English, Stage 6
Standard
Module B
Close Study of Text
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Acknowledgements
Southern Cross Distance Education Centre gratefully acknowledges the
following owners of copyright material.
Centre for Learning Innovation always keep CLI acknowledgement
© DET materials adapted from The Curious Incident of the Do in the
Night-time by Mark Haddon and written by Shelley McNamara from
Southern Cross Distance Education. Edited by John Ryan from Southern
Cross Distance Education.
March 2015
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Enclosures
To complete this unit, you will need:
 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by
Mark Haddon
 USB: trailer
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Unit overview
In Module B students are required to undertake a close study of one prescribed text.
Your text is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. As you
engage in a detailed analysis of the text you will develop an understanding of how ideas,
forms and language of a text interact within the text and affect the responder.
The unit begins by introducing the rubric (language) of the syllabus and connects these
to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. To do this, consider Haddon’s
personal context and the distinctive qualities of the text including narrative elements
such as structure, form, genre, characters, setting and language. Student will also
consider key ideas and concepts and analyse key scenes in the novel. The last part of the
unit focuses on Paper 2, Section 2 of the HSC English exam where you will need to write
a Close Study of Text essay.
You have the opportunity to learn about:
 closely studying a text
 Haddon’s personal context and how this has influenced his work
 textual elements
 key ideas and concepts
 key scenes
 how to prepare for HSC English Paper 1 examination.
You have the opportunity to learn to:
•
prepare for the HSC English examination Paper 2, Section 2
•
analyse distinctive qualities of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
•
practise answering HSC examination style questions.
You should only return one part of the booklet back for marking at a time.
Rationale for approach used in this teaching program
This module requires you to have a close, detailed knowledge and understanding of the
novel and Mark Haddon’s craft. The unit of work focuses on engaging you personally
and deeply with the prescribed text The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
through a range of activities on all aspects of the novel such as: setting, characterisation,
themes, key incidents, the main ideas, the structure and the language of the novel.
Outcomes
Students are working towards achieving the following outcomes:
6. A student engages with the details of text in order to respond closely and personally.
7. A student selects appropriate language forms and features, and structures of texts to
explore and express ideas and values.
11. A student draws upon the imagination to transform experience and ideas into text,
demonstrating control of language.
13. A student reflects on own processes of learning.
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Suggested time
The Close Study of Text is worth 20% of the HSC course and should be given
approximately the same proportion of time to complete. Time management then is
central to your success. Your teacher may suggest different ways to manage your time
as you move through the unit. Always carefully consider the instructions given by your
teacher.
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Part 1: Introduction to Module B
http://sweatpantsandcoffee.com/what-we-love/classics-worth-reading
Key words
Craft: creative skill or ability
Distinctive qualities: qualities of the text that make it unique, memorable and different
Perceptions: Perception refers to the interplay of recognition and interpretation and is
influenced by our preconceived ideas, memories, experiences and senses
Textual integrity: the unity of a text or how all the textual elements that make up the
text work together to achieve a meaningful purpose
Autism Syndrome Disorder (ASD): is characterised by significant difficulties in social
interaction and nonverbal communication, alongside restricted and repetitive patterns
of behavior and interests
Modality: Language that communicates degrees of meaning or strength or weakness,
for example ‘maybe’ (low modality) as opposed to definitely (high modality)
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Understanding Module B
In Module B you are required to closely study one prescribed text. Your text is The
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon.
Key ideas
Key ideas tell you how you are to approach a close study of The Curious Incident of the
Dog in the Night-Time. You are required to:

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engage with the text to respond imaginatively, affectively and critically
explore and analyse particular characteristics of the text, considering how these
shape meaning
consider the ways in which these characteristics of the text establish the text’s
distinctive qualities
create compositions focusing on how meaning is shaped in and through the text
in a variety of forms and media
analyse the text’s construction, context and language
explore how the features of the text contribute to textual integrity.
Analysis of rubric for key ideas
The rubric is what the syllabus says you are required to do. As Module B requires you to
study closely the novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in The Night Time, you need to
ensure that you have a thorough understanding of all aspects of the novel. According to
the rubric, the following key ideas ensure Deep Learning:
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
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Construction: How meaning is shaped and conveyed through the interaction in
the novel of:
Ideas: These are the key ideas and concepts represented in and through the
novel that form a personal and intellectual connection with the novel.
