One last thing for the writing task!!!

ANECDOTES -

If you are writing a letter, article etc (especially if you are trying to use emotive language), then use an ANECDOTE. This is a made up story which helps you to make your point. Imagine you have been asked to improve road safety on days lane..

"Take Tommy Frost, for example. Tommy is just a normal boy who went to a local school. One day he was on his way home from a hard day studying when a car sped around the corner and knocked him off his bicycle. Tommy was badly injured and required weeks worth of hospital treatment to cure him from his terrible injuries. Tommy is now scared to go out on his bike, and suffers flashbacks about his ordeal. Don't you think it is important to help children like Tommy?"

You know what to do!

Mr W

Mark scheme - then I am going to get my dinner!

Here is the mark scheme for what I just answered. As you can see, the marks are originally given for simply picking out interesting bits of the text. The higher bands are basically given for how much you show off, how much you link the extract to what goes on in the story, and how many original points you make.

Good luck everyone, and see you for a full english breakfast* in the morning!



















*may not actually be a full english breakfast.

Another song...

Volcano

part (b)

Ok...

Remember I said earlier that I thought this was quite a difficult question? Well, the reason I said that is because setting is a little bit of an awkward topic. The setting at the START and END of the novel is almost a mirror image. They are the same place, so will have a lot in common. So I am going to use the ENDING as my EXTRACT. Remember...set your own extract!! Part b is just an extract question that you set yourself!!

Ok, so here is my extract...

But I might actually use some from a bit further on if I run out of things to say here. You can do that too! In this section everyone, you are just going to show off exactly what you are capable of! You know this book VERY WELL. You understand lots of the hidden layers and meanings TRY AND SHOW OFF ABOUT THEM!!

Here we go - I will time it so that you have an idea how long it took.

The setting at the end of the book is very important. The book ends in exactly the same setting as at the start. This is done for a lot of reasons. Steinbeck seems to be trying to show us that nothing ever really changes for the characters in this book, and that they will always end up back where they started. The American dream simply does not happen for them. Lots of the things which happen in this description of the setting add to the pointlessness of their attempt to reach their American Dream.

The author, firstly, seems to apply a human quality to the sun by personifying it. The extract describes how the sun 'had left' the valley. This is firstly important because it shows how dark the setting can get at night, building a sense of isolation for Lennie at this time. It is also a metaphor for Lennie being left on his own, and the fact that George, his friend, will no longer be standing by him (This only just occurred to me. We are READING INTO THINGS. Remember, no right or wrong answers. If you think it sounds sensible put it in! Try to see everything as a metaphor for what is going on).

This sense of the valley being 'abandoned' by everything that is light or good carries on later in the extract. We read that 'the light climbed out of the valley'. This implies that the light needs to make a lot of effort in order to get out of the valley. Not only does this imply how deep and sheer the valley must be, but it also emphasises the point that Lennie is being left in darkness at this point in the novel.

The author describes on more than one occasion how the hilltops are 'lit by the sun'. This use of a literal image shows that the only remaining light is way up above Lennie, and that it is now far out of reach. Here, the author paints an atmospheric view of the scene. He also seems to be implying that, like the light, George and Lennie's dreams are now unreachable and far out of their grasp.

Steinbeck uses the imagery of nature in order to show his views about the world of the time. The author describes, in quite a lot of detail, a story which involves a 'watersnake' gliding 'up the pool'. The fact that the watersnake is swimming up stream implies that it is struggling, and this could be a metaphor for the struggles that George, Lennie, and everyone else on the ranch has in order to make a living. At the end of the river, the author describes a 'motionless heron'. Eventually the heron eats the watersnake; a metaphor for how the world at the time 'eats up' common people, and will not allow them to reach their goals. The fact that the author describes the heron as 'motionless' makes the bird sound cruel and cunning, just like the rich people of the time.  (See how I am focussing on individual words and images? You must do this!)

The way the author describes the action of the heron is also very effective. Steinbeck describes how the heron's beak 'lances' down, and 'plucks' the snake out of the water by the head. These verbs sound very cruel and unforgiving; another metaphor for the world of the time. This passage also shows how even though nature can be beautiful, it is also very cruel and only the strongest survive. This seems to apply to the people as well as the animals.

The author again adds a sense of mystery and otherwordliness to the setting by personifying yet another tree. Steinbedk says, 'the sycamore leaves turned up their silver sides'. This makes the reader feel almost as if Lennie is being watched. It is like the scenery around him is conscious and is responding to his presence. This description makes it sound like the leaves are turning away because they do not want to see what is about to happen to Lennie.

Steinbeck goes on to use repetition to show how unchanging this setting is. He describes 'row on row' of small wind waves. This could be a metaphor for the lives of the people on the ranch, or just the lives of working people in general. The wind waves remind us of the many people who have passed this way before in search of something more. There are many who have gone before them, and there will probably be many to come after them.

Later in the extract, when George has joined Lennie, the author reinforces the hopelessness of their situation by using yet another metaphor of darkness to represent the dark time they are now both facing. The author says, 'the shadow in the valley was blue and soft'. The fact that the shadow is described almost as a concrete object makes it sound suffocating and inescapable. All the way through this novel, the author has focussed on desribing the light coming in through the windows. Imagining George and Lennie now in darkness makes us worry for them and what is about to happen.

