Analysing Prose Texts

Analysing Prose Texts

You have to remember so many things...

It’s confusing...

When do I have to use quotation marks?

What do you mean…explain?

It’s too difficult, so I won’t bother!

What do I have to talk about?

When discussing a text you need to think about what the writer wanted to create, what did he/she want you to know about the characters, setting and themes, (or in the case of a non-fiction piece what facts or opinions do they want to share with you.)

Let’s look at characters in prose fiction first of all...

‘What an ugly little girl!’As detective readers, we can assume that this character is concerned about appearances and is probably spiteful too. (Note the exclamation mark)

The way that things are said often tell us about the character too.

‘I’d love to come!’ Sarah shrieked.

This tell us she really would like to go. Again look at the use of the exclamation mark and at the verb that is used here.

BUT

‘I’d love to come,’ Sarah muttered as she lowered her eyes.

This verb tells us she really doesn’t want to go, there is no enthusiasm.

This verb phrase tells us more and confirms that she doesn’t want to go, she avoids eye contact.

So, how would we write about this using point, quote, explanation?

POINT - Sarah does not want to go to the party. You can tell this by the way she QUOTE - ‘muttered’ her reply and her actions,

QUOTE - ‘…She lowered her eyes.’

EXPLANATION - This tells us that she is not enthusiastic about going to the party and is avoiding eye contact because she is not telling the truth.

Now look at the next extract.

Your question is:

‘What do we learn about Uncle Jim from the extract?’

Then Uncle Jim came in like a devil with a red face and a wet nose and trembling hairy hands. His walk was thick. He stumbled against the dresser and shook the coronation plates, and a lean cat shot booted out from the settle corner. Uncle looked nearly twice as tall as Annie. He could have carried her about under his coat and brought her out suddenly, a little, brown-skinned, toothless, hunchbacked woman with a cracked sing-song voice.

From ‘The Peaches’ by Dylan Thomas

First you would say that we learn a great deal about Uncle Jim’s character by the vivid way in which the writer describes him.

What does he tell us about him, and in particular, how?

Then Uncle Jim came in like a devil with a red face and a wet nose and trembling hairy hands. His walk was thick. He stumbled against the dresser and shook the coronation plates, and a lean cat shot booted out from the settle corner. Uncle looked nearly twice as tall as Annie. He could have carried her about under his coat and brought her out suddenly, a little, brown-skinned, toothless, hunchbacked woman with a cracked sing-song voice.

He uses a simile:

Write a sentence about this simile, what sort of picture of Uncle Jim does it make in your mind?

Then Uncle Jim came in like a devil with a red face and a wet nose and trembling hairy hands. His walk was thick. He stumbled against the dresser and shook the coronation plates, and a lean cat shot booted out from the settle corner. Uncle looked nearly twice as tall as Annie. He could have carried her about under his coat and brought her out suddenly, a little, brown-skinned, toothless, hunchbacked woman with a cracked sing-song voice.

He uses adjectives…

Write a sentence about these adjectives, what sort of picture of Uncle Jim do they make in your mind?

Then Uncle Jim came in like a devil with a red face and a wet nose and trembling hairy hands. His walk was thick. He stumbled against the dresser and shook the coronation plates, and a lean cat shot booted out from the settle corner. Uncle looked nearly twice as tall as Annie. He could have carried her about under his coat and brought her out suddenly, a little, brown-skinned, toothless, hunchbacked woman with a cracked sing-song voice.

How does he describe the way he walks?

Then Uncle Jim came in like a devil with a red face and a wet nose and trembling hairy hands. His walk was thick. He stumbled against the dresser and shook the coronation plates, and a lean cat shot booted out from the settle corner. Uncle looked nearly twice as tall as Annie. He could have carried her about under his coat and brought her out suddenly, a little, brown-skinned, toothless, hunchbacked woman with a cracked sing-song voice.

What do you think this means? Write a sentence about this. Introduce the description, then give the quotation and then extend your comment, giving your opinion on why this the description is unusual/effective.

Then Uncle Jim came in like a devil with a red face and a wet nose and trembling hairy hands. His walk was thick. He stumbled against the dresser and shook the coronation plates, and a lean cat shot booted out from the settle corner. Uncle looked nearly twice as tall as Annie. He could have carried her about under his coat and brought her out suddenly, a little, brown-skinned, toothless, hunchbacked woman with a cracked sing-song voice.

What affect does Jim have on his surroundings?