Form: The genre and structure of the novel.
Language: The meaning is conveyed through language features such as
figurative language, dialogue, etc.
Positioning: The novel’s textual details and features will affect the reader in
some way and position the reader to respond.
Textual Integrity: How the unified characteristics of a text establish its
distinctive features.
Writing your best response
Below is an outline of what makes an effective response in the HSC Examination:
 deep understanding of an idea or related ideas is shown by drawing on detailed
textual knowledge
 a personal perspective is demonstrated.
 the purpose of their texts is demonstrated through a conceptual understanding
of the novel.
 Develop ideas by referring to the whole novel, not just the beginning of the novel.
 appropriate textual evidence and explanation about why this textual evidence is
valid is clearly demonstrated
 metalanguage is used that is appropriate to their text type.
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Key questions
‘A novel can put you inside another person's head and give you an understanding of their
life you could only get by moving into their house for six months.’ Mark Haddon.
You will notice these key questions have been sorted into 3 categories: craft, distinctive
qualities and perceptions. When you study the novel consider the following questions
about these 3 categories.
Craft - Textuality:
Craft refers to the skill or artistry and how well the elements of the text work together
(textual integrity)
a) How do the text’s textual features and details, structure and form shape
meaning?
b) How does the text’s textual features and details, structure and form establish its
distinctive qualities?
Distinctive qualities:
One of the key aspects of Module B is an exploration of what makes a text distinctive –
unique, different and memorable - such as: the genre, setting, the unforgettable
narrative voice, key incidents, characterisation and the significant ideas.
a) What are the distinctive qualities of structure and genre?
b) What are the distinctive qualities of the content (characters, setting, themes,
plot)
c) What are the distinctive qualities of the key ideas and concepts?
Perceptions:
Perception is about the way we recognise the people, places and stimulus in the book
and how we interpret these messages of the text. Our perception is influenced by our
preconceived ideas, memories, experiences and senses. For example Haddon challenges
us to view the world through the eyes of someone who has a disability. Walking in
another’s shoes has the potential to alter our perceptions of people and life.
a) How do the ideas, forms and language of a text affect the perceptions of
responders?
Board of Studies rubric
You might like to read the rubric from the NSW Board of Studies Stage 6 Syllabus, page
32-33 to consolidate your understanding of what is required of you. As you read,
underline key words and ideas. The rubric is below.
Module B: Close Study of Texts
This module requires students to engage in detailed analysis of a text. It develops students’
understanding of how the ideas, forms and language of a text interact within the text and
may affect those responding to it.
Each elective in this module involves close study of a single text from a list of prescribed
texts.
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Students engage with the text to respond imaginatively, affectively and critically. They
explore and analyse particular characteristics of the text, considering how these shape
meaning. They also consider the ways in which these characteristics establish the text’s
distinctive qualities. Composition focuses on meaning shaped in and through the text. These
compositions may be realised in a variety of forms and media.
NSW Board of Studies Stage 6 Syllabus, page 32-33
Below is a snapshot of the course. Keep referring back to this.
Concepts
Craft: Textuality
Distinctive qualities
Overarching Questions:
How do the text’s textual
features and details,
structure and form shape
meaning?
Module B
Focus: Close
Study of Text
How do the text’s textual
features and details,
structure and form
establish its distinctive
qualities?
Key ideas +
question
How do the text’s textual
features and details,
structure and form
establish its distinctive
qualities?
How do the text’s textual
features and details,
structure and form shape
meaning?
How do the ideas, forms
and language of a text
affect the perceptions of
responders?
Task 1.1 Summarising Module B
i.
What does the above chart tell you that you need to focus on in Module B? Write a 6 line
summary.
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Evaluating the novel in a Close Study
of Text
In the next 4 parts of this unit, we explore the textual elements of the novel in depth in
order to evaluate the worth of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.
To evaluate the worth of a novel we must make informed judgements on the success of
the text by looking at how well-crafted it is for its subject, purpose and audience. Craft
also implies ARTISTRY. That is how effectively do the elements of the novel work
together to achieve its purpose. This is what is what is meant by textual integrity.
How textual integrity is shown?