After this, the author describes how shouts and barks of dogs can be heard in the distance. The author writes, 'from the distance came the sound of men shouting to one another.' Literally, this shows us that the are they are in is big and vast. This presents the reader with a dilemma. They know that the brush is big and vast, and will wonder why George and Lennie don't simply run when they hear people coming. The fact that they hear men 'in the distance' also reflects their current lives. We know that everyone on this ranch is lonely. This is one of the main themes of the book. The fact that the nearest people to them are 'in the distance' reminds us of the constant loneliness they will probably find themselves in and partly expains why George takes the tough decision to kill his friend, to give himself a better chance of living anormal life.

There we go people. TEN paragraphs, 25 minutes. Although I didn't allow myself any time to read or plan, so that is pretty good going.

Just remember:

*Keep it simple
*Look for metaphors and alternative viewpoints
*Try to use more than one piece of evidenc ro back yourself up if you can
*Always answer the question directly
*Always EXPLAIN YOURSELF - Remember, PEE is your friend.

Hopefully your question will be a lot kinder than this one, which was a little bit awkward (but still OK).

Yours may be on:

*A character
*A relationship
*A theme

Just don't panic. Remember, everyone in the country is seeing the question for the first time. EVERYONE will find it a challenge. Just use your FANTASTIC Englih skills. Read it, and form some opinions. You are a very bright class, and your opinions/explanations will be better than most peoples'!

The best thing you can do now...

READ THE BOOKLET I GAVE YOU ABOUT THE 5 IMPORTANT SCENES! MAKE SURE YOU KNOW THEM INSIDE OUT!!!

http://www.shipk12.org/web/filemgmt_data/files/Steinbeck_-_Of_Mice_and_Men.pdf

That is a link to the text if you need it!

A song for you to listen to...

I am listening to music as I blog so I thought I'd let you in on it...

Joy Discovery Invention

Example answer for section A

Ok everyone,

As requested, I am now going to provide you with a sample answer for the section A extract we looked at today. I will then provide you with a mark scheme for it.

There is the paper. Here is how you should be aiming to answer it. Remember to PEE all the way through it. And REMEMBER - It is easier than it looks, so don't over think it!

One way in which language has been used to influence our view of the setting is the author's use of repetition. We see this when the author keeps reminding us that there are "rabbits" eveywhere. Apart from the fact that this links to later on in the novel when Lennie wants to tend the rabbits, it also shows us that this setting is a wilderness, because there are animals everywhere! This shows the effort and length that people will go to in this book to find work. It is also ironic that Lennie spends his whole life wanting to tend rabbits, yet he is surrounded by them right at the start of the book.

Another way in which language has been used to influence our view of the setting is through the way certain details are described. The author describes "an ash pilemade by many fires" and a "tree limb worn smooth" by the amount of people that have sat on it. The adjective "many" shows us that many people have been through this setting before, probably chasing the same dream a George and Lennie. The verb "worn" also shows this, but also has connotations that this setting can cause people trouble and 'zap' their enthusiasm.

There are many other things which we learn about the setting from this extract (notice how I am always answering the question directly so I don't go off-task). For example, the choice of lexis informs us about the heat of the setting. The author writes that the "water is warm too". From our own experience, we know that water in rivers and lakes is usually cold. The fact that the water is warm suggests that the setting is unbearably hot, and will be uncomfortable and difficult for our main characters to work in.

The author uses other literary devices such an onomatopoeia to tell us about the setting. The narrative describes how a lizard "makes a skittering sound" when it runs away. The word 'skittering' creates an image in our minds of dryness and crisp leaves. The fact that the leaves are so dry implies, again, that the setting is uncomfortable and desert-like. A very inhospitable place to be doing hard physical work in.

The author also uses language to add to the atmosphere of the setting. Firstly, the author uses personifications to make the setting sound creepy. The author describes the shade "climbing" and the "limbs" of the tree. (notice the use of more than one piece of evidence?" This makes is sound like the scenery is alive which puts the reader on edge, suggesting something bad may happen.

The setting is also made to seem quite unpredictable through the way it is described. The writer describes how the branches of the trees are littered with "debris from the winter's floods". This makes the setting seem unpredictable as it can go from flood to desert in only a few months. This makes us feel unsure for the safety of the characters, because we feel like anything can happen to them.

The author uses a listing technique to add a sense of mystery to the setting. When it goes dark, the author lists the various animals such as 'rabbits', 'coons', 'dogs' and 'deer', which come out. This firstly makes us realise how hot and uncomfortable the setting must be, but it also makes us feel like this part of the brush is quite magical, changebale, and alive with nature.

Lastly, and perhaps most simply, it could be argues that the author uses some beautiful language to make the setting seem very important and breathtaking. The author describes how the foothills are "golden" and describes the Gabilan mountains as "strong". These adjectives both paint a vivid picture in our minds of a majestic and picturesque scene thatis a very apt setting for an epic story. The fact that the book starts and ends here shows firstly how insignificant George and Lennie are (just like you and me) and also the fact that although they are surrounded by majesty, they never actually achieve what they are aiming for.


There we go. EIGHT paragraphs of PEE goodness! It took around 16 minutes to write that. I only want you to write SIX paragraphs (but obviously more if you have time).

The trick, everyone, is this:

*Read the extract
*Quickly answer the question in your head (ie, what is your opinion of the setting after you have finished reading)
*Find evidence to back up how you feel
*Turn this into PEE paragraphs.

You can do it people. I have faith in you all!

Now onto part (b)!

