Necklace

by
Guy De Maupassant
1. Madame Loisel is presented as having to settle for ‘second best’ as ‘she went along with a proposal made by
a junior clerk’; the use of ‘went along with’ suggests a lack of willingness

2. Negatives and negative language are used to show the pessimism Madame Loisel feels about her lack of
social status and money

3. The writer uses the ‘rule of three’ to emphasise what Madame Loisel lacks:
‘no fine dresses, no jewellery, nothing’

4. The writer also uses the ‘rule of three’ to show what Madame Loisel does have:
‘Natural guile, instinctive elegance, and adaptability’

5. The use of the image of the ‘young Breton peasant girl who did the household chores’ is ironic as it shows the
couple can afford to employ staff, but Madame Loisel is ungrateful and would prefer ‘two tall footmen in liveried
breeches’

6. Alliteration is used to create emphasis on the importance of wealth to Madame Loisel at the start of the
story: ‘heavy heat of a stove’, ‘pretty little parlours, filled with perfumes’
7. Adverbs are used to contrast Madame Loisel’s feelings about poverty (‘peevishly’, ‘irritably’, ‘shortly’, ‘sadly’) with
her excitement at having possessions (‘eagerly’, ‘extravagantly’, ‘wonderfully’, ‘ecstatically’, ‘wildly’)

8. The use of lists shows the significance of Madame Loisel’s interest in possessions and wealth, contrasting what she
would like: ‘exquisite dishes served on fabulous china plates, of pretty compliments whispered into willing ears’ with
what she does have: ‘no fine dresses, no jewellery, nothing’

9. Similes are used to show Madame Loisel’s views of those who do not have possessions before the loss of the
necklace (‘‘I’ll look like a church mouse’’) and to show her physical change after it is lost (‘like any working-class
woman’)

10. Short sentences create a sense of the impact of the loss of the necklace: ‘He had found nothing’

11. The use of questions shows Madame Loisel’s fear and worry when she ‘returns’ the necklace: ‘what would she have
thought? What would she have said?

12. Questions and exclamations also show the emotional impact on Madame Loisel of the loss of the necklace and their
repayment of the debt: ‘What might not have happened had she not lost the necklace? Who could tell?
 Night
by
Alice Munro
1. There is a contrast in the story between how the narrator considers illness in her childhood and how she looks upon it as an adult; the
story is structured both as a narration of events unfolding when she was young and a present reflection on those past events

2. The writer describes the conditions as extreme, creating a sense of foreboding about illness:
‘the roads would be closed, there was no question of digging out a car anyway, and some horses had to be hitched up to make their way
into town to the hospital’

3. At the start of the extract the narrator describes herself in ‘pain’, showing the physical impact of illness on her as a child; the description
of the pain suggests her illness is sudden and like being hit:

‘when the pain in my side struck’

4. The writer uses punctuation such as ellipsis, parenthesis and dashes to create the tone of autobiographical memories of illness coming
and going, alongside narrative description

5. The writer repeats the idea of freedom and independence, which shows the impact of her illness and the contrast between her and her
family:
‘enjoyed being excused from physical training’, ‘I got out of school’, ‘I was free of school and left on my own’; this is supported by the
simile ‘wandering about like a visitor’ and the descriptions ‘invalid status’, ‘special status’
6. The use of ‘but’ in the discussion of the removal of the growth creates a sinister tone:
‘but it was not the only thing removed’, ‘but the main thing that concerned him was a growth’, ‘but don’t worry’

7. The writer uses single-line paragraphs to create impact and emphasise key points about illness,
‘but don’t worry, she said, it’s all over now’

8. She personifies her attempts to sleep, and her thoughts about her sister, to show a lack of control:
‘The activity seemed to mock me’, ‘Something was taking hold of me and it was my business, my hope, to fight it off’
9. The contrast between direct and indirect speech in the narrator’s discussion with her father about her problems creates a sense of a
reliable narrator, but also a sense of looking back on a memory:
‘He said good morning’, ‘Why was that? I did not know’, ‘‘‘Having trouble sleeping?’’’, ‘‘‘Stupid question’’’, ‘‘‘Well’’’

10. Towards the end of the story negatives are used to show that the narrator’s father is apparently not concerned about her mental
health:
‘no real worry about it, no more than a dream’, ‘such a thing could not happen’, ‘No more sense than a dream’, ‘He did not blame
me”
Significant Cigarettes
by
Rose Tremain
• Verbs to illustrate lev’s fear, discomfort and sadness about leaving
• The use of colour in the images used by the writer shows contrasting feelings.
• A polysyndetic list (listing using conjunctions such as 'and’) is used to describe lev, showing his urgency to make a
new life. This list also reflects t. he length and pace of the journey
• The writer uses images of time to illustrate the length of the journey and show the contrast between light and dark,
perhaps to reflect past and future
• Contrasting imagery of nature and industry is used to reflect Lev’s feelings about his new life. The views of nature are
being destroyed by industry, reflecting how it has destroyed his career at home and forced him to move.
• The simile ‘like a married couple’ foreshadows the memories of lev’s wife and their past life
• The writer uses alliteration to create interest in how the travellers might or might not interact:
• The writer uses negative images of weather to reflect lev’s feelings about england.
• The writer uses dialogue to create interest and to explore how the travellers are feeling.
• The writer uses the symbol of the ‘brand new british twenty-pound note’ lev examines to reflect his new life.
The Story of an Hour
by
Kate Chopin
• The use of punctuation in the ‘list of “killed”’ shows some uncertainty in death.
• Language is used to suggest the fragility of Mrs. Mallard.
• The use of metaphor shows the reaction of the character to the death.
• Positive language is used to show (new) life and cleansing and this reflects the
character’s thoughts on her new life.
• The writer creates a sense of peace and tranquility in the description of the setting,
showing her peace and calm in facing the future.
• The use of prepositional phrases creates a sense of relationships between people and
feelings.
• The use of adverbs demonstrates the range of feelings that she is experiencing.
• The use of short sentences creates a sense of tension.
Whistle and I’ll Come to You
by
Susan Hill
• Short sentence structures create a sense of fear and tension.
• The confused feelings of the narrator are emphasized by the use of adverbs.
• A simile describes how the strength of the wind makes the house move, creating fear that
the building is unstable.
• Alliteration is used to emphasise the dangerous and fearful impact of the weather.
• The use of questions suggests the narrator’s isolation and makes him unsure of what is
happening.
• The use of the language of death creates fear and builds tension.
• The chaos of the storm is juxtaposed with ominous calm.
• Negatives are used to suggest that the narrator is unsure and disbelieving of what is
happening.
• Coordinated sentences build pace, creating confusion and showing lack of coherence.
• The writer’s use of non-specific nouns and pronouns creates a sense of isolation.