From touching The Void Flashcards
“Impact catapulted me”
A metaphor
“Simon would be ripped off the mountain”
Future tense, which means that direct thoughts are incorporated into the autobiography
“he couldn’t hold this”
This is a definite prediction of the future
What does the first and second paragraph contain?
A high concentration of dynamic verbs (violent), short and simple sentences and happening quickly which reflect the number of things and sensations going through Joe’s head.
What tense is the first paragraph in?
Most of the first paragraph is in the past tense apart from his direct thought in the future tense, which makes the sentence more immediate.
“Still, silent”
Sibilance
“My thoughts raced madly”
This is a metaphor and madly is an adverb to intensify the situation.
“Pain flooded down my thigh - a fierce burning fire”
Mixed metaphor of two opposite elements to suggest that the pain is both burning and flooding, this also emphasises how much it hurts.
“Seeming to ball in my groin”
Extended metaphor
“Building and building”
Repetition
“Ragged gasps”
Metaphor
“My leg! … My leg!”
Direct thought and a short sentence
“Grotesque distortion”
Complex adjectives used to create strong imagery - emotive language
“Burnt my groin”
Continuation of the extended metaphor of fire
“That had nothing to do with my knee”
Direct thought
“Hanging against the snow”
Description
“The pain eased”
Lifting of the tension (we think things are going to get better)
“A wave of nausea surged over me”
More metaphors linked with water, provides cohesion
“Something terrible, something dark with dread”
Alliteration, over the top
“I’ve broken my leg”
Direct thought
“… If it’s broken … If …”
Ellipsis used to show broken up thought process and panic
“My knee exploded. Bone grated”
Strong image
“The fireball rushed from growing to knee”
Continuation of fire metaphor, cohesion
“I screamed.”
Short sentences (paragraph 5)
“It wasn’t just broken”
Build upon the worst
“Ruptured, twisted, crushed”
Harsh adjectives to increase the impact of the description
“Head spin”
Idiomatic expression
“Searing spasm”
Sibilance
“I would never get over it”
“I could feel myself teetering”
These both have 2 meanings has 2 meanings: 1 literal and 1 idiomatic
“It seemed to grow”
This is an example of his subjective perception
“Left here?Alone? …”
Rhetorical questions
“I felt like screaming, and I felt like swearing, but stayed silent”
Sibilance
What about paragraph 5 makes us lose hope for him?
He is very definite about the future being bad and he is using lots of direct thoughts.
What does taking us inside both of the main character heads achieve?
Means Simpson is able to show how their moods change at different times.
“I felt tired and was grateful to be able to follow Joe’s tracks instead of breaking trail.”
Talks about his feelings - engages the reader
“Trudged”
Descriptive but true
“Rope lashed out”
Giving it life - personification
“Braced myself… Nothing happened”
Anti climax
“Footsteps cautiously”
He’s suggested as being quite scared
“Surprise”
Unexpected (thought he would be in agonising pain)
“You’re dead”
Direct thought in the second person directly addressed to Joe
How is paragraph 5 of Simon’s account persuasive?
Because he is persuading himself that Joe is dead and that he could die he is also persuading the reader at the same time.
“Open face”
Semantic field vocabulary
1) “pathetic”
2) “without any emotion”
3) “dispassionately”
Passage seems to give a pessimistic view on human personality. Inhumanely cold and selfish as well as having a callous attitude towards death.
Repetition of the first person pronoun “I”.
Showing that he is mostly thinking about himself.
In general what is Simons account like?
Literal account, not much figurative language, very dispassionate. He is passive of Joe’s situation
In general what is Joe’s account like?
Joe’s account is more emotional and very rich with imagery. He also uses lots of figurative language to express sensations along with descriptions and metaphors to add dram a and to allow the reader to empathise with him. As well as this he uses the word “if” and increasingly short sentences to create tension and uncertainty.
“As I crested the rise”
Semantic field vocab
“I had no doubt about that”
Simon is again persuading himself & the reader
