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Year 10
AQA

Emulating Ian McEwan's use of a plot twist in 'Atonement'

I can use figurative language, juxtaposition and repetition to emulate McEwan’s use of an emotional plot twist.

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Year 10
AQA

Emulating Ian McEwan's use of a plot twist in 'Atonement'

I can use figurative language, juxtaposition and repetition to emulate McEwan’s use of an emotional plot twist.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. To emulate McEwan’s emotional plot twist, we might use figurative language to influence the readers’ expectations.
  2. We may then use juxtaposition to contrast their expectations with the reality of the situation.
  3. We could use repetition to emphasise the emotion behind the plot twist.
  4. We could also use consonant sounds in order to enhance the tone of the plot twist.

Keywords

  • Plot twist - a radical change in the direction or expected outcome of the plot in a work of fiction

  • Juxtaposition - two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect

  • Figurative language - uses words and ideas to suggest meaning and create mental images; not literal

  • Plosive - sounds articulated with an abrupt release of air like "p", "b" or "t"

  • Euphony - words that form a pleasant sound through soft vowel sounds and consonants such as “m” and “l”

Common misconception

That plot twists always turn a happy story to an unhappy story.

While some classic plot twists do turn a happy story to an unhappy story, it's not true of all plot twists.


To help you plan your year 10 english lesson on: Emulating Ian McEwan's use of a plot twist in 'Atonement', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

You might extend the discussions around plot twists by asking pupils to consider what plot twists they have encountered in literature or film.
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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).

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
'A radical change in the direction or expected outcome of the plot in a work of fiction' is the definition of a .
Correct Answer: plot twist, plot twists
Q2.
'Uses words and ideas to suggest meaning and create mental images' is the definition of ...
ambitious language.
Correct answer: figurative language.
persuasive language.
Q3.
Which of the following is an example of figurative language?
anaphora
Correct answer: personification
dialogue
Q4.
'The idea that things represent other things' is the definition of which word beginning with 's'?
Correct Answer: symbolism, symbol, symbolic
Q5.
'Two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect' is the definition of which word beginning with 'j'?
Correct Answer: juxtaposition, juxtapose, juxtaposed
Q6.
'The attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something non-human' is the definition of .
Correct Answer: personification

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
In McEwan's 'Atonement', the plot twist was that ...
Robbie and Cecilia lived happily ever after.
Correct answer: Robbie and Cecilia died during the war.
Robbie and Cecilia ultimately couldn't make their relationship work.
Q2.
Which word would you repeat to create a sense of negativity in a piece of creative writing?
Correct answer: ended
begun
ongoing
Q3.
'Sounds articulated with an abrupt release of air like "p", "b" or "t"' is the definition of which word beginning with 'p'?
Correct Answer: plosive, plosive sound, plosive sounds
Q4.
Which of the following sentences uses plosive sounds?
The jasmine flowers felt velvety and smooth to touch.
The soft lullaby drifted melodically through the breeze.
Correct answer: The blackened tar dripped down and puddled on the ground.
Q5.
'Words that form a pleasant sound through soft vowel sounds and consonants such as “m” and “l”' is the definition of which word beginning with 'e'?
Correct Answer: euphony, euphonic, euphonic sound, euphonic sounds
Q6.
Which of the following sentences uses euphonic sounds?
Correct answer: The gentle, meandering stream lapped at the shore.
The fast, roaring stream pounded the shore.
The bubbling, ferocious stream burst its banks.