How to Answer the Questions in the Aspects of Narrative Exam (Unit 1, AS Level)
Answering Section A the uneven question
The questions in this section have a very specific focus. They are about how stories are told and they require
candidates to write about the methods authors use in their storytelling. The best answers are produced by
candidates who write confidently about the method in relation to the overarching story. This means briefly
summarising the story and the discussing authorial methods in the light of it. The wording of the question helps
you with this. For instance: Write about the ways Hosseini tells the story in Chapter 2. The following example
shows how this can be done in a succinct way:
Hosseini uses a retrospective, intradiagetic narrator, Amir, to tell the story within Chapter 2.
Following on from the enigmatic, foreshadowing Chapter 1, this chapter is the first time we hear
of Amir and Hassan’s childhood, showing us that the handling of time here has been taken back
many years from June 2001. Amir tells us in the first personof their friendship, using imagery of
nature and childhood to create a melancholic tone: “We would sit across from each other on a
pair of high branches, naked feet dangling.” This reflects the innocence of the pair, free from the
worldly conflicts that surrounded them.
The following, shows how it should not been done:
Hosseini uses lots of alliteration and personification to tell the story in Chapter 2.
TOP TIPS
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You don’t get marks for throwing in a literary term, only for if you use it correctly and explain what its
effect is. Everything you write about MUST connect to how the story is told.
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Focus on the larger features of narrative, such as voice or structure, rather than discussing the effect of
individual words.
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If you are writing about an extract (part of a larger story) you must be able to say how the extract fits into
the larger story and to write about the significance of its placement in the story as a whole.
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If a named form is being used, refer to it explicitly in your opening: “Auden’s ballad, Miss Gee . . .”. This
takes you no time at all and immediately gains you a mark.
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Once you’ve established the story and form/genre you need to explore how the story is told/the narrative
or poetic methods at work. You could approach the question chronologically or by point/aspect of
narrative. But, whichever way you choose, you must closely examine how the story has been
constructed and the effects of the writer’s choice of authorial methods.
REVISION TIP
For each poem/section and a selection of chapters from the novels, try writing a short opening paragraph
identifying what the story is. Reference form/genre within this opening. Bullet point a valid approach for the whole
essay. Practise writing several of these essays in timed conditions.
Exemplar Mariner essay (Bd 6)
Write about the ways Coleridge tells the story in Part 6 of The Rime of the Ancient
In part 6 of „The Rime of the Ancient Mariner‟, the Mariner is being returned to his “own countrée” but as
explained at the end of part 5, must still do penance. Thus, the two voices talking above his head drive him
towards the shore but he is faced by the corpses of his shipmates once more.
Clearly, then, both setting and characterisation are of the utmost importance, and they are used by Coleridge to
show the two sides to this poem: the fantastic spiritual aspect, as embodied by the voices and the inhabited crew;
and the element of security and normality that comes with his return to land.
The initial setting is a strange one, with air that is “cut away before,/And closes from behind”, with the strange
weather emphasised because it its told of by the disembodied voices. Throughout this section of the poem, it is
night and Coleridge makes much of the inner symbolism, where by the gentleness of the moon is used as a
contrast to the earlier fierce sun to show the varying natures of the Christian God which plays such a large part in
this poem. Being set at night, the scene is „illuminated‟ by the moon light, and as “on the day the moon light lay”
the Mariner starts to find the safety of his homeland once more. From the initial strange weather “breath‟d a wind”
that carries the Mariner back, and, this is in sharp contrast to the earlier stillness of the “silent sea”, to such an
extent that it is described as blowing “sweetly, sweetly” (with the repetition used to show the child-like
unadulterated pleasure this simple act gives the Mariner). He returns to his safe “Harbour-bay”, described
variously as “clear as glass” “white all o’er” and “white with silent light” to show the safety, purity and holiness of
the land after his hellish voyage, and to the guidance of his “light-house top…Hill…[and] Kirk”, that is a repetition
of an earlier description to remind is of the circular nature of the poem, and indeed his sea voyage. Coleridge
uses setting, particularly with the colour and symbolism of the Moon, to show the sharp contrast between the
blessed land and the dangerous sea. As a narrative about a journey, it is only to be expected that setting plays
such a major role.
