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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 1
TouchingtheVoidJoeSimpson
GCSEEnglishLiteratureStudy&RevisionPack
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 2
Unit1OutlineInthisunityouwillstudytwomoderntextsandonethatwillrequireyoutoexploreaculturedifferent
fromyourown.Onthisexampaper,thewordmodernmeansanytextthatwaswrittenafter1945.
WhenyoustudyyourtextsforUnit1,youwilllookatthreedifferentareas:
Ideas,themesandissues
Characterisation
Settings
Butoneveryimportantareayoumustneverforgetistothinkabouthowthewriteruseslanguageand
structuretobuildtheirtext.
Unit1theExam
ThekeyinformationabouttheUnit1isasfollows:
Youwillhave1hour30minutestocompletethetasks.
Twosectionstocomplete.
SectionAonyourmoderntext.
SectionBonyourtextfromothercultures.
Unit1ExploringModernTexts:WhatdoIneedtoknow?
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 3
Unit1TheAssessmentObjectivesAssessmentObjectivesarethethingsthatyourteacherandtheexaminerwantyoutobeabletodowhen
youwriteyouranswersontheUnit1exam.
YoucanseetheAssessmentObjectivesforUnit1inthetablebelow
ASSESSMENT
OBJECTIVEWHATISITASKINGFOR? INSTUDENTSPEAK
AO1
Respondcriticallyand
imaginatively;selectand
evaluaterelevanttextualdetail
toillustrateandsupport
interpretations
Comeupwithyourown
ideasaboutthetexts.
Useandcommenton
quotationstosupportyour
ideas.
AO2
Explainhowlanguage,structure
andformcontributetowriters
presentationofideas,themes
andsettings.
Writeaboutfeaturesof
languageandstructurethat
youthinkareeffective.
Explainhowtheuseof
languagelinkstotheideas
thatthewriteristryingto
exploreinthetext.
AO4
Relatetextstotheirsocial,
culturalandhistoricalcontexts;
explainhowtextshavebeen
influentialandsignificanttoself
andotherreadersindifferent
contextsandatdifferenttimes.
Sayhowthetexthasbeen
influencedbythetimein
whichitwaswritten.
Explainhowtextshavehad
aninfluenceontheirreaders.
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 4
AnnotatingyourcopyofTouchingtheVoid
I was lying in my sleeping bag, staring at the
light filtering through the red and green fabric
of the dome tent. Simon was snoring loudly,
occasionally twitching in his dream world.
We could have been anywhere. There is a
peculiar anonymity about being in tents.
Once the zip is locked and the outside world
barred from site, all sense of location
disappears. Scotland, the French Alps, the
Karakoram, it was always the same. The
sound of rustling, fabric flapping in the wind,
or of rainfall, the feel of hard lumps under the
ground sheet, the smell of rancid socks and
sweat these are universals, as comforting
as the warmth of the down sleeping bag.
Emphasis on colour
contrast to setting of
snow covered mountain.
Annotatingmeansmakingnotesonabook,playorpoem.Thisisaveryimportantskillbecauseyouonlyhavelimitedspaceandyouneedwhateveryouwritetobeclearandconveythemostmeaninginthesmallestnumberofwords.Also,youhavetorememberthatyoumaymakeanannotationinSeptemberwhichyoudontthenlookatagainuntilDecember!So,makingtherightkindsofannotationsisveryimportant.Ifyourteacher
willallowyoutoannotateyourtext,youshoulddoitliketheexamplebelow.
Shows that the place
is disorientating. They
have no sense of place
here.
Shows the sense of
isolation that they
feel. This place is
somewhere they have
no connections or
anything to relate to.
Emphasis on colour
contrast to setting of
snow covered mountain.
