Exam Preparation

The danger of a single story:

- Speech (text type)

- Main goal is to persuade her Audience.

- Uses ethos. Pathos and logos to persuade audience

- descriptive style of language, she uses adjectives to describe.

- uses rhetorical devices such as direct references and rhetorical questions to

emphasise her points and help persuade her audience.

- The tone of the speech is very optimistic and persuasive.

- both formal and informal language

- There is a large use of adjectives and verbs in the speech such as ‘my wonderfully
ambitious hair’

- The language also suggests the speaker’s feelings regarding the topic, showing her
approval of disapproval.

- There is use of linguistic devices, such as:

*Personal anecdote: “I visited Mexico from the US”. This quote is Chimamanda Ngozi
Adichie’s way of expressing how universal stereotypes and prejudice is. This is because she
then leads on to tell about how she noticed herself stereotyping Mexicans. This also hints
towards content of self-sabotage, after her reflecting her mindset.
Anaphora: “No possibility” is a quote repeated at the start of pairs of sentences. This
emphasizes the message of what Chimamanda then proceeds to say. It makes this section of
the speech memorable.
Emotive language is used throughout the entire text. This is especially seen in paragraphs 1-
3, where Adichie talks about her childhood, and growing up with westernized books for
example. She talks about how the books she read basically brainwashed her into thinking
only white people were featured in books, because of how normalized it was to exclude
races.
The use of short sentences: ‘I was startled’. Short sentences are quick and affirmative
sentences that are used to alert the audience/reader. This specific example is used, as
Adichie uses this to simplify how she couldn’t even put her thoughts into words, but went
with the first emotion she felt (startled).

Purpose of the speech

The story talks about Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie reading books and writing.
She reflects on the power of story and the danger of believing one story about a region or
group instead of acknowledging the complexity of many stories.
One perspective is that it can lead us to different assumptions, conclusions and also
decisions that may be incomplete and may lead to misunderstanding.
The main character of course is Adichie, because the story is about different events she
experienced.
“How stories effect our mindset about certain things, and how we let ourselves get effected
by these stories. Resulting in people, (not only white people) stereotyping.”
 Explorers, or Boys Messing About?
- Article (text type) (it is said that the text is adapted from a newspaper by the name
''The Guardian''.)

- Nonfiction or fiction? - The text is nonfiction, as articles are based on real world
events

- we can assume that this is an opinionated article which tries to persuade us to see
this event just like the author does! – opinionated article that backs up the bias with
facts.

- Since our article does just that, informing the readers by telling a story, we can see
that it is a narrative text type!

- Setting - The setting takes place near the sea of antarctica when the explorers tried
to Cross into Serbia via the icebound Bering strait. the writer informs the reader that
this story took place at night around 1am.

- Characters - the main characters in this story are the two explorers Mr. Brooks and
Mr. Smith, it is only these 2 characters that most importance was given to. the wives
of Mr. Brooks and Mr. Ssmith was also mentioned in the story.

- Language used is critical towards the two men.

- Tone - Generally semi-formal, In some places you can see that informal language is
being used, for example in sentences like “The men’s stupidity is enhanced even
more” informal in the title where it says “messing about”.

- Use the bibliographical approach… he has a big background in business which means
he is a ‘’money man’’. Since the taxpayers were supposed to pay off the helicopters
he might be upset that any of his money has to actually go towards these guys'
mistakes.

Purpose:
The article was written for a newspaper. Despite the obvious purpose of ‘informing’,
newspaper articles also contain points of view, and they are biased towards one opinion. to
be clearer, the purpose of the text is to create frustration and anger towards these men and
engage the reader because the person reading this text will most likely be a taxpayer.
 Whistle and I’ll come to you.
- Extract from novel. (text type)

- ‘Whistle and I’ll Come To You’ is an extract from ‘The Woman In Black.’ This was
made into a film.

- The setting is described with the help of the special literary device called pathetic
fallacy, which is the attribution of human feelings and responses to inanimate things or
animals, especially in art and literature.