But part 6 is also significant because, in his return to land, the Mariner also returns to humanity. While the
somewhat omniscient (hearing voices despite being unconscious) interdigetic narrator of the Mariner does not
change, new voices are introduced: while they are not human, as indicated by “fly, brother, fly”, they do provide
him with some company; which is more that can be said for the company of “dead men”, who terrify the Mariner
so that he is “like one, that…doth walk in fear and dread” and then advance on him with flaming “stiff right arms”
as if to attack him. Yet his redemption continues: the disembodied voices help him towards the land; the corpses
may seem wicked, but “the spell was snapt” – itself showing a return to normality; the spirits leave the corpses
and are revealed to be a “seraph-band” that shows his new closer connection with God; and, importantly, he is
brought into contact with the Trinity (doubtlessly a religious link) of “Pilot, Pilot’s boy” and “Hermit good”. The
characters are used to help the Mariner as he returns to his normal life, with the disembodiment of the Voices
and disappearance of the “seraph-band” bringing the fantasy elements to an end.
This part is linked back to other parts through the final reference to “the Albatross’s blood”, and this circular
linking is a key part of the structure. The short rhyming stanzas, in iambic quatrameter, and the use of archaic
language are equally important for maintaining this as a “lyrical ballad” (with the emphasis being on the ballad
aspect). By thusly using the same style and structure as all other parts – even down to the predominant AB AB
rhyme scheme – Coleridge pulls this together into a single coherent piece, which is necessary for the full story to
be told and, equally understood.
Answering Section A the even question
Remember this question always sets up some sort of debate which you are expected to engage with. It asks you
to consider multiple interpretations a text might afford and asks you to explore and evaluate these. It wants you to
explore the relevance of contextual factors in finding meanings or exploring possible interpretations of a text.
Alternative interpretations can be: the differing ways you as an individual choose to find meanings in a text; the
way others in the class have interpreted a text; the way critics or other writers have interpreted the text (go down
to the library and look at past copies of The English Review, read the critical information I have given you);
consider how a feminist or a Marxist might interpret a text. You don’t need to refer explicitly to critics, but you
must show that you recognise that there can be a range of interpretations of any given text and that these are
worthy of evaluation.
Phrases that help ensure that you are considering and evaluation different interpretations are:
Some people argue . . .
It has been argued . . .
An interpretation that can be considered is . . .
Whilst it is possible to argue that . . .
Many have commented that . . .
Although it is generally thought that . . .
It could be said that . . .
Perhaps . . .
Contextual factors can be:
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The significance of the extract to the text as a whole
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Literary context (Auden: his interest in psychology; “Pylon poet”; World War II. Fitzgerald: the American
Dream; Romantic realism; 1920s and prohibition. Coleridge: Industrial Revolution; Romanticism.
Hosseini: the war in Afghanistan; American immigration.)
This is not an exhaustive list and there is no point in adding bolt-on context to your writing. Flexible thinkers,
however, will notice how a question lends itself to comment on particular factors.
Any valid approach which engages fully with the debate set up in the question and which supports your viewpoint
with well-selected and integrated textual reference will be rewarded.
TOP TIPS
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Do not throw in context for the sake of it or if it does not illuminate the text in any way. There is no point
in writing about Auden’s homosexuality or Coleridge’s drug habit if it has no relevance.
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The most important feature of this question is to have a good, strong, sustained argument.
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When answering the question, it is perfectly acceptable to consider the other side of the argument too.
For instance, if answering a question on whether Auden’s poetry is obscure you might want to comment
on Auden’s intellectual, political references; the anonymity of the voices in some of his poems; and then
balance this discussion with a focus on the simplicity of a poem like “Miss Gee”.
