they are?’
The Takeaways from the text:
The run-ins with the teachers due to his combative and divergent
views.
His being profiled negatively due to his condition and his reactions.
2. How does the writer use language and structure to make the
3. How does the writer use language and structure to show his
44
should refer closely to the passage to support your answer with
Which incidents in the text show that the writer was confrontational and
opinionated?
1. __________________________________________________________________
2. __________________________________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________________________________
4. ___________________________________________________________________
5. ___________________________________________________________________
6.
The passage begins with slow pace as the writer is already preparing to drive
off to film the race without any preamble or explanation to the reader as to
who “the lads” are or where they are. These pieces of information are given
later in the plot.
The opening two paragraphs are positive and humorous – the race is
compared to the “Wacky Races” a reference to an American cartoon series in
which competitors drive extremely abnormal cars capable of any miracle.
This foreshadows similar recurrence in this race.
Her usage of the word ‘lads’ both emphasizes the fact that the two were
young and could also be an endearment. The phrase, “fired up with
enthusiasm,” in reference to the lads is a metaphor meant to show their
eagerness to be part of this coverage. The waiting time referred to as
45
“eternity” is a hyperbole meant to show her tension and impatience for she
deemed the wait far too long. The paragraph is concluded on a funny note
with the use “wobbly bicycle” which adds to the humour as the cyclist almost
fell as he looked at them. This is additionally meant to break the tension
using a style called dramatic relief.
Notice how dramatic active ordinary verb lexis have changed from’ inching
out’ to “rush hour gone anarchic.” This quickens the pace of the narration.
As the race unravels, the writer uses a running commentary style much in
the same way a football commentator would during a live football match.
Yaqoob’s trait is developed as he is described as employing “nerves of
steel.” The excitement of the race is built as the speed further increases
towards the end of the race. The donkeys are described as ‘dwarfed’, their
race as neck and neck [no clear favourite] and the jockeys are described as
‘perched’ which revisits the idea of danger earlier mentioned by the writer as
the race started. The use of an abrupt short sentence, following a complex
sentence, to indicate the end of the race and usher in a sudden change in
atmosphere the situation is no longer humorous or exciting but it has the
potential for danger, “volatile”
The passage comes full circle and ends with humour as Yaqoob admits that
he doesn’t have a driving licence since he is underage. Structurally, the
passage entwines two races: the donkey race along with the spectators and
the race to get the pictures taken.
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The Takeaways from the text:
The accident.
The anticlimax.
How does the writer show her thoughts and feelings about the race?
How does the writer try to share her experiences of being at arace?
Explain how the writer uses language and style to build up tension
Explain how the writer uses language and style to make the plot
Headless Goat.’__________________________________________________________
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7.
The text starts with a confident first person voice tone buoyed up by his use
of mathematical language. “This one is maybe eleven or twelve feet high, a
foot higher and of a different geometry than the overhang I descended ten
minutes ago.” The reader is immediately focused on how methodical and
careful the writer is. To build on this, he uses a number of lexical features for
mountaineering jargons: ‘Another refrigerator chockstone…’, ‘...the ledge’,
‘drop-off’, ‘to stem my body.’ These words imply an in in-depth knowledge of
the terrain and the pastime. However, these jargons also convey the
difficulties of the climb.
In the third paragraph the writer dwells on his present scene using some
colloquial words for instance ‘I’m’ instead of ‘I am’ and ‘It’s’ instead of ‘it is.’
This usage makes the writer bond with his audience as he comes down from
his professional terms to use more everyday words.
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Using the first person point of view, Ralston shows how calm and almost
overconfident he is. “I can move up or down the shoulder-width crevice fairly
easily as long as the friction contact stays solid between the walls and my
hands, feet, and back.”
In order to capture his tension and shock effectively, Ralston uses emotive
language, short sentences and description to full hilt. His disbelief is just as
dramatic as the accident itself, “Good God, my hand!”
The final paragraph is full of emotive words that make the readers
sympathise with his situation. It ends suspensefully. Using a series of ellipses
and exclamation, the writer builds up his helplessness with such emotive
finesse that we cannot but admire his skills. Note the dramatic ending, “…
get good leverage with the aid of a twelve-inch shelf in front of my feet.
Standing on that, I brace my thighs under the boulder and thrust upward
repeatedly, grunting, ‘Come on…move!’ Nothing.”
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1. Discuss how the writer uses language and style to make the text
quotation
2. Discuss how the writer uses language and style to make the text
3. How does the writer, Aron Ralston, use language and structure in
Using brief pieces of evidence from the text, explain what we learn about
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5
8.
The rhetorical question in the suggestive title sets off this story as being
critical of the two characters. For the writer to have the guts to call adults
who are over 40 years ‘boys’, he must really have some justification.
The strap line of the helicopter indicates there were two on the mission, but
the use of the verb ‘plucked’ suggests a sense of helplessness which we
would not want to associate with explorers.
Also the starting of the newspaper article is unusual- instead of starting with
the traditional Wh + h paragraphs, the writer begins by criticizing them.
‘Their last expedition ended in a farce...” The word farce means it was a
laughable attempt.
In the next paragraph the writer uses yet another active ordinary verb
‘plunged(to fall suddenly and quickly into something.) This shows how risky
their attempt was. To further show that risk, the writer uses triad to
emphasize how complex their situation was, “The rescue involved the Royal
Navy, the RAF and the British Coastguards.’’[Triad] It simply means that
nothing was held back- cost inclusive- in trying to rescue the two
irresponsible men.
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The writer’s choice of lexical terms is also deliberate. He says, “Last night
there were resentment in some quarters…’’ Note the use of the word
‘resentment’ which is a stronger term for ‘hatred’ to shows the negative
public reaction. Elsewhere in the text, the writer calls this adventure ‘a
drama’ since it was childish, puts the words ‘trusty helicopter’ in quotes to
suggest the irony and uses the word ‘ claim’ to show that he did not trust
them.
Against this backdrop are also the massive resources employed in trying to
rescue this blundering pair; the following are used in the effort: the Royal
Navy, the RAF and British coastguards, Chilean naval vessel and two Lynx
helicopters. This is a massive operation in terms of resources especially
money. Also consider their irresponsibility; they did not even inform their
wives of the expedition and like smitten children, call for help from Mr.
Brooks’ wife. Notice even the infantile language, “…could she call [for them]
the emergency people?” Their childishness is further strengthened when
Mrs. Brooks herself refer to them as “Boys messing about with a helicopter.’’
It should not be lost on the reader that Brooks’ Breitling emergency watch
was a wedding present- someone had the foresight to know that Brook was
likely to fall into danger.