Textual integrity is shown through how form and language connects to the key ideas to
create an integrated whole in terms of its meaning and value.
Consider the significance of the following when studying textual integrity in The Curious
Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time:
 the features and elements of the text (see below)
 the extent it contains an overall unity through an integrated structure and
unifying concepts
 closely analyse textual details to evaluate how these features and elements
function in different ways.
Below is an overview of the aspects we will need to consider in a close study.
 Structure, form and genre: In The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,
Haddon mirrors the structure and genre of detective stories like Sherlock
Holmes, but he also experiments with this structure and genre.
 Textual elements: the structure coheres by its interrelationship with the details
of the text. These are the textual elements represented through:
 Key ideas and themes: such as loneliness and isolation, being different,
challenges bringing up a child with a disability and truth and honesty.
 Content
o Plot: the storylines of investigating the murder of the dog occurs
concurrently with the storyline of Christopher’s relationships with
his parents, teachers and members of the community.
o Characterisation: Haddon’s characters are reflective of real life
experience in a modern day setting.
o Narration: Haddon uses first person narration to give s an insight
into the world of the main character, which allows us to observe
the other characters in his life.
o Setting: Haddon’s novel is set in Swindon in England, where
Christopher lives with his father and in London, where
Christopher’s mother lives.
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 Language: for example factual and precise language that represents
Christopher’s condition and use of iconography and graphics to show
Christopher’s perception of the world.
Introducing The Curious Incident of
the Dog in the Night-Time
Before we begin to look closely at the novel, let’s become familiar with some of the key
ideas explored in the book.
A gripping book
‘I remember a picture from an encyclopedia in my junior science library. It was a medieval
woodcut of a man who had climbed a long ladder and found himself touching the sphere on
which the stars revolved. He'd removed a panel from the sphere and was staring through
the hole into the outer darkness. This is what I now want from a good book. I want to be
taken to the very edge. I want a glimpse into that outer darkness.’ Mark Haddon.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2004/apr/11/booksforchildrenandteenagers.features3
Look at the series of images reflecting key ideas in the novel. Complete the task below.
The images are from theatre productions of the novel, various book covers and posters.
Task 1.2 Thinking about key ideas on the novel
i.
What is your impression of the characters reflected in the 2 images below?
https://www.bestoftheatre.co.uk/10068-the-curiousincident-of-the-dog-in-the-night-time-tickets
http://www.whitelight.ltd.uk/8586/theatre/awardwinning-curious-incident-of-the-dog-in-the-nighttime/
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http://www.outsidersnetwork.com/review/th
e-curious-incident-of-the-dog-in-the-nighttime/
https://vancouvergirlsbookclub.wordpress.com/2012/09/05
/june-2012-the-curious-incident-of-the-dog-in-the-nighttime/
http://www.asperger.asn.au/index.php/forum/25-asperger-book-reviews/7174-the-curious-incident-of-thedog-in-the-night-time
http://www.glogster.com/hannanb/the-curious-incident-of-the-dog-in-the-night-time-theme/g6l1hr307iacgdiv2ta79ra0
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i.
Look at the images above. What do you think the story will be about?
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ii.
Look at the two collage posters below and answer the following questions:
a) Write a list of words and images that stand out to you the most.
Words
Images
b) What do these words and images tell you about symbols and ideas in the novel?
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http://www.glogster.com/ejenny/the-curious-incident-of-the-dog-in-the-night-time-poster/g-
13
6lngon7qd8j5s6kfk0inba0
http://www.glogster.com/jackiee4492/the-curious-incident-of-the-dog-in-the-night-time/g6l42q47n05uiato7nm59la0
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Creating an attention-grabbing plot
In an article in the Guardian newspaper from 2004, Haddon outlines his inspiration for
the book and gives us some hints into his creative process. Read the extract below from
this article.
Genre fiction says: 'Forget the gas bill. Forget the office politics. Pretend you're a spy.
Pretend you're a courtesan. Pretend you're the owner of a crumbling gothic mansion on this
worryingly foggy promontory.' Literary fiction says: 'Bad luck. You're stuck with who you
are, just as these people are stuck with who they are. But use your imagination and you'll
see that even the most narrow, humdrum lives are infinite in scope if you examine them
with enough care.' Mark Haddon
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2004/apr/11/booksforchildrenandteenagers.features3
You may have noticed that to Haddon, genre fiction (that is fiction like crime stories or
science fiction or young adult fiction) allows the reader to step outside their everyday
world and explore infinite possibilities of what life could be like. On the other hand,
literary fiction is about accepting the limitations of human experience and in doing this,
these infinite possibilities open up.