Today's After School Revision

Thanks to the 9 or so people who gave up their free time to come along after school. For those who didn't come, we covered some writing techniques for section B. I will try and summarise all that was said very concisely. This is all VERY IMPORTANT. So take note:

Firstly, spend around 10-15 minutes planning your piece of writing. It is essential you kinow how you are going to structure it and what you paragraphs will be about. The class set me the following task:

"Write a LETTER to the school caretaker where you EXPLAIN to him the important of closing all of the windows overnight."

Very quickly, we agreed that my plan would look something like this:

-Name and address
-Dear Mr Whoever
-A paragraph about burglars
-A paragraph about how weather could damage the building
-A paragraph about how vermin and pests could be attracted
-A paragraph about how it makes the school look bad and untidy
-A paragraph about how squatters could be attracted
-A paragraph about how it would keep the heat in, saving on energy bills.
-A conclusion summing up you main points and politely asking him to take action.

However, I gave the class the following instructions

*Make sure that you are BRAVE and INVENTIVE.

It is all very well deciding what your paragraphs will be about, but the CONTENT needs to be attention grabbing and original. So...MAKE STUFF UP!!!

This is not cheating, it is what you are supposed to do!

So, make up FACTS and FIGURES, QUOTES, SURVEYS, STATISTICS etc to back up what you are saying.

For example,

"One reason why it is very important to close all the windows is because it prevents the possibility of the school building attracting vermin such as rats - something which I think we all want to avoid! A recent survey carried out by the local authority found that around 35% of local Maghull residents had had some sort of trouble with rats or mice on their property within the last two years. For a school our size, this is a figure which is quite simply very worrying. Anything which we can do to play our part in keeping vermin out of our beloved building should be done!"

*Be enthusiastic

Whatever the question is that gets thrown at you, it is important that we approach it with enthusiasm. If you have an attitude of "that question is boring/I don't care" then it will come across in your writing. Play a part and pretend you are MASSIVELY INTERESTED in whatever it says. This will benefit you. Trust me.

*Only use slang rarely and make sure you only use it if you are writing to a YOUNG target audience. (Speaks for itself really)

And finally - some presentational features.

For a website, make sure you include a URL bar, some picture boxes (with captions) and make sure you write in HYPERLINKS.

For example. "A recent survey highlighted the problem of rats in our local area. CLICK HERE to read the findings of the survey".

Blogging for tonight

Hi everyone,

Just got in (would you believe?) and I will now be blogging for approximately the next 90 minutes for your benefit, so stay tuned.

Mr Williams

Finding You Own Part of the Novel - Again!

Finding your own part of the novel -

This is the main part that people seemed to throw away marks on last year and, to be honest, I am a little unsure as to why this was.

When people are told to ‘find their own part of the novel’, they seem to go into a blind panic.

However, think about it logically. It is EXACTLY the same as and extract question. The only difference is that YOU CHOOSE THE EXTRACT.

Even if you allow a whole FIVE MINUTES to find the right bit of the book, you should still have more than enough time to answer the question.

We have studied some of the scenes in great detail, and I have given you a booklet outlining the massive importance of FIVE of the scenes in the novel. Therefore, NOBODY should be stuck for a scene to comment on.

Just follow the simple steps:

*Read the question CAREFULLY – What is it asking you to look out for?

*Think of a scene from the book that fits that theme PERFECTLY.

*Spend a few moments FINDING that scene. Give yourself quite a big extract to comment from. The bigger the extract, the more language features you will be able to find.

*Answer the question quickly and concisely using PEE paragraphs.

Guidance for Section B (Writing Task)

Answering the Writing Task!

In a lot of ways, the writing task should be the easiest part of the exams this summer. A lot of people say that ‘Anyone Can Write’. I agree with this to a certain extent, but there are definitely things we can do to make our planning and preparation better.

You will not know what the writing question is until you get into the exam, so we have to be prepared for a few different outcomes.

You have a CHOICE OF TWO questions. You only have to do ONE! So pick the one which looks best for you.

The first thing we have to do is to be prepared for the TYPE of writing we are being asked to do.

Type:

You will be asked to write a particular TYPE of writing, and you must show that you understand what you have been asked to do by including certain things. For example:

NEWSPAPER/ MAGAZINE ARTICLE – Headline, date, subheadings, picture boxes, author name, speaking to audience, paragraphs, columns?, bullet points?

LETTER – Name and address at the top, Dear Sir/Madam, Yours Sincerely/Faithfully, paragraphs.

WEBSITE/WEB ARTICLE – URL bar, links, tabs etc?

You also have to think about you AUDIENCE. Who are you writing for and how do you appeal to them?

Audience:

TEENAGERS – Maybe use A BIT of slang, maybe A BIT of text speak, talk about things which young people are interested in. Be funny.

OLD PEOPLE – Be formal, be polite, don’t use slang, try to talk about things which old people are interested in. Make them feel safe and included.

SOMEONE IMPORTANT – Be very polite, very formal, set out your writing in a sensible and orderly way, always back up your points with lots of reasons. Try to flatter them.

etc.

The last thing you need to think about is the PURPOSE of what you are being asked to do.

You will either be asked to PERSUADE, EXPLAIN, DESCRIBE, REVIEW or INSTRUCT (Or something similar) and you should make sure that you approach this directly!

Of Mice and Men Questions with Mark Schemes

Here are the questions we looked at earlier this week with Mark Schemes attached so you can see the kind of thing they are looking for. Again, you will find that it is nothing complicated!