Then Uncle Jim came in like a devil with a red face and a wet nose and trembling hairy hands. His walk was thick. He stumbled against the dresser and shook the coronation plates, and a lean cat shot booted out from the settle corner. Uncle looked nearly twice as tall as Annie. He could have carried her about under his coat and brought her out suddenly, a little, brown-skinned, toothless, hunchbacked woman with a cracked sing-song voice.

What does this information tell us about Uncle Jim? Again give your thoughts in the Point, Quote, Explanation format.

Then Uncle Jim came in like a devil with a red face and a wet nose and trembling hairy hands. His walk was thick. He stumbled against the dresser and shook the coronation plates, and a lean cat shot booted out from the settle corner. Uncle looked nearly twice as tall as Annie. He could have carried her about under his coat and brought her out suddenly, a little, brown-skinned, toothless, hunchbacked woman with a cracked sing-song voice.

He compares Jim to Annie.

Then Uncle Jim came in like a devil with a red face and a wet nose and trembling hairy hands. His walk was thick. He stumbled against the dresser and shook the coronation plates, and a lean cat shot booted out from the settle corner. Uncle looked nearly twice as tall as Annie. He could have carried her about under his coat and brought her out suddenly, a little, brown-skinned, toothless, hunchbacked woman with a cracked sing-song voice.

How does this comparison help us to imagine Uncle Jim? Write your answer using Point, Quote, Explanation.

Now let’s look at setting

Even in the daytime number 56 Croxley Street looked sinister

It was built of dark stone that had been stained darker in places where the rain had dripped down from the broken gutters. From the grey slates of the roof down to the ground there was no lightness or colour anywhere. The trees and bushes in the garden were miserable dark green that seemed to swallow up the light. Buddy noticed that where the branches of one of the bushes leaned against the stone of the house, the leaves had died.

The worst thing of all was the boards on the windows. They were what made the whole place look so gloomy and lifeless, and anyone could be inside peering out through the cracks.

First you must say what is being described…

Next you have to explain how he does it and the effect it has…

In this extract the writer describes the house and garden of 56 Croxley Street...

Even in the daytime number 56 Croxley Street looked sinister.

It was built of dark stone that had been stained darker in places where the rain had dripped down from the broken gutters. From the grey slates of the roof down to the ground there was no lightness or colour anywhere. The trees and bushes in the garden were miserable dark green that seemed to swallow up the light. Buddy noticed that where the branches of one of the bushes leaned against the stone of the house, the leaves had died.

The worst thing of all was the boards on the windows. They were what made the whole place look so gloomy and lifeless, and anyone could be inside peering out through the cracks.

Write about the effect of these adjectives...

He uses gloomy and menacing verbs and adjectives

Even in the daytime number 56 Croxley Street looked sinister

It was built of dark stone that had been stained darker in places where the rain had dripped down from the broken gutters. From the grey slates of the roof down to the ground there was no lightness or colour anywhere. The trees and bushes in the garden were miserable dark green that seemed to swallow up the light. Buddy noticed that where the branches of one of the bushes leaned against the stone of the house, the leaves had died.

The worst thing of all was the boards on the windows. They were what made the whole place look so gloomy and lifeless, and anyone could be inside peering out through the cracks.

He mentions the weather and its effects on the house...

Write about how mentioning the weather contributes to the overall impact of this description.

Even in the daytime number 56 Croxley Street looked sinister

It was built of dark stone that had been stained darker in places where the rain had dripped down from the broken gutters. From the grey slates of the roof down to the ground there was no lightness or colour anywhere. The trees and bushes in the garden were miserable dark green that seemed to swallow up the light. Buddy noticed that where the branches of one of the bushes leaned against the stone of the house, the leaves had died.

The worst thing of all was the boards on the windows. They were what made the whole place look so gloomy and lifeless, and anyone could be inside peering out through the cracks.

Look at the two phrases outlined in red what does the writer want you to think about the house by including this information?

Even in the daytime number 56 Croxley Street looked sinister

It was built of dark stone that had been stained darker in places where the rain had dripped down from the broken gutters. From the grey slates of the roof down to the ground there was no lightness or colour anywhere. The trees and bushes in the garden were miserable dark green that seemed to swallow up the light. Buddy noticed that where the branches of one of the bushes leaned against the stone of the house, the leaves had died.

The worst thing of all was the boards on the windows. They were what made the whole place look so gloomy and lifeless, and anyone could be inside peering out through the cracks.

Overall what impression do you have of the house? What has helped form that picture in your mind?