Haddon says that in his writing, he tries to write like Jane Austen (a famous English
nineteenth century novelist, who wrote Pride and prejudice), who writes about these
‘humdrum lives’ of ‘boring people with desperately limited lives’ with such empathy
that they seem endlessly fascinating’. Perhaps it is because we can recognise our own
‘limited lives’ in stories and the enjoyment comes from seeing what is possible.
Task 1.3 Creating intersting stories
ii.
Below is an extract from the opening chapter of the book. As you read the extract
consider how the characters, language, setting and storyline are represented. You will
notice that Christopher is an unusual character. Take note of the annotations.
Storyline
A dog has probably been
murdered, setting up the mystery
Characterisation
The character shows little
emotion about the fact that the
dog has died, rather focuses on
how it was killed
The character uses logic to
deduce how the dog was killed
Setting
Probably a suburban front yard –
on the lawn
Language
Disjunction ‘but’ alters the reader
to the mystery
Objective language in the pasts
tense – shows the character has a
keen sense of observation
Chapter 2
It was seven minutes after midnight. The dog
was lying on the grass in the middle of the lawn
in front of Mrs. Shear’s house. Its eyes were
closed. It looked as if it was running on its side,
the way dogs run when they think they are
chasing a cat in a dream. But the dog was not
running or asleep. The dog was dead. There
was a garden fork sticking out of the dog. The
points of the fork must have gone all the way
through the dog and into the ground because
the fork had not fallen over. I decided that the
dog was probably killed with the fork because I
could not see any other wounds in the dog and I
did not think you would stick a garden fork into
a dog after it had died for some other reason,
like cancer, for example, or a road accident. But
I could not be certain about this. (p. 1)
Language
Visual imagery of the
dog’s position created
through the simile of the
way dogs run when
chasing a cat in a dream
Use of simple sentences
shows the uncomplicated
way the character sees the
world
Colloquial language
(everyday language)
creates authenticity
First persona narration
used to create empathy
for the character and gives
the reader an insight into
his world
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iii.
Look at the circular min map diagram below. Choose 4 aspects from the mind map.
Brainstorm some ideas about these 4 aspects related to Christopher’s character.
Age
What
makes
them happy
Beliefs
about the
world
What
worries
them
Values
How they
get on with
others
Places they
spend time
Perception
of the
world
iv.
Christopher has uncovered something disturbing to him. Notice the first person voice
(use of ‘I’) is used to show what Christopher has found and why this is disturbing to him.
Circle where it says ‘I’. Try to write the second half of this in 3rd person. You will need to
change Christopher to ‘he’. Write this below.
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v.
How does the change from first person to third person change the tone of the story?
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Getting to know the story
Let’s get to know the story a bit better. Below are 2 extracts.
Task 1.4 Analysing extracts
i.
Look at another 2 extract from the beginning of the novel. Annotate this extract by
explaining what is represented about characterisation, language, setting and storyline.
Storyline
Chapter 7
Language
This is a murder mystery novel.
Siobhan said that I should write something I would want to
read myself. Mostly I read books about science and maths. I do
not like proper novels. In proper novels people say things like,
'I am veined with iron, with silver and with streaks of common
mud. I cannot contract into the firm fist which those clench who
do not depend on stimulus’. What does this mean? I do not
know. Nor does Father. Nor do Siobhan or Mr Jeavons. I have
asked them.
Siobhan has long blonde hair and wears glasses which are made
Characterisation of green plastic. And Mr Jeavons smells of soap and wears
brown shoes that have approximately 60 tiny circular holes in
each of them.
But I do like murder mystery novels. So I am writing a murder
mystery novel.
In a murder mystery novel someone has to work out who the
murderer is and then catch them. It is a puzzle. If it is a good
puzzle you can sometimes work out the answer before the end
of the book.
Setting
Siobhan said that the book should begin with something to grab
people's attention. That is why I started with the dog. I also
started with the dog because it happened to me and I find it
hard to imagine things which did not happen to me.
