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Explain how the author uses sentence structure to create an impression of how John felt about his life on the farm. (4)
Monotony. There’s the perfect word! The monotony of John’s day cannot be over-exaggerated. Endless chores were issued to him by his authoritarian father. Work was the norm: play was long forgotten.
Feeding the pigs, milking the cows, scrubbing the floor of the barn, repairing the forever crumbling walls, weeding the garden (which surrounded their massive farmhouse), fetching supplies from the market, preparing lunch for the agricultural labourers – that was on an exciting day!
He hated the sound of his father’s voice. He hated the knock on his bedroom door, which announced another tortuous day was beginning. He hated the wind, which almost knocked him off his feet, as he emerged to face the elements once more. Escape. He needed to get out of there – but where could he go?
Technique – Word Choice
Monotony
Monotony has connotations of repetition and lack of variety. This suggests that a day in the life of John was just as tedious as the tasks he was forced to perform by his father. The repetition of his father;s knock each morning mirrors the uniformity of John’s daily routine.
Technique – Repetition
Writer has used the repetition of hated to emphasise that John hated the tasks just as much as he hates his life. The writer has also used this list to suggest that John’s daily life was one dreadful day after the other just as this list was one horrible task after another.
Word choice is not sentence structure – let me change to:
Technique – Short sentence
Monotony. There’s the perfect word
The writer uses the short sentence to give impact to what it means for John to live in a world devoid of fun or play or laughter. The short sentence also encourages the reader to understand that depth of despair that John feels on a daily basis.
Perfect answers – well done.