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 5
PlotOverview
TouchingtheVoidtellsthepowerfulstoryoftwoclimbersJoeSimpsonandSimonYatesandtheir
expeditiontoclimbthedauntingwestfaceoftheSiulaGrandeinthePeruvianAndes.Thestoryfollows
themenastheyattemptthisdaringfeatforthefirsttime;nootherclimbershaveeverendeavouredto
climbtheSiulaGrande.Amongsttheirfellowmountaineers,ifthemenweresuccessful,thiswouldbe
consideredamassiveachievement.
JoeandSimonovercomesignificantobstaclesonthefirstfewdaysoftheirexpedition,including
snowstormsanddangerousterrain,toarriveatthesummitondaythreeoftheirtrip.Whenthemen
standatthesummittheyareeffectivelyfourmilesabovesealevel;anincredibleachievement.
However,asthemenattempttheirdescentdownthedangerousNorthRidge,disasterstrikesthe
mountaineerswhenJoefallsandbreakshisleg.InanattempttorescueSimpsonusingacomplicated
ropemanoeuvre,YatesinadvertentlylowersSimpsonoffacliff.Inordertosavehimselffromnear
certaindeath,Yatesisforcedtocuttheropejoiningthemtogether.
Simpsonwakestofindhimselfonasmallledge.HeassumesrightlythatYateswillthinkheisdead.In
turn,Simpsonmustfindhisownwaybacktosafetyandproceedstocrawl,walkandstrugglebacktothe
basecamp.
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 6
NarrativeRevisionQuestions
1. WhatisthelocationfortheactionofTouchingtheVoid?
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2.
WhyisclimbingSiulaGrandesuchanimportantchallengeforthetwomen?
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3. Howmanydaysdoesittakethementoreachthesummit?
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4. Exactlyhowfarabovesealevelisthesummitofthemountain?
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5. SiulaGrandeformspartofwhichmountainrange?
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6. Whatisthenameoftheridgethatthemenattempttheirdescentfrom?
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 7
7.
WhatarethebonesthatJoebreakswhenheinjureshimself?______________________________________________________________________________________
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8. WheredoesSimonspendthenightfollowinghisseparationfromJoe?
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9. WhenJoewakesup,whatdoesheassumeSimonwillthinkabouthim?
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10.
HowdoesJoegetasensethatheisontherighttrackwhenheheadsbacktocamp?
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11. WhydoesSimonbecomeangrywhenhereturnstoBaseCamp?
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12. Inthefinalchapter,describeJoesfeelingstowardsSimon.
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 8
GettingintoTouchingtheVoid
Tohelpyoufindyourwayintothenovel,usetheInternettodosomeresearchonthetopicsintheboxesbelow.Recordyourfindings.
TheAuthorJoeSimpson
TheSettingSiulaGrande
TheRealLifeCharacters
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 9
TouchingtheVoid:Engagingwiththenovelsideas
Asyouprobablyalreadyknow,TouchingtheVoidisanovelaboutanadventurethatgoesseriouslywrong.Tohelpyoubegintoempathisewiththecharactersandtheirsituation,completethetasksbelow.
Brainstormeverythingyouknowaboutthestorysofarthinkaboutwhat
happens,whoisinit,whenandwhereitisset
Withyourpartner,discussanadventurethatyouhaveundertakenwherewasit?Whathappened?Whatwerethe
risksinvolved?
Thinkaboutatimewhenyouhavefacedadversity,explaintoafriendhowyou
reactedhowdidyoucope?
Whatmakesagoodadventurestory?Makealistofthekeyfeaturesandexplainwhyeachoneisimportant.
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 10
KeepingTrack:ChapterbyChapter
KeyCh
aracterQuo
tation
s
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 11
Chapter1:BeneaththeMountainLakes
TheopeningchapterofthenoveliskeytoourunderstandingofwhySimonandJoedecidetoclimb
themountaininthefirstplace.Thevividdescriptionsofthemountaingivethereaderaclearsenseof
theiramazementatthisnaturalwonder.
Inthespacebelow,drawyourimpressionofthemountainasitisdescribedandlabelitwith
quotationstoshowhowyoucametoseethemountaininthisway.
