Touching the Void by Joe Simpson - Study & Revision Pack



Touching the Void

Joe Simpson

GCSE English Literature

Study & Revision Pack

Unit 1 - Outline

In this unit you will study two modern texts and one that will require you to explore a culture different from your own. On this exam paper, the word ‘modern’ means any text that was written after 1945.

When you study your texts for Unit 1, you will look at three different areas:

• Ideas, themes and issues

• Characterisation

• Settings

But one very important area you must never forget is to think about how the writer uses language and structure to build their text.

Unit 1 – the Exam

The key information about the Unit 1 is as follows:

• You will have 1 hour 30 minutes to complete the tasks.

• Two sections to complete.

• Section A on your modern text.

• Section B on your text from other cultures.

Unit 1 – The Assessment Objectives

Assessment Objectives are the things that your teacher and the examiner want you to be able to do when you write your answers on the Unit 1 exam.

You can see the Assessment Objectives for Unit 1 in the table below

|ASSESSMENT OBJECTIVE |WHAT IS IT ASKING FOR? |IN STUDENT-SPEAK |

|AO1 |Respond critically and imaginatively; select and |Come up with your own ideas about the texts. |

| |evaluate relevant textual detail to illustrate and |Use and comment on quotations to support your |

| |support interpretations |ideas. |

|AO2 |Explain how language, structure and form contribute|Write about features of language and structure that|

| |to writers’ presentation of ideas, themes and |you think are effective. |

| |settings. |Explain how the use of language links to the ideas |

| | |that the writer is trying to explore in the text. |

|AO4 |Relate texts to their social, cultural and |Say how the text has been influenced by the time in|

| |historical contexts; explain how texts have been |which it was written. |

| |influential and significant to self and other |Explain how texts have had an influence on their |

| |readers in different contexts and at different |readers. |

| |times. | |

Annotating your copy of Touching the Void

Plot Overview

Touching the Void tells the powerful story of two climbers – Joe Simpson and Simon Yates – and their expedition to climb the daunting west face of the Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes. The story follows the men as they attempt this daring feat for the first time; no other climbers have ever endeavoured to climb the Siula Grande. Amongst their fellow mountaineers, if the men were successful, this would be considered a massive achievement.

Joe and Simon overcome significant obstacles on the first few days of their expedition, including snowstorms and dangerous terrain, to arrive at the summit on day three of their trip. When the men stand at the summit they are effectively four miles above sea level; an incredible achievement.

However, as the men attempt their descent down the dangerous North Ridge, disaster strikes the mountaineers when Joe falls and breaks his leg. In an attempt to rescue Simpson using a complicated rope manoeuvre, Yates inadvertently lowers Simpson off a cliff. In order to save himself from near-certain death, Yates is forced to cut the rope joining them together.

Simpson wakes to find himself on a small ledge. He assumes – rightly – that Yates will think he is dead. In turn, Simpson must find his own way back to safety and proceeds to crawl, walk and struggle back to the base camp.

Narrative – Revision Questions

1. What is the location for the action of Touching the Void?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Why is climbing Siula Grande such an important challenge for the two men?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. How many days does it take the men to reach the summit?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Exactly how far above sea-level is the summit of the mountain?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Siula Grande forms part of which mountain range?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. What is the name of the ridge that the men attempt their descent from?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. What are the bones that Joe breaks when he injures himself?

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8. Where does Simon spend the night following his separation from Joe?

