English Spies Key quotes Flashcards
“Everything is as it was; everything has….”
“Changed” Paradoxical, confusion of this new place that was his home.
“Were socially….for ease of reference”
“Colour-coded”
Heirachy in close, Stephen understands lower status in close. Colours are symbolic
“He was the leader….”
“I was the led”
Keith is dominant person in relationship, Stephen is submissive. Relates back to class.
“The… of Uncle Peter”
“Glory”
typical hero, worshipped and idiolised by the close
“The same…. open smile as Auntie Dee”
“Recklessly”
Dee and Peter much more laid back than Haywards. D&P see to me right for each other unlike, Mr and Mrs Hayward. Reckless Heroism. Shows difference between Heros and non Heros
“….. Furry animal” (Mr W)
“Mild Natured”
Contrast with Mr H. Gentle. Stephen belives he is both weak and harmless. Ironic due to later on in the book
“Like an …. in his cave”
“Ogre”
Violence and arrogence. Garage is his “cave” Fairytale monster, S is scared of him.
“how adults behave among themselves is a…. about which I haven’t yet learnt to have any curiosity.”
“Mystery”
Shows difference between adult and child world. S not interested in finding out about adult words shows imaturity and youth.
“making perfection ever more…..”
“Perfect”
Impossible and paradoxial.
“with a kind of calm amusement at the world and no….. of her lips” / “rested, calm and…..”
“Excessive movement”/”Composed”
Mrs H seems to have a Facade. She seems calm from the front but is really holding secrets. Alit in 2nd quote shows regularity of her regularity and calmness of her face
“old bean”
Keith copies language from father. Sadistic use of language to dominate. Sort of a taunt.
“It’s not as…. as I originally thought”
“Simple”
Show childhood way of looking at things. As he becomes more involved with adult lives his world becomes more complex.
“Things start as a …., and then they turn into a test, which I fail.”
“Game”
Stephen feels as if his masculintity is being tested- novel is about growing up.
“You start playing some game…and the…. goes on and on, and it’s coming out of you.”
“scream”
Reality of warfare. Stephen is scared of growing up. Facing reality
“But what did Stephen make of them all? What did he actually ……?”
“Understand”
Stephen doubts his memory, unreliable narator. forces reader to question what they are reading.
“I…. more or less nothing.”
“Understand”
S lackof understanding as a child
“Please,” he says, in a strange, small, urgent voice.
And I give in. Against this shameless and terrible word I can’t hold out.”
Shows S childnessness, please will make him do anything. enforces idea of weakness
“adults are not after all members of some completely different…. from myself.”
“Species”
S realisation of adulthood. Use of “Species” - formal, why is an 8/9 yr old using this phrasing
“An odd thought comes into my head: that I’ve found a value for ….”
“X”
X- Throughout book is symbok of secrecy. Connotaions of difficulty and mystery.
“How can the sunlit world have become so suddenly dark.”
Contast of Sunlit and Dark shows difference between adulthood and childhood. loss of innocence and realisation of adult world.
“All that perfection she arrived with has become…..”
“Blurred”
Mrs H is blurred like out of focus picture, S just waiting to focus on. Focus when he realises X.
“I’m leaving behind the old tunnels and terrors of childhood – and stepping into a new world of even darker tunnels and more elusive terrors”
S leaving child world. Childhood→Adulthood
Use of tunnel metaphor-Liminal space, stuck in between two worlds
“You understand that sometimes people find themselves isolated. They feel that they’re outcasts, that everyone’s against them.”
Miniturised feeling of britain in ww2. Feels like a warzone to stephen
“she sat cross-legged in the dust in front of Stephen like a beggar”
She is a beggar. She is begging for his forgivness/help