Siobhan read the first page and said that it was different. She
put this word into inverted commas by making the wiggly
quotation sign with her first and second fingers. She said that it
was usually people who were killed in murder mystery novels. I
said that two dogs were killed in The Hound of the
Baskervilles, the hound itself and James Mortimer's spaniel,
but Siobhan said they weren't the victims of the murder, Sir
Charles Baskerville was. She said that this was because readers
cared more about people than dogs, so if a person was killed in
the book readers would want to carry on reading.
I said that I wanted to write about something real and I knew
people who had died but I did not know any people who had
been killed, except Edward's father from school, Mr Paulson,
and that was a gliding accident, not murder, and I didn't really
know him. I also said that I cared about dogs because they were
faithful and honest, and some dogs were cleverer and more
interesting than some people. Steve, for example, who comes to
centre on Thursdays, needs help to eat his food and could not
even fetch a stick. Siobhan asked me not to say this to Steve's
mother.
(pp. 5-6)
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Storyline
Chapter 17
Language
The policeman looked at me for a while without
speaking. Then he said, 'I am arresting you for assaulting
a police officer.'
This made me feel a lot calmer because it is what
policeman say on television and in films.
Then he said, 'I strongly advise you to get into the back
of the police car because if you try any of that monkeybusiness again, you little shit, I will seriously lose my
rag. Is that understood?'
Characterisation
I walked over to the police car which was parked just
outside the gate. He opened the back door and I got
inside. He climbed into the driver's seat and made a call
on his radio to the policewoman who was still inside the
house. He said, 'The little bugger just had a pop at me,
Kate. Can you hang on with Mrs S while I drop him off at
the station? I'll get Tony to swing by and pick you up.'
And she said, 'Sure. I'll catch you later.'
The policeman said, 'Okey-doke,' and we drove off.
The police car smelt of hot plastic and aftershave and
take-away chips.
I watched the sky as we drove towards the town centre.
It was a clear night and you could see the Milky Way.
Setting
Some people think the Milky Way is a long line of stars,
but it isn't. Our galaxy is a huge disc of stars millions of
light years across and the solar system is somewhere
near the outside edge of the disc.
When you look in direction A, at 90º to the disc, you
don't see many stars. But when you look in direction B,
you see lots more stars because you are looking into the
main body of the galaxy, and because the galaxy is a disc
you see a stripe of stars.
And then I thought about how, for a long time scientists
were puzzled by the fact that the sky is dark at night,
even though there are billions of stars in the universe and
there must be stars in every direction you look, so that
the sky should be full of starlight because there is very
little in the way to stop the light reaching earth.
Storyline
Language
18
Then they worked out that the universe was expanding,
that the stars were all rushing away from one another
after the Big Bang, and the further the stars were away
from us the faster they were moving, some of them
nearly as fast as the speed of light, which was why their
light never reached us.
Characterisation
Setting
I like this fact. It is something you can work out in your
own mind just by looking at the sky above your head at
night and thinking without having to ask anyone.
And when the universe has finished exploding all the
stars will slow down, like a ball that has been thrown
into the air, and they will come to a halt and they will all
begin to fall towards the centre of the universe again.
And then there will be nothing to stop us seeing all the
stars in the world because they will all be moving
towards us, gradually faster and faster, and we will know
that the world is going to end soon because when we
look up into the sky at night there will be no darkness,
just the blazing light of billions and billions of stars, all
falling.
Except that no one will see this because there will be no
people left on the earth to see it. They will probably have
become extinct by then. And even if there are people still
in existence they will not see it because the light will be
so bright and hot that everyone will be burnt to death,
even if they live in tunnels.
(pp.11-13)
ii.
Describe the dialogue used in these extract. Look at the choice of words, structure of the
sentences, the register and the modality. Also consider what is left unsaid by the
character/s. What does it tell you about the character/s?
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iii.
Describe the structure of the sentences in the extracts. Do they help create the
atmosphere? Why are they so clipped and simple?
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iv.
What impression of the character/s and setting is created by the composer’s use of
language features in the extract such as: first person, colloquial register, technical
language, similes, word choice, visual iconography (visual features), etc.
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v.