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9. When Joe wakes up, what does he assume Simon will think about him?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

10. How does Joe get a sense that he is on the right track when he heads back to camp?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

11. Why does Simon become angry when he returns to Base Camp?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

12. In the final chapter, describe Joe’s feelings towards Simon.

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Getting into Touching the Void

Touching the Void: Engaging with the novel’s ideas…

Keeping Track: Chapter by Chapter

|Key Events in Chapter ____________________________________|Key Character Quotations |

| |______________________________________________________________________________|

|__________________________________________________________|______________________________________________________________________________|

|__________________________________________________________|______________________________________________________________________________|

|__________________________________________________________|______________________________________________________________________________|

|__________________________________________________________|_____________________________ |

|__________________________________________________________| |

|__________________________________________________________| |

|__________________________________________________________| |

|__________________________________________________________| |

|__________________________________________________________| |

|__________________________________________________________| |

|__________________________________________________________| |

|_________________________________________ | |

| |Key Themes |

| |______________________________________________________________________________|

| |______________________________________________________________________________|

| |______________________________________________________________________________|

| |______________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________ |

| |Key Characters |

| |______________________________________________________________________________|

| |______________________________________________________________________________|

| |______________________________________________________________________________|

| |______________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________ |

Chapter 1: Beneath the Mountain Lakes

( The opening chapter of the novel is key to our understanding of why Simon and Joe decide to climb the mountain in the first place. The vivid descriptions of the mountain give the reader a clear sense of their amazement at this natural wonder.

( In the space below, draw your impression of the mountain as it is described and label it with quotations to show how you came to see the mountain in this way.

Chapter 1: Beneath the Mountain Lakes (Enlarge to A3)

( In the early parts of the text, Joe describes each of the previous summit attempts and the problems associated with them. He is making us as the reader aware of these failed attempts in order to build tension in anticipation of their climb.

( Complete the table below identifying the problems that arose with each of the attempts to climb to the summit. In the final column explain how this helps to build tension.

|Attempt |Problems |How is tension created? |

| | | |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

Chapter 1: Beneath the Mountain Lakes – Getting to know the characters (Enlarge to A3)

( In the opening chapter we learn a lot about Joe and Simon. Work in pairs to complete the venn diagram below to show their similarities and differences. Add quotations to the chart to support your ideas.

Joe Simon

Chapter 1: Beneath the Mountain Lakes – Extension Activities

1. Imagine that you are Joe or Simon, write a letter from the base-camp to your family explaining the scene at Siula Grande.

2. Imagine that you are a TV producer who is accompanying Joe and Simon on their trip – work with other students to script and perform a news broadcast at the beginning of their expedition.

3. Based on the information in this chapter, produce a guide for climbers entitled ‘Preparing to Climb Siula Grande’. Your guide should be informative and appropriate for your audience.

Touching the Void: The Characters

1. Complete the character profiles Joe Simpson, Simon Yates & Richard Hawkings.

2. Use adjectives to describe them.

3. Add quotations to support your ideas.

Character Profile – Joe Simpson (Enlarge to A3)

|Who is Joe Simpson? |

|_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

|_________________________________ |

|What is Joe’s role in the novel? |

|_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

|_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

|______________________________ |

|How does the writer create Joe’s character? |

|Point |Evidence (quote) |Explain & Analyse |

| | | |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|My personal response to Joe |

|_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

|_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

|______________________________ |

Character Profile – Simon Yates (Enlarge to A3)

|Who is Simon Yates? |

|_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

|_________________________________________ |

|What is Simon’s role in the novel? |

|_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

|_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

|______________________________ |

|How does the writer create Simon’s character? |

|Point |Evidence (quote) |Explain & Analyse |

| | | |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|My personal response to Simon |

|_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

|_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

|______________________________ |

Character Profile – Richard Hawkings (Enlarge to A3)

|Who is Richard Hawkings? |

|_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

|___________________________________ |

|What is Richards’s role in the novel? |

|_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

|_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

|______________________________ |

|How does the writer create Richard’s character? |

|Point |Evidence (quote) |Explain & Analyse |

| | | |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|My personal response to Richard |

|_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

|_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

|______________________________ |

Character Extension Task - Keeping Track: Joe and Simon’s Relationship

Consider the relationship between Joe and Simon and how it develops and changes through the novel. Copy and complete the table below to show the changes.

|Chapter |What is the same? |What is different? |

| | | |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|________________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |_______________________ |_______________________ |

