Touching the Void

Question 1

Joe’s Account: Language

Answer 1

-Lots of short and simple sentences:
depicts the harsh reality of the situation
‘I am dead.’
‘He had no choice.

-Commas and breaks to display a sense of urgency and show the speed things are going

-Uses modal verbs to speculate about the future:
‘He would leave me’
‘He couldn’t hold this’

-Punctuation to achieve a particular effect:
‘My leg! … My leg!’ - ellipses to show disorientation
‘Left here? Alone?

-Writes in 1st person, using ‘me’ and ‘I’ a lot. This shows he is on his own in the situation and makes account more direct and

-Uses sibilance to make situation more frightening
‘bones splitting, and screamed’

-Juxtaposes water ‘flooded’ with fire ‘burning’ to create a contrast. Also makes pain sound extreme

Question 2

Joe’s Account: Comments

Answer 2

-Emphasises how physically painful his accident is:
‘fireball rushed’
‘ruptured, twisted, crushed.’

-Writes about being lonely:
‘very much alone’
‘I felt overwhelmed at the notion of being left.’

• Paragraph 1 is physical pain, Paragraph 2 is internal pain
• Shows development and process of thought

Question 3

Simon’s Account: Language

Answer 3

-Modal verbs to speculate about the future
‘I couldn’t help them’
‘i hope he would fall’

-Slightly technical
‘breaking trail’

-Describes Joe a lot,but little use of his name, quite impersonal

-Uses punctuation to create a particular effect
‘You’re dead… No two ways about it

Question 4

Simon’s Account: Comments

Answer 4

-Simon is careful and considered
‘I waited for about 10 minutes’
‘began to move cautiously’

-Simon is a realist and understands the situation
‘I know where we were, I took in everything…’
‘It was all totally rational

-Simon is hard hearted and uses unsympathetic language
‘I watched him quite dispassionately’
‘He looked pathetic’

-Not much emotional response, perhaps blocked out emotions in order to not feel guilt