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 12
Chapter1:BeneaththeMountainLakes(EnlargetoA3)
Intheearlypartsofthetext,Joedescribeseachoftheprevioussummitattemptsandtheproblems
associatedwiththem.Heismakingusasthereaderawareofthesefailedattemptsinordertobuild
tensioninanticipationoftheirclimb.
Completethetablebelowidentifyingtheproblemsthatarosewitheachoftheattemptstoclimbto
thesummit.Inthefinalcolumnexplainhowthishelpstobuildtension.
Attempt Problems Howistensioncreated?
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 13
Chapter1:BeneaththeMountainLakesGettingtoknow
thecharacters(EnlargetoA3)
IntheopeningchapterwelearnalotaboutJoeandSimon.Workinpairstocompletethevenn
diagrambelowtoshowtheirsimilaritiesanddifferences.Addquotationstothecharttosupportyour
ideas.
JoeSimon
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 14
Chapter1:BeneaththeMountainLakesExtensionActivities
1.
ImaginethatyouareJoeorSimon,writealetterfromthebasecamptoyourfamilyexplainingthe
sceneatSiulaGrande.
2.
ImaginethatyouareaTVproducerwhoisaccompanyingJoeandSimonontheirtripworkwith
otherstudentstoscriptandperformanewsbroadcastatthebeginningoftheirexpedition.
3.
Basedontheinformationinthischapter,produceaguideforclimbersentitledPreparingtoClimb
SiulaGrande.Yourguideshouldbeinformativeandappropriateforyouraudience.
TouchingtheVoid:TheCharacters
1.
CompletethecharacterprofilesJoeSimpson,SimonYates&RichardHawkings.
2. Useadjectivestodescribethem.
3. Addquotationstosupportyourideas.
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 15
CharacterProfileJoeSimpson(EnlargetoA3)WhoisJoeSimpson?
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WhatisJoesroleinthenovel?
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HowdoesthewritercreateJoescharacter?
Point Evidence(quote) Explain&Analyse
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 16
CharacterProfileSimonYates(EnlargetoA3)WhoisSimonYates?
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WhatisSimonsroleinthenovel?
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HowdoesthewritercreateSimonscharacter?
Point Evidence(quote) Explain&Analyse
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 17
CharacterProfileRichardHawkings(EnlargetoA3)WhoisRichardHawkings?
___________________________________________________________________________________
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WhatisRichardssroleinthenovel?
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HowdoesthewritercreateRichardscharacter?
Point Evidence(quote) Explain&Analyse
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 18
CharacterExtensionTaskKeepingTrack:JoeandSimonsRelationshipConsidertherelationshipbetweenJoeandSimonandhowitdevelopsandchangesthroughthenovel.Copyandcompletethetablebelowtoshowthechanges.
Chapter Whatisthesame? Whatisdifferent?
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 19
CharacterExtensionTasks
1. Whichofthetwocharactersdoyoumostrelatetoandwhy?
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2.
WhatarethekeydifferencesbetweenSimonandJoe,andhowdoesthisgeneratetensionand
interestinthenovel?______________________________________________________________________________________
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3.
Thinkaboutthenovelasawhole.Howdotheinteractionsofthecharactershelptodevelopthe
narrative?______________________________________________________________________________________
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 20
4.
Whatdotheperiodsoftimewhenthecharactersarealonerevealabouttheirpersonalities?______________________________________________________________________________________
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 21
KeepingTrack:Setting(EnlargetoA3)
Oneofthekeycharactersofthenovelis,inasense,thesettingofthenovel.Itistheunforgiving
natureofthesettingthatcausesJoeandSimontoendupintheprecarioussituationattheheartofthe
novel.Completethetablebelowtoshowthelocation,eventsandtheirimportanceineachchapter
Impo
rtan
ce
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chingtheVoid
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terNum
ber
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 22
KeepingTrack:SpecificSettingsUsingthespecifickeysettingslistedbelow,completethetablestoshowtheirsignificanceinthenovel.
