13th March 2018

“Disaster” : Chapter 5

Joe uses certain language and writing style techniques in the text to help draw the reader into what he is experiencing as he attempts the decent down the ice wall. Emotive language is one of these techniques, Joe uses this in the text to help the reader understand the emotions/feelings he was going through when he was faced with the fact that he had to somehow make his way down the vertical ice wall and when he fell hurting his leg then later realising that it was broken. “Iv broken my leg, thats it. i’m dead.” – Joe says this giving us a clear example of the thoughts that were going through his head and the emotions he was experiencing at the time. It can also help the readers relate back to their own similar experiences that they may have had. Joe also uses simple sentences as one of his writing style techniques to help create tension in the text an example of this is when he says ” Simon would not be able to get me up it. He would leave me. He had no choice.”  Joe also uses figurative language (imagery) to help us get an image in our mind of what he was experiencing at the time. When he says ” I kicked my right leg against the slope, feeling sure it wasn’t broken. My knee exploded. Bone grated, and the fireball rushed from groin to knee” . This gives us the image in our mind of when he says his knee exploded that the pain was extreme and when he talks about his knee being a fireball we can understand that the type of pain his is experiencing is giving him a burning feeling giving us the image in our head of a red throbbing knee.

The purpose of including Simons narration when Joe shatters his knee joint is to give the readers an insight to the emotions that Simon is going through at the time and the way he is reacting to the situation he is currently involved in which could lead to life or death for Joe. The relationship between Joe and Simon instantly changes as Simon is faced with the fact that Joe has broken his leg, Simon instantly thinks that Joe is going to die that theres no hope for him ” He looked pathetic, and my immediate thought came without any emotion, you’re dead…. no two ways about it”.  Simon then realises that he has to make a choice either to leave Joe and risk trying to get down the mountain by himself or attempt to carry on with Joe. Some details in Simons narration foreshadow what might happen later on in the text as he says ” I kept staring at him waiting for him to fall….”  this states that maybe in the future text Joe would fall. Simon also says ” I prayed it would hold me and when I touched down on the slope below prayed again that it wouldn’t jam” When Simon say this it gives the reader the idea that something bad could happen later in the text such as the ropes not holding and the rope jamming.

 

 

Join the conversation! 1 Comment

  1. Lucy, well done for identifying a number of language techniques used in this section of the text. You have also made some clever judgements about what we understand from these language technique examples.

    Try to be more concise in your responses overall, using structure to command more attention in your writing. I.e. State the language technique/s that you will discuss, include supportive evidence (quotations), explain the direct effect on the reader’s understanding (what they learn / what they feel/think about / what this contrasts to / what this foreshadows/indicates), and relate to your own personal experience or understanding if possible.

    Reply

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Writing