Character Extension Tasks

1. Which of the two characters do you most relate to and why?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What are the key differences between Simon and Joe, and how does this generate tension and interest in the novel?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Think about the novel as a whole. How do the interactions of the characters help to develop the narrative?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. What do the periods of time when the characters are alone reveal about their personalities?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Keeping Track: Setting (Enlarge to A3)

( One of the key characters of the novel is, in a sense, the setting of the novel. It is the unforgiving nature of the setting that causes Joe and Simon to end up in the precarious situation at the heart of the novel. Complete the table below to show the location, events and their importance in each chapter

|Setting |Importance |

|in |_____________________________________________________________________ |

|Touching |_______________________ |

|the Void |_____________________________________________________________________ |

| |____________________________________________________________________________________________ |

| |_______________________ |

| |_____________________________________________________________________ |

| |______________________________________________ |

| |______________________________________________ |

| |Events |

| |_____________________________________________________________________ |

| |_______________________ |

| |_____________________________________________________________________ |

| |____________________________________________________________________________________________ |

| |_______________________ |

| |_____________________________________________________________________ |

| |______________________________________________ |

| |______________________________________________ |

| |Location |

| |_____________________________________________________________________ |

| |_______________________ |

| |_____________________________________________________________________ |

| |____________________________________________________________________________________________ |

| |_______________________ |

| |_____________________________________________________________________ |

| |______________________________________________ |

| |______________________________________________ |

| |Chapter Number |

| |_____________________________________________________________________ |

| |_______________________ |

| |_____________________________________________________________________ |

| |____________________________________________________________________________________________ |

| |_______________________ |

| |_____________________________________________________________________ |

| |______________________________________________ |

| |______________________________________________ |

Keeping Track: Specific Settings

( Using the specific key settings listed below, complete the tables to show their significance in the novel.

|Siula Grande |Base Camp |

| |The North Ridge | |

|The Summit |Joe’s Crevasse |

Specific Settings: Siula Grande

|Textual Evidence| |

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_________ |

|What does the | |

|setting signify |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

|& symbolise? |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_________ |

|Which events | |

|take place here?|_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_________ |

|Chapter | |

|Number(s) |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_________ |

|Location | |

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_________ |

Specific Settings: Base Camp

|Textual Evidence| |

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_________ |

|What does the | |

|setting signify |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

|& symbolise? |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_________ |

|Which events | |

|take place here?|_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_________ |

|Chapter | |

|Number(s) |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_________ |

|Location | |

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_________ |

Specific Settings: The North Ridge

|Textual Evidence| |

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_________ |

|What does the | |

|setting signify |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

|& symbolise? |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_________ |

|Which events | |

|take place here?|_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_________ |

|Chapter | |

|Number(s) |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_________ |

|Location | |

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_________ |

Specific Settings: The Summit

|Textual Evidence| |

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_________ |

|What does the | |

|setting signify |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

|& symbolise? |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_________ |

|Which events | |

|take place here?|_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_________ |

|Chapter | |

|Number(s) |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_________ |

|Location | |

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_________ |

Specific Settings: Joe’s Crevasse

|Textual Evidence| |

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_________ |

|What does the | |

|setting signify |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

|& symbolise? |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_________ |

|Which events | |

|take place here?|_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_________ |

|Chapter | |

|Number(s) |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_________ |

|Location | |

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________|

| |_________ |

Touching the Void: Setting – Extension Questions

1. Why do you think that the Peruvian Andes is an effective setting for a novel about survival and despair?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. How do you think Simpson has used the different settings to structure the novel?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. In Chapter 7, Joe’s descriptions of the crevasse focus very heavily on the ‘darkness’ and ‘black spaces’ surrounding him. How and why is this effective?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Touching the Void: Themes

( There are five key themes that you need to understand. However, towards the end of this section, some more complex themes are explored. To give yourself the opportunity to achieve the higher grades, you will want to make sure that you think about them and how they relate to other ideas in the novel.

