2011 Paper 2 Module A Elective 1: Distinctive Voices

In what ways are people and experiences brought to life through distinctive
voices?
In your response, make detailed reference to your prescribed text and at least
ONE other related text of your own choosing.
Sample response: Prose fction
Prescribed text: he !ife and "rimes of #arry !avender, $arele %ay, &'((
elated text: )*atrina+, ,ruce %awe, &'-. /poetry0
he introduction
names the texts and
outlines how they
both use particular
techni1ues to convey
a distinctive voice
In he !ife and "rimes of #arry !avender, $arele %ay
takes the reader into the world of the novel through
narrative perspective, tone, detailed description and
personifying the setting. ,ruce %awe+s poem, )*atrina+,
also uses a strong 2rst person perspective and tone, but
uses metaphor and simile to convey feelings, whereas %ay
uses description to convey character and action. In both
texts we have a very strong sense of the person behind the
distinctive narrative voice.
Narrative
perspective in #arry
!avender
he narrative perspective in he !ife and "rimes of #arry
!avender establishes the voice of the hard3boiled
detective. 4e read the clich5s of the genre 6 the blond in
the bed, the heavy drinking and the hangover, the chaotic
apartment 6 but %ay undercuts and rearranges our
perceptions by making us realise after a few paragraphs
that the narrator is female, not male. his has the e7ect of
establishing the narrative voice as belonging to a multi3
dimensional and interesting character, someone who is
unconventional and on 2rst meeting certainly seems larger
than life.
8se of description to
convey action
Events and people in the novel are described in
considerable detail, to allow us to be closely involved in
the action. %ay uses short sentences for fast3paced action
to give us a moment3by3moment understanding of events.
4hen "laudia is breaking into the gaming arcade through
the roof, the short non3sentences tell us her thoughts and
anxieties as they are happening. 9he makes some progress
with the crowbar 6 :,ut not enough;. hen she has success
6 :Enough to crawl through;. his is a life3and3death
situation, so she is not wasting words or doing any
unnecessary thinking. < little further on, she tells us
everything she can hear, see and feel in each moment,
because danger has dragged time out and every second
lasts :an eternity;.
8sing pace to create
sense of being there
he same moment3by3moment descriptions are applied to
the action scenes in the novel. 4hen "laudia is trying to
escape from the container terminal, the sentences are
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long, with many separate actions crowded in, to show how
much is happening all at once. In the one sentence, we
read these actions= :poised;, :kick;, :rolled;, :swung; and
:swept;. hese 2ve separate actions in one moment tell us
how 1uickly events are occurring.
one indicates what
the narrator is
thinking and feeling
%ay brings her detective, "laudia >alentine, to life through
the tone with which "laudia relates the events of the
novel. 4e already know that "laudia is no3nonsense and
unconventional. 4e share her insights into others through
the way she sees the world. 9he has a dry sense of humour
6 when she says she doesn+t have a car for the day because
:the %aimler was being tuned;, this doesn+t easily 2t with
what we know of her so far, so we don+t know if she is
?oking or not. 9he relates events in her life with clarity and
economy. 4e 2nd out in a couple of sentences about her
marriage, divorce, children and other important personal
details 6 these are dispensed with 1uickly because they are
not relevant and not as important as her ?ob.
"haracters are
di7erentiated to
make them seem
real
4e learn about other people in the novel through "laudia+s
meticulous description and attention to detail 6 essential
characteristics for a private detective. 9ally+s neurotic
behaviour is described in minute detail, to build up a
picture of her instability. he small enclosed lives of the
!evacks are economically described through the spy3hole
in the door, $rs !evack+s hair in rollers, the @ickering >
set and the covers on the armchairs. In contrast, the love
interest, 9teve, is described in expansive terms that show
how elevated and noble he seems from "laudia+s
perspective= his height is exaggerated, he has eyes like
deep :pools;, his teeth are :perfect;, and he is
:tantalising; and :exciting;.