Finding Your Own Part Of The Novel

The second question in section A asks you to do pretty much the same thing, except it tells you to ‘find another part of the book’. Provided you are familiar with about 5 parts of the book, this should be just as easy as an extract questions. In fact, it should be even EASIER because you can decide how big an extract to set yourself, and then take whatever relevant material you want from it to answer your question. If you can’t see enough LANGUAGE to comment on on the page you are on, then SPILL OVER onto the next one.

So basically, section B is just like an extract question – except that you set your own extract.

I will upload some example questions and mark schemes, and then continue to upload tomorrow – judging by the stats, nobody is viewing (understandable really).

Hope you enjoy the sun people!

The "problem" of the questions - Not really a problem at all :D

As we have discussed in class, the main problem with these questions is that they are sometimes worded in a little bit of a confusing way.

For example:

*How has the writer used language in order to influence our view of the relationship between Curley and Curley’s Wife?

*How has the writer used language to manipulate or change our view of the way people treat Crooks?

*How has language been used by the author in order to change the way we view George in this extract?

As we now know, however, the question can usually just be simplified as,

“What do we learn about ______ through the language that has been used?”

So the first lesson for today is, DO NOT LET THE QUESTION CONFUSE YOU. At the end of the day, the examiners know what school year you are in. They are not expecting some big degree level response, just a very mature response to a simple question. So really, those questions above are more like:

*What do we learn about the relationship between Curley and Curley’s Wife through the language used?

*What do we learn about the way people treat Crooks through the language used?

*What do we learn about George in this extract through the language used?

Simpler? I think so!

I should be outside enjoying the sun but...

Right everyone,

This exam is dead simple. Again, remember what I always say. “Don’t Overthink It!”

Your exam has a simply layout.

Section A – Other Cultures Text (Of Mice and Men)

Part (a) – How has language been used in this extract? [16]

Write roughly 6 paragraphs for this.

Part (b) – How has language been used in another part of the book? [24]

Write roughly 10 paragraphs for this.

Section B – Writing

A choice of TWO writing tasks. Choose one, spend about 10 minutes planning, then answer.

I will upload resources for the writing task tomorrow. Today, I am focussing on ‘Of Mice and Men’, so stay tuned. This is far more appealing than any BBQ, party or water fight you might otherwise be having, so make sure you aren’t going anywhere.

Mark Scheme for section (d)!

Good luck everyone. See you in the morning for bacon butties.

Section ( c) Mark Scheme! This is what the board are looking for!

Right everyone! The exam is nearly with us. Rather than me write an example this time, I will show you the kind of thing they are looking for taken directly from the mark scheme. This mark scheme applies to practice paper 2. Firstly, I will show you the sort of response they expect for part (c). I will post (d) in a minute.

It appears, quite simply, that they just want you to analyse whatever it is that it names. So, if it says 'explore the significance' of the relationship, it means 'talk about their relationship' based on what you have just read.

If it says, 'explore the significance of setting', then it means you are supposed to talk about the setting in this extract and why it is important.

Practice Paper 2

Practice Paper 1

Example Essay Plans for Possible 'Of Mice and Men' questions.

Sample essay plans – Of Mice and Men

Any of these MUST be written in PEE, and every paragraph MUST include evidence from the text to support your ideas. If you don’t do this, you’re doing it wrong! Good luck!

Relationship between George and Lennie:

Intro – Talk about why the relationship with George and Lennie is so important. How was it an unusual relationship considering the setting of the novel? What are the main issues facing their relationship?

P1 – Talk about when they are first introduced to us. Lennie is like a child whereas George is like a carer. This is important as it relates to how the plot progresses in the novel. Lennie is described as like a ‘terrier’ etc.

P2 – Talk about how the relationship is not so simple. George talks about how he could ‘get along so easy’. This ends up being very significant when Lennie kills Curley’s Wife.

P3 – Talk about how them travelling round together is unusual. Talk about why people wouldn’t normally do that at the time? Explain why you think George travels with Lennie. Include quotes from where the boss questions George’s motives etc.

P4 – Talk about how George has control over Lennie. Include quotes from the ‘fight’ scene and also George’s insistence that he ‘won’t let Lennie tend the rabbits’. Talk about why it is important, yet dangerous, that George has such control over a force such as Lennie.

P5 – Talk about how George does not really do his bit for Lennie. He goes along with the dream etc., but then spends all his money (and possibly Lennie’s) visiting the brothel.

P6 – Talk about how ultimately George lets Lennie down.  Doesn’t give him a chance to explain after he has killed Curley’s Wife. Easy option?

P7 – Talk about the death. Why did George do it? Should he have done it? What were the alternatives at the time?

Conclusion – Sum up their relationship giving your opinion on both characters

Money –

Intro – Talk about the financial situation of USA at the time. Why was money in such short supply? How did that affect the country? Talk about the American dream.

P1 – George and Lennie. Why are they travelling in the first place? How has money played its part?

P2 – The dream. Why do George and Lennie have their dream? Why is it only a dream? Why can’t they just go to a bank like today and get a mortgage? Why are the workers so desperate to get out of their lives the way they are.

P3 – Curley. Talk about Curley. Introduce the sort of character that he is. Why do people ‘put up with’ him the way he is? Talk about the fact that Curley’s Wife, George and Lennie etc. put up with his bullying ways because they need any work they can get due to the financial situation.

P4 – Talk about Curley’s wife. She had dreams and aspirations once. Always include quotes. Now she settles for living with Curley who she ‘doesn’t like’ because he ‘ain’t a nice fella.’ Why does she do this? How has money played its part?

