Chinese Cinderella

Question 1

Q4 Plan

Answer 1

P1: bad relationship with family
P2: positive tone (good relationship with others & good things happen)

Question 2

‘Chinese Cinderella’

Answer 2

‘Cinderella’ - well-known fairy tale - relatable, mirror her integration into England in her future, poor relationship with family & positive ending

Question 3

TAP

Answer 3

T: autobiographical account
A: western, English
P: to reflect, inform & inspire

Question 4

P1:
‘thought of leaving school throbbed at the back of my mind like a persistent toothache.’

Answer 4

metaphor of physical pain to represent emotional pain
‘throbbed’ - metaphor - depth of pain
‘persistent’ - never-ending, out of her control, unstoppable, dread
sense of foreboding - home is oppressive

Question 5

‘summoned by Father to enter the Holy of Holies - a place to which I had never been invited.’

Answer 5

‘summoned’ - powerful order, religious - father is god-like, controlling
‘Father’ - capitalisation - sacrosanct (sacred), too important to be interfered with - contrast typical closeness of father & daughter
polyptoton & superlative of ‘Holy of Holies’ - sacred, status & power, respect & significance
caesura ‘-‘ - shock

Question 6

‘is this a giant ruse on his part to trick me? Dare I let my guard down?’

Answer 6

‘ruse’ - manipulative, distrust, distance
‘trick’ - deceptive
‘?’ - confused he is nice, doubt - rare occasion & she is uneasy
‘dare’ - danger
short sentences - tension

Question 7

anaphora of ‘you will’

Answer 7

short sentences - tension
anaphora of modal verb - power, demand, instruction, her passiveness & lack of autonomy

Question 8

P2:
‘Four of us were playing Monopoly.’

Answer 8

‘us’ - unity, closeness
friendly, playful, social, positive

Question 9

‘Is it possible? Am I dreaming? Me, the winner?’

Answer 9

single line paragraph - shock, stun, drama
‘dreaming’ - not reality, unexpected
list of 3 rhetorical Qs - disbelief, astonishment, exhilaration

Question 10

‘My whole being vibrated with all the joy in the world.’

Answer 10

‘vibrated’ - uncontrollable, full body reaction - surprise & thrill translate into physical action
‘all’, ‘in the world’ - superlative, extreme (contrast previous sadness with family)

Question 11

‘How marvellous it was simply to be alive!’

Answer 11

anaphora of ‘alive’ - anticipation, reflection on life - hyperbole of happiness
exclamative - extreme joy

Question 12

‘Going to England is like entering heaven.’

Answer 12

simile of ‘heaven’ - compared to home, ultimate idyll, desperation to escape family

Question 13

'’Father, I shall go to medical school in England and become a doctor. Thank you very, very much.’

Answer 13

positive resolution - hope of a new beginning

obedience - despite wanting to be an author she agreed to follow her father’s desire for her career - no control but still positive (shows how father is overbearing & she is used to it)

repetition of ‘very’ - ecstasy & desperation to go to London no matter what career

her own dialogue - making it her own decision to go/her approval

Question 14

structure

Answer 14

start with end of her education & end with start of her new education - hope, endless possibilities, dreams

end is ironic because she achieved her dream of being a writer as we are reading her work