( The key themes of the novel are shown below. In the spaces provided, try to explain what you think each one refers to in the novel.

|THEME |EXPLANATION |

|Adventure | |

| |______________________________________________________________ |

| |______________________________________________________________ |

| |______________________________________________________________ |

|The Wilderness | |

| |______________________________________________________________ |

| |______________________________________________________________ |

| |______________________________________________________________ |

|Isolation | |

| |______________________________________________________________ |

| |______________________________________________________________ |

| |______________________________________________________________ |

|Rescue | |

| |______________________________________________________________ |

| |______________________________________________________________ |

| |______________________________________________________________ |

|Hope | |

| |______________________________________________________________ |

| |______________________________________________________________ |

| |______________________________________________________________ |

Themes in Touching the Void – Adventure (Enlarge to A3)

( Use this worksheet to collect quotations about the theme explored in the central box.

|Man’s Thirst for Adventure – Key Quotations |Adventure |The Triumph of Adventure – Key Quotations |

|_______________________ |One of the central motivations for Simon and |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |Joe appears to be their determination to |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |conquer one of the most treacherous mountains|_______________________ |

|_______________________ |in the world. This is a mountain, after all,|_______________________ |

|_______________________ |that no other mountaineer has endeavoured to |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |climb. Simpson uses this idea to explore the|_______________________ |

|_______________________ |theme of adventure throughout the novel. |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |When tragedy strikes and Joe is left alone, |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |stranded and injured, it brings the idea of |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |adventure clearly into focus: were the two |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |men too ambitious? Were they stupid to |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |attempt such an endeavour? Or is there |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |something far more fundamental that drives |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |man’s determination to tackle nature’s |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |challenges? |_______________________ |

|_______________________ | |_______________________ |

|_______________________ | |_______________________ |

|_______________________ | |_______________________ |

|_______________________ | |_______________________ |

|_______________________ | |_______________________ |

|_______________________ | |_______________________ |

|_______________________ | |_______________________ |

|_______________________ | |_______________________ |

|_______________________ | |_______________________ |

| |The Dangers of Adventure – Key Quotations | |

| |_______________________ | |

| |_______________________ | |

| |_______________________ | |

| |_______________________ | |

| |_______________________ | |

| |_______________________ | |

| |_______________________ | |

| |_______________________ | |

| |_______________________ | |

| |_______________________ | |

| |_______________________ | |

Keeping Track: Themes in Touching the Void – Adventure (Enlarge to A3)

▪ In the table below is a section for each of the chapters where the theme of adventure is explored.

▪ For each chapter you need to identify and make a note of three quotations that show the theme.

▪ In the final column, explain how the quotations you have recorded show the theme.

|THE THEME OF ADVENTURE |

|CHAPTER |QUOTATION |HOW DOES THIS SHOW THE THEME OF ADVENTURE? |

|Beneath the Mountain Lakes | | |

| |_________________________ |_________________________ |

| |_________________________ |_________________________ |

| |_________________________ |_________________________ |

|Tempting Fate | | |

| |_________________________ |_________________________ |

| |_________________________ |_________________________ |

| |_________________________ |_________________________ |

|Storm at the Summit | | |

| |_________________________ |_________________________ |

| |_________________________ |_________________________ |

| |_________________________ |_________________________ |

|A Land Without Pity | | |

| |_________________________ |_________________________ |

| |_________________________ |_________________________ |

| |_________________________ |_________________________ |

Themes in Touching the Void – The Wilderness (Enlarge to A3)

( Use this worksheet to collect quotations about the theme explored in the central box.