The climax of this criticism lies in the writer’s praise of their expertise and
experience-‘. Both men are experienced adventurers. Mr. Brooks, a property
developer from London, has taken part in expeditions to 70 countries in 15
years. He has trekked solo to Everest base camp and walked barefoot for
three days in the Himalayas. He has negotiated the white water rapids of the
Zambezi River by kayak and survived a charge by a silver back gorilla in the
Congo. He is also a qualified mechanical engineer and pilot. He and his wife
52
spent their honeymoon flying the helicopter from Alaska to Chile. The
16,000-mile trip took three months.
Mr. Smith, also from London, claims to have been flying since the age of five.
He has twice flown a helicopter around the globe and won the world freestyle
helicopter flying championship. Despite their experience, it is not the first
time they have hit the headlines for the wrong reasons.” The fact that such
people with such illustrious if enviable experience can mess so inanely,
confuses the readers.
The writer concludes on a colloquial note and deliberately too by stating that
the pair will probably have their bottoms kicked- a jocular reference to being
lambasted and embarrassed like foolish children.
1. How does the writer make his feelings about Steve Brooks and
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You should refer closely to the passage to support your answer.
2. How does the writer criticise the actions of the two men in this
Messing about?’ How does he use language and fact to express this?
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9.
The plot begins with direct speech. “We will check the ring numbers against
the article 10’.s” Right at the outset, the writer introduces jargon from the
field of falconry. It is her hint at her expertise. The tension of waiting to
unpack the hawk unravels slowly as the narrator notices the fragility of the
packaging, “We stared down at the boxes, at their parcel- tape handles, their
doors of thin plywood and hinges of carefully tied string.” The subsequent
paragraph builds up the tension using onomatopoeic word, “A sudden thump
of feathered shoulders and the box shook as if someone had punched it,
hard, from within.”
She ends this part with a humorous and ironical short sentence “Like us’ in
reference to the use of hoods to protect hawks from fearful sights. We
humans cannot be the fearful sights intended by the falconers.
The authoress continues with her revelation, but suddenly shifts her tenses
from past to historical or habitual present tense. The aim of this shift is to
capture her discombobulating sense as well as to focus our attention more.
Note also the continued lexical jargon for falconry to show her knowledge:
‘primaries, jesses, porpentine ‘
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The graphic description that follows next also slows down the tension again.
The writer uses simile to show the helplessness of the hawk. “She is hanging
head-downward, wings open, like a turkey in a butcher’s shop.’ She proceeds
to explain the fact the sun came out coincidently when the hawk was
unpacked. She marvels at the size of the hawk- The repetition of ‘enormous’
is meant to show her being impressed.
The second bird is now contrasted with the first one and oh, her description
is scary no wonder the writer opts for the initial bird: “Everything about this
second hawk was different. She came out like a Victorian melodrama
[Simile]: a sort of madwoman in the attack.[ Metaphor] She was smokier and
darker and much, much bigger, [ Comparison] and instead of twittering, she
wailed; great, awful gouts [ Contrast and onomatopoeia] of sound like a thing
in pain, [Simile] and the sound was unbearable. [Hyperbole]
A whirlpool of emotions assails the writer as she comes to the realization that
this is not her hawk. In fact she becomes so much panicked that she lapses
into incoherent appeals to the man to give her the smaller bird. The closure
suggests she got her desire “I’m sure nothing I said persuaded him more
than the look on my face as I said it.’’
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Its subsequent description.
The effects of the bird on the narrator and a flashback of its nascent
origin.
The contrast as the second bird is revealed and the realization that it’s
Her desperate appeal to have the initial bird and her success at it.
How does the writer use language and structure to interest and
engage the reader? You should support your answer with close
1. The narrator explicitly describes the two hawks. Note down comparisons and
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10
In fact there so many mountains that the writer is shocked that there is no
flat landscape anywhere. The writer finds Bhutan such a magical place that
58
she prefers to jocularly imagine it was created as in a fairy tale rather than
factual Geographical and topographical explanation of it.
The word effect of 'gathering', 'piling', 'pushing', 'knuckling' suggest that the
mountains are irregularly shaped and almost countless and amazing.
The accompanying listing, as well as making the journey seem long and
difficult for the writer, highlights how isolated Bhutan is and reinforces the
idea of it being a like a magical kingdom in a fairy tale: difficult to access,
different from the rest of the world and supremely scintillating to behold.
The extreme altitude above the sea level is emphasized by the hyperbolic
feel like they would actually touch the moon! She feels isolated by the
mountains. Her anticipation of something different is punctured by her
discovery on the other side of nothing but more mountains. The colon mark
gives the sentence a dramatic pause and introduces the surprising fact that
there is nothing beyond the mountains except mountains. Convulsion:
definition - 'a sudden, violent, irregular movement of the body, caused by
involuntary contraction of muscles.’ The implication is the force that must
have pushed the landscape into such enormous irregular beauty. 'Wind-
sharpened' (cf. 'sharp peaks' in paragraph 1) suggests that the sides of the
mountains are thin and exposed.
'And I find I agree': the addition of 'I find' adds humour as it suggests she
enjoys looking at the Bhutanese men because they are strong and
handsome. Note that the level of this positive detail suggests she is very
59
impressed by their beauty and has observed them closely. The 'gentle
smiles' contrast with and compliment some of the rest of the description
which otherwise makes them sound strong and tough. This contrast makes
the men even more attractive.
'Kira' and 'kho': the use of Bhutanese terms for specific items of dress adds
credibility to her account. She knows what she is talking about and explains
the difference between 'kimonos' and Bhutanese clothing. She is impressed
by one man’s friendliness. 'Impeccable' implies her surprise at how good his
English is. She admires the Bhutanese so much she cannot adequately
summarise their virtues but needs a long list to explain how good they are.
The dash introduces this extra and important information. Contrast this with
the Bhutanese hotel worker, who despite being from an isolated country
knows how to speak English very well.
'She undergoes orientation session classes to teach visitors like her what
they need to know so they can adapt to life in Bhutan. The fact these classes
are needed highlights how different life in Bhutan is from narrator's home.
Similar to the fanciful metaphor in which she had imagined of a giant child
shaping the mountains, the Bhutanese themselves imagine their land to
have been magically created and guarded - by a thunder dragon. Her view
and theirs is not too dissimilar.
Remind yourself of the extract from Beyond the Sky and the Earth
How does the writer use language and structure to convey her
STORY
Identify six traditional and historical things that the narrator admires in
‘Beyond the Sky and the Earth.’
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When the appendix was being excised, the doctor coincidentally also
removed a growth the size of a chicken’s egg. This could suggest the
removal of a cancerous tumour. The statement‘…the main thing that
concerned him was a growth. A growth, my mother said…’ is a style called
anadiplosis which is used herein to highlight its importance. The writer then
goes on to show disconnect in her relationship with her mother since the
writer was given the information which she received without any reply.
