AQA English Telling Tales Anthology Quotes

“Anything can change. Even gold can change.”

Chemistry

• Said by the grandfather

• Irony of the grandfather’s inability to accept change

• foreshadows the change that his death will cause

“slipped in, like a stray cat”

Chemistry

• About the grandfather

• Simile shows the grandfather is unwanted, discarded, detached

“she still needed - she couldn’t break free of it - that delicate equilibrium”

Chemistry

• Talks about how the mother wanted to stick by the grandfather

• emphasises the fragility of the trio

“sad symmetry”

Chemistry

• sibolance

• Oxymoronic as symmetry usually has positive connotations:

  • balance, order, neatness

• a repeating pattern:

  • implies the relationship is going nowher

  • emotional stagnation

"reconciled them in mutual grief"

Chemistry

• about the grandfather and the mother due to the death of the narrator’s father

• “reconciled” shows resolution after conflict

• the characters come together because of loss, not joy

• reflects how relationships often resolve through shared suffering

“keeping a sort of equation in my head”

Chemistry

• “sort of” shows uncertainty or imperfection

• directly links to the science /chemistry motif

• suggests the narrator is trying to apply logic or order to human relationships

• shows the narrator’s attempt to control or rationalise complex feelings

"Colleagues don't wear blue overalls and white caps"

My Polish Teacher’s Tie

• shows the social hierarchy, and how Carla believes she is inferior due to her clothing

"It was a terribly hopeful tie"

My Polish Teacher’s Tie

• strong emotional impact

• conveys optimisim and individuality

• represents Steve’s ambition and eccentricity

"It was a flag from another country, a better country"

My Polish Teacher’s Tie

• Hope for a place that doesn’t exist

• comparative adjective shows Carla’s hope for a unified country

• symbol of identity

“Teachers are used to getting out of the way of catering staff without ever really seeing them”

My Polish Teacher’s Tie

• Shows the social hierarchy

• Carla feels inferior

"It's hell for the kids, he doesn't mean to be funny"

My Polish Teacher’s Tie

• said by Valerie

• She doesn’t notice that she is being xenophobic, and tries to normalise it

• blames Steve for her kids’ rudeness

"Very keen on fairness, we are, here."

My Polish Teacher’s Tie

• sounds forced and rehearsed

• collective pronoun shows how everyone is supposed to have the same opinion

• in the future, she is allowed to participate in the Polish exchange, but is still excluded and ignored

“A smile lit in his eyes”

• This is when Carla realised that Steve didn’t care about her class, and was just excited to meet her

“He didn’t wish to live with the disgrace”

A Family Supper

• Refers to Wantabe

• Shows how the father is trying to make Wantabe seem honourable

• He makes it seem as though death was the right thing to do

“I respected him very much”

A Family Supper

• the father tries to make Wantabe seem honourable

• The past tense could show how he lost respect for Wantabe after he died

“Just fish”

A Family Supper

• builds tension as the reader wonders if he is going to kill his family

“I fear it must have weakened his judgement”

A Family Supper

• The narrator realises that his father does not agree with Wantabe’s principles

• The reader realises that the father will not kill his family

“punctuated by long pauses”

A Family Supper

• shows the awkward tone between the father and his son

“obediently, my sister rose to her feet once more”

A Family Supper

• shows that traditional gender roles are in place, and the father is very traditional

“I am cold in the blazing sunshine”

The Invisible Mass of the Back Row

• Emotional disconnection or isolation despite the environment

• Shows how Hortense feels alienated

“Is ‘cause yu black and stupid”

The Invisible Mass of the Back Row

• Shows the racism

• Hortense is used to the racist comments, and only reacts to being called “stupid”, not the racial comment

“The jailers are quick to realise that this battle is lost. For now.”

The Invisible Mass of the Back Row

• Shows how the school treats the students like criminals

“the back row is tense, wanting an explosion”

The Invisible Mass of the Back Row

• Shows how the people who have been discriminated against have united

• They are tired of accepting the racism

“The headmistress was impressed. I was impressed. My Mum was impressed.”

The Invisible Mass of the Back Row

• Even though everyone is impressed, she still gets sent to a less academic class because of her race

• repetition of “impressed” shows how she knew that she had impressed everyone, creating confusion when she was placed in the class she was put in

“unusually dignified”

The Invisible Mass of the Back Row

• Shows how normally they do not speak up

• Development as they realise they can speak up

“The back row claims a victory”

The Invisible Mass of the Back Row

• They are unified, and have stood up for themselves

• Makes it seem like a battle against the teacher, showing the oppression that they have faced