|The Brutality of the Wilderness – Key |The Wilderness |Overcoming the Wilderness – Key Quotations |

|Quotations |One of the most haunting aspects of the novel| |

|_______________________ |is the way that the characters, at different |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |points in the novel, are forced to confront |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |the loneliness of the environment around |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |them. Indeed, they are not faced with just |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |the loneliness, but also the vicious and, at |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |times, aggressive nature of their |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |surroundings. In turn, the wilderness, its |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |power and brutality are central ideas at the |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |heart of the novel. |_______________________ |

|_______________________ | |_______________________ |

|_______________________ | |_______________________ |

|_______________________ | |_______________________ |

|_______________________ | |_______________________ |

|_______________________ | |_______________________ |

|_______________________ | |_______________________ |

|_______________________ | |_______________________ |

|_______________________ | |_______________________ |

|_______________________ | |_______________________ |

|_______________________ | |_______________________ |

|_______________________ | |_______________________ |

|_______________________ | |_______________________ |

|_______________________ | |_______________________ |

|_______________________ | |_______________________ |

|_______________________ | |_______________________ |

| |The Mystery of the Wilderness - Key | |

| |Quotations | |

| |_______________________ | |

| |_______________________ | |

| |_______________________ | |

| |_______________________ | |

| |_______________________ | |

| |_______________________ | |

| |_______________________ | |

| |_______________________ | |

| |_______________________ | |

| |_______________________ | |

| |_______________________ | |

| |_______________________ | |

| |_______________________ | |

Keeping Track: Themes in Touching the Void – The Wilderness (Enlarge to A3)

▪ In the table below is a section for each of the chapters where the theme of the wilderness is explored.

▪ For each chapter you need to identify and make a note of three quotations that show the theme.

▪ In the final column, explain how the quotations you have recorded show the theme.

|THE THEME OF ADVENTURE |

|CHAPTER |QUOTATION |HOW DOES THIS SHOW THE THEME OF WILDERNESS? |

|Tempting Fate | | |

| |_________________________ |_________________________ |

| |_________________________ |_________________________ |

| |_________________________ |_________________________ |

|Storm at the Summit | | |

| |_________________________ |_________________________ |

| |_________________________ |_________________________ |

| |_________________________ |_________________________ |

|On the Edge | | |

| |_________________________ |_________________________ |

| |_________________________ |_________________________ |

| |_________________________ |_________________________ |

|Disaster | | |

| |_________________________ |_________________________ |

| |_________________________ |_________________________ |

| |_________________________ |_________________________ |

Themes in Touching the Void – Isolation (Enlarge to A3)

( Use this worksheet to collect quotations about the theme explored in the central box.

|The Terror of Isolation – Key Quotations |Isolation |Overcoming Isolation – Key Quotations |

|_______________________ |The characters in the novel spend some of |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |their most terrifying moments alone on the |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |mountain. As they face near certain death, |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |they are alone. This is an effective way for|_______________________ |

|_______________________ |Simpson to create tension because it asks the|_______________________ |

|_______________________ |audience to think about how we might find the|_______________________ |

|_______________________ |strength to survive horrific circumstances |_______________________ |

|_______________________ |with only ourselves for support. |_______________________ |

|_______________________ | |_______________________ |

|_______________________ | |_______________________ |

|_______________________ | |_______________________ |

|_______________________ | |_______________________ |

|_______________________ | |_______________________ |

|_______________________ | |_______________________ |

|_______________________ | |_______________________ |

|_______________________ | |_______________________ |

|_______________________ | |_______________________ |

|_______________________ | |_______________________ |

|_______________________ | |_______________________ |

|_______________________ | |_______________________ |

|_______________________ | |_______________________ |

|_______________________ | |_______________________ |

|_______________________ | |_______________________ |

|_______________________ | |_______________________ |

| |The Mental Effects of Isolation – Key | |

| |Quotations | |

| |_______________________ | |

| |_______________________ | |

| |_______________________ | |

| |_______________________ | |

| |_______________________ | |

| |_______________________ | |

| |_______________________ | |

| |_______________________ | |

| |_______________________ | |

| |_______________________ | |

| |_______________________ | |

Keeping Track: Themes in Touching the Void – Isolation (Enlarge to A3)

▪ In the table below is a section for each of the chapters where the theme of isolation is explored.

