A Passage to Africa

Question 1

hungry, lean, scared and betrayed

Answer 1

List of adjectives –> Evokes image of suffering

Question 2

take the banale road for a few km….

Answer 2

Hyperbolic Listing –> Emphasizes the isolation of the town

Question 3

Hunt

Answer 3

Language choice –> Connotes that the search was predatory

Question 4

The search for the shocking is like the craving for a drug

Answer 4

Simile –> They’re always wanting something more repulsive though he emphasizes the profession’s bad for him as if it were a drug

Question 5

same old stuff

Answer 5

Sibilance + dismissive tone –> Dehumanizes subjects of those images

Question 6

Habiba had died

Answer 6

Short and simple sentence –> Emphasises the normality of death there alongside a clinical tone which creats more of an impact

Question 7

Gentle v-shape of a boomerang

Answer 7

Language choice –> Contrasts with the stressful atmosphere

Question 8

It was rotting; she was rotting.

Answer 8

Parallel sentence structure –> Both the leg and the woman was rotting

Question 9

And then there was the face I will never forget.

Answer 9

1 sentence paragraph –> Draws importance to

Question 10

Revulsion…revulsion.

Answer 10

Writer’s ethos + Repetition –> honesty emphasizes credibility for the writer

Question 11

how could it be?

Answer 11

Rhetorical question –> Writer poses the questions to the readers

Question 12

What was it about that smile?

Answer 12

Rhetorical question –> Writer poses the questions to the readers

Question 13

how should I feel to be standing there so strong and confident?

Answer 13

Rhetorical question –> Writer encourages the reader to reflect

Question 14

my nameless friend, if you are still alive, I owe you one.

Answer 14

Direct address ends with colloquialism –> Puts us in the position of the suffering man

Question 15

if you are still alive, I owe you one

Answer 15

Dependant clause –> Connotes how common death was and reminds the readers how short life is in these places

Question 16

What does the description of the place tell us?

Answer 16

Creates a sense of disgust and repulsion

Question 17

What does the end tell us?

Answer 17

The author finishes this piece with haunting imagery of a man that was “smiling” —> connotes the contradiction to the emotion Alagiah was feeling

Question 18

Themes of?

Answer 18

Horror

Question 19

Structure??

Answer 19

• Uses personal and possessive pronouns throughout extract to describe his experiences and personal feelings in detail
• Readers get the impression that the trip had a profound effect on the writer and he shares his true feelings in order to establish credibility and connect with the readers