Touching The Void

IGCSE 2013 Revision Guide – SMS

Where Does Touching The Void Go?

• Touching The Void is a piece in Section A of the Anthology, which means it is on Paper 1 of the exam which EVERY student will have to take.

• If it comes up on the day then you will be asked to read the piece first and then complete a writing task based on it.

What kind of task?

• ReadingStudents are expected

to read with1. Insight2. Interpret the text3. Distinguish between

fact and fiction4. Understand the

devices writers use.

• WritingStudents are expected

to be able to write1. Clearly and

imaginatively2. Using proper

sentences and paragraphs

3. Use accurate punctuation/spelling

That is a lot to remember!

True! – So we will focus in this lecture on number 4 the devices

that are used in the text.

Some Sample Questions

This is a sample questions to give you an idea about the sort of tasks you might get (taken from IGCSE handbook):

• Imagine that you had witnessed Joe’s accident – write a short account of the accident for a newspaper.

Who is Joe Simpson?

• Taken from a description in The Independent: Simpson is still best known as the climber-turned-author

whose remarkable book Touching the Void knocked readers off their feet in 1988 and repeated the favour for cinema audiences 15 years later. The story describes a

botched attempt in 1985 to climb Siula Grande, the 20,814ft peak in the Peruvian Andes, by Simpson and his 21-year-old climbing partner Simon Yates. The trip famously ended with Simpson having to crawl alone for

three agonising days with a shattered leg before reaching safety – and the incident was to define his

subsequent life.

• A picture of Joe Simpson.

Context – Where can I find out more?

A full profile of the author can be read on the Independent Newspaper website:

• http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/joe-simpson-high-flyer-395867.html

• http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/features/3634463/Joe-Simpson-My-journey-back-into-the-void.html

Where else could I go for more info?

• http://www.touchingthevoid.co.uk – This website has information about Joe and his career.

• There is also a 2003 movie about the incident described in the story. The English department has some copies so please feel free to ask to watch one.

• Youtube has some interviews with Joe Simpson.

What are the key features of the text?

Joe’s account• Uses short sentences• Emphasises the physical pain in his choice

of words• Use of metaphor and similes• Includes detail of loneliness• Uses range of punctuation for effect• Uses emotive language• Includes dramatic adjectives• Many active verbs

Short sentences

For example

• line 11: “My leg!... My leg!”

• line 19: “The pain eased.”

• Line 23: “I’ve broken my leg, that’s it. I’m dead”

These lines sound like the narrator is in a panic and is scared – they don’t feel organised and considered.

Pain Vocabulary

• A group of words on the same subject is called A Semantic Field

Look for pain words in the text:

Gasps, pain, burnt, pain,

Count how many times pain is repeated…

What else can we say about text?

• Use of ellipsis

An Ellipsis is the gap where leave things out….

What was he thinking in those moments?

Why doesn’t he tell us?

Other unusual punctuation

• Exclamation marks – many in the text to emphasise fright and pain.

• They also make the text dramatic to read.

Modal Verbs

• Lots of these are used in the text

• Look for ‘must, could, would’ etc.

Contrast these with the active verbs in the text.

Key Features 2

Simon’s account• Careful and considered• Realistic showing understanding of the

situation• Uses unsympathetic language• Uses punctuation to achieve effects• Cold and dispassionate• Short direct sentences towards the end

Unsympathetic Language

• Line 66 – ‘You’re dead…no two ways about it.’

• Line 77 – ‘If I tried to get down I might die with him.’

• Find other examples in the text if you can…

Ellipsis

• Simon’s account also uses Ellipsis.

Earlier we asked what Joe was thinking when he was using Ellipsis.

Perhaps Joe thinks about death but Simon thinks about his killing of Joe by leaving him.

Short (Brutal) Sentences

• At the end of the text Simon also uses short sentences.

E.G ‘It would be pointless. I kept staring at him, expecting him to fall…’

Why? Because he has decided to let Joe die.

What is unusual about the text?

It is essential to remember that the text has

a dual narrative voice.

This means that the story is told by two people, and each account is different from the other.

So What?

• What does having a dual voice offer the reader?

1. Two alternate perspectives makes it more interesting.

2. More details – we get a more rounded view of the story.

3. It might feel like two different stories.

4. More reliable – we can depend on the account and it is less subjective and more objective.

Rhetorical Questions

• These are used in the text to reflect the harsh realities of the situation and the brutal uncertainties of it.