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This question will often be connected in some way to Section A uneven question. For instance Part 4 of
the Ancient Mariner contains the moment when he blesses the watersnakes and the even question asks
whether the poem is about the power of prayer.
REVISION TIP:
For each Section A even question, annotate the question carefully; be certain that you have understood the
debate/question being posed. Think carefully about how to present your arguments: you will need several wellsupported points explored in depth and detail with a sharp focus on the task at all times. Brainstorm a plan for
each A2 question you have. Practise writing several questions in timed conditions.
Exemplar Answer (Bd 6)
How do you respond to the view that „The Rime of the Ancient Mariner‟ is “so mystifying, it simply
befuddles and confuses the reader”?
While the “Rime” is undoubtedly “mystifying”, I do not believe that this is necessarily a befuddling, confusing
weakness. Although Coleridge’s contemporaries, notably Wordsworth, complained that the archaic language was
a barrier when it came to giving poetry to the masses (as was the aim of Romanticism), modern readers are often
used to the equally difficult and archaic Shakespearian syntax and indeed expect difficulty from even an 18th
century poem such as this. Moreover, the mystifying aspects often make the “Rime” more open to alternative
interpretations, and this allow each reader to have their own take on this poem.
The most confusing aspect is the archaic language, although even this can be circumnavigated through the use
of explanatory footnotes. However, such archaisms as “I looked upon the eldritch deck” (1798, line 244) create a
deeper sense of spirituality, mysticism and the gothic movement that this text is also very close to. It is also
important to note that this poem is largely about the journeying process of maturing: the Mariner leaves the safety
of his homeland, presumably not as ancient as he is by the moment of telling the story, and in youthful ignorance
shoots the Albatross and in developing comes to atone for this. For this reason, the confusion that comes from
deciphering this text ensures that readers are also taken on a journey to maturity. The process of reading this text
must be strenuous in the same way that the Mariner’s journey and the wedding-guest’s unwilling entrapment are
also strenuous; the explicit moral at the close of the book shows how much Coleridge intended this to be a
process of maturity for the reader as well.
Equally, the mystifying nature of the story and the possibility for many interpretations also aids the reader.
Coleridge ensured that he was meticulous in his research, about travelling but also about the psychology of the
unconscious mind, and so the predominant interpretation is well supported: the traumatic effect of survivor guilt,
as described in the poem, and the way it can cause false recollection and hallucinations, is well documented.
However, there are numerous other interpretations which can be made by selecting certain aspects: the dangers
of the sea voyage itself, with “the silent sea”, “the very deeps [that] did rot” and the possibility for death at sea
speaking out against the tradition of press-ganging men into joining the Navy; the sun and the Moon show the
contrasting natures of God and allow this poem to be read as a journey towards spiritual enlightenment or as an
exploration of Coleridge’s own religious beliefs (whereby God was tied closely with nature) ; and the use of the
wedding to create a framed narrative, along with the clearly fantastic elements, enable readers and critics to
explore the nature of story-telling and the benefits of listening to the wisdom of an older generation (and indeed
the folk-wisdom which should have warned the Mariner not to shoot the Albatross). Because the poem contains
so many different aspects it can confuse many readers, but equally, the rich nature of this poem which stems
from its mystifying nature ensures that readers who make the effort to understand it are richly rewarded.
Too often, this poem is dismissed as being the product of a drug-induced nightmare, which far too much
emphasis placed Coleridge’s developing opinion addiction and falsely equating the author with the narrator.
Although the Mariner may be insane, Coleridge was not, as his attention to detail proves. Thus, the mystifying
nature of the poem was almost certainly intentional, and as such it is integral to our understanding of Coleridge’s
poetic aims. Far from befuddling and confusing readers it, like the moonlight and the lighthouse guiding the
Mariner to his “own countrée”, serves to enlighten them.