P5 – Talk about Crooks. What is his situation? Is he well off where he is? Talk about how the boss ‘gives him hell’, but he still chooses to stay. Why?

P6  - Talk about Candy.  Candy let’s the workers on the farm shoot his dog. Why? Because if he falls out of favour, he will end up ‘on the county’, living a life of squalor. He needs the job.

P7 – Talk about the way the do not look after their money. Only $600 to buy their dream farm, yet they can’t save it up. Why? George’s habits? Lennie keeps getting them fired?

Conclusion – Finish off talking about why life was so difficult for people back then during the great depression. It caused lots of problems, lots of people had to put up with bad lives etc.

Animals –

Introduction – Explain there are lots of animals in this novel. Even the title includes Mice and Men. Explain where this title comes from.

P1- The dead mouse. Include a quote. This shows Lennie’s strength which will be a problem in the novel.

P2 – Candy’s dog. Important because it shows how if you serve no purpose you will be disposed of.  Metaphor for Candy himself. Also shows how people have no say unless they are popular etc.

P3 – The pup. Lennie has an ambition of owning a new pup. The puppy end up being accidentally killed but Curley’s wife calls it ‘a mutt’ saying, ‘the whole world is fulla mutts’. Shows how people are often considered equal to animals.

P4 – Names. Candy’s Dog/Curley’s Wife. They are similar in the way they are referred to, as if they belong to somebody else.

P5 – Water snakes and Heron, at the end of the novel. Talk about how this is a metaphor for the way workers are used and gobbled up by the society of the time.

P6 – Rabbits – Lennie’s whole ambition is to ‘tend the rabbits’. Shows how dreams never come, Lennie can not be controlled etc.

Conclusion  - Explain that the author uses animals as metaphors for many human situations in order to show how worthless the existences of people can be if the circumstances are wrong.

Chapter 12 - Watson discovers Holmes has been tracking and following the case from a distance.

Now over to you. Read the following passage and try to answer 4 PEE paragraphs for each of the following questions:

How is the relationship between Holmes and Watson significant in this passgage?

How is power significant is this passage?

Give it a go. Remember, it is not a big huge essay question. It is just 12 marks, and requires around 4 very good paragraphs. Once you have found your new part of the book, th hard part is done. It is then just as simple as the other EXTRACT questions. Just remember to use PEE, and to always EXPLAIN why the extract is SIGNIFICANT (Why is it important and how does it link to other events in the book)

Good luck people, and see you tomorrow Period 4!

For a moment or two I sat breathless, hardly able to believe my ears. Then my senses and my voice came back to me, while a crushing weight of responsibility seemed in an instant to be lifted from my soul. That cold, incisive, ironical voice could belong to but one man in all the world.

"Holmes!" I cried -- "Holmes!"

"Come out," said he, "and please be careful with the revolver."

I stooped under the rude lintel, and there he sat upon a stone outside, his gray eyes dancing with amusement as they fell upon my astonished features. He was thin and worn, but clear and alert, his keen face bronzed by the sun and roughened by the wind. In his tweed suit and cloth cap he looked like any other tourist upon the moor, and he had contrived, with that catlike love of personal cleanliness which was one of his characteristics, that his chin should be as smooth and his linen as perfect as if he were in Baker Street.

"I never was more glad to see anyone in my life," said I as I wrung him by the hand.

"Or more astonished, eh?"

"Well, I must confess to it."

"The surprise was not all on one side, I assure you. I had no idea that you had found my occasional retreat, still less that you were inside it, until I was within twenty paces of the door."

"My footprint, I presume?"

"No, Watson, I fear that I could not undertake to recognize your footprint amid all the footprints of the world. If you seriously desire to deceive me you must change your tobacconist; for when I see the stub of a cigarette marked Bradley,

Oxford Street

, I know that my friend Watson is in the neighbourhood. You will see it there beside the path. You threw it down, no doubt, at that supreme moment when you charged into the empty hut."

"Exactly."

"I thought as much -- and knowing your admirable tenacity I was convinced that you were sitting in ambush, a weapon within reach, waiting for the tenant to return. So you actually thought that I was the criminal?"

"I did not know who you were, but I was determined to find out."

"Excellent, Watson! And how did you localize me? You saw me, perhaps, on the night of the convict hunt, when I was so imprudent as to allow the moon to rise behind me?"

"Yes, I saw you then."

"And have no doubt searched all the huts until you came to this one?"

"No, your boy had been observed, and that gave me a guide where to look."

"The old gentleman with the telescope, no doubt. I could not make it out when first I saw the light flashing upon the lens." He rose and peeped into the hut. "Ha, I see that Cartwright has brought up some supplies. What's this paper? So you have been to Coombe Tracey, have you?"

"Yes."

"To see Mrs. Laura Lyons?"

"Exactly."

"Well done! Our researches have evidently been running on parallel lines, and when we unite our results I expect we shall have a fairly full knowledge of the case."

"Well, I am glad from my heart that you are here, for indeed the responsibility and the mystery were both becoming too much for my nerves. But how in the name of wonder did you come here, and what have you been doing? I thought that you were in

Baker Street

working out that case of blackmailing."

"That was what I wished you to think."

"Then you use me, and yet do not trust me!" I cried with some bitterness. "I think that I have deserved better at your hands, Holmes."

