A Passsage to Africa (Q4)

PLAN

1 - Tragedies he witnessed

2 - Role of war reporter

3 - Impact of smile

“a thousand hungry, lean, scared and betrayed faces”

listing emotive language = supposed impact

vague nature of thousand = casual tone, numb to horror

“It was rotting; she was rotting“

semantic field of decay + progressive pronoun = woman defined by wound + more horror

evokes pathos, helps suspense, exacerbates job

“like the craving for a drug”

autobiography = honesty of reporter

simile = unhealthy nature of journalist

cathartic, confesional tone of extract

“pity and revulsion. Yes, revulsion”

reputation + confesional yes = recognition of negative judgement of admission

honest tone, authors humanity + connection to reader

“how should I feel to be standing there so strong and confident”

juxtaposed to “weakened by hunger” = guilt by just doing job

conflicting emotions = struggles of his job

“a thousand… faces” “one” face he “will never forget”

contrast = subverts reader’s expectation, stressing their lack of impact compared to one face

intrigues reader - delaying reveal of story furthers intrigue + suspense throughout

“And then there was a face I will never forget”

continuing intrigue, building to climax

single sentence para = importance to him

“nameless friend” + “I owe you one”

concluding direct address = significance of man, piece was dedicated to him over the readers

paradoxical nature of “nameless friend” = duality of brevity of interaction yet impact of it.