Next, she frankly confesses that she had harassed her little sister. For
instance, she would spit on her little sister’s face from her top bunk bed.
However, she says that at the time of narrating this story she was already
too old for such childishness ‘…much too old for such fooling.’
After the operation the narrator spends a lonely time bereft of the usual
family chores from which she was excused. Inexplicably, she starts suffering
62
from a terrible case of insomnia. This coincides with the fact that her parents
had decided to give her some independence – ‘I was left to make up my own
mind…’ She is being treated as a young adult.
She treats this new situation casually– alone and unable to sleep.
Unfortunately, this new independence affords her the luxury of exploring her
most deep seated feeling of her teenage mind. In an attempt to build
tension, she describes, how she thought of the murder of her sister. She
clarifies that there was no malice or vengeance involved as she loved her
younger sister more than anything else in the world. Her sister had evidently
done nothing to earn this contemplation. Her sister’s vulnerability is
juxtaposed with the love she had for her. She emphasises this with the use
of a single sentence paragraph: ‘The thought that I could strangle my little
sister, who was asleep in the bunk below me and whom I loved more than
anybody in the world.’
The thought – to do the ‘worst’ hounds her out of door. She interrogates her
rationality in an attempt to come to terms with such an enormous issue in
her life. Her habitual nocturnal walk which culminates at dawns[ that is when
her sleep comes], makes her realize the calmness of nature around her She
talks to no one about her fears and is offered no consolation and prescribed
cure. An unspecified time passes before one night she is surprised to find her
father on the stoop waiting for her.
Then the readers meet her father- a man with a wife is on deathbed,
hounded by shortage of funds, in addition to the weird deportment of his
elder daughter. The writer again shows the lack of family closeness here –
‘we weren’t accustomed to such greetings in our family’ since she is startled
by his simple salutation.
She is equally taken aback by her father being at her nightly thinking spot –
on the stoop- and his unusual manner of dressing. What transpires next is a
mature if not a masterly parental manner of handling things –without any
dramatics, he reveals to her that he knew her troubles and is not even
shocked that she had thought of killing her younger sister. They candidly
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talk at this juncture more than before and she realises the concern which he
has felt for her.
As dawn breaks and the birds sing, symbolic a new dawn in her relationship
with herself, and her father, she reveals all responses indirectly and with a
lack of overt emotion. We note his patience as she unburdens herself and is
appreciative of her father -she is clear that she would never have spoken ‘If
he had given the slightest indication that he knew there was more’...
She concludes with a reflection on her childhood and how her father made
such an impact.
gone awry.
surgery.
Also note the excuse from domestic chores and the independence
given to her.
Her dangerous dalliance with the thought of killing a sister she loved
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How does the writer use style and language to present the troubled
TECHNIQUES ANALYSIS
SYMBOLISM
NARRATIVE STRUCTURE
AND RHETORICAL QUESTIONS
REPETITIONAND SHORT
SENTENCES
2.
Told in the first person voice, the narrator sets off with the element of
‘wind.’ [Note that often times, the narrator uses weather elements such as
typhoons, thunderstorm or earth tremor as well as some animals to
foreshadow an omen. He mentions that the wind had risen steadily through
the night and it ‘battered’ [hit thoroughly] the Eel Marsh House until the
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‘house felt like a ship at sea.’ The narrator uses this simile to highlight his
sense of helplessness and isolation. Just like a ship at sea is normally at the
mercy of the winds, so is Eel Marsh House - The belief in the ethereal
[otherworldly] can be magical and almost incredible, but if these perceptions
are accompanied by sensory pieces of evidence then this lends credibility to
the story. The use of lexical choice ‘roaring’ in ‘…it came roaring in the open
marsh,’ adds to the danger he is exposed to. The word roar is used here with
a negative connotation.
Moreover, the statement suggests that the wind intentionally targeted the
Eel Marsh House. To strengthen this sense of fear, the narrator adds a
number of onomatopoeic words that show discomfort ‘rattling, moaning,
whistling.’ These discordant noises are everywhere as he states in, ‘every
nook and cranny.’ This builds his sense of discomfiture further.
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The narrator again momentarily lapses into a denial using a rhetorical
question: ‘There was no child. How could there be?’ But this denial is not
sufficient enough to make him ignore that cry –real or imagined. Notice his
use of simple short sentences to appear factual. His intonation of an
idiomatic expression using direct speech ‘Rest in peace’ is his abortive
[failed] attempt to wish the dead child not to disturb his night.
Then the narrator reveals more about this magic realism – it was not a one
night occurrence! It had happened habitually – tormenting him night after
night yet he was powerless to stop it. He uses conditional tense to express
this: “I would go down into the kitchen… I could do nothing…’” These
conditional sentences usually used to express unlikeliness of an occurrence-
are used to show his impotence [powerlessness]
The narrator continues to state how his experience unfolded- at the moment
he felt as if someone had gone past him into one of the rooms. This
coincided with two other scary incidents – the house was hit by a strong blast
of wind that shook it, and the lights went out. In a typical Gothic setting [this
new development of light going out plunges the narrator in utter [complete]
helplessness. Now this gets scarier since he had heard a cry of a helpless
child then the lights went off. So he was in the same dark house with an
unknown being. His sense of vulnerability is portrayed in his rhetorical
question ‘And the person who had gone by and was now in this house with
me?’ The next set of listing builds up the ethereal features, “There was no
movement, no contact but the door down the corridor which had been firmly
locked had opened by itself and then closed again.”
In this pitch darkness, the narrator is uncertain of – his bearing, his security
and his next move. His only comforts are Spider his dog [used as a hyponym]
and his torch. By a stroke of coincidence [or isn’t it?] his torch also falls down
and is spoilt.
This latest development spins the narrator’s mind into a second time of
denial, but then this would mean doubting his sanity too: ‘Whatever was
about , whoever I had seen and heard rocking [magic realism] and who had
passed me by just now, whoever had opened and locked the door was not
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real. No.”[Notice this one word sentence and how emphatic it is- then] ‘But
what was real?” The rhetorical question tells it all- the narrator is totally
confused by now.
To cap his vulnerability, when his torch fails, he almost cries like a child, but
his other option of drumming his fist forcefully onto floor boards is just as
childish [Tantrums?]
Ironically it is his dog Spider that he had been oblivious of, that provides that
most wanted solace [Man’s best friend- ha?]
The entry of an ethereal being into the house and its effect on
him.
His attempt to get light since light had gone off and his failure.
dog.
tension and fear in, ‘Whistle and I’ll Come to You.’ You should
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support your answer with close reference to the extract, including
What are the key themes in Whistle and I’ll Come to You? Explain briefly,
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3.