"My dear fellow, you have been invaluable to me in this as in many other cases, and I beg that you will forgive me if I have seemed to play a trick upon you. In truth, it was partly for your own sake that I did it, and it was my appreciation of the danger which you ran which led me to come down and examine the matter for myself. Had I been with Sir Henry and you it is confident that my point of view would have been the same as yours, and my presence would have warned our very formidable opponents to be on their guard. As it is, I have been able to get about as I could not possibly have done had I been living in the Hall, and I remain an unknown factor in the business, ready to throw in all my weight at a critical moment."

"But why keep me in the dark?"

Chapter 9 - Watson and Baskerville discover Barrymore making secret signals across the moor.

Chapter 9 - Watson and Baskerville discover Barrymore making secret signals across the moor.

"What are you doing here, Barrymore?"

"Nothing, sir." His agitation was so great that he could hardly speak, and the shadows sprang up and down from the shaking of his candle. "It was the window, sir. I go round at night to see that they are fastened."

"On the second floor?"

"Yes, sir, all the windows."

"Look here, Barrymore," said Sir Henry sternly, "we have made up our minds to have the truth out of you, so it will save you trouble to tell it sooner rather than later. Come, now! No lies! What were you doing at that window??'

The fellow looked at us in a helpless way, and he wrung his hands together like one who is in the last extremity of doubt and misery.

"I was doing no harm, sir. I was holding a candle to the window."

"And why were you holding a candle to the window?"

"Don't ask me, Sir Henry -- don't ask me! I give you my word, sir, that it is not my secret, and that I cannot tell it. If it concerned no one but myself I would not try to keep it from you."

A sudden idea occurred to me, and I took the candle from the trembling hand of the butler.

"He must have been holding it as a signal," said I. "Let us see if there is any answer." I held it as he had done, and stared out into the darkness of the night. Vaguely I could discern the black bank of the trees and the lighter expanse of the moor, for the moon was behind the clouds. And then I gave a cry of exultation, for a tiny pin-point of yellow light had suddenly transfixed the dark veil, and glowed steadily in the centre of the black square framed by the window.

"There it is!" I cried.

"No, no, sir, it is nothing -- nothing at all!" the butler broke in; "I assure you, sir --"

"Move your light across the window, Watson!" cried the baronet. "See, the other moves also! Now, you rascal, do you deny that it is a signal? Come, speak up! Who is your confederate out yonder, and what is this conspiracy that is going on?"

The man's face became openly defiant.

"It is my business, and not yours. I will not tell."

"Then you leave my employment right away."

"Very good, sir. If I must I must."

"And you go in disgrace. By thunder, you may well be ashamed of yourself. Your family has lived with mine for over a hundred years under this roof, and here I find you deep in some dark plot against me."

"No, no, sir; no, not against you!" It was a woman's voice, and Mrs. Barrymore, paler and more horror-struck than her husband, was standing at the door. Her bulky figure in a shawl and skirt might have been comic were it not for the intensity of feeling upon her face.

"We have to go, Eliza. This is the end of it. You can pack our things," said the butler.

"Oh, John, John, have I brought you to this? It is my doing, Sir Henry -- all mine. He has done nothing except for my sake and because I asked him."

"Speak out, then! What does it mean?"

"My unhappy brother is starving on the moor. We cannot let him perish at our very gates. The light is a signal to him that food is ready for him, and his light out yonder is to show the spot to which to bring it."

"Then your brother is --"

"The escaped convict, sir -- Selden, the criminal."

"That's the truth, sir," said Barrymore. "I said that it was not my secret and that I could not tell it to you. But now you have heard it, and you will see that if there was a plot it was not against you."

This, then, was the explanation of the stealthy expeditions at night and the light at the window. Sir Henry and I both stared at the woman in amazement. Was it possible that this stolidly respectable person was of the same blood as one of the most notorious criminals in the country?

"Yes, sir, my name was Selden, and he is my younger brother. We humoured him too much when he was a lad and gave him his own way in everything until he came to think that the world was made for his pleasure, and that he could do what he liked in it. Then as he grew older he met wicked companions, and the devil entered into him until he broke my mother's heart and dragged our name in the dirt. From crime to crime he sank lower and lower until it is only the mercy of God which has snatched him from the scaffold; but to me, sir, he was always the little curly-headed boy that I had nursed and played with as an elder sister would. That was why he broke prison, sir. He knew that I was here and that we could not refuse to help him. When he dragged himself here one night, weary and starving, with the warders hard at his heels, what could we do? We took him in and fed him and cared for him. Then you returned, sir, and my brother thought he would be safer on the moor than anywhere else until the hue and cry was over, so he lay in hiding there. But every second night we made sure if he was still there by putting a light in the window, and if there was an answer my husband took out some bread and meat to him. Every day we hoped that he was gone, but as long as he was there we could not desert him. That is the whole truth, as I am an honest Christian woman and you will see that if there is blame in the matter it does not lie with my husband but with me, for whose sake he has done all that he has."

The woman's words came with an intense earnestness which carried conviction with them.

"Is this true, Barrymore?"

"Yes, Sir Henry. Every word of it."

"Well, I cannot blame you for standing by your own wife. Forget what I have said. Go to your room, you two, and we shall talk further about this matter in the morning."

Power/Plot/Character

“Look here Barrymore”, said Sir Henry sternly, “We have made up our minds to have the truth” – This quote shows social status and the class divide between Baskerville and Barrymore. Social pleasantries go out of the window. Very important as it shows how this society of class vs class is turned on its head by power/greed etc.