Answering Section B
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Remember this question always asks you to write about an aspect of narrative across three texts. You
will be expected to present a well-structured, coherent argument with integrated textual support which
evaluates and interprets.
You must not write about the text you have used for section A.
You have a choice of two questions, so it is important to think very carefully about which question best
suits your three texts. You need to spend some time thinking around the question and ensuring that you
understand its implications, and that you are able to construct a convincing and detailed response to the
text. You must have an overarching sense of the whole story for each text and these points will need to
be supported by evidence from the text.
Think of this question as requiring you to write three mini essays, you don’t need to compare because
that is implicit in the question.
The key word in the question is SIGNIFICANCE. For instance, if the question asks you to look at the
significance of climaxes, then you need to identify the key climatic moments in the texts, see how they
are built up and then comment on their significance. A climax is only a climax if it is prepared for. A
climax is not the end of a text. It is important to engage with the meanings that arise from the climax.
REVISION TIPS
For each Section B question, annotate the question carefully; be certain you have understood the argument
being suggested. Think carefully about how to present your response: you will need well supported points for
each text explored in depth and detail with a sharp focus on the task at all times. Brainstorm a plan fro each
Section B question you have. Practise writing several questions in timed conditions.
Section B Exemplar essay (Bd 6)
“In narratives, what we are not told is just as important as what we are told.”
Write about the significance of the gaps or of the untold stories in the narratives of the three writers you
have studied. (42 marks)
It is true to say that for most narratives, the untold aspects are no less important than those mentioned explicitly.
The context of writing and of reading are often essential to shape our understanding, and the deeper meanings
and interpretations are often implied; in addition, the unreliability of a narrator may push as to a conclusion
completely at odds with the stated message.
This is most noticeable in „The Great Gatsby‟. We cannot rely on any characters for any great length of time, not
least because of their questionable moral values (with extra-marital affairs and sexual promiscuity at the heart of
the novel). Gatsby lies about his past, ridiculously claiming in chapter IV to have “lived like a young rajah in all the
capitals of Europe”, and Nick explicitly states as a Narrator that the “very phrases were worn so threadbare that
they evoked no image”, yet soon afterwards, Nick is made to believe him, an effect so preposterous that
Fitzgerald couches it in mock poetic terms: “I saw him opening a chest of rubies to ease, with their crimsonlighted depths, the gnawings of his broken heart”. (It should be noted that Fitzgerald’s own interpretations was
that his work was a mixture of poetry and prose, and so the mocking result may be unintentional; I do not find him
to have been successful.) Yet, however we feel about Nick’s reliability, the story of Gatsby’s past remains sketchy
– a gap – as it is not convincingly told. But rather than being a fault, this heightens the enigma that Gatsby is. A
further gap, linked to Nick’s unreliability, occurs in chapter II, when Nick admits, “I have been drunk just twice in
my life, and the second time was that afternoon”. This ensures a gap in his recollection, and some ambiguity over
the ending of the chapter which has led some readers to draw the conclusion that Nick may be hiding his
homosexuality, having found himself in Mr McKee’s bedroom: “he was sitting up between the sheets, clad in his
underwear, with a great portfolio in his hands”. Like Gatsby’s hidden past, when he built up his fortune through
bootlegging, this leads to the interpretation that Nick, like the rest of America, and particularly the East Coast, has
become corrupt. (Such gaps help to dismantle the supposed American dream, showing how the way in which
money is made comes from immorality and illegality but the gaps also show that love has its own darkness
especially when we remember that homosexuality was regarded as immoral at the start of the twentieth century).