The plot is about two labour immigrants heading to Western Europe from
Russia in hope of getting better opportunities: Lev is driven out of Russia by
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a number of problems including loss of his job at a saw mill that closed down
and his need to fend for his starving daughter and mother. On the other
hand, Lydia is going for a number of job interviews in London since she is
bored of her current employment.
Though he had thought about the trip in advance, he is much unprepared for
the practical difficulties he meets to the extent that he clings to his cigarette
like his only companion. He even feels intimidated by Lydia who promptly
stops him from smoking in the bus.
Using flash back the writer presents Lev as a loving and responsible spouse
and father. Lydia is a different kettle of fish altogether, not easy to
understand yet caring too.
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Lev reminisces about his homeland where certainty of time is mirrored by
the exactitude of things such as falling of darkness unlike his present
condition where he is trapped in a timeless travel means of transport. He
eventually reveals that going to London is his final hope.
The pair then settle for the night, Lydia reading Graham Greene’s novel
telling of a pair of broken individuals travelling in search of their own
personal redemptions: Lev occupies himself with – the £10 note. He does not
know who Elgar on the note is and satirically speculates about him and the
system of capitalism so rife in the West.
Using internal monologue, Lev swears to claim part of the riches that the
English has to offer whether they like it or not
His reasons for going abroad for job and his optimism.
The flashback about his father, his dying wife, his daughter and his
mother.
inadequacies.
note and his grim determination to get a share of his income from the
English.
1. How does the writer use language and style to make Lev a
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1.How does the writer use style and language to create a sense of
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4.
The poem is about the persona’s search for her cultural identity in the face of
cultural erosion bedeviling the Indian sub-continent. The poem begins with
the setting of the place- a bazaar- yet it is ‘metaphorically studded with neon
lights. Studs give the impression of poking out- notice the immediate
contrast of a westernized bazaar nesting in the cultural one. Yet the central
image is the peacock which happens to be the national bird of India.
Written using enjambment and centred on the page, the writer uses this free
verse to communicate the spontaneity of her observations and experience.
Repetition of the phrase “In the evening bazaar,” adds more detail to the
subsequent description of the treatment. We should also note that the poem
is framed by the bazaar itself, though by the end, “evening” has been
replaced in the line by “neon”.
A three pronged reaction during this experience is etched out. At first she is
relating the experience to Western cake decoration. Further on the persona
mentions “a few rupees” as the price of doing something so culturally
important that she feels a sense of guilt, the fact that India has since
abandoned those who perpetuate valuable Indian culture so much that now
they can only earn a pittance from it.
As the image of peacock – for which she is very proud comes to completion,
her sense of wonderment [I have new brown veins] is replaced by one of
desperation [I am clinging to these firm peacock lines like people who cling
to the sides of a train]
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Entranced by this beautiful display, the balloons and the canopy under which
she sits, the persona reinforces the idea of cultural erosion. She is satirizing
the invasion of her culture by westernization of economy and culture alike.
Other forms of westernization include the dummies in shop front that are
personified to highlight their elevated status above common “Dummies in
shop front tilt and stare,” and permed hair which reflects the fact that Indian
women are copying a western hairdo
encroachment]
identity.
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EXAM PRACTICE QUESTION
1. How successfully does the writer of, “An Unknown Girl’ present
her feeling about the country she has visited? In your answer you
may include:
You should refer closely to the text to support your answer. You
2. How does the writer present the meeting with the unknown girl?
You should refer closely to the text to support your answer. You
3. How does the writer convey a sense of place in the poem? In your
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5.
This powerful satirical poem rails at the folly of war and its effects. In the
case of the young soldier, he is a living example of enlisting for the wrong
reasons, and the ramification of that decision he lives to regret.
In the first stanza the soldier is shown sitting in dark, abandoned in his
wheelchair. He is a complete amputee which renders him fully custodial.
Legless, sewn short at elbow,’ ‘Now he will ever feel again how slim girls’
waists are…’ This sense of deep sadness is enhanced by voices of boys
echoing throughout the park, reminding him nostalgically of his tragic loss
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and the fact that he cannot play football like them ever again. The persona
continues to emphasize his loneliness with the use of personification in, ‘Till
gathering sleep had mothered them from him’.
With a quick flashback, the second stanza the reveals the soldier’s old days
before the war. He reminisces about past enjoyment before he bitterly
remembers that now the women that admired him so much before the war
now segregate him because of his disability; they look at him as if he has a
"queer disease." He faces discrimination and segregation on the basis of his
disability even by his once closest friends.
Stanza three continues, with the soldier’s reflection of the happy days. He
used to be such an Adonis that an artist was fixated with his face. The
persona uses a string of metaphors and hyperbole-he says, - the soldier "lost
his colour very far from here, Poured it down shell-holes until veins ran dry".
Note the use of ‘…poured it down shell holes till the veins ran dry.’ The
persona uses sarcasm here to claim that the soldier must have been careless
with himself so he does not fully deserve our pity. It is also hyperbolic since
you cannot bleed until your vein become dry otherwise he would have died.
The same train of thought is revisited in the line: ‘In the old times, before he
threw away his knees.’
In the fourth stanza the boy also recalls that he was a football hero, and that
once a, “blood-smear," on his leg sustained in a game was a badge of honor.
This is in stark contrast to his war wounds, which are now shameful. He
explains the almost casual way he decided to go to war – after a game, when
he was drunk, he thought he ought to enlist. Swayed by a compliment and a
girl named Meg, his justification for going to war illustrates his youthful
ignorance and naïveté effectively. Notice how the writer skillfully allows
rhyming couplet to trip in subsequent stanzas to show perhaps that the
effects of war were obvious and predictable.‘…dark-park, grey-day, hymn-
him,’ and the pattern continues.
In the fifth stanza, he says that he lied about his age to get into the military,
and hardly gave a thought to German awe inspiring military or fear. All he
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thought about was the glory and the uniforms and the salutes and “esprit de
corps".
The next stanza highlights the only humane encounter once the boy had
returned from the war– one man who is cheering him on is "solemn" and
takes the time to inquire about his soul. It does not seem like the boy took
the time to wonder too deeply about this at the time, but the encounter is a
foreshadowing of the difficulties to come. By inference it is also suggestive of
the fact that this lone man knows that the returned soldier need to be at one
with God as he will most likely die soon ‘…Spend a few sick years in the
institutes’
The final stanza brings the soldier back to the present, realizing the
bleakness of his future. He knows that he will be in and out of institutes and
hospitals, and will have to suffer through the pity of those in power that put
him in danger in the first place. The will not treat him as a veteran but like an
inmate. ‘… and take whatever pity the may dole…’
What exacerbates his situation is the continued slights from women, who
look past him like he is invisible compared to men that are "whole". The
poem ends on a sad and sobering note as the young man wonders why
"they" do not come and put him to bed. It is a reminder that he will have to
have others do things for him from now on. The use of rhetorical questions
and repetition drive the final point on neglect firmly home.