“The man’s face became openly defiant” – A significant passage. Barrymore appears to be very guilty here. However, we learn that he is actually acting honourably. The fact that he is ‘open’ with his emotions is a bit of a rarity in this book, as most other characters are cagey and hide their true feelings or motives.

“And you go in disgrace. By thunder! You may well be ashamed of yourself”. – The idea of social standing is very important in this novel. Henry Baskerville is in danger simply because of his social standing. Charles Baskerville died because of his will to be secretive over his meetings with Laura Lyons, a married woman etc.

“Was it possible that this stolidly respectable person was of the same blood as one of the most notorious criminals in the country?” – A hugely important quote. Yes this is true, but it is significant as it shows how the appearances of characters can be deceptive. We later learn that the ‘respectable’ Stapleton, is actually a criminal mastermind and is not actually called Stapleton at all. This is the author’s way of showing us that outside appearances, and even names, can be deceptive.

The story of Seldon as a child – This really is, in many ways, a message from the author which is supposed to underpin the entire novel. Seldon is seen as ‘The Danger’ from his introduction to the novel. Whilst he is certainly a potentially very dangerous man, we see the prejudice against him from some of the main characters in this book. This passage jusitifes the behaviour of Seldon somewhat and shows him as a human being. It is also supposed to resonate with us how Stapleton, all this time, is planning murder and the demise of the Baskervilles, but is able to escape prejudice and detection because h has managed to build a respectable persona for himself.

Chapter 6 - The reader is introduced to the Grimpen Mire by way of narration

Chapter 6 - The reader is introduced to the Grimpen Mire by way of narration

This is a very important scene. Any aspect of the narration/setting is easy to comment on.

Our driver half turned in his seat.

"There's a convict escaped from Princetown, sir. He's been out three days now, and the warders watch every road and every station, but they've had no sight of him yet. The farmers about here don't like it, sir, and that's a fact."

"Well, I understand that they get five pounds if they can give information."

"Yes, sir, but the chance of five pounds is but a poor thing compared to the chance of having your throat cut. You see, it isn't like any ordinary convict. This is a man that would stick at nothing."

"Who is he, then?"

"It is Selden, the Notting Hill murderer."

I remembered the case well, for it was one in which Holmes had taken an interest on account of the peculiar ferocity of the crime and the wanton brutality which had marked all the actions of the assassin. The commutation of his death sentence had been due to some doubts as to his complete sanity, so atrocious was his conduct. Our wagonette had topped a rise and in front of us rose the huge expanse of the moor, mottled with gnarled and craggy caims and tors. A cold wind swept down from it and set us shivering. Somewhere there, on that desolate plain, was lurking this fiendish man, hiding in a burrow like a wild beast, his heart full of malignancy against the whole race which had cast him out. It needed but this to complete the grim suggestiveness of the barren waste, the chilling wind, and the darkling sky. Even Baskerville fell silent and pulled his overcoat more closely around him.

We had left the fertile country behind and beneath us. We looked back on it now, the slanting rays of a low sun turning the streams to threads of gold and glowing on the red earth new turned by the plough and the broad tangle of the woodlands. The road in front of us grew bleaker and wilder over huge russet and olive slopes, sprinkled with giant boulders. Now and then we passed a moorland cottage, walled and roofed with stone, with no creeper to break its harsh outline. Suddenly we looked down into a cuplike depression, patched with stunted oaks and fus which had been twisted and bent by the fury of years of storm. Two high, narrow towers rose over the trees. The driver pointed with his whip.

"Baskerville Hall," said he.

Its master had risen and was staring with flushed cheeks and shining eyes. A few minutes later we had reached the lodgegates, a maze of fantastic tracery in wrought iron, with weather-bitten pillars on either side, blotched with lichens, and summounted by the boars' heads of the Baskervilles. The lodge was a ruin of black granite and bared ribs of rafters, but facing it was a new building, half constructed, the first fruit of Sir Charles's South African gold.

Through the gateway we passed into the avenue, where the wheels were again hushed amid the leaves, and the old trees shot their branches in a sombre tunnel.over our heads. Baskerville shuddered as he looked up the long, dark drive to where the house glimmered like a ghost at the farther end.

Narrative/Setting/Characters:

Many parts of the narrative are important here.

The entire description of Seldon – Adds an air of danger to the novel. The characters are in immediate mortal peril. Until they arrived on the moor, the only thing they had to worry about was the ‘fairytale’ of the Baskervilles. The addition of a real life brutal psychopath, describe in many different forms of language and imagery, makes the whole situation more unpredictable. It is also significant because it signifies how characters can be misunderstood. Later we find that Seldon is the younger borther of Mrs. Barrymore, and we hear how she still loves him like when he was a child.

“I remember the case well” adds to the sense of danger the characters are in. The fact that Watson remembers such a brutal story, and now the man is escaped on the moor.

“Red earth” – provides connotations of danger/blood which make the reader feel uneasy. This is significant as we have already been told about Hugo Baskerville’s ‘bloody’ death on the moor, and we will later witness Seldon’s equally gruesome demise.

“Tangle of woodlands” – Like so many parts of the narrative, this makes the setting seem unpredictable and unpleasant. It is almost a personification too, as if the plants and trees are conspiring to tangle and confuse the characters. ‘Tangle’ also reminds us of the tangles story that we will encounter in the novel.