What are your initial thoughts about the novel after reading the three extracts above? In
your response, consider how the language is used to represent characters, setting and
storyline. Use the notes above. (300 words)
Use your own paper.
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Creating an enthralling voice
‘To take a life that seemed horribly constrained, to write about it in the kind of book that
the hero would read - a murder mystery - and hopefully show that if you viewed this life
with sufficient imagination it would seem infinite.’ Mark Haddon
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2004/apr/11/booksforchildrenandteenagers.features3
The voice of a character shows the authors attitude to his or her subject. Haddon has
successfully established an engaging and authentic voice for 15-year old Christopher.
This unusual voice with its honesty and simplicity captures our interest and adds to the
intrigue and mystery in the story. As you may be aware Christopher is autistic. Autism
Syndrome Disorder (ASD) is characterised by significant difficulties in social interaction
and nonverbal communication, alongside restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior
and interests.
Christopher offers simple observations of people and places without any emotion. We
are positioned to see the events through his eyes. Even though the narrator lacks an
emotional response, the response in the reader is powerful. We are able to observe
critically the way others behave and the impact this has on Christopher. When Siobhan
tells him ‘the idea of a book was to describe things using words so that people could read
them and make a picture in their own head’, Christopher interprets this literally and he tells
the story rather than showing what happens.
From the very beginning, Haddon grabs our attention by engaging us in the mystery of
who killed Wellington the dog next door through Christopher’s matter of fact
observations.
Christopher’s voice in the opening chapter
Haddon establishes Christopher’s voice in the opening chapter through the following
language features:
 simple and varied sentences
 straight forward and truthful observations
 emoticons (symbols used to convey emotional content)
 dialogue from other characters
 technical language
 figurative language (similes, imagery, metaphors, etc.)
 observations of things that seem unconnected, such as life on earth is because of
an accident.
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Task 1.5 Considering Christopher’s voice
i.
Write a list of all the things you can think of that are left unsaid by characters in the
opening chapter.
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ii.
Read the first chapter of the novel. Find examples of the following language features that
create Christopher’s voice. Explain how Haddon has used the language feature and
example to convey Christopher’s character. An example has been provided to guide you.
 simple sentences of varied lengths:
‘It was 7 minutes after midnight. The dog was lying on the grass in the middle of the lawn
in front of Mrs Shears’ house. It’s eyes were closed.’
 How Haddon has used the language feature and example to convey Christopher’s
character:
The minute detail with which Christopher observes the dog shows us how he sees the world precisely. This tells us that there is little room for alternative interpretations. It also tells us that
he is a good detective as he observes things closely. Haddon’s use of varied lengths of sentences
shows how Colin perceives the stimulus around him – sometime through multiple stimulus at
once, and other times individually.

simple sentences of varied lengths:
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 How Haddon has used the language feature and example to convey Christopher’s
character:
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
straight forward and truthful observations
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___________________________________________________________________________
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 How Haddon has used the language feature and example to convey Christopher’s
character:
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
emoticons (symbols used to convey emotional content)
(p. 242, about how when the end of the world comes no-one will know what
theses faces mean)
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 How Haddon has used the language feature and example to convey Christopher’s
character:
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
dialogue from other characters
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___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
 How Haddon has used the language feature and example to convey Christopher’s
character:
___________________________________________________________________________
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
seemingly unrelated observations of things.
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 How Haddon has used the language feature and example to convey Christopher’s
character:
___________________________________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
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
technical language
___________________________________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________________________________
 How Haddon has used the language feature and example to convey Christopher’s
character:
___________________________________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

figurative language (similes, imagery, metaphors, etc.)
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
 How Haddon has used the language feature and example to convey Christopher’s
character:
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
iii.
Using your examples above, write a 300 word paragraph explaining how Haddon
effectively creates Christopher’s voice in the opening chapter. Use the sentence starter
below to help if you need it:
In the opening chapter Haddon effectively establishes Christopher’s _________________
________________ voice through ______________________________________________.
Use your own paper.
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Purpose and audience
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a significant novel as it engages the
reader with important contemporary issues, such as sensitivity to people with
disabilities, the value of honesty and the challenges facing contemporary families.
Task 1.6 Analysing purpose and audience
i.
What do you understand is the purpose and audience of the novel? Explain your ideas
with reference to the text.
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