Chinese Cinderella Flashcards
Pain like a persistent tooth ache
Simile - persistent worry about leaving school. Coveys how the anxiety about her leaving school is quite constant and a nagging, like the drill of a tooth ache that won’t go away. She may not feel the physical pain, but it portrays to the readers the extent of the pain and unease she feels going home. It’s quite unusual that she finds it painful to go home when usually people feel excited to leave school and go home, perhaps reflecting the unloving family and home she was brought up in. The simile further enables the readers to enter her mental state as a toothache is something everyone has experience and can relate to the feeling.
See me in his room? I was overwhelmed
The use of dramatic imagery to highlight the power dynamics in her family, particularly between adenine and her father. Phrase holy of Hollie’s and summoned give connotations of god like image and someone who has a much higher status and level in the hierarchy compared to her. The religious imagery portrays how revered, almost sacred adenines dad is on her eyes. This could create a sense of fear for the audience for he. Also the fact that she has been ‘summoned’ suggest that she has to approach him with much reverence. The symbolism of holy of Hollie’s contrasts the supposed reverence of the father with the emotional distance and fear adenine feels - engaging the audience.
My whole being vibrated with joy
Hyperbole + contrasts - adenine experiences moments of joy that aren’t fully appreciated by her father. For instance when she wins a prize she says …. This imagery showcases the intensity of adenines happiness, suggesting that perhaps this is quite a rare moment, as she feels she is just about to achieve something great. However, this contrasts her father’s reaction as he is described as being only ‘quite pleased’ but doesn’t really offer and affection or support. This contrasts highlights the little recognition or emotional support adenine received from her father or really anyone in her family. This manages to evoke sympathy from the reader for adenine as it further reinforces the idea of how unsupportive and unloving the household she grew up in has been and how even though she works very hard she can only make her father ‘quite pleased’ the fact that she’s reaching for the stars when he’s only quite please showcases the rarity of her father being even a little bit happy.
