Basking Shark TQ version Flashcards
“To stub”, “To have”
• Use of infinitive “To stub”, “To have” gives the impression that it the persona intended this moment to happen.
how the poet makes clear
the impact of this incident
on the narrator’s world view, through his use of language.
- Onomatopoeia/ Word choice “Swish” suggests this was a sweeping/sudden effect on the persona
- metaphor “Swish up the dirt” compares the persona’s perception of the world being stirred / disturbed just like silt in a stream. Effective as it suggests that his judgment or view has been clouded.
- Extended metaphor “when it settles, a spring is all the clearer.” continues by comparing the idea of a stream clearing of silt, with it drifting to the bottom, and the persona’s sudden clarity in judgement
- Word choice “I saw me” use of personal pronouns puts the focus fully on the persona and his sudden self-awareness of his place in the evolutionary process.
- Word choice “fling” suggests he was thrown quickly by this new idea.
- onomatopoeic effect/ word choice “slime” has connotations of a thick mucus like substance which suggest that this new idea of him being related distantly to the shark is somewhat unpleasant.
- Question “So who’s the monster?” shows that the persona is struggling to decides which of them is the most vicious being.
- word choice “ grow pale” shows the effect this new knowledge has had on the persona. It has made the blood drain from his face.
- word choice “twenty seconds” draws attention to the very short time this incident lasted and yet the effect on the persona is long lasting.
- repetition of “sail” gives the impression of time being stretched reinforcing the lasting effect of
Candidates should discuss
how MacCaig uses the senses
to explore a significant moment should refer to appropriate textual evidence to support their discussion.
- Up to 2 marks can be achieved for identifying elements of commonality as identified in the question, ie MacCaig‟s use of the senses to explore a significant moment.
- A further 2 marks can be achieved for reference to the extract given.
- 6 additional marks can be awarded for discussion of similar references to at least one other poem by the poet.
In practice this means:
Identification of commonality (2) (eg: theme, characterisation, use of imagery, setting,
or any other key element…)
from the extract:
1 x relevant reference to technique/idea/feature (1)
1 x appropriate comment (1)
(maximum of 2 marks only for discussion of extract)
from at least one other text/part of the text:
as above (x3) for up to 6 marks
OR
more detailed comment x2 for up to 6 marks
Thus, the final 6 marks can be gained by a combination of 3, 2 and 1 marks depending on
the level of depth/detail/insight. The aim would be to encourage quality of comment,
rather than quantity of references.
“stub”
• Onomatopoeic effect of “stub” mimics the sound of the oar hitting the rock/ positioning at start reinforces the shock in that moment of hitting something at sea.
“Slounge”
- onomatopoeic effect of “Slounge” illustrates the soft / gentle sound of the Shark’s sudden appearance.
- Word choice “slounge” an unusual made up word to reinforce this is an uncommon and rare moment.
“once”
• Word choice/ repetition of “once” emphasises this was a single/one off memorable occasion
“(too often)”
• Parenthesis around “(too often)” gives the persona’s opinion that this single occasion was more than enough to make a lasting impression.
“too often”
- Repetition of “too often” reinforces the idea
* use of a dash creates a pause to reinforce that experiencing this ‘once’ was sufficient.
“Tin-tacked with rain”
- Metaphor – comparing the rain on the sea to drawing tacks is effective as the droplets bouncing off the sea is similar to the tiny points on the drawing pin. Focus on the minute detail of this image is effective in making it vivid.
- onomatopoeia/ alliteration “Tin-tacked” mimics the sound of the
“wrong branch of his family tree”
• Metaphor “wrong branch of his family tree” compares the genealogy/ ancestors to a branch of a tree. Effective because the divisions and subdivisions of a tree’s branches are numerous / countless as are the number of separations in a family’s ancestral history. This incident has forced him to consider in the distant past that humans and sharks perhaps shared a common link in the evolutionary process.
“this decadent townee”
“his”
“townee”
• Ambiguity “this decadent townee” and “his” uncertainty of whether the persona is referring to himself in the third person or is referring to the shark as being “townee” an unwelcome visitor. Shows the confusion this experience has had on the persona as he is unsure whether it is he or the shark that is out of place.
“Displaced”
• Word choice “Displaced” suggests that the shark had created a change in the persona
“shoggled”
• Word choice “shoggled” suggests that not only was the persona physically shaken by the movement of the shark but also mentally
“shook”
• Word choice of “shook” again reinforces this idea of being physically and mentally jolted by the shark’s sudden appearance
Centuries back – this decadent townee”
• Use of the dash between “Centuries back – this decadent townee” suggests a break in the persona’s accepted thinking and his sudden self-awareness