1. Complete amputee
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3. His carelessness during the war
9. Being institutionalized
1 How does the writer try to bring out the thoughts and feelings of
about:
situation.
refer closely to the poem to support your answer. You may use
2. How does the writer try to bring out sense of loss in the disabled
feeling of regret
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any other interesting use of language and style.You should refer
closely to the poem to support your answer. You may use brief
quotations [15
Write down all the reason the soldier had for enlisting in the military.
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6.
Launching her attack at; You’ in the poem the persona immediately begins
with accusatory tone ,You may write me down in history, With your bitter,
twisted lies,
You may tread me in the very dirt. But still, like dust, I'll rise.
‘You’ strongly suggests the white oppressor of the servitude era. The
persona highlights the problems she has had to undergo as result of racism
but vows she will confidently overcome-‘But still, like dust, I'll rise.’
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In the second stanza, the persona provocatively asks if her “sassiness”
upsets her oppressor. She asks this and follows with the imagery:
She does not seem bothered in the least by the oppressor’s reactions. Her
questions are therefore pre-emptingly mocking for she asks rhetorical
questions and answers them disdainfully as if she can read the mind of her
oppressors.
With the certainty of tides,’- In mentioning the tidal wave she claims the
unstoppable nature which is her resilience too. By extension it can be said
that as the sun and the moon rise eternally so will be her fight to victory.
The fourth stanza captures the attributes of the vanquished; they are broken,
disillusioned, submissive and abject. The imagery of shoulders “falling down
like teardrops” implies being defeated in body and spirit.
The fifth stanza once again shows the speaker taunting the oppressor, in a
way that parallels the second stanza. The use of the word, “haughtiness”
pairs well with the “sassiness” of stanza 2, as the term implies a proud
attitude and an air of invincibility. One might even say that the persona is
proud to the point of arrogance, as she wonders if she is offending the
oppressor. The word “offend” is an ironic choice, since the persona—as an
oppressed person—is the offended party. In this stanza, she turns the tables
on the oppressor and does the offending herself. The second line rubs in the
fact that the oppressor “takes it awful hard” when she is haughty, which is
exactly how she must take it when she herself is oppressed.
The last two lines of the fifth stanza, just as in the second stanza, once again
portray the persona as carefree and jubilant, as if she were wealthy. This
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time, she is laughing heartily as if she had gold mines in her backyard.
(Simile) The speaker may be oppressed, but her confidence is like gold-
precious. It gives her a wealth that no one can take away.
At the meeting of my thighs?’ - The speaker is self-aware and knows that she
embodies these qualities. She is also aware of the oppressor’s shock and
discomfort at this revelation—as the oppressor is likely “surprised” to see the
speaker in this way.
She wonders if the fact she is sexy as well as accomplished is more offensive
to her detractors than it would be if she was either sexy or accomplished.
There is also an inherent unspoken question that wonders whether
oppressors are angry with her because they find her sexy and attractive and
do not desire those feelings. There is a sexual connotation to the simile she
uses in this stanza as she mentions the, “diamonds at the meeting of her
thighs.” The diamonds shows how valuable her sexuality is.
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The eighth stanza is rich with imagery. The huts, figuratively speaking
represent the shame of history— white oppression of black people. This
suggests the sorry state of the slaves then and which she is proud to have e
outlived.
The speaker refers to a past “rooted in pain.” This is the oppression that
black people have experienced, from slavery to segregation. She once more
uses imagery of the lake- a formidable force along with its tides which she
claims to bear in [control] to show her superiority. The persona hopes bring
with her the “gifts that her ancestors gave”—her strength, hope, and
determination. She negates to inherit their pain, subjugation and pessimism.
Then in reference to herself as the, “dream and the hope of the slave,” the
speaker mentions slavery explicitly for the first time. She enumerates the
torture she and her ilk underwent and finishes off with a strong declarative
repetition ‘I rise’
The persona states the perpetuation of racism well after slavery is done
and ‘dusted?’
The question why the persona’s ebullience and pride should worry the
oppressor.
The enumeration of the things that the oppressor does to humiliate her.
background.
Describe briefly how the persona is presented as confident and proud of her
identity.
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7.
This highly melancholic poem narrates both child abuse and emotional
poverty similar to the one in section ‘A’ story of Chinese Cinderella.
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The poem starts off on an ominous note- ‘The buzz saw snarled and rattled
in the yard. ‘Snarling’ –a sound we normally associate with wild animals such
as the wolves of foxes or even dogs when they are in danger or angry or
protective of their offspring or mating grounds.–The boy is subjected to this
danger daily. “Snarled and rattled” is repeated three times to give a sense of
the continual noise and threat that exists whilst at the same time linking the
saw to predatory animals. Note that the words snarl and rattled are
onomatopoeic words that depict disturbing noise- an environment not fit for
one work in.
The persona continues to criticize the fact that although whatever wood they
produced as lumberjacks were: ‘Sweet-scented stuff,’ and that they lived and
worked against a backdrop of a picturesque environment:
Under the sunset far into Vermont.’ The family is presented as too
workaholic to appreciate the aesthetic nature of their neighbourhood.
Moreover, the writer alludes to child labour and abuse when he mentions
that the child was not even allowed a break of even half an hour [Let alone
John Locke’s Law which prescribes 8 hours of work/learning, 8 hours of rest
and 8 hours of sleep] The usage of sarcastic word: ‘saved’ in ‘when saved
from,’ work suggests that the boy was maltreated.
The fact that the boy must have deliberately cut his hand is proven by the
line, ‘He must have given the hand.’ This also implies how desperate he was
for a break from work –strengthened by the preceding caesura which focuses
the reader away from the emotion of the boy and onto the hand itself. The
exclamation mark reflects not only the boy’s shock but also the importance
of the hand. Without a hand, a farmhand is impotent.
This blunt criticism of child labour is expressed in the lines. –‘…big boy.
Doing a man’s work, though a child at heart-’
The boy’s first gives a “rueful” laugh; an oxymoron – almost apologetic, and
certainly understated in response before reality hits him and as he
recognizes “life spilling” (which is also metaphorical.)
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When the enormity of his action hits home, he appeals to his sister, not to let
the physician cut his hand. This is another criticism since it suggests that the
boy lacked personal bond with his parents and the only person he could
relate to was his sister.
This use of euphemism is meant to take off the sting of the effect of losing
the boy. However the writer is still satirical of the family for in our greatest
times of need we need close family members not a stranger. As this line
closes with the simple finality, the life has lost all existence and is now
merely “it” – the boy no longer has life. Frost repeats the word “boy” several
times between lines 19 and 24, stressing his youth, and now the humanity is
replaced by the reaction of the family and those present. The family reaction
is most inhuman; a clear disregard for the boy, and for them life continues.