9etting 6 the city is
depicted as a
character
Verisimilitude= a
techni1ue to make
something seem real
or true
o further establish the sense of real3life events and bring
characters to life, %ay has turned the setting, the city of
9ydney, into a character. 4e read of the city as a body,
with a network of organs, veins, blood vessels and so on. It
is a living entity that is as much a part of the action as the
characters in the novel. his is reinforced by the way %ay
uses real places in the city to create a sense of
verisimilitude. If we are familiar with certain suburbs,
roads, buildings and places, we gain a clear picture of the
events that are happening in these settings.
Outline of the poem
and %awe+s voice
In )*atrina+, a poem about his newborn child, ,ruce %awe
creates vivid images of a life3and3death experience and the
intense emotions this arouses in his wife and him. he
poem is a sonnet addressed to *atrina, who is struggling
to survive at two months old, although her twin brother is
healthy and thriving. %awe uses the distinctive voice of
parental anguish to make us feel his despair and the
awfulness of *atrina+s plight.
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8se of imagery to
express feelings and
describe the
situation
#ow the structure of
the poem tells us
that the situation
has not changed
#e establishes the experience by describing the situation
and the helplessness of everyone involved. *atrina is
:suspended between earth and sky;. his is a metaphor for
the uncertainty and precariousness of her condition 6 will
she live or die? 6 as well as a reference to limbo, the place
where unbaptised babies went for eternity, according to
"atholic beliefs. hese references to death in the 2rst line
make us aware of the grim reality of the situation. he
baby+s vulnerability is emphasised by her being :naked; in
her :special room; in the hospital. hese ideas of the
closeness of death and her naked helplessness are
repeated at the end of the poem, to suggest that there is
no change in her condition. 9he is still caught between life
and death and is still very vulnerable.
he tone of the
poem and how this
adds to the
distinctive voice
he tone of the poem is despairing and negative, telling us
that %awe does not hold out hope that *atrina will recover.
he words he chooses remind us of pain, physical and
emotional, and of the misery of grief. #e and his wife
:fear; the phone call from the nurse, are :hurt; by the
healthy vigour of the twin brother and are trying to
prepare themselves for the :karate3blow; of *atrina+s
death. #is description of *atrina reinforces the pain and
agony of the experience= the life3saving transfusion
:wounds; her heels and the dummy taped in her mouth
vividly creates the image of a prisoner or hostage. he
image of the date3pad, with the date of her death
:crumpled, thrown away;, tells us how devastated he feels
about the senseless waste of her small life.
8se of contrast in
the poem to
reinforce the
lifeAdeath struggle
"ontrast is used to show the poet+s depth of feeling and
tell us of his despair. #e describes the di7erence between
*atrina and her brother. 4hile he has :vigour;, she is
:wasting;, and even the sunlight that falls on her is :thin;
and sickly. %espite this, she is like a ?ewel to her parents,
her ability to hang onto life a shining point of hope against
the :black velvet; backdrop of death that threatens to
envelop her at any moment. #er struggle to survive makes
them love her more, not less.
he 2rst person
narrative
perspective
intensi2es the
personal voice
%awe also shows the depth of his despair through his use
of the 2rst person, :I;, throughout, to bring to life the
intensity of his grief and despair. #e personalises his wife+s
and his anguish by telling us bluntly and explicitly how
they feel. :4e do not know, but fear; tells us the rawness
of their emotions, as do the bald statements, :Bour mother
grieves already, and so do I; and the unanswerable
1uestion he asks about her life :opening; or :closing;.
he conclusion links
both texts by
similarities and
di7erences
,oth texts bring people and experiences to life through
distinctively conveying thoughts, feelings and actions= %ay
tells us about characters and what they think and do in
fast3paced crime 2ction, while %awe tells us about the
anguish of parents who are waiting to 2nd out if their child
will live or die. ,oth have used very similar techni1ues in
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developing their distinctive voices, although the e7ects are
so very di7erent.
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