Understanding descriptive passages

The Beach of Falesá

by Dylan Thomas (excerpts)

It is the hour before tropical dawn, on the hushed, grey open sea. A boat glides by like a shadow, the moon going down behind her tall sails. The boat sails on, through moonlight and music, the soft sea speaking against her sides, and is gone again.

Tasks

1. Read the excerpt and find:

- words / phrases that describe the time of day- a simile- a personification

2. What do the adjectives hushed, grey, open and soft describe?

1. words / phrases that describe the time of day

The hour before tropical dawn;through moonlight

a simileA boat glides like a shadow

1. a personification“…the soft sea speaking…”

2. What do the adjectives hushed, grey, open and soft describe?

Hushed, grey, open and soft describe the sea.

It is the hour before tropical dawnthe hour before tropical dawn, on the hushed, grey open sea. A boat glides by A boat glides by like a shadowlike a shadow, the moon going down behind her tall sails. The boat sails on, through moonlightthrough moonlight and music, the soft sea speakingthe soft sea speaking against her sides, and is gone again.

3. What is being described in the passage below?4. Where is the man who ‘sees’?5. List the things described.6. What do these adjectives high, treed, majestic, white, tall, and scattered describe?

Through the twin circles of the glasses he sees the surf beating against the high cliffs, the thickly treed valleys, the spurs of mountains, the majestic woodlands, the white flash of streams down the glens, the tumbles of waterfalls, the tall breadfruit trees, the coconut palms, the scattered bamboo houses under the trees, and a few tails of smoke wisping up the sky.

3. The coastal landscape of an island.

4. The man who ‘sees’ seems to be on a boat. He sees the island from afar, as the boat approaches land.

5. The cliffsThe surfThe valleysThe mountainsThe woodlandsThe streamsThe waterfallsThe breadfruit treesThe coconut palmsThe bamboo housesThe smoke

6.high – the cliffstreed – the valleys majestic – the woodlandswhite – the flash of streams

tall – the breadfruit treesscattered – the bamboo houses

7. Use the words from 5 to label the following pictures.

__________

__________

__________

__________

__________

____________________

__________

7. Use the words from 5 to label the following pictures.

coconut trees

surf / cliffs

mountains

woodlands

waterfalls

breadfruit treevalleys

bamboo houses

streams

On all sides are to be heard faint and stealthy scurries; the newly unwoken warnings of little, unseen animals; the prying fingering of gusts of wind from the sea, in ferns, leaves, flowers, and shadows. The lantern and the moonlight make the bush all turning shadows that weave to meet him and then spin off, that hover above his head and fly away, huge, birdlike, into deeper inextricable dark. The floor of the bush glimmers with dead wood.

8. Read the excerpt andfind:

a) the words / phrases that evoke:

- sound - sight

b) metaphors

faint - weakstealthy – quiet and secretivescurries – short, quick stepsprying – indiscreetfingering – touching with the fingersturning – ondulantesweave – tecem, entrelaçam spin off – desfazem-se, desenrolam-se

espiralando, girandohover – pairamspin off – desfazem-se, girandoinextricable – denso, impenetrável

Sound:Sound:

faint and stealthy scurries - the sound of animal / people’s steps

warnings of little animals – sounds made by animals to warn each other

Sound:Sound:

the prying fingering of gusts of wind from the sea, in ferns, leaves, flowers

– the sound made by the wind on the plants

Sight:Sight:

The lanternlantern and the moonlightmoonlight make the bush all turning shadowsturning shadows that weaveweave to meet him and then spin offspin off, that hover above his head and fly away, hover above his head and fly away, hugehuge, birdlike, into deeper inextricable deeper inextricable dark.dark.

The floor of the bush glimmersglimmers…

b) Metaphors:b) Metaphors:

Shadows weaveweave to meet him and then spin offspin off

shadows = spidersshadows = spiders

Shadows … hover abovehover above his head and fly awayfly away

shadows = birdsshadows = birds

9. Based on the passages above, which part of the world would you choose for the setting of The Beach of Falesá, if you were a film producer or director ?

9. Possible places:

The Pacific Islands ?Indonesia ?Hawaii ?New Zealand ?

The Beach of Falesá was written by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas.It was originally conceived as a film-script, an adaptation of a story by Robert Louis Stevenson.The film was never produced and the book was published as a novel in 1964.

Soon there will be more on description.