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?
• Reading
Students are expected
to read with
1. Insight
2. Interpret the text
3. Distinguish between
fact and fiction
4. Understand the
devices writers use.
• Writing
Students are expected
to be able to write
1. Clearly and
imaginatively
2. 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/peopl
e/profiles/joe-simpson-high-flyer395867.html
• http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/features/
3634463/Joe-Simpson-My-journey-backinto-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?
•
1.
2.
3.
4.
What does having a dual voice offer the
reader?
Two alternate perspectives makes it more
interesting.
More details – we get a more rounded view of
the story.
It might feel like two different stories.
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.