There are numerous, other untold stories in „The Great Gatsby‟, some due to Nick’s hazy narration: a notable
example is that of the eyes of Dr Eckleberg, which George Wilson takes for the eyes of God, despite the
assurance of Michaelis that “That’s just an advertisement”. The advertisement seems to have its own story which
is not told. It seems to represent the hollow nature of America: like the original settlers who imbued the “fresh,
green breast of the new world” with “the last and greatest of all human dreams”. Like Gatsby with regards to
Daisy and the “orgastic future” of the green light, Wilson also builds his dreams higher than they can go and fails
to acknowledge the reality (killing the wrong person). Yet because Wilson’s story is told from Nick‟ s viewpoint,
the reader is never certain what Wilson actually might have believed. Thus the gaps and untold stories in „The
Great Gatsby‟ serve to demonstrate the falsity of wealth, class and status in America as well as that of love and
of the American dream.
A sharp contrast to this is found in „The Kite Runner‟. Here the gaps are about unimportant things: there is a gap
of several years between chapters 9 and 10, after Hassan leaves Kabul and before Amir does; there are also
several gaps coming later in the story to speed events along and to skip the normal, non-traumatic years spent in
America. The effect of this is twofold. First, it shows that the story is about certain elements: Amir’s relationship
with Hassan and with Baba are more important than his teenage years without Hassan or his mid-life years after
Baba’s death, so these years are missed out. Secondly, it enables Hosseini to adjust the timing so that events
within the narrative match up to the real events in Afghanistan: the close link between politics and private lives is
very important in this book, with Assef joining the Taliban and so being in a position to seize Sohrab and be found
by Amir on his return. The gaps of completely untold stories push the „told‟ stories along faster, ensuring that the
pace in quick enough to maintain interest without losing any integrity.
However, there is another type of untold story in „The Kite Runner‟: the stories which are hidden for some time
but which characters later become aware of. When these stories come out, they increase and realise the feelings
of guilt. For example, Soraya’s confession of her past is difficult for her, shown by halting phrases such as “there
was a long pause at the other end” and “a silence followed”, but it is more difficult for Amir because he cannot tell
his story yet. His feelings do not remain untold, as he provides first person narrative that fully shows his
emotions: in this case, Hosseini switches between emotional, fragmented shorter sentences (“I envied her. Her
secret was out spoken”.) and longer confessional sentences to show the range of emotions he feels. He is
similarly shown to be emotionally vulnerable when he finally finds out the truth about Baba and Hassan: “all I
could manage was to whisper “No No No” all over and over again”. The untold stories are here used as the
driving force behind the integral theme of guilt and redemption, with the build up of emotions caused by hiding
these stories serving to heighten the tragedy (and our emotive response to it).
Tennyson uses narrative gaps in a different, but no less effective, way. In „the Lotos-eaters and the Choric song‟,
because the narrator focuses on the drug induced state of the mariners, the potential sinister purposes of the
„mild eyed melancholy lotus eaters‟ who bring „confusion worse than death‟ is untold. Thus Tennyson places
criticism entirely at the hands of the mariners who reject their homes in favour of the pleasure of drugs, turns us
against them. Their culpability is perhaps shown by the corruption on the initial Spenserian stanza (which
continues for five stanzas until the choric song begins) and the lengthening of stanzas and lines which combine
with the over-embellished description to demonstrate the way that the sailors languish in their drugged state: this
lengthening turns the reader against the sailors, as it begins to irritate. This is as much due to the way it is told as
to what is actually told to us: rather than being told, we are shown, and thus feel the effect more strongly.
In another of his poems, „The Lady of Shalott‟, Tennyson only hints at the curse which “is on her if she stay/To
look down on Camelot”. Although the narrator is omniscient he neither confirms or denies the existence of this
curse, and it could be seen that the Lady’s tragic death comes about because she believes in the curse and thus
takes no action to prevent her death (in as much as “her blood was frozen slowly because she took to the river”
at the closing of the day). In the poem Tennyson criticises the way in which people, and particularly artists, often
choose to ignore reality: the Lady of Shalott accepts her impotence, perhaps representing the behaviour of
women at the time, and is ignorant of the coldness of the shallow Lancelot who is barely affected by her death.
The untold story is the reality which she chooses to ignore, leading to her wasting her life.