New
New
Year 10
Eduqas

Analysing Saramago's use of structural devices in 'Blindness'

I can confidently write a piece of structural analysis about an unseen fiction text.

New
New
Year 10
Eduqas

Analysing Saramago's use of structural devices in 'Blindness'

I can confidently write a piece of structural analysis about an unseen fiction text.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Considering the ordering of ideas is important when analysing the structure of a text.
  2. Saramago purposely withholds information in 'Blindness' to build suspense and intrigue.
  3. We must always ask ourselves why a writer chose to structure their writing in the way they did.
  4. Time conjunctions can help us to write effective structural analysis.

Keywords

  • Time conjunction - words that connect clauses by indicating time relationships between them

  • Suspense - a state of anxious uncertainty about what may happen

  • Withhold - refrain from giving

Common misconception

Students may assume that they need to identify and name specific structural devices in their structural analysis.

An answer simply referencing 'the beginning, middle and end' can make for a successful structural analysis.

In Learning Cycle 1, you may want to read the text and annotate it as a class.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You will need access to the opening two paragraphs to José Saramago's 'Blindness' for this lesson.

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match the key terms with their definition.
Correct Answer:language,the words and phrases a writer uses for effect

the words and phrases a writer uses for effect

Correct Answer:form,the style of a text

the style of a text

Correct Answer:structure,how a text is organised

how a text is organised

Q2.
Which of these is not a structural feature?
repetition
focus shift
Correct answer: simile
Q3.
Match these structural terms with their definition
Correct Answer:climax,the most exciting part of a text

the most exciting part of a text

Correct Answer:pace,the speed at which a narrative progresses

the speed at which a narrative progresses

Correct Answer:contrast,when two things are shown to be different from one another

when two things are shown to be different from one another

Q4.
What is a conjunction?
a word that replaces a noun
a word that describes a verb
Correct answer: a word that connects clauses
Q5.
Which of the below would slowly build suspense in a text?
telling the reader exactly what the threat is as soon as they begin reading
Correct answer: hinting at a threat but making the reader wait before revealing it
repeatedly using similes
Q6.
Match each word to the part of the text they would help to describe.
Correct Answer:initially,beginning

beginning

Correct Answer:next,middle

middle

Correct Answer:finally,end

end

6 Questions

Q1.
What does the first sentence of the opening of 'Blindness' by José Saramago focus on?
a specific vehicle that doesn't move
Correct answer: an amber traffic light
a blind man
Q2.
What is the climactic moment in the opening of 'Blindness' by José Saramago?
Correct answer: It is revealed that a man in a traffic jam is blind.
It is revealed that a man in a traffic jam is deaf.
It is revealed that man in a traffic jam is unconscious.
Q3.
In 'Blindness' what technique does José Saramago use to create suspense?
onomatopoeia
dialogue
Correct answer: withholding information
Q4.
We can track how a writer builds suspense across a text by writing about …
the opening sentence of a text.
Correct answer: the begining, middle and end of a text.
the length of every sentence.
Q5.
Which type of conjunction will help us write about the ordering of an extract?
subordinating
Correct answer: time
correlative
Q6.
Which conjunction is missing from this sentence about 'Blindness': " , Saramago offers a climax: the man behind the wheel of the stationary car is blind"?
initially
next
Correct answer: finally