Teach-Reading-and-Writing-Issue-21

Chapter 4, page 23 www.teachwire.net | 21 23 Prologue By having Clem imagine characters off scene, it brings them into the story – reminding the reader of the consequences of her running away and adding to the drama. This metaphor shows us how Clem feels about her dad’s jacket. It makes us think about the qualities someone needs when going into battle: bravery, skill and determination. Short positive sentences show Clem’s optimistic determination. The repetition of ‘him’ conveys how her mind is constantly focused on her dad. Even though the narrative is in third person, we get these windows into Clem’s mind – a technique known as free indirect speech. Describing where the character is looking gives us a glimpse of her inner thoughts; both her mind and her eyes are on the future. Picking a dramatic verb like ‘charged’ helps convey Clem’s sense of urgency and speed. Their dialogue helps establish each character’s motivation in this scene. Gilbert wants to stop (and have a good snooze) but Clem wants to carry on until she’s finished the mission. This helps establish the characters’ proximity to each other (where they physically are in relation to each other). The fact that Clem is in front of Gilbert shows their power dynamic: Clem is the leader and Gilbert is the follower. The wild hedgerows towered above Clem and her captive as they charged down the country road. Clem kept glancing behind them, waiting for headlamps to come tearing into view. She didn’t know what the Spiders would do when they found out she’d done a bunk. She figured Monty would be disappointed, Whistler would be boiling about her pinching the witness, Screw would get in a flap about spies and double crossers watching the house, and Clem‘s mother probably wouldn’t even notice that her only daughter had run away. Clem set her eyes on the road and turned up the collar of her leather jacket. The jacket had been her dad’s during the war. The seams were rubbed brown with French soil and the lining stained from sea-salt escapades – it was her battle skin. Tonight the jacket hung heavy round her shoulders like the comforting weight of her dad‘s hand. She’d find him. She wouldn’t give up on him. The boy Gilbert hobbled behind her. The treacherous walk across the narrow bridge over the Thames had made him quite lightheaded and his stomach was rumbling like a snoring dog. “I say! so sorry to bother you,” Gilbert called after Clem, “but could we have a breather? A quick break?” “Quit stalling!” said Clem, without looking back. “Can’t you walk and breathe at the same time? It’s ten minutes until the town, then we’ll pick up a cab. No stopping!” Extract from C L AS SROOM AC T I V I T I E S