‘No more to build on there. And they, since they-Were not the one dead,
turned to their affairs.’
The threatening and dangerous work environment the boy worked in.
The fact that the community did not get time to enjoy their picturesque
environs
Child labour
Being denied time for leisure that pushed him to cut off his hand.
His appeal to his sister not his parents not to let the doctor amputate
his arm,
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The fact that a stranger and not his close family members are at his
When he dies the family continues with their affairs as if nothing had
happened
1. How does the writer try to bring out the sadness of the boy’s
In what ways can we say the boy in the poem was a victim of child abuse?
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8.
The poem is actually set at the end of a civil war and therefore deals with the
after-effects of war in the city of Sarajevo. The title- ‘Bright Lights’ possibly
suggests the hope the persona invests in this writing.
The poem begins with the enumeration of some of the immediate effects of
war such as- lack of basic necessities and insecurity [empty canisters
of ,precious meagre grams, bread they’re rationed, struggling up sometimes
eleven flights of stairs with water, and often dodging snipers on the way.
curfew]The strict rhyming couplet suggests the predictability of the effects of
war. The poem also makes skillful use of enjambment, to mimic
the narration of a story.
The poet’s use of structure and rhyme is deliberate. He uses the first stanza
to exclusively talk about the grim, bitter realities of life in the war-torn city.
The city lacks basic necessities such food which they have to queue for,
there is no electricity, there is insecurity, segregation and limitation of
freedom [curfew] The use of strong verbs like ‘queuing, struggling and
dodging’ add emphasis to the dire situation being portrayed.
Juxtaposed with this flowering romance is the grim past reality of the
atrocities of war such as the memories of the innocent people queuing for
bread who were bombed by Serbs
The ‘peacefulness of nature’ reinforced with the mention of the Pleiades
(which are a cluster of stars visible to the naked eye), also draws
sharp contrasts with the horrific violence perpetrated by man.
The poet concludes with an element of hope but war reminders still abound:
‘the curfew, and he holds in her hand behind AID flour-sacks refilled with
sand.’
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Residual Insecurity
Lack of electricity.
atrocities.
limitation of curfew
1. How does the poet convey the growing sense of hope in this
2. How does the poet show the effects of war in this poem? (30
Marks)
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9.
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Opening this text with a biting sarcasm, the narrator states: “She was one of
those pretty, delightful girls who, apparently by some error of Fate, get
themselves born the daughters of very minor civil servants.” It is as if being
pretty should then lend one the freedom from being born in a poor family.
Her vulnerability is then captured in the repetition of the word ‘no’ to
underpin her abjectness ‘…no dowry, no expectations, no means…’
The writer uses listing in the compound complex sentence below to show her
empty ambition and materialism, “She dreamed of great drawing-rooms
dressed with old silk, filled with fine furniture which showed off trinkets
beyond price, and of pretty little parlours, filled with perfumes and just made
for intimate talk at five in the afternoon with one’s closest friends who would
be the most famous and sought-after men of the day whose attentions were
much coveted and desired by all women.’’
Using triad, the narrator emphasizes her penury, ‘She had no fine dresses,
no jewellery, nothing.’ This was a torture to her. Her husband though cuts
out an admirable figure; he fights to get an invite for his wife even though
his portfolio at work [junior clerk] did not merit one, ‘…not many are handed
out to us clerks.’ He praises her food: ‘Splendid! There’s nothing I like better
than a nice stew...’
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because of her natural beauty, the upper-class attire she acquires for the
event, or perhaps simply the confidence she derives from her clothing.
The dialogue that ensues soon after he gives her the invite shows how
emotional and petulant she is. In fact she is an ingrate. The husband’s
suggestion for her to borrow her friend’s jewellery sets stage for the disaster
On arrival home they discover to their dismay that the necklace is lost. In
tandem with his attributes as the good husband, he tries all avenues possible
to recover the diamond necklace. When these prove a failure, he
pragmatically seeks solutions in replacing the diamond necklace. This further
reinforces his character as a good husband.
Then the bull’s eye comes in the chance encounter between Mathilde and
Madame Forestier and the dialogue that follows reveals that in fact the
diamond the Loisels have been paying for, for the past ten years and which
cost them 36000 francs, is in fact an imitation worth just about five hundred
francs!
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Her fixation with materialistic things and riches.
replacement.
1. How does the writer try to make the character of Madame Loisel
2. How does the writer try to interest the reader in The Necklace? In
what life is like for Madame and Monsieur Loisel before the
reception
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the night of the reception
You should refer closely to the text to support your answer. You
You should refer closely to the text to support your answer. You
How does the writer develop the characters of Madam Loisel and Mr Loisel
character traits
thought you’d be
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happy. You never go
opportunity,
2
a splendid
dickens of a job
getting hold of an
invite
10.
This story with its twists and turns of irony, explores the passive and delicate
nature of the maltreatment of women in the 19th century. The fact or is it
coincidence that Louise’s heart condition was weak reinforces this societal
expectation. Her physical debility further eggs on the people around her—
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like Richards and Josephine—both of who emasculate her emotions to
overprotect her.
As she sits by the window the writer captures Mrs. Mallard’s change of
thought by using metaphors such as, ‘…trees that were all aquiver with the
new spring life.’ This is also symbolic as the season of spring marks the end
to the dreariness and ravages of winter and ushers in new vibrancy of life,
though she is yet to realize the full import of the death then. For the second
time, a new strange and powerful emotion assails her, yet contrary to the
expectation of her weak heart she rides it through ably. The next metaphor:
‘The delicious breath of rain was in the air,’ is another piece of the jigsaw
puzzle that begin to fall into place before the eventual epiphany. In fact the
description of all she sees are such that she is seeing them as if for the first
time and befittingly so: The death of her husband is unburdening her
gradually.
" The vacant stare and the look of terror that had followed it went from her
eyes. They stayed keen and bright. Her pulses beat fast, and the coursing
blood warmed and relaxed every inch of her body. The repetition and triad,
as well as alliteration used in the paragraph is the apex of her feelings.
These ironic feelings aside, Louis surmises that she did not really hate her
husband and that he was a loving spouse. Her joy, is because of the life
97
ahead of her that will be full of freedom and independence. She recognizes
the rare opportunity she now has to escape this patriarchal dominance.
Dramatic irony is used in Josephine’s thought that Louis was likely to hurt
herself. "Louise, open the door! I beg; open the door--you will make yourself
ill. What are you doing, Louise? For heaven's sake open the door."
As she opens the door, she has to descend the stairs, possibly another subtle
symbolism of her great comedown with the reality check of her husband’s
return.
