Revelation

Question 1

“I remember…”

Answer 1

a memory - retrospect - commonality

reflection as an adult, suggests the experience has stayed with her, highlighting its importance

Question 2

“… the black bull…”

Answer 2

emphasises the subject with the plosive /b/ - pops out at the reader

suggests her awareness of the threat/ danger/evil/the unknown

Question 3

“… eggs and milk.”

Answer 3

full of protein and calcium - nurturing white suggests purity and innocence feminine: eggs - reproductive

Question 4

“… Bob…”

Answer 4

another use of plosive /b/ double plosive - pops - diminutive - friendly

Question 5

“… a monster…”

Answer 5

Contrasts with Bob - horrible and nightmarish - terrified of the adult world
link to the supernatural reveals the depth of her childish fear

Question 6

“… with charm…”

Answer 6

attractive, almost seductive - a feature children wouldn’t recognise in niavety

Question 7

“… At the threshold of his outhouse…”

Answer 7

A minimum value - a small building on the grounds of a house - a first encounter with adult world

symbolism suggests the beginning of the girl’s transition into adulthood as a result of this experience

Question 8

“… someone
held my hand…”

Answer 8

“… someone
held my hand…”
comfort or reassurance - anxiety or fear - leading or balancing

Question 9

“… peer inside…”

Answer 9

look carefully, trying to make out some detail - dark and adjusting to adult world

symbolism suggests the beginning of the girl’s transition into adulthood as a result of this experience

Question 10

“… At first, only black
and the hot reek of him…”

Answer 10

Synaesthesia (hot and reek) - New line creates drama and a pause in the dark as if it took a minute to adjust to the light.
Reek, harsh /k/ suggests a strong smell, generally unpleasant, you would be very aware of it, unable to focus on anything else besides it.

‘hot reek’ suggests the overpowering/intense nature of his smell conveying her tension at what lay ahead

Question 11

“… he was immense…”

Answer 11

extremely large in size - notable especially to a child

suggests her gradual awareness of his size/power/dominance

Question 12

“… edges merging with the darkness…”

Answer 12

so black indistinguishable - suggests evil presence - continues the sense of mystery
‘Edges… darkness’ - assonance creates menacing effect

suggests her gradual awareness of his size/power/dominance

Question 13

“… big bulk…”

Answer 13

the repeated /b/ creates explosive sound

suggests her gradual awareness of his size/power/dominance

Question 14

“… a roar to be really scared of…”

Answer 14

childlike language conveys emotions effectively, repeated /r/ highlights the growling

Question 15

“… a trampling…”

Answer 15

means to step on and crush - a frightened youth needing comfort approaching nightmarish creature, aware of it towering over her, demonic, indistinct presence. Tie all of this together and get the sensation of being claustrophobic, like she feels it’s looming over her but she can’t really see it.

Question 16

“His eyes swivelled in the great wedge of his tossed head”

Answer 16

Swivelled - rotation, suggests confusion, frustration, out of breath - reinforces aggression
The bull looks around enraged and confused by not being able to move further
Great wedge - wedge is a chunky block - doesn’t suggest a particularly intelligent mind is wielded by the bull
The bull tosses - suggests power and exertion - its head in frustration and exhaustion

Question 17

“He roared his rage. His nostrils gaped like wounds”

Answer 17

Onomatopoeia - short dramatic sentences
The alliteration of /r/ builds to a climax, suggests gravel, growling, rage, aggression
The thought of wide open wounds suggests conflict which seems like the ultimate event, end of a battle - life-threatening
Flaring is a sign of aggression

Question 18

“… oblivious hens…”

Answer 18

“… oblivious hens…”
have no idea about the bull - the child was once a hen, but is growing up and starting to move towards shed

suggests gentle/helpless creatures unaware of the dangers posed by the bull

Question 19

“…festive tinkling…”

Answer 19

a ‘clanking’ and a ‘jerk’ for child - suggests younger ones are unaware of what harsher topics actually are - /f/ is soft /s/ is smooth and the /l/ softens the harsh /k/ the slight use of a harsh sound suggests vaguely aware, but then softened by innocence

suggests deceptively pleasant appeal/attraction of the sound to highlight her naivety

Question 20

“… mellow stone…”

Answer 20

mellow is the opposite of harsh, it means pleasant stone is structural, solid, used in foundations - suggests boundaries, smooth stone walls, not looking to explore further because they don’t feel restricted

Question 21

“… hasp…”

Answer 21

the metal plate used to lock doors with something like a padlock - emphasises ‘mellow stone’ as a boundary, not the lock itself but the means by which the padlock can be used: innocence - adults filter but complacency of a child helps hide harsh realities

Question 22

“… Black Mass…”

Answer 22

capitalization - a name for the bull - mystery and evil - mass suggests its large scale in relation to the child - the child see’s adulthood as a massive undertaking which they know nothing of

Question 23

“…straining…”

Answer 23

putting a lot of energy or effort into something - interesting because it is the mystery of adulthood straining to be let loose, not the child craning their neck to get a view of it - doesn’t feel ready for it but it’s waiting to be laid upon her

Question 24

“… always half-known he existed…”

Answer 24

always vaguely aware that adults are doing or saying things without them, just like the ‘festive tinkling’ the chickens hear

Question 25

“… antidote…”

Answer 25

the cure to a toxin - contrasts with ‘…Anti-Christ…’ - suggests confusion

Question 26

“… anarchy…”

Answer 26

Against the government or God in this case - contrasts with calmness and pleasantness of the eggs and the milk

Question 27

“… eggs, well rounded, self contained”

Answer 27

reflects on herself - feels threatened by the bull, threatening her innocence and complacency

Question 28

“… placidity of milk…”

Answer 28

non-aggressive - again reflects the peace that the bull is going to disturb - entering the adult world

Question 29

“… alien…”

Answer 29

‘…pigtails thumping…’ - she styles her hair in a way that might be considered childish, it hits her back as she runs
feels unnatural to her - suggests the childish feeling feels unnatural

Question 30

“… on my back…”

Answer 30

Coming up behind her, something she is currently aware of - feels fear as adulthood creeps up on her

Question 31

“… pulled the wings from butterflies and
blew up frogs with straws.”

Answer 31

Isn’t interested in men - not fully on her way to adulthood yet

Question 32

“… thorned hedge and harried…”

Answer 32

Begins to observe the bad in the world as she moves through the it

Question 33

“… scared of the eggs shattering”

Answer 33

She begins to feel the pressures that there are in the world

Question 34

“… small and shaking…”

Answer 34

Doesn’t feel able to undertake lives challenge - she feels ill-equipped to handle

Question 35

“… in case the milk should spill.”

Answer 35

Last line - concentrating on not spilling the milk - has to keep the jug balanced - feels the need to keep things and avoid problems