New
New
Year 10
AQA

Emulating Saint's use of an anti-climax in 'Hera'

I can use symbolism and semantic fields to emulate Saint's use of an anti-climax.

New
New
Year 10
AQA

Emulating Saint's use of an anti-climax in 'Hera'

I can use symbolism and semantic fields to emulate Saint's use of an anti-climax.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Saint arguably uses an anti-climax in order to subvert the reader's expectations about ambition and power.
  2. In order to craft an anti-climax, Saint uses symbolism and semantic fields to create ideas of transience.
  3. In order to emulate Saint's work, we might use the symbolism of water and repetition of a verb which implies departing.
  4. Furthermore, we might consider using a semantic field of being unbalanced.

Keywords

  • Anti-climax - when something is much less exciting or dramatic than it was expected to be

  • Transience - the state or fact of lasting only for a short time

  • Futile - achieving no result; not effective or successful

  • Subvert - to criticise or undermine the usual way of doing something or common values

Common misconception

That anti-climaxes are always disappointing to the reader.

While some people may find them disappointing, they can also be useful in teaching us something about our own expectations around endings and resolutions.

It might be useful to read the final two pages of Jennifer Saint's 'Hera' so pupils can see how Saint crafts the anti-climax using symbolism and semantic fields.
Teacher tip

Equipment

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.
In Greek mythology, who is the ruler of the gods?
Ares
Hades
Poseidon
Correct answer: Zeus
Q2.
In Greek mythology, who is Hera?
the wife of Hades
Correct answer: the wife of Zeus
the goddess of love
Correct answer: the goddess of marriage
Q3.
'When something is much less exciting or dramatic than it was expected to be' is the definition of an ...
Correct Answer: anti-climax, anticlimax, anti climax
Q4.
'To criticise or undermine the usual way of doing something or common values' is the definition of which word beginning with 's'?
Correct Answer: subvert, subversion
Q5.
Which of the following is a synonym of the verb 'to leave'?
Correct answer: withdraw
Correct answer: recede
advance
prolong
Q6.
'A group of words that is related in meaning' is the definition of a ...
Correct Answer: semantic field

6 Questions

Q1.
Which of the following is an accurate summary of Jennifer Saint's 'Hera'?
Zeus imprisons Hera and reclaims his place as unopposed ruler.
Hera overthrows Zeus and claims her place as ruler.
Correct answer: Hera chooses not to destroy Zeus.
Poseidon and Hera work together to overthrow Zeus.
Q2.
Arguably, we might consider Saint's ending to 'Hera' as ...
a resolution
Correct answer: an anti-climax
a cliffhanger
a plot twist
Q3.
In 'Hera', Saint uses the symbolism of __________ to craft an anti-climactic ending.
fire
Correct answer: water
earth
Q4.
Which of the following would create a semantic field with the words "crumpled" and "creased"?
Correct answer: wrinkled
smooth
Correct answer: rumpled
sharp
Q5.
'The state or fact of lasting only for a short time' is the definition of which word beginning with 't'?
Correct Answer: transience, transient
Q6.
'Achieving no result; not effective or successful' is the definition of which word beginning with 'f'?
Correct Answer: futile