Louise that her freedom could never be a reality. In a way, Louise’s death,
then, is the only way for her to gain independence, in light of the fact that
her husband (and, thus, her marriage) is still alive. Of course, her death
ironically lends credence to the idea that she is weak, and the physician’s
declaration that she died of “joy that kills” edifies this irony. True it is that
dies of joy but it is the losing not gaining that joy that kills her.
‘death’
Her daydreaming of what the future as a widow would accord her that
The irony by her sister that she was secluding herself with the
98
Her coming face to face with her husband when she comes downstairs
and the abortive attempt by Richards to shield her from his sight.
1. How does the writer explore the sense of freedom in, ‘The
Story of An Hour’?
husband’s death
may include:
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with the IGCSE Pearson Edexcel rubrics. This is exactly how the
contents of both your papers 1 and 2 will look like in your final
exams
International GCSE
English Language A
Instructions
Use black ink or ball-point pen.
Fill in the boxes at the top of this page with your names, center number and
candidate number.
Answer ALL questions in Section A and ONE in Section B.
100
Answer the questions in the spaces provided– there may be more space than
you need.
Information
The total mark for this paper is 90.
The marks for each question are shown in brackets– use this as a guide as to
how much time to spend on each question.
Quality of written communication, including vocabulary, spelling, punctuation
and grammar, will be taken into account in your response to section B.
Copies of Pearson Edexcel International GCSE English Anthology may not be
brought into the examination.
Dictionaries may not be used in this examination.
Advice
Read each question carefully before you start to answer it.
Check your answers if you have time at the end.
You are reminded of the importance of clear English and careful presentation
in your answers.
Section A: Reading.
The following questions are based on Text One and Text Two in the
Extract Booklet.
When I first arrived in Iqaluit almost four years ago, a colleague of mine, who
was studying the ways in which traditional Inuit hunting routes are being
altered due to climate change, put me in touch with two local Inuk hunters,
Josh and Levi, who were participating in his research.
Our destination was a revered place: the floe edge. That is, where the frozen
sea ice meets the open ocean, an ideal location to hunt for seal. Based on
their hunting trip two weeks prior, Josh and Levi predicted it would take us 45
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minutes by snowmobile to get to our hunting spot. Our anticipated trip
length was cut short; however, as we discovered that the floe edge has since
retreated towards town. This deteriorating sea ice would later prove to be
problematic.
At the floe edge, Josh and Levi used their harpoons to check that the
thickness of the sea ice was sufficient to support ourselves, our gear, and our
(very heavy) snowmobiles. This harpoon practice for hunters has been
common for thousands of years, but was especially a must considering the
poor sea ice conditions that year. Both hunters noted that the sea ice was
less predictable and therefore more dangerous than ever before—a problem
that has only worsened since our hunt.
Community members have also been concerned about the rapidly thinning
ice. One told me once that, "very knowledgeable hunters have had
accidents, and that says a lot, to me." That same year, ice while polar bear
hunting almost 200 kilometres down the bay we were hunting in. He was
lucky to be saved. But the loss of his snowmobile and equipment can't be
underestimated, nor his loss of trust in the sea ice. As a prolific hunter with
20 years’ experience, the same hunter told me, "The ice was different than
anything else I've ever traveled on."
While Josh appraised the safety of our hunting spot, Levi checked the scope
of the .22 he received as a youngster. It has gotten a lot of use, as evidenced
by the worn out electrical tape still holding it together. Once their rifles were
fit for use, Josh and Levi surveyed the scene, smoked their cigarettes, and
awaited the target.
It didn't take long before we spotted a seal poke its head above water. Josh
aimed his rifle quickly and carefully.
He fired.
The sound of the gunshot echoed off the surrounding coastal mountains.
There was nobody for miles.
He missed.
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More waiting. More gunshots. I was torn over who to root for: the hunters
who are under pressure to provide for their families, or the seals who
certainly have a survival instinct similar to ours. In the end, I sided with Josh
and Levi.
Traditional foods, such as seal, are becoming more and more difficult to
obtain for a variety of reasons: loss of traditional knowledge limits
harvesting, high cost of harvesting equipment is unaffordable for many, and
the rapid human population growth leads to demand outweighing supply.
Not to mention the big elephant in the room, climate change, which
undoubtedly impacts wildlife patterns, restricts access to harvesting areas,
and so on. With all that, I figured, all things considered, the seal probably has
less to contend with.
Finally, their patience paid off. Josh shot at the seal from our sea ice position,
his bullet striking the seal's head quickly and cleanly. Levi retrieved the
floating carcass from the open ocean with a not-so-traditional rowboat
(despite the fact that the Inuit invented the kayak). Both hunters then
butchered the seal on the sea ice. With a sharp blade—and even sharper
hunter's wit—the seal was transformed into meat for eating and skin for
sewing. Nothing was left behind, save for the streaks of red blood on the
white snow.
For thousands of years, seals and other Arctic wildlife species have formed
the basis of the traditional food system that remains prevalent today.
Everything from seaweed, to Arctic char, to polar bear have been consumed
by Inuit.
In the north, we often hear about the impacts climate change is having on
the environment, but we don't hear enough about the impacts that climate
change is having on people. Warming temperatures and deteriorating sea ice
conditions are worth examining, of course, but these are not mere metrics;
they are real-life challenges experienced by the Inuit who live closely with,
and rely heavily on, their environment. And they have for millennia.
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Since my hunting trip, it would be difficult to definitively say whether sea ice
conditions have further declined, hunting patterns have continued to shift, or
seal populations have since wavered. What we can say, however, is that the
bizarre environmental conditions experienced during that winter of 2010-
2011 are scientifically predicted to become increasingly common with future
climate change.
As such, we can use that winter as a lens for understanding climate change
adaptation. That is, knowing how the hunters adapted during this recent trip
can help inform which adaptations will likely be needed in the future.
That said, we shouldn't be quick to victimize these resilient peoples. Inuit will
continue to adapt to their surroundings, as they have for thousands of years.
Perhaps a community member put it best, "Hunters have a certain degree of
resilience; it's very hard to erode that."
And coming from a group of people that have survived and thrived in the
most unforgiving place on earth—you need to take them seriously, thinning
ice and all.
As a small child, Kari Herbert lived, with her family, among the Inughuit
people (sometimes called Eskimos) in the harsh environment of the Arctic. In
2002 she revisited the area, staying near Thule, a remote settlement in the
snowy wastes of north Greenland. In this passage she writes about her
experience of watching a hunt for the narwhal, a toothed whale, and what
she thought and felt about it.
Two hours after the last of the hunters had returned and eaten, narwhal
were spotted again, this time very close. Within an hour even those of us on
shore could with the naked eye see the plumes of spray from the narwhal
catching the light in a spectral play of colour.
