2. You will need to look at two texts
You do not need to compare the texts but you
need to look at the same features in each text
You should write a similar amount for each
text
Look at one aspect of the question in both
texts, then move on to the next aspect
You need an introduction and a conclusion
which will comment on what happens next
3. Say the names of both texts and both writers.
Which is better:
In this essay I am going to talk about two
stories I have read, called A Blunder by
Chekhov and How It Happened by Arthur
Conan Doyle.
This essay will explore the ways in which the
main characters are presented in A Blunder by
Chekhov and How It Happened by Arthur
Conan Doyle.
4. Say why you have chosen these two
characters – why are they interesting?
Which is better:
I will talk about the narrator in both because
they are the only characters in the story.
The two most memorable characters are …..
and ….., because the authors have chosen to
present them in unusual and surprising ways.
5. Say what you are going to talk about for the
rest of your essay.
Which is better?
I am now going to tell you why these are
memorable characters.
Some of the most distinguishing and
memorable features of these characters are
the way they look and speak, and the
description of their behaviour, all of which
changes throughout the stories.
6. Our first impressions of Mary Maloney are that she is a
very ordinary, slightly boring housewife. She is described
as ‘waiting for her husband to come home’ and ‘sewing’,
suggesting that she has little else to do. Her physical
description makes her seem unthreatening and calm.
Adjectives such as ‘wonderful’ and ‘translucent’ create an
image of someone very relaxed and peaceful. Roald Dahl
describes her mouth as ‘soft’, her eyes ‘placid’, large and
dark. These words help the reader to view her as innocent
and naïve – incapable of harm. This is effective because
we are surprised later on in the story by the brutal and
callous way she kills her unfaithful husband, making Mary
Maloney a truly memorable character.
7. The narrator in The Tell-Tale Heart is memorable, but
for different reasons. His story is presented in the
form of a dramatic monologue, so there is no physical
description. We do, however, gain some idea of an
outsider’s view of him through his own language. ‘You
fancy me mad? Madmen know nothing’. This
rhetorical question to an unknown – perhaps non-existent
– audience means we clearly understand
what opinion we are supposed to have of this
character. He frequently repeats such comparisons to
a ‘madman’ – thus confirming to the reader that he is
indeed a deranged and sinister character.
8. When we first meet the character of Billy Weaver, we get
the impression of a young, slightly naïve character who is
trying hard to make an impression on the world. ‘He was
trying to do everything briskly these days. Briskness, he
decided was the one common characteristic of all
successful businessmen… They were amazing.’ Here
Roald Dahl repeats the word ‘brisk’ several times to show
Billy’s slightly inaccurate understanding of what makes
businessmen impressive. This, combined with the words
‘successful’, ‘fantastically’ and ‘amazing’ emphasise Billy’s
admiration for the people who he wants to emulate. The
reader gets an understanding of how Billy Weaver wants
to be viewed in the world – and so gets an idea of his
character.