- Term / Literary / Definition W.A.I.C.T.Y

Lang Devices 

Alienation  A feeling that someone experiences when the 56 - 58 

world around them becomes unfamiliar and
disorientating 

Archetype  A typical example of someone or something   

Catharsis  The release of emotions, often used to purify the 59 - 60 

mind / body 

Convention  The accepted rules, structures, and customs we Almost in every

expect to see in a specific genre of writing  line 

Epiphany  A moment of sudden realization - often a profound 41 -45 , 22

revelation 

Hyperbole Over the top and exaggerated language - not meant 17 - 18 
to be taken seriously 

Semantic field  A collection of words selected from a text that are Rattling, roaring…
grouped together by a common idea / theme / -> Wind 
connotation 
 Between a rock and a hard place
Autobiography, non-fiction 2. Describes the place where the accident occurred and the
event itself: The character in the story is a hiking expert and goes on a hiking trip alone, in
what looks like a desert and doesn't really inform anybody where exactly he is going. After a
while he decides to step on this not very stable rock which moves and makes him fall down
the canyon. While he is in the air a rock falls with him and gets his arm stuck between the
rock and the canyon. Once he realized that his arm was stuck he was in shock, since he did
not expect it. He is stuck there for 127 hours with very little water and almost no food. At
last, he decides that he would not be able to get out of there with his arm and proceeds to
cut his decomposing arm and later break his bone. 3. He goes to the extremes to seek
adrenalin rush; this is more than ever seen today. As 4. Explain and show what text type
your text is (show = find proof, examples in the text) - Autobiography - 7æRight from the
start we can see that it is an autobiography: “I come to another drop-off.” Here he talks in
first person which means that this is an autobiography. 5. Account for the content of the text
(the narrative/story, the setting/situation, then characters/people) It was in Utah. In an
isolated and wild place, it took place inside a crack, and a boulder in it, the communication
and help was out of reach. Aron was in a life and death situation, where he only counted
with his abilities. Aron is telling the story from when his arm was trap in one of the cracks of
the rock, he was able to survive and amputate his arm. The main and only character was
Aron. 6. Analyze the text in terms of what is special about it (could be style, context,
characters/people, language, tone, atmosphere, setting/situation...) perhaps look/answer at
the ‘exam style question’ that the coursebook provides. it took place in 7. Include contextual
relevance (history, genre, politics, culture, think literary approaches!) It happened recently,
so the thrill seeking for a thrill has intensified over the years. To complete our identity, we
try to seek adventure. We also see how vital communication is and how dependent we are
on technology in our day and age. Our lives are so interdependent on phones, culturally, we
can’t be completely isolated and distant. From a formalist approach we can see he uses
ethos and
The title is also a metaphor - faced with two equally undesirable alternatives.
Story of an hour
Literary devices
Personification: “But she felt it, creeping out of the sky, reaching towards her …” p. 1
Metaphor: “When the storm of grief had spent itself she went away to her room alone” p. 1
Simile: “… and she carried herself unwittingly like a goddess of Victory” p. 2

- written in the Victorian times (1894)

- woman dependent on their husbands
- which made the text controversial
short story (text type)

‘Out, Out-‘ (poem)

Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line. For example, the sound
of /o/ in “And made dust and dropped stove-length sticks of wood” and the sound of /i/ in “He lay and
puffed his lips out with his breath.”

Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line. For example, the
sound of /t/ in “The doctor, when he comes. Don’t let him, sister” and the sound of /v/ in “He must
have given the hand. However it was.”

Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick succession
such as the sound of /s/ in “Sweet-scented stuff when the breeze drew across it.”

Personification: Personification is to give human qualities to inanimate objects. For example, the
saw, which is compared to a buzzing sound is personified, “The buzz saw snarled and rattled in the
yard; And made dust and dropped stove-length sticks of wood.”

Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. For example,
“The buzz saw snarled and rattled in the yard”; “And made dust and dropped stove-length sticks of
wood” and “The doctor put him in the dark of ether.”
Symbolism: Symbolism is the use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities, by giving them symbolic
meanings that are different from their literal meanings. Here sunset symbolises the end of the young
boy’s life.

Onomatopoeia: It refers to the words related to the natural sounds of animals or objects. The poet
has used the words buzz, snarled, and rattled are examples of onomatopoeia.

Enjambment: It is defined as a thought or clause that does not come to an end at a line break;
instead, it moves over the next line. For example, “The buzz saw snarled and rattled in the yard And
made dust and dropped stove-length sticks of wood, Sweet-scented stuff when the breeze drew across
it.”

Ethos, pathos, logos

Pathos: emotions
Logos: logistic
Ethos: credibility ethics