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Techniques in the novel Brother in the Land by
Robert Swindoll
Now that you are in stage 4 when you write about a text
you have to display technical knowledge about how the
composer of the text has created meaning. How this is
done will vary according to the text type that the
composer chooses to write in. For example, if a
composer chooses to write a poem then the techniques
used will be quite different than if the composer decided
to make a film.
You have been studying the novel Brother in the Land
The proper name for this text type is prose. So if you see
the word prose you know it is referring to a novel or
short story.
What influences the techniques that the composer uses
will vary between novels but is usually based on the
following?
Audience: Who is the text aimed at?
Purpose: Why is the composer writing the novel?
1. What audience is Robert Swindoll targeting in his
novel Brother in the Land
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2. What do you think is the purpose of Brother in the
Land?
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The techniques used in prose are:
Setting: Where the story is told.
Often the setting is established very early in prose to
orientate the reader to the location of the story. The
setting will also affect the choices the composer makes
about language. For example, if the novel is set in the
olden day then the composer then wouldn’t use modern
words or refer to modern appliances as it would not make
sense.
3. How does the setting in Brother in the Land relate to
the target audience?
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3. How does the setting of Brother in the Land relate
to the purpose of the novel?
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Plot: The plot refers to what happens in the text. It often
has an orientation, complication (something goes wrong),
series of events, climax, resolution (problem is solved) +
or – a coda (moral).
However, not all novels follow this pattern
4. To what extent does Brother in the Land follow
this pattern? Give examples to support what you are
saying.
__Orientation_________________________________
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___Complication______________________________
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___Series of events
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__Climax____________________________________
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Resolution___________________________________
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Coda
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Themes. Themes refer to the ideas in a text. They are
the deeper meaning of the text.
5. Draw a mindmap of the ideas in Brother in the
Land.
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Characters :
There is usually a main character and this person is
called the protagonist. Often there is a character that
clashes with the main character. The name for this
character is the antagonist. Sometimes it is the conflict
between the characters that creates the action in the
novel.
6. Choosing two characters fill out the character
questions below
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Character One
Quote from the book
Quote from the book
Quote from the book
Character Study.
 Think of five adjectives that describe your character.
 How do you know what your character looks like? Find the language that the
composer uses in the novel to describe your character. How does the language
build up a picture in your mind on how the character looks?
 How does your character interact with the other characters in the novel?
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
How does your character change through the novel? Do they learn anything
new? Does something happen in the story that affects them particularly?
Character Two
Quote from the book
Quote from the book
Quote from the book
Character Study.
 Think of five adjectives that describe your character.
 How do you know what your character looks like? Find the language that the
composer uses in the novel to describe your character. How does the language
build up a picture in your mind on how the character looks?
 How does your character interact with the other characters in the novel?
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
How does your character change through the novel? Do they learn anything
new? Does something happen in the story that affects them particularly?
Style: This term refers to the following aspects
a) Narration. This refers to the decision by the
composer as to how he will represent the characters.
First Person:
Indicated by the word "I”. This means that the story is
told from the perspective of one of the characters. The
effect of the use of first person is to make the
responder connect to one character particularly.
Third Person. This is where the composer offers the
perspective of more than one character. It is indicated
by the word “he said”, “she said” etc.
If the composer lets us know the feelings of all the
characters then this is called omniscient narration.
If we only hear how some of the characters are
feelings this is called third person limited narration.
7. What type of narration does Swindoll use?
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8. What is the effect of
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b) Language. This refers to the actual words chosen
by the composer. Different ways to describe the use
of language is
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i)
Formal language ( the use of elevated language,
posh words)
ii) Informal language ( then use of more everyday
words (this is called colloquial language)
iii) Slang (words that are used by different subgroups
for example, teenagers).
9. What type of language does Swindoll use? Give
examples to support what you are saying.
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Language also looks at sentences are they long, does the
composer use dialogue etc
Language also refers to any figurative language such as
similes, metaphors, etc
10. Find three examples from the novel where Swindoll
has used imagery to paint a picture for the responder
about the horror of nuclear war.
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When you answer an essay about this novel
you will have to incorporate the use of
techniques into your writing.
Practice Essay question.
Swindoll identifies the worst and best of
mankind through the ideas he presents to his
audience in his novel Brother in the Land.
Discuss with close reference to the text and
through incorporating at least three of the
techniques that are outlined above.