GCSE English Lang question 2 - Can anyone have a look at this please ?

Extract:

It came on great oiled, resilient, striding legs. It towered thirty feet above half of the trees, a
great evil god, folding its delicate watchmaker’s claws close to its oily reptilian chest. Each
lower leg was a piston, a thousand pounds of white bone, sunk in thick ropes of muscle,
sheathed over in a gleam of pebbled skin like the armour of a terrible warrior. Each thigh
was a ton of meat, ivory, and steel mesh. And from the great breathing cage of the upper
body, those two delicate arms dangled out front, arms with hands which might pick up and
examine men like toys, while the snake neck coiled. And the head itself, a ton of sculptured
stone, lifted easily upon the sky. Its mouth gaped, exposing a fence of teeth like daggers.
Its eyes rolled, ostrich eggs, empty of all expression save hunger. It closed its mouth in a
death grin. It ran, its pelvic bones crushing aside trees and bushes, its taloned feet clawing
damp earth, leaving prints six inches deep wherever it settled its weight.

How does the writer use language here to describe the Tyrannosaurus Rex?

You could include the writer’s choice of:
• words and phrases
• language features and techniques
• sentence forms.

My answer:

The writer uses a variety of language to describe the Tyrannosaurus Rex in this extract. He describes the creature as a "great evil god", juxtaposing the adjectives "great" and "evil" to demonstrate the ranking of the Tyrannosaurus is classified at the top of the pyramid, where the god would usually be placed. This highlights the fact that this vicious; fierce and merciless creature is compared to the level of a god. And this signifies that the Tyrannosaurus Rex is almighty and all-powerful, capable of doing anything. By this, the writer represents the Tyrannosaurus Rex as a danger to everyone.

Additionally, the imagery "thirty feet above half of the trees" emphasises the size of this creature, clearly presenting the level of power and superiority this monstrous creature has despite knowing the world is dominated by humans. But because of its massive body, it creates a sense of danger and fear to those who surround him, making them feel vulnerable and inferior to him, implying that those who are below them are most likely to be irrelevant and easy to destroy.

Furthermore, the writer uses the metaphor "exposing a fence of teeth like daggers", this foreshadows the up-coming danger and a threatening element to everyone. The noun "daggers" has a connotation of revenge, betrayal and threat. This could also suggest the revenge of the Tyrannosaurus over humanity, thinking that they could be the reason because of their extinction and taking this chance to vent his anger on them for something that they are unaware of. However, the noun "fence" acts as a barrier contrasting the deadly "daggers". The contrast between the nouns "fence" and "daggers" suggest that the Tyrannosaurus is hesitant wheater if he's making the right choice or not just like us, humans.

Reply 1

username3505642

wow, that looks great! It's got good analysis + great quotes with a range of points. you're only fault is you've misspelt 'whether' - everything else is amazing!

Reply 2

ᴋ-ᴘᴏᴘ ꜰᴏʀᴇᴠᴇʀ

Original post by girl4

wow, that looks great! It's got good analysis + great quotes with a range of points. you're only fault is you've misspelt 'whether' - everything else is amazing!

Thank you so much!

Reply 3

lucyameliax

this is perfect!!!! my advice for you would be to try and find quotes in the extract that could be seen as portraying the same image/idea and linking it on to the first, that would secure top marks!!
have fun :h:

GCSE English Lang question 2 - Can anyone have a look at this please ?

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you