Assisi

Question 1

“The dwarf with his hands on backwards”

Answer 1

• Word choice of “dwarf” has brutal tone

- “hands on backwards” is a hyperbole which emphasises how deformed the beggar is.

Question 2

“sat, slumped like a half-filled sack”

Answer 2

• Use of a simile to compare the beggar to an inanimate object is very dehumanising
• Word choice of “slumped” suggests lack of courage, spinelessness
• Use of alliteration to create sibilant hissing sound suggests disgust

Question 3

“tiny twisted legs”

Answer 3

• Alliteration of “t” creates disapproving tutting sounds

- Word choice of “twisted” suggests unpleasant character

Question 4

“outside the three tiers of churches built”

Answer 4

• Juxtaposition of the ornate church and the beggar emphasises the hypocrisy of the church
• Word choice of “outside” highlights that the dwarf is an outsider
• Word choice of “three tiers” has connotations with wedding cake, shows how ornate the church really is

Question 5

“in honour of St Francis, brother of the poor”

Answer 5

• Word choice of “brother” emphasises how much St Francis respected the poor, he was an equal
• This emphasises the irony and hypocrisy of this money being spent on the church instead of being used to help the poor

Question 6

“over whom he had the advantage of not being dead yet.

Answer 6

• Word choice of “advantage” creates irony and actually shows that he has a terrible life because if his only “advantage” is of “not being dead yet”, he might actually be better off dead
• Word choice of “yet” suggests that he won’t be alive for much longer