IGCSE extracts Flashcards
The Danger of a Single Story
Brief summary
The Danger of a Single Story
This non-fiction piece discusses the negative impact of society and stereotyping. Adichie discusses some of the issues that she faced when she left for America and how she came to terms with other people’s ignorance.
The Danger of a Single Story: Language
Verbs
The Danger of a Single Story: Language
She uses lots of verbs including fleecing, sneaking, smoking, walking, laughing.
The Danger of a Single Story: Language
Metaphor
The Danger of a Single Story: Language
The story is an extended metaphor for the cultural ignorance that she encountered in America. She understands that she has only one voice but the incidents that occur must happen to all: ‘when we reject the single story, when we realise that there is never a single story about any place, we regain a kind of paradise.’
The Danger of a Single Story: Language
Repetition
The Danger of a Single Story: Language
She continually mentions ‘African women’ and this emphasises her battle with the American society and the ignorance that she encounters.
The Danger of a Single Story: Structure
What is the context and what is the purpose?
The Danger of a Single Story: Structure
It is important to recognise this as a speech, rather than a newspaper article. Adichie aims to inform the audience of her story and outlines that it is only one story and one voice.
The Danger of a Single Story: Structure
What type of narrative is this?
The Danger of a Single Story: Structure
First Person narrative
The Danger of a Single Story: Structure
Describe the language.
The Danger of a Single Story: Structure
Very obvious language to reflect the tense that story is written in. For example, she uses present tense in the line (“I’m a story teller”) and past tense in the line (“I was also an early writer”).
127 Hours
Brief summary
127 Hours
Ralston is describing one of the most important events in the autobiography: the falling stone, which leads to the amputation of his arm.
127 Hours: Language
Discuss description within the extract.
127 Hours: Language
Ralston uses extensive description within his autobiography: ‘Stemming across the canyon at the lip of the drop-off, with one foot and one hand on.
127 Hours: Language
Sentence length.
127 Hours: Language
It is worth noting how long some of the sentences become. He is remembering every moment extensively and fully. He wants us to remember it with him.
127 Hours: Language
Verbs
127 Hours: Language
His use of verbs in particular are interesting: ‘confirming’, ‘traverse’ and ‘jammed’. There’s certainty - no doubt in his mind - as to what is occurring in the incident.
127 Hours: Language
Jargon
127 Hours: Language
Jargon is technical language that only somebody within the field would understand. ‘traverse: cross teeters: balancing unsteadily. Torque: rotating force.
127 Hours: Language
Verbs
127 Hours: Language
Verbs: ‘heaving’, ‘pushing’, ‘shove’, ‘thrust’, ‘brace’.
127 Hours: Language
Imagery
127 Hours: Language
Strong imagery: Line 33 ‘fear shoots my hands over my head’. Line 35 ‘time dilates, as if I’m dreaming’.
127 Hours: Structure
What tense is used and what is it’s effect?
127 Hours: Structure
Tense: The writer chooses to write in the present tense. This makes it seem as though the event is unfolding at this time and it creates a sense of tension; we know the writer survived because it is an autobiography.
127 Hours: Structure
What type of narrative is used?
127 Hours: Structure
First person
The Explorer’s Daughter
Brief summary
The Explorer’s Daughter
Herbert describes the hunt of a narwhal and her struggle to accept the hunt as acceptable. The piece is set amongst the Inuit people.
The Explorer’s Daughter: Language
Imagery
The Explorer’s Daughter: Language
Imagery: ‘…glittering kingdom…’ - The scenery described seems beautiful and suggests a huge area. It is a positive image telling readers that Herbert feels strongly about it. The positive imagery in this paragraph often focuses on light.
Paragraph 3 - factual and informative - more matter-of-a-fact (contrasts with paragraph 1) - and ties in with structure in terms of the position of the imagery.
The Explorer’s Daughter: Language
Triplet
The Explorer’s Daughter: Language
Triplet: ‘… to dive, to leave, to survive’ - uses simple but effective verbs to show what hunters have to do.
The Explorer’s Daughter: Language
Emotive words
Emotive language
The Explorer’s Daughter: Language
Emotive words: ‘Kill’ and ‘sentimental’
Emotive language: Herbert describes the event empathetically. Despite the horror of the hunt. ‘picked up his harpoon and aimed — in that split second my heart leapt for both hunter and narwhal.’
The Explorer’s Daughter: Language
Facts
The Explorer’s Daughter: Language
Facts: Herbert uses facts to justify the killing of the narwhal.
The Explorer’s Daughter: Language
Local vocabulary
The Explorer’s Daughter: Language
Local vocabulary: Pods, fjords, mattak. Scurvy, tupilaks. Herbert does not explain the vocabulary. It is as though it is part of her own language.
The Explorer’s Daughter: Structure
In media res
The Explorer’s Daughter: Structure
Readers are immersed straight into the story.
The Explorer’s Daughter: Structure
Describe the paragraphs.
The Explorer’s Daughter: Structure
1: descriptive and emotive;
2 and 3: more focused on facts and information about narwhals;
4: people who hunt and their wives;
5: narwhal again (follows on from 3 and 4);
6: hunters;
7: summing up and conclusions.