Siula Grande Base Camp
The North Ridge
The Summit Joes Crevasse
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 23
SpecificSettings:SiulaGrande
Textua
lEvide
nce
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Wha
tdoe
sthesetting
signify
&sym
bolise?
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Whicheventstake
placehe
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 24
SpecificSettings:BaseCamp
Textua
lEvide
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 25
SpecificSettings:TheNorthRidge
Textua
lEvide
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 26
SpecificSettings:TheSummit
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 27
SpecificSettings:JoesCrevasse
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 28
TouchingtheVoid:SettingExtensionQuestions
1.
WhydoyouthinkthatthePeruvianAndesisaneffectivesettingforanovelaboutsurvivalanddespair?
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2.
HowdoyouthinkSimpsonhasusedthedifferentsettingstostructurethenovel?
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3.
InChapter7,Joesdescriptionsofthecrevassefocusveryheavilyonthedarknessandblack
spacessurroundinghim.Howandwhyisthiseffective?
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 29
TouchingtheVoid:Themes
Therearefivekeythemesthatyouneedtounderstand.However,towardstheendofthissection,
somemorecomplexthemesareexplored.Togiveyourselftheopportunitytoachievethehighergrades,
youwillwanttomakesurethatyouthinkaboutthemandhowtheyrelatetootherideasinthenovel.
Thekeythemesofthenovelareshownbelow.Inthespacesprovided,trytoexplainwhatyouthink
eachonereferstointhenovel.
THEME EXPLANATION
Adventure
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TheWilderness
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Isolation
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Rescue
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Hope
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 30
ThemesinTouchingtheVoidAdventure(EnlargetoA3)Usethisworksheettocollectquotationsaboutthethemeexploredinthecentralbox.
Adventure
Oneof the centralmotivationsfor Simon and Joe appears tobe their
determination toconquer one of the mosttreacherous mountains in
theworld.Thisisamountain,afterall, that no othermountaineerhas
endeavoured to climb.Simpson uses this idea toexplore the theme
ofadventure throughout thenovel. When tragedy strikesand Joe is
left alone, strandedand injured, it brings the
ideaofadventureclearlyintofocus:were the two men tooambitious? Were
they
stupidtoattemptsuchanendeavour?Oristheresomethingfarmorefundamental
that drivesmansdetermination to tacklenatureschallenges?
MansThirstforAdventureKeyQuotations
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TheDangersofAdventureKeyQuotations
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TheTriumphofAdventureKeyQuotations
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 31
KeepingTrack:ThemesinTouchingtheVoidAdventure(EnlargetoA3)
Inthetablebelowisasectionforeachofthechapterswherethethemeofadventureisexplored.
Foreachchapteryouneedtoidentifyandmakeanoteofthreequotationsthatshowthetheme.
Inthefinalcolumn,explainhowthequotationsyouhaverecordedshowthetheme.
THETHEMEOFADVENTURE
CHAPTER QUOTATIONHOWDOESTHISSHOWTHETHEMEOFADVENTURE?
BeneaththeMountainLakes
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TemptingFate
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 32
ThemesinTouchingtheVoidTheWilderness(EnlargetoA3)Usethisworksheettocollectquotationsaboutthethemeexploredinthecentralbox.
TheWilderness
One of the most hauntingaspects of the novel is theway that the
characters, atdifferentpointsinthenovel,are forced to confront
theloneliness of theenvironment around them.Indeed, they are not
facedwith just the loneliness, butalso the vicious and, attimes,
aggressive nature oftheir surroundings. In turn,the wilderness, its
powerand brutality are centralideas at the heart of thenovel.
TheBrutalityoftheWildernessKey
Quotations
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TheMysteryoftheWildernessKeyQuotations
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 33
KeepingTrack:ThemesinTouchingtheVoidTheWilderness(EnlargetoA3)
Inthetablebelowisasectionforeachofthechapterswherethethemeofthewildernessis
explored.
