QUESTION ONE: FICTION
Refer to Text A, “Arrival at Magpie Hall”, on page 2 of the resource booklet to answer this question.
(a) (i) Identify one language feature the writer uses to describe the setting of the text.
Personification
(ii) Give an example of this language feature from the text.
“Staring at my back”
(b) Explain how this language feature helps us to understand the writer’s feelings about the
setting
When something stares at your back, it has unsettling, stalkerish connotations. This helps the audience to understand how the setting feels eerie and spooky.
(c) Explain how the writer’s experience of the setting has changed.
Support your answer with reference to techniques, including language features, that show:
• how changes in the physical environment reflect the writer’s feelings
• how a particular mood is created and / or sustained.
In the text, Rachel King uses language features to help us understand how her experience of the setting has drastically changed since she was there with her grandfather. This shows the audience how people can have a big impact on experiences.
At the beginning of the text, King uses pathetic fallacy to help us understand how her experience of the setting has changed since she was there with her grandfather. We see this with how the weather is described: “The weak autumn light descended from the clouds.” The weak light has eerie connotations, showing how she currently finds the setting gloomy. King juxtaposes this with how it used to be, through the use of listing: “Grandpa waving, … dog wriggling its hips … chicken out of it’s coop.” This illustrates the liveliness of the farm before, as the verbs in this list have connotations of vibrancy and energy. From this we can see that when her grandfather was at the farm, she enjoyed her experience, but now the mood is dark and gloomy.
As the text progresses, King uses personification to help us understand how her experience of the setting has changed since she was there with her grandfather. We see this when she describes how “the flowers had retreated.” This illustrates how the environment has become more sombre, as flowers are symbolic of colour and life, and the use of the word “retreated” symbolises how the colour and life has been sucked from the farm, creating a bland and lifeless mood.
By helping us to understand how her experience of the setting has changed since she was there with her grandfather, Rachel King is able to shed light on the bigger idea, of the impact of people on experiences. While the farm is the same, it was the presence of her grandfather which made it worthwhile. This is important for modern New Zealanders to consider, as we all lose loved ones, and this story serves as a reminder that people can have a bigger impact on an experience than the setting itself.
QUESTION TWO: POETRY
Refer to Text B, “Boy”, on page 3 of the resource booklet to answer this question.
(a) (i) Identify one language feature the writer uses to describe the dog.
Alliteration
(ii) Give an example of this language feature from the text.
Wibbly wobbly
(b) Explain how this language feature helps us to understand the writer’s attitude towards the dog
Alliteration is a very playful language feature to use, showing how the dog is likely quite silly, this conveys how while the writer possibly finds the dog annoying, they love him all the same.
(c) Explain how the writer helps us to understand different attitudes towards the dog throughout
the text.
Support your answer with reference to techniques, including language features, that show:
• how the dog is seen in a positive and / or negative way
• why the writer has presented different attitudes towards the dog
• how the writer identifies with the dog
In the text, Brian Turner uses language features to help us understand his different attitudes towards the dog throughout the text, in order to illustrate the relationship between a person and their pet.
At the beginning of the text, Turner uses listing to help us understand his different attitudes towards the dog. We see this when he lists all the annoying things that the dog does: “pooping on the grass, peeing against the wall, etc.” The use of listing shows us how there are many things that the dog does that could be taken as irritating. Turner builds on this with colloquial language, by calling boy a “silly bugger.” This shows that he has a soft spot for the dog, despite his annoying tendencies, and represent his casual attitude towards the dog, as while he may find the dog irritating, he still loves him.
As the text progresses, Turner uses dialogue to help us understand his different attitudes towards the dog. We see this when he says: “He’s not in the high risk category.” Both the narrator and the neighbour are worried about the dog, so they have been reading about dog attacks to make sure boy won’t get shot. This shows genuine care for the safety of the dog, which helps the audience understand how the narrator has a genuinely empathetic attitude towards the dog.
By helping us to understand his different attitudes towards the dog, Brian Turner is able to shed light on the bigger idea of the relationship between a person and their pet. This is an important idea for modern New Zealanders to consider, as many of us have special relationships with our pets. This text serves as a reminder, that while animals (and people) may get on our nerves but we can still love them all the same.
QUESTION THREE: NON-FICTION
Refer to Text C, “Growing Pains”, on page 4 of the resource booklet to answer this question.
(a) (i) Identify one language feature the writer uses to describe gardening.
Listing
(ii) Give an example of this language feature from the text.
“frustration, confusion, sunburn, and soiled hands”
(b) Explain how this language feature helps us to understand the process of gardening
The author lists the pains of gardening to give examples of all of the painful procedures that a gardener must go through in order to grow plants. This helps the audience to understand how the process of gardening can be a very painful procedure.
(c) Explain the writer’s experience of gardening throughout the text.
Support your answer with reference to techniques, including language features, that show:
• the positive aspects of gardening
• the negative aspects of gardening
• the writer’s overall feelings towards gardening
In the text, the writer uses language features to help us understand his experience of gardening throughout the text, in order to remind us how sometimes the reward requires hard work.
At the beginning of the text, the writer uses simple sentences to help us understand his experience of gardening. We see this in sentences such as “Yams seem interesting,” and “Plant all things!” This shows the audience how the narrator’s initial reaction to the gardening experience is excitement, the use of exclamation builds on this as it shows how the narrator is overwhelmed by all the different things they could plant. We can see that the writer initially has a positive experience in the garden, by the language features used to establish a sense of excitement in the reader.
As the text progresses, the writer uses a metaphor to help us understand his experience of gardening. We see this when he describes how “Gardens are battlefields.” Comparing the garden to a battlefield makes the reader think of all the challenges faced within a battlefield, e.g. conflict and death. The writer builds on this through listing the opponents of battle: “birds and butterflies, slugs, snails, etc.” This helps the reader to understand that the narrator’s experience of gardening is tough, and sacrifices must be made.
As the text draws to a close, the writer uses personal pronouns to help us understand his experience of gardening. We see this through the repeated use of the word “you,” which makes the reader feel more involved in the story. The narrator has realised how difficult growing is, despite the initial excitement, so they share with the reader their conclusion that they are grateful that they can buy their produce from a supermarket.
By helping us to understand his ideas experience of gardening, he is able to shed light on the bigger idea, of how sometimes the reward requires hard work. This is an important issue for modern New Zealanders to consider, as many of us want things that we have to work hard to obtain, and this extract serves as a reminder that sometimes, even when we do work hard, we still may not gain the reward, and we are not alone on this endeavour.
