Question 3

The first sense feeling we can see in the passage is that Claire clearly feels isolated. She is sailing alone in the Atlantic which is a huge ocean, the second largest ocean in the world in fact. We can clearly see that this isolation leads to her feeling anxious. She always thinks that after every wave and crest or every gust of wind that some part of the ship, be it the hull or the mast, is damaged. She knows that the ship can not take so much damage and it seems as if she does not think about if the ship is damaged, she thinks about how badly it is damaged as she states that it was impossible for the ship to take such a beating.

We are told she enters a mental state of paralysis which may have been induced due to the fact the she is isolated and anxious. Being alone in such harsh conditions will surely harm a human mentally and physically.
She is also feeling angered and frustrated as she tells us she repeatedly fell out of her bunk until she tied herself in. The repetitive task will obviously create some annoyance in a person.

Later on, she just does not care about what happens to her. She tells us she wouldn’t care if parts broke loose. She has lost all interest in anything else due to the storm. She is either angered or just simply doesn’t care so these conditions may have brought across a lack of feeling.

We can also clearly see that she feels tired and longs to be out of the storm. She says “I allowed myself to become excited at the sight of a clear sky”. She looks forward to this but sadly the storm just hits back even worse and her emotional cycle of trauma and distress starts again.


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One response to “Question 3”

  1. Christopher Waugh Avatar

    If you have a look at the marking scheme I’ve uploaded, you’ll see that you’re required to make reference to much higher degrees of detail in your response. You need to talk about the devices (like metaphor, use of language, word choice, tone etc) that add a sense of the emotions that Clare is experiencing.

    Again, your reading of the item is very clearly sophisticated, but your answer doesn’t demonstrate the evidence from which you’ve drawn you thoughtful conclusions.

    A point to make to you is to mention that the English LANGUAGE examination, of which this is part, is all about asking you to demonstrate your awareness of the function of the language. This is unlike the LITERATURE examination which will be looking at how you respond to the ideas, form and content of the texts, as well as their language.

    If you keep that in mind, it may help you to feel clearer about what these questions want from you.

    Have a look at the marking schemes I’ve uploaded for you and let me know if you need this clarified further.

    Mr Waugh

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