Foreachchapteryouneedtoidentifyandmakeanoteofthreequotationsthatshowthetheme.
Inthefinalcolumn,explainhowthequotationsyouhaverecordedshowthetheme.
THETHEMEOFADVENTURE
CHAPTER QUOTATIONHOWDOESTHISSHOWTHETHEMEOFWILDERNESS?
TemptingFate
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 34
ThemesinTouchingtheVoidIsolation(EnlargetoA3)Usethisworksheettocollectquotationsaboutthethemeexploredinthecentralbox.
Isolation
The characters in the novel
spend some of their most
terrifyingmomentsaloneon
themountain. As they face
near certain death, they are
alone. This is an effective
way for Simpson to create
tension because it asks the
audiencetothinkabouthow
we might find the strength
to survive horrific
circumstances with only
ourselvesforsupport.
TheTerrorofIsolationKeyQuotations
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 35
KeepingTrack:ThemesinTouchingtheVoidIsolation(EnlargetoA3)
Inthetablebelowisasectionforeachofthechapterswherethethemeofisolationisexplored.
Foreachchapteryouneedtoidentifyandmakeanoteofthreequotationsthatshowthetheme.
Inthefinalcolumn,explainhowthequotationsyouhaverecordedshowthetheme.
THETHEMEOFADVENTURE
CHAPTER QUOTATIONHOWDOESTHISSHOWTHETHEMEOFISOLATION?
OntheEdge
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 36
ThemesinTouchingtheVoidRescue&Hope
Workingroupsoffourtocompilepairsofrevisionworksheetsliketheonesaboveforthethemesof
RescueandHope.Then,workinpairstoidentifyandmakeanoteofkeyquotationsforboththemes.
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 37
LanguageinTouchingtheVoid
Simpsonusesarangeoftechniquesinthetext.
Someofthemarelistedinthetablebelow.
Completethetablebelowforeachofthefeatures.
FEATUREOFLANGUAGE EXAMPLEFROMTHETEXT EFFECT
Vividdescription
Sensorydescription
SubjectSpecificLanguage
MotivationalLanguage
ImpactSentences
DirectSpeech
InternalDialogue
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 38
SimpsonsUseofLanguageinTouchingtheVoid
Feature EffectontheReader?
WhyisSimpsonslanguageuseeffectiveinthisexample?
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WhyisSimpsonslanguageuseeffectiveinthisexample?
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Feature EffectontheReader?
Lookateachofthequotationsbelow.
Highlightthefeaturesoflanguagethatyoucanfind.
WriteaparagraphexplainingtheeffectsofSimpsonslanguage.
Wecouldhavebeenanywhere.
Itfeelsmenacinglyremoteandexhilaratingatthesametimenohordesofclimbers,nohelicopters,norescuejustusandthe
mountains.
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 39
SimpsonsUseofLanguageinTouchingtheVoid
Feature EffectontheReader?
WhyisSimpsonslanguageuseeffectiveinthisexample?
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Feature EffectontheReader?
Hithard.Hitagainthatsit,nowthehammer.Lookatyourfeetnotimetoanswer.Thiswayiswrong.Damn,damn!
Simonwascomingup,hittinghard,icesplinteringdownbelowhim,hittinghardandstrongheaddown,hitting,hopping,onpast
meandupwithoutaword.
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 40
SimpsonsUseofLanguageinTouchingtheVoid
Feature EffectontheReader?
WhyisSimpsonslanguageuseeffectiveinthisexample?
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Feature EffectontheReader?
Wehadasilentagreement.WebothknewthetruthIwasinjuredandunlikelytosurvive.SimoncoulddownaloneIremainedsilent,
butitwasnolongerforfearoflosingcontrol.
Iwasstandingonanopenfacewithadropofnearly4000feetbelowmeandfeltveryunnervedbytheexposure.TherewasalonggapofunprotectedropebetweenmeandSimonhisanchorwashisaxesburiedinthesnow,andIknewalltoowellhowuselessthesewould
beifImadeamistake.