“The road in front of us grew bleaker and wilder” – This physical description of the setting is vitally important as not only does is describe the physical jeopardy which is becoming more and more of a problem for them, it is also a metaphorical depiction of how their case is becoming harder to follow and more dangerous as they progress into it.

“Two high narrow towers rose over the trees” – This is a personaification of the towers of Baskerville Hall. It is very significant as it will be their home for the next few weeks, yet is never described as a nice or comforting place. It appears as being only slightly more welcoming and safe than the danger of the moor outside. This imposing image makes the characters sound/seem small and powerless.

“Ruin of black granite, ribs of rafters” – this section of the narrative/setting is very important as it is a metaphor for death and destruction. The Baskerville family are, it seems, being ‘picked off’ one by one. The depiction of the Hall as a decaying corpse, an anthropomorphic image, hints at the doom which we later discover awaits Henry Baskerville.

“Shimmered like a ghost” – as well as creating a supernatural and haunted feel to the novel (which is very significant as the whole novel rests on the battle between reality and the supernatural – the argument over the hound etc), this also adds a sense of mystery to the main residential setting of the novel which keeps the reader onfused and guessing for the entire progression of the novel.

Chapter 1 – Holmes and Watson discuss the stick which has been left in their office.

Chapter 1 – Holmes and Watson discuss the stick which has been left in their office.

"Well, Watson, what do you make of it?"

Holmes was sitting with his back to me, and I had given him no sign of my occupation.

"How did you know what I was doing? I believe you have eyes in the back of your head."

"I have, at least, a well-polished, silver-plated coffee-pot in front of me," said he. "But, tell me, Watson, what do you make of our visitor's stick? Since we have been so unfortunate as to miss him and have no notion of his errand, this accidental souvenir becomes of importance. Let me hear you reconstruct the man by an examination of it."

"I think," said I, following as far as I could the methods of my companion, "that Dr. Mortimer is a successful, elderly medical man, well-esteemed since those who know him give him this mark of their appreciation."

"Good!" said Holmes. "Excellent!"

"I think also that the probability is in favour of his being a country practitioner who does a great deal of his visiting on foot."

"Why so?"

"Because this stick, though originally a very handsome one has been so knocked about that I can hardly imagine a town practitioner carrying it. The thick-iron ferrule is worn down, so it is evident that he has done a great amount of walking with it."

"Perfectly sound!" said Holmes.

"And then again, there is the 'friends of the C.C.H.' I should guess that to be the Something Hunt, the local hunt to whose members he has possibly given some surgical assistance, and which has made him a small presentation in return."

"Really, Watson, you excel yourself," said Holmes, pushing back his chair and lighting a cigarette. "I am bound to say that in all the accounts which you have been so good as to give of my own small achievements you have habitually underrated your own abilities. It may be that you are not yourself luminous, but you are a conductor of light. Some people without possessing genius have a remarkable power of stimulating it. I confess, my dear fellow, that I am very much in your debt."

He had never said as much before, and I must admit that his words gave me keen pleasure, for I had often been piqued by his indifference to my admiration and to the attempts which I had made to give publicity to his methods. I was proud, too, to think that I had so far mastered his system as to apply it in a way which earned his approval. He now took the stick from my hands and examined it for a few minutes with his naked eyes. Then with an expression of interest he laid down his cigarette, and carrying the cane to the window, he looked over it again with a convex lens.

This is a very important passage for many reasons:

Relationship between Holmes/Watson:

“You are not yourself luminous, but a conductor of light” shows Holmes’ propensity to keep Watson in the shade. This is particularly important in this novel as Watson is often treated as a ‘tool’ by Holmes, who send him to Devonshire and gets him to report back, whilst actually carrying out the investigation himself.

“I confess, my dear fellow, that I am very much in your debt” – This is important because it shows how Holmes sees himself as a ‘cut above’ Watson. They are not an equal partnership, Holmes is merely grateful for Watson’s practical assistance. However, there is also an element of truth here. Watson provides some key links and pieces of information for Holmes which he may have struggled to come to himself.

“You have habitually underrated your own abilities” – This is important because, whilst it is true, it is something which we can not really blame Watson for. Holmes often corrects or undermines Watson. It shows a lot about Holmes that he wishes Watson to have more confidence, yet he is the one who usually takes it away from Watson.

“Good” said Holmes “Excellent” – The reaction of Holmes to Watson’s investigative skills is very interesting. It is as if Holmes is expressing satisfaction at a personal project. It is like he is ‘teaching’ Watson (who is already a Dr), and is pleased with himself a the results.

Power:

“Holmes was sitting in the back of the room; I had given him no sign of my occupation” – A very important quote, one of the first pieces of narrative in the book. It creates a sense of mystery from the start and establishes Holmes’ almost supernatural powers of perception.

“I believe you have eyes in the back of your head” – Also shows the prowess and skill of Holmes, but also establishes Holmes as a potent force of power in the novel, Somebody whom nobody can fool or deceive

“I must admit that his words gave me keen pleasure” – An indicator of how Holmes likes to have and control power within the novel. He keeps characters at arms’ length (both physically and emotionally). He likes to keep perspective on matters. This quote shows that even his best friend receives little praise from Holmes and takes great joy at even the slightest compliment.

“His indifference to my admiration” – Shows the differences in styles and personalities between the two characters. Watson is kind and open. Holmes is untrusting as economical with his emotions. We later learn that Holmes’ ‘indifference’ is probably just partly his way of keeping an open mind and judging a situation based on evidence.