The Explorer’s Daughter: Structure
Narrative style
The Explorer’s Daughter: Structure
First and third person.
The Explorer’s Daughter: Structure
conflict
The Explorer’s Daughter: Structure
Herbert is pleased about the narwhal surviving but also recognises that they need to be hunted
Explorers or Boys Messing About
Brief summary
Explorers or Boys Messing About
The article discusses a helicopter crash that occurred by two highly experienced professionals, in an area that was unsuitable for such a mode of transport. The article outlines the incident but it also criticises the two men for the decisions that they have made.
Explorers or Boys Messing About: Language
What does Morris appear to be criticising?
Explorers or Boys Messing About: Language
Morris appears to be criticising the the decisions of the men.
Explorers or Boys Messing About: Language
Vocabulary
Explorers or Boys Messing About: Language
He uses informal vocabulary in the title: ‘Explorers or boys messing about?’ This verb suggests that the two men, who are experienced, were acting in an immature manner and should not have been behaving as they did.
Explorers or Boys Messing About: Language
Facts vs Opinions
Explorers or Boys Messing About: Language
Morris states the incident ‘ended in farce’. This criticises the men and the outcome of the incidents.
He also states that ‘experts questioned the wisdom’ of the men and this suggests that they knew all along that this was an unwise idea.
However, many of the paragraphs are purely factual: ‘The men were plucked from the icy water by a Chilean naval ship after a nine-hour rescue which began when Mr Brooks contacted his wife, Jo Vestey, on his satellite phone asking for assistance. The rescue involved the Royal Navy, the RAF and British coastguards.’
Explorers or Boys Messing About: Structure
Comment on the structure
Explorers or Boys Messing About: Structure
Short paragraphs: Most of the paragraphs are short, due to the number of facts that are included in the piece.
Note the embedded clauses, such as: ‘The drama began at around 1am British time when Mr Brooks, 42, and 40-year-old Mr Smith, also known as Q, ditched into the sea 100 miles off Antarctica, about 36 miles 20 north of Smith Island, and scrambled into their life-raft.’
A Passage to Africa
Brief description of text.
A Passage to Africa
George Alagiah wrote this text to describe how one man has changed his life. The text is about the contrast between the rich and the poor and the strong and the weak.
A Passage to Africa: Language
Emotive language:
A Passage to Africa: Language
‘I saw a thousand hungry, lean, scared and betrayed faces’. It is the list of 3 adjectives that create the pity and empathy that we feel for the situation.
Another example is: ‘simple, frictionless, motionless deliverance’.
Note the contrast between the two quotes mentioned above. Whilst the first set of adjectives are harsh, the second contains much gentler and softer description.
A Passage to Africa: Language
Simile:
A Passage to Africa: Language
‘The search for the shocking is like the craving for a drug: you require heavier and more frequent doses the longer you’re at it’.
He compares reporting to addiction. It is as though they are always wanting something more controversial and more repulsive. It also seems as though the profession is bad for him: much like a drug.
A Passage to Africa: Language
Rhetorical question:
A Passage to Africa: Language
Alagiah is haunted by the question: ‘What was it about that smile?’
A Passage to Africa: Structure
List 2 interesting points about the structure.
A Passage to Africa: Structure
- It is interesting that the description of the place comes before we understand why Alagiah was in Africa. This creates a sense of disgust and repulsion.
- Alagiah lists incidents that have remained strong in his mind. He finishes the piece with the haunting image of a man. Despite the fact the image is haunting, the man was ‘smiling’.. It is as though it is a contradiction to the emotion Alagiah was feeling.
Chinese Cinderella
Brief description of the text.
Chinese Cinderella
Adeline Yen Mah is outlining her experiences of growing up in Hong Kong. She describes a moment when her father became proud of her and she made a life-changing decision to move to the UK.
Chinese Cinderella: Language
Emotive language:
Chinese Cinderella: Language
‘My heart gave a giant lurch as it dawned on me that he was agreeing to let me go. How marvellous it was simply to be alive! Study? I thought. Going to England is like entering heaven. Does it matter what you do after you get to heaven?’.
Within this quote, there is usage of descriptive adjectives. However, most significantly is the use of different sentence types to create the emotion. There are rhetorical questions. She asks herself several questions. These reflect her excitement.
Chinese Cinderella: Language
Dialogue:
Chinese Cinderella: Language
There is lots of dialogue in the text: ‘You can’t go now,’ Mary protested. ‘For once I’m winning. One, two, three, four. Good! You’ve landed on my property. Thirty-five dollars, please. Oh, good afternoon, Mother Valentino!’.
It almost appears as though this is a story. This conversation and time was obviously extremely important to the writer, as she remembers each word that was mentioned.
Chinese Cinderella: Structure
Structure
Chinese Cinderella: Structure
It is interesting how we do not meet the family until part way through the extract. The focus suddenly becomes on her father. The conversation is clearly remembered. It impacted upon her greatly. She wants to see him but it is unusual for her to enter into his room. She then goes through a range of emotions when meeting her father. It is him who controls her actions, as represented by the ending.