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 41
TouchingtheVoidExamPreparation
WhatdoIneedtoknowabouttheUnit1Examination?
TimeAllowed1hour30minutes
Howmanyquestions?
Two:onefromSectionAandonefromSectionB
TouchingtheVoidisinSectionA
Howmanymarks?30marks
AmIallowedmybook? Yesbutitmustbeclearofallannotations
UnderstandingtheMarkScheme
TogetaCyoumust
Focusonthequestion.
Useeffectivequotationstoproveyourpoints.
Explaintheeffectsoflanguageonthereader.
Includearangeofpointsinyouranswer.
TogetanA*youmust
Keepthefocusonthequestionallthewayuntiltheendofyouranswer.
Writewithinsightgettothecoreofwhatthewriteristryingtosay.
Usequotationanalytically.
Makeevaluativecommentsonlanguage/structure.
Suggestdifferentinterpretationsofthetext.
Otherthingstoremember!
Rereadthenovelseveraltimesbeforetheexamination.
Keepthinkingaboutquotationsthatyoucoulduseinyouranswer.
Tryandthinkofarangeofpointsyoucoulduseinyouranswer.
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 42
TouchingtheVoidSampleResponse(C)
Chooseapassagethatisparticularlytense.
Writeabout:
whatistenseinthepassage;
themethodsthatSimpsonusestocreatetension.
Annotation
Lookatthesampleresponsebelow.
UsingtheCgradedescriptors,identifywhichofthose
qualitiesitdemonstrates. Theresponseisonthequestionbelow.
One of the most tense parts of the book is in Chapter 1, Beneath
the Mountain Lakes. At one point Simpson writes It feels menacingly
remote and exhilarating at the same timeno helicopters, no rescue
just us and the mountains. This is a very effective quotation
because it helps to build tension for the reader. The reason why
this quotation builds tension is because it gives us the impression
that Joe and Simon are alone and abandoned in the Andes. The
sentence no helicopters, no rescue is very effective because he
repeats the word no which makes us realise that if anything goes
wrong that there is no one there to help or save them. This
quotation creates tension for the reader because we realise that
the two men are alone on the mountains attempting to achieve
something that no other mountaineer has ever attempted. We quickly
realise that the men are in serious danger.
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 43
TouchingtheVoidSampleResponse(A*)
Chooseapassagethatisparticularlytense.
Writeabout:
whatistenseinthepassage;
themethodsthatSimpsonusestocreatetension.
Annotation
Lookatthesampleresponsebelow.
UsingtheA*gradedescriptors,identifywhichofthose
qualitiesitdemonstrates. Theresponseisonthequestionbelow.
Simpson creates tension in the novel from the first chapter; he
evokes the climbers sense of isolation and separation from all that
they know. He writes It feels menacingly remote and exhilarating at
the same timeno helicopters, no rescue just us and the mountains.
It is clear that while the sense of isolation is, in a sense, a
threat to them, the threat itself is exciting and a reason to
undertake the climb. This is an interesting opposition, almost as
if the men find the idea that they are in danger a thrill. This,
perhaps, is Simpsons way of exploring the nature of adventure; he
suggests to the reader that it is only when we are forced to the
extremes of the natural world that we are forced to face the
extremes within ourselves. It is, Simpson, appears to suggest the
point at which we overcome these extremes that we have truly
prevailed over all that life has to offer.
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AQA GCSE English Literature 2010 Unit 1, Section A: Exploring
modern texts Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Copyright2011TESEnglishwww.tes.co.uk/tesenglish 44
TouchingtheVoidPlanningaResponse(EnlargetoA3)
Usethediagrambelowtoplanyouressayandremembertoinclude:
Points
Quotations
Commentsontheeffectsoflanguage
Chooseapassagefromthebookthatcreatestension.
Writeabout:
whatcreatestensioninthepassage;
themethodsthatSimpsonusestocreatetension.
Introduction
Paragraph1
Paragraph2
Paragraph3
Conclusion
