I’M NOT SCARED
Structure and Metalanguage
Structure
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The novel is divided into ten chapters.
Each of the first seven chapters corresponds to a single day. This
reflects the ordered and predictable existence in Acqua Traverse.
Chapter Seven begins with “Everything was in disarray” (p.159),
signalling that their predictable existence is under threat.
Chapter Eight begins with “And everything stopped” (p.168),
showing that time is passing and the known structures (family,
moral order) have broken down.
Unlike the rest of the novel, Chapter Ten begins with Michele
waking up in the night, rather than the morning. This shows that
the natural order of things no longer exists.
Metalanguage
“A language or vocabulary used to describe or analyse
language”
Basically, it’s the fancy word we use to describe how
we analyse writing techniques.
Motif
Motif – a distinctive feature or dominant idea in an
artistic or literary composition.
Basically, a recurring theme.
Motifs in I’m Not Scared
Heroes
A dominant idea throughout the text is that of heroes. A key
motif of Michele is ‘Tiger Jack’, who he uses to find
courage and face his fears.
Gender Roles
A dominant idea throughout the text is that of stereotypical
gender roles. For example, Michele doesn’t want to lose
the race to Barbara because she’s a girl. Pino checks
Michele’s muscles when he arrives home.
Imagery
Imagery – visually descriptive or figurative language.
Basically, using vivid descriptive language to
represent objects or actions.
Imagery in I’m Not Scared
Darkness – I’m Not Scared is preceded by an
epigraph by Jack London: “That much he knew. He
had fallen into darkness. And at that instant he knew,
he ceased to know.”
This represents Filippo’s entrapment in the hole.
It also represents Michele’s fall into the world of moral
darkness.
Symbolism
Symbol – a thing that represents or stands for something
else.
Symbolism – the use of symbols to represent ideas or
qualities.
For example, a rose being given on Valentines Day
The rose is the symbol.
The symbolism of the rose is love and affection.
Symbolism in I’m Not Scared
The Table Soccer Game
Symbolises wealth, or rather, the divide between those who
have and those who don’t.
Wasps
The wasps rebuild their nest even after Remo keeps
destroying it. This is a symbol of the resilience of family
bonds.
Wheat
The town is consumed by wheat fields as they are consumed
by poverty. It emphasises the nothingness that surrounds
the town.
Symbolism in I’m Not Scared
What do the following symbolise?
1.
Monsters
2.
Heat
3.
The Hill
4.
The Bicycles
5.
Night-time / Darkness
6.
The Farmhouse
7.
Stream and Carob Tree
Metaphor
Metaphor - a figure of speech in which a term or phrase
is applied to something, to which it is not literally
applicable, in order to suggest a resemblance.
For example, The teenage boy’s stomach was a
bottomless pit.
Bottomless pit is the metaphor because it can never be
filled.
Metaphors in I’m Not Scared
Weather
The stifling and oppressive heat reflects the mood of the
village. As the text reaches its climax, the weather breaks
into a storm. An ominous warning of what’s to come.