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Two large pods* of narwhal circled in the fjord*, often looking as if they were
going to merge, but always slowly, methodically passing eachother by.
Scrambling back up to the lookout I looked across the glittering kingdom in
front of me and took a sharp intake of breath. The hunters were dotted all
around the fjord. The evening light was turning butter-gold, glinting off man
and whale and catching the soft billows of smoke from a lone hunter’s pipe.
From where we sat at the lookout it looked as though the hunters were close
enough to touch the narwhal with their bare hands and yet they never
moved. Distances are always deceptive in the Arctic, and I fell to wondering
if the narwhal existed at all or were instead mischievous tricks of the shifting
light. …
The narwhal rarely stray from High Arctic waters, escaping only to the
slightly more temperate waters towards the Arctic Circle in the dead of
winter, but never entering the warmer southern seas. In summer the hunters
of Thule are fortunate to witness the annual return of the narwhal to the
Inglefield Fjord, on the side of which we now sat.
The narwhal … is an essential contributor to the survival of the hunters in the
High Arctic. The mattak or blubber* of the whale is rich in necessary minerals
and vitamins, and in a place where the climate prohibits the growth of
vegetables or fruit, this rich source of vitamin C was the one reason that the
Eskimos have never suffered from scurvy*. … For centuries the blubber of
the whales was also the only source of light and heat, and the dark rich meat
is still a valuable part of the diet for both man and dogs (a single narwhal can
feed a team of dogs for an entire month).
Its single ivory tusk, which can grow up to six feet in length, was used for
harpoon tips and handles for other hunting implements (although the ivory
was found to be brittle and not hugely satisfactory as a weapon), for carving
protective tupilaks*, and even as a central beam for their small ancient
dwellings. Strangely, the tusk seems to have little use for the narwhal itself;
they do not use the tusk to break through ice as a breathing hole, nor will
they use it to catch or attack prey, but rather the primary use seems to be to
disturb the top of the seabed in order to catch Arctic halibut for which they
have a particular predilection*. Often the ends of their tusks are worn down
105
or even broken from such usage.
The women clustered on the knoll of the lookout, binoculars pointing in every
direction, each woman focusing on her husband or family member,
occasionally spinning round at a small gasp or jump as one of the women
saw a hunter near a narwhal. … Each wife knew her husband instinctively
and watched their progress intently; it was crucial to her that her husband
catch a narwhal — it was part of their staple diet, and some of the mattak
and meat could be sold to other hunters who hadn’t been so lucky, bringing
in some much-needed extra income.
Every hunter was on the water. It was like watching a vast, waterborne
game with the hunters spread like a net around the sound. The narwhal …
are intelligent creatures, their senses are keen and they talk to one another
under the water. Their hearing is particularly developed and they can
hear the sound of a paddling kayak from a great distance. That … was why
the hunters had to sit so very still in the water.
One hunter was almost on top of a pair of narwhal, and they were huge. He
gently picked up his harpoon and aimed — in that split second my heart
leapt for both hunter and narwhal. I urged the man on in my head; he was so
close, and so brave to attempt what he was about to do — he was miles from
land in a flimsy kayak, and could easily be capsized and drowned. The hunter
had no rifle, only one harpoon with two heads and one bladder. It was a
foolhardy exercise and one that could only inspire respect. And yet at the
same time my heart also urged the narwhal to dive, to leave, to survive.
This dilemma stayed with me the whole time that I was in Greenland. I
understand the harshness of life in the Arctic and the needs of the hunters
and their families to hunt and live on animals and sea mammals that we
demand to be protected because of their beauty. And I know that one cannot
afford to be sentimental in the Arctic. ‘How can you possibly eat seal?’ I have
been asked over and over again. True, the images that bombarded us
several years ago of men battering seals for their fur hasn’t helped the issue
of polar hunting, but the Inughuits do not kill seals using this method, nor do
they kill for sport. They use every part of the animals they kill, and most of
the food in Thule is still brought in by the hunter gatherers and fishermen.
106
Imported goods can only ever account for part of the food supply; there is
still only one annual supply ship that makes it through the ice to Qaanaaq,
and the small twice-weekly plane from West Greenland can only carry a
certain amount of goods. Hunting is still an absolute necessity in Thule.
Kari Herbert
pods*: small groups of whales
fjord*: a long, narrow inlet of the sea with steep sides
mattak or blubber*: the fatty skin of the whale
scurvy*: a painful, weakening disease caused by lack of vitamin C
tupilaks*: figures with magical powers, charms
predilection*: liking
SECTION A: Reading
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3. Describe life in the arctic for the Inuit hunters. You may support your
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4. How does the writer use language and structure to show her conflicted
feelings about hunting? You should support your answer with close
reference to the passage, including brief quotations. (12)
108
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111
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5. Compare how the writers present their ideas and perspectives about their
experiences with hunting. Support your answer with detailed examples
from both texts including brief quotations. (22 marks)
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marks)
EITHER
6. “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade," is a proverbial phrase used
to encourage optimism and a positive can-do attitude in the face of adversity
or misfortune. Lemons suggest sourness or difficulty in life, while lemonade
is a sweet drink.’
Write an article for a magazine giving your views on this statement. Your
article may include:
115
• your own experiences with adversity or misfortune
Your response will be marked for the accurate and appropriate use of
vocabulary, spelling, punctuation and grammar. (Total for Question 6 =
45 marks)
any other points you wish to make. Your response will be marked for the
accurate and appropriate use of vocabulary, spelling, punctuation and
grammar.
116
Pearson Edexcel Center Number
Instructions Candidate Number
International GCSE
English Language A
Fill in the boxes at the top of this page with your names, center
number and candidate number.
Information
The marks for each question are shown in brackets– use this as a guide
as to how much time to spend on each question.
Advice
SECTION A: Reading
English Anthology.
Disabled
119
He asked to join. He didn’t have to beg;
120
And put him into bed? Why don’t they come?
Wilfred Owen
Esprit de corps: a feeling of pride in the group to which one belongs (French)
You should support your answer with close reference to the poem, including
brief quotations.(30)
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EITHER
126
2 Write about a time when you, or someone you know, challenged an unfair
situation.
Your response will be marked for the accurate and appropriate use of
vocabulary, spelling, punctuation and grammar.
OR
3 Write a story with the title ‘Bitter, Twisted Lies’. Your response could be
real or imagined.
Your response will be marked for the accurate and appropriate use of
vocabulary, spelling, punctuation and grammar.
OR
Your response could be real or imagined. You may wish to base your
response on one of the images.
Your response will be marked for the accurate and appropriate use of
vocabulary, spelling, punctuation and grammar.
127
Image 1
Image 2
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