AQA GCSE The Woman in Black 2016 *official thread*

There is no such thing as a 'good quote'. Every quote can be analysed and manipulated to answer a question. Almost every line will have some literary device of some sort.

Also, what types of literary techniques are there to pick out of a quote such as plosives, sibilants etc. ?

Good! I like the analysis of language, though I am slightly concerned about how obviously, 'Roaring' relates to fire so that's a bit audacious. Also you could relate the ideas of nature to the sublime and I'd go as far as to say the following:

The sibilance primarily evokes ideas of slightly calmer waves with a soft hissing. This is suddenly broken by the plosives suddenly turning calmer waters into the apparent battering "gales", where the sudden change not only exercises the sublime but also shows how unpredictable nature can be.This also further suggests how capricious and unpredictable the WIB herself can be, as the WIB herself is intrinsic to a supernatural realm of nature. This only creates greater terror in the reader as a "pig-headed" Mr Kipps wishes to reason with what is an unpredictable being, an embodiment of the unforeseeable sublime.

Your turn to offer a quote

Okay thanks but the question was more aimed at how do you find a quote to use quickly to do with the point you're making when in the exam or are you learning quotes now that could be useful in the exam? I mean it's quite a long novel so it may take a while to find a quote to back up your point.

I'm sort of doing both. While I read, I make analytical points and that just allows me to remember roughly where that quote is in the book so I can quickly access it. However you should have a rough idea of where certain elements are in the book to find quotes to analyse. For example a question on Eel Marsh House should instantly trigger you to search in the chapter Across the Causeway as this is where Eel Marsh House is described.

Lovely, your analysis is so thorough and articulate.

"All the world went dark around me and the shouts and happy cries of all the children faded."
"I felt all over again the renewed power emanating from her, the malevolence and hatred and passionate bitterness. It pierced me through."

How does Hill present Kipps and the woman in black?

Hill describes the "renewed power" of the WIB as "the [...] passionate bitterness". Here, the use of the determiner "the" is particularly intriguing as it suggests that the "passionate bitterness" is almost like a separate character, a separate tangible being from the WIB herself. This thus emphasises how the bitterness is so great that it is enough to sustain a whole physical embodiment which is detached from the WIB and is like a physical person shrouding Kipps' world into the "dark".

Additionally the plosives in "passionate bitterness" further create a verbal punch sound effect, like a clasped fist punching a solid object, yet this is heavily by the word "pierced". The verbal punch suggests a force that throws oneself back in a more blunt manner while "pierced" creates the idea of the "malevolence and hatred" actually cutting through Kipps rather than just physically 'punching' him. This contrasting aggression allows Hill to present Kipps as greatly defeated by the WIB, as he has has been attacked in almost every manner possible (both 'punched' and "pierced" allowing for greater vulnerability to latch onto Kipps' character.

I could go on! This is really fun, and it is productive!

Here's the next:

"We rumbled on in the nasty train, in silence - save for the huffing of the engine, and the clanking of iron wheels upon iron rail, and the occasional whistle, and the bursts of rain, like sprays of light artillery fire, upon the window"

How does Hill present the atmosphere in the above?

Love the idea of her 'passionate bitterness' being a separate entity, seamlessly put. I would also possibly pick up on the polysyndeton, stringing together three elements, 'malevolence', 'hatred', 'passionate biterness' - and go on to comment on the connotations of each and relentless effect of the phrase.

There is so much to comment on, I'm struggling but I'll do my best.

Hill employs an asyndetic list to ensconce the reader in Kipps' reality, her sensory description brings the railway to life in all of its Victorian Gothic vigour, which Kipps relished. She sets a tone of trepidation by personifying the engine as 'huffing'- blended with the semantics of 'clanking' which evoke a metallic, brassy feel - this sits incongruently with the 'artillery fire' against the window. The magnitude of the list culminates where Hill uses the powerful simile, to suggest the weather's malevolent attack on Kipps, as if the 'bursts of rain' are, in fact, incited by the woman in black herself. The chaotic action of the 'nasty train' forms a sharp contrast with the 'silence' perceived by Kipps, his subconscious appears detached and isolated, perhaps this stems from his Londoner's 'sense of superiority'- intensifying the reader's impression of his vulnerability. Altogether, Hill evokes dread by transforming the inanimate, infecting it with dark elements of evil.

Great. I like the the detached subconscious. You could also relate this to the Gothic idea of repetitive compulsion. Also the idea of "iron" is reminiscent of the WIB herself as she is described as having a "rusted" face, showing how the essence of the WIB are inescapable and exists everywhere, meaning there is no escape for Kipps.

You guys have some really complex ideas and I'm aiming for a* but I don't analyse to this kind of complex detail.

Fantastic parallel- I like it. I have a feeling we are going to be absolutely fine on Monday, but maybe we should have a brief discussion about theme: as in isolation, the supernatural, revenge.. ?

Sure! The supernatural is superficially evident throughout (e.g. Sound of the Pony and Trap etc.) and I'm rather sure this will not come up (as it partially emerged last year).

Another overlooked theme is the idea of childhood and motherhood (both of these have come up before) and both tie into the aforementioned theme of revenge (WIB kills children out of revenge etc.)

Isolation and the sublime have not yet come up and could do so this time. There is also the conspiracy of silence theme which is a major plot thread which has not come up before.

Yes, I'm revising isolation (link to place) , the conspiracy of silence, Kipps (although he has come up before, the character of the woman in black, Jerome

And bit of analysis on each chapter because the questions tend to focus on specific chapters at times. I don't think there is really anything else they could ask about. But a well structured essay and substantial language analysis is sufficient for achieving the top band, right?

Of course. I am slightly concerned as I have only read the book through once and then read parts of it after that. Is that substantial? How many times have you read the book? Also what resources are you using for revision?

How would you guys analyse the quote 'innocence, once lost, is lost forever'?

Talk about the narrative viewpoint here, intervention from his former self - which leaks information into the story. Look at the repetition of 'lost', how it adds to a sense of profound desolation - which can only be induced by some ethereal/extraneous force and how this builds foreboding etc.. Then link this to the nursery scene or the ending, to add depth. If you write an analysis, I can read it though and give you feedback.