Exercise of the Week #6
And we’re back with a springtime reasoning puzzle! Good luck.
Last Week’s Answers
These sorts of questions can be nefarious. Let’s look at a means of tackling them.
PETEE
You might’ve been taught this at school. If not, PETEE stands for: Point, Evidence, Technique, Effect, Emphasis.
Your point is the statement you intend to answer the question with. Everything that follows exists to support the point you have to make.
Evidence is a quote from the text. Pick a good one - ideally something rich that supports your point. When I say ‘rich’, I mean that there should be enough in your quote to explain further. If it has a technique, that’s perfect, as we should then discuss what technique is being used. Don’t worry if it isn’t obvious, like clear use of alliteration or a striking simile: keep your eye out for things like repetition, or juxtaposition.
We next explain what effect this technique has on the reader. What does it make you think of? How does it make you feel?
Finally, we explain why the writer uses the technique - what are they trying to emphasise?
If you use this structure, you’re giving yourself the best chance of securing all marks on these (typically thee to four mark) questions.
Model Answer
The writer creates the impression of a superfically commonplace man with a sinister depth to him. They use a striking simile to describe his glance, which falls ‘as trenchant and heavy as an axe.’ This suggests that he is capable of doing harm with merely a stern look. This emphasises that although he is ‘commonplace’, ‘ordinary’ and ‘usual’, something darker lurks within.
There are other techniques you might prefer to reference.
There is juxtaposition between his ‘commonplace’ features and ‘remarkably cold’ eyes.
There is much use of parenthesis in the final lines, drawing attention to the narrator’s unease: he can’t make sense of this man.
There is sibilance in the last line: ‘expression of his lips, something stealthy - a smile - not a smile’. Perhaps the writer is drawing attention to the character’s snakelike qualities.
’Heart of Darkness’ is for older readers: something to pick up when you are in years 9 or 10. It’s a critique of European colonialism in Africa in the 19th and 20th centuries. The character described in the extract is the unnamed ‘manager’ running an ivory trade on the Congo River.
