New
New
Year 10
AQA
Emulating Saramago's use of structure in 'Blindness'
I can use interesting structural features to create an engaging narrative opening.
New
New
Year 10
AQA
Emulating Saramago's use of structure in 'Blindness'
I can use interesting structural features to create an engaging narrative opening.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- You can utilise elements from a traditional story arc to help you create an interesting narrative opening.
- A mundane setting offers an opportunity for an interesting shift in tone.
- Shifting from a wider setting to a close focus on a specific thing or person demonstrates control of focus.
- Saramago crafts a shift in tone with the conjunction 'but', a list and the manipulation of sentence length.
- You can build suspense in a narrative by making the reader wait longer for a climax.
Keywords
Mundane - ordinary and therefore not interesting
Climax - the most important or exciting part of a story
Tension - a feeling of nervousness
Innovate - to introduce changes and new ideas
Common misconception
The traditional story arc can only be applied to full narratives.
You can find elements of the traditional story arc in writing of any length.
In Learning Cycle 2, take time to brainstorm multiple ideas for innovating on Saramago's structure (in addition to Aisha's) so your students feel confident tackling the practice task.
Teacher tip
Equipment
You will need access to the first two paragraphs from Chapter 1 of 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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Starter quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
Match the different parts of the story with the correct definition.
an introduction to a scene or characters
part of a story where tension builds
the narrative reaches the peak of tension
Q2.
Which of the below could be described as mundane?
going on holiday
redecorating your house
Q3.
What is a clause?
a long sentence
a short phrase
Q4.
Which of the below might build tension?
describing the weather at a beach
keeping a consistent tone throughout an extract
Q5.
Which of the below uses sensory language?
The room had a lot of flowers.
Roses stood on the windowsill.
Q6.
What type of sentence would slow down the pace of a narrative the most?
simple
compound
Exit quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
What can be used to set the scene successfully at the beginning of a narrative?
contrasting conjunctions
direct address
Q2.
Why might Saramago have chosen to begin his narrative by describing a mundane traffic setting in 'Blindness'?
to make the reader feel in awe of the setting
Q3.
How could you craft a sentence to build tension?
use a semantic field
describe the sensory experiences within a mundane setting
Q4.
"Each pair of legs was a cog in a machine: quick, determined, relentless, but one pair halted the rhythm: faltering limp, immobile." Which word here presents a shift?
quick
one
Q5.
Starting with the first, put the parts of Saramago's opening to 'Blindness' in chronological order.
Q6.
What is unique about the sentence that Saramago uses to reveal the man is blind in the opening of 'Blindness'?
it is incredibly short
it is a sentence fragment