To explain what impression the writer gives of the sea.
Let's practise
The crew wrestled the lifeboat into the sea, and they all jumped into it. They rowed away, hoping to find land. But the sea had other plans, and before long, a giant wave swamped them. Robinson fell into the foaming sea and felt himself being sucked down. He held his breath till he thought his lungs would burst. Then he was driven back to the surface, and the sea dumped him on a beach, the waves hissing and bubbling as they retreated.
Three times the terrible sea caught him, even though he tried his best to outrun it, and three times it swallowed him and spat him out, but always further and further up the beach. At last it left him alone, and he crawled painfully into the shelter of some palm trees.
Tony Bradman and Tony Ross: from The Orchard Book of Heroes and Villains (Orchard Books, 2008)
What impression does the writer give of the sea in this sentence? Refer to the text in your answer.
1 mark
- Read the question. Read it again. What is it asking?
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- Why does the writer describe the sea?
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To help the reader understand what the sea looks like and what it is doing to Robinson.
- What do you think the writer is comparing the sea to?
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To an animal or a monster because some of the things the sea does are aggressive and non-human actions.
- Explain what you mean.
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The sea must be strong enough to 'catch' a man like a strong animal or monster could. Swallowing a man is a non-human action.
- Answer the question by explaining what impression this gives of the sea. Refer to the language feature if you can.
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The writer gives the impression of how strong and violent the sea is, and how it is behaving in an aggressive way as a monster or an animal would. The writer describes the sea as though it has a mind of its own. This is a metaphorical description.
- Check your answer.