▪ For each chapter you need to identify and make a note of three quotations that show the theme.

▪ In the final column, explain how the quotations you have recorded show the theme.

|THE THEME OF ADVENTURE |

|CHAPTER |QUOTATION |HOW DOES THIS SHOW THE THEME OF ISOLATION? |

|On the Edge | | |

| |_________________________ |_________________________ |

| |_________________________ |_________________________ |

| |_________________________ |_________________________ |

|Disaster | | |

| |_________________________ |_________________________ |

| |_________________________ |_________________________ |

| |_________________________ |_________________________ |

|Shadows in the Ice | | |

| |_________________________ |_________________________ |

| |_________________________ |_________________________ |

| |_________________________ |_________________________ |

|Silent Witness | | |

| |_________________________ |_________________________ |

| |_________________________ |_________________________ |

| |_________________________ |_________________________ |

Themes in Touching the Void – Rescue & Hope

( Work in groups of four to compile pairs of revision worksheets like the ones above for the themes of ‘Rescue’ and ‘Hope’. Then, work in pairs to identify and make a note of key quotations for both themes.

Language in Touching the Void

• Simpson uses a range of techniques in the text.

• Some of them are listed in the table below.

• Complete the table below for each of the features.

|FEATURE OF LANGUAGE |EXAMPLE FROM THE TEXT |EFFECT |

| | | |

|Vivid description | | |

| | | |

|Sensory description | | |

| | | |

|Subject Specific Language | | |

| | | |

|Motivational Language | | |

| | | |

|Impact Sentences | | |

| | | |

|Direct Speech | | |

| | | |

|Internal Dialogue | | |

Simpson’s Use of Language in Touching the Void

|Feature |Effect on the Reader? |

| | |

✓ Why is Simpson’s language use effective in this example?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

|Feature |Effect on the Reader? |

| | |

✓ Why is Simpson’s language use effective in this example?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Simpson’s Use of Language in Touching the Void

|Feature |Effect on the Reader? |

| | |

✓ Why is Simpson’s language use effective in this example?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

|Feature |Effect on the Reader? |

| | |

✓ Why is Simpson’s language use effective in this example?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Simpson’s Use of Language in Touching the Void

|Feature |Effect on the Reader? |

| | |

✓ Why is Simpson’s language use effective in this example?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

|Feature |Effect on the Reader? |

| | |

✓ Why is Simpson’s language use effective in this example?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Touching the Void – Exam Preparation

|What do I need to know about the Unit 1 Examination? |

|Time Allowed |1 hour 30 minutes |

|How many questions? |Two: one from Section A and one from Section B |

| |Touching the Void is in Section A |

|How many marks? |30 marks |

|Am I allowed my book? |Yes – but it must be clear of all annotations |

Understanding the Mark Scheme

Touching the Void – Sample Response (C)

Choose a passage that is particularly tense.

Write about:

• what is tense in the passage;

• the methods that Simpson uses to create tension.

Annotation

Touching the Void – Sample Response (A*)

Choose a passage that is particularly tense.

Write about:

• what is tense in the passage;

• the methods that Simpson uses to create tension.

Annotation

Touching the Void – Planning a Response (Enlarge to A3)

✓ Use the diagram below to plan your essay and remember to include:

• Points

• Quotations

• Comments on the effects of language

-----------------------

Unit 1 – Exploring Modern Texts: What do I need to know?

Annotating means making notes on a book, play or poem. This is a very important skill because you only have limited space and you need whatever you write to be clear and convey the most meaning in the smallest number of words. Also, you have to remember that you may make an annotation in September which you don’t then look at again until December! So, making the right kinds of annotations is very important. If your teacher will allow you to annotate your text, you should do it like the example below.

Emphasis on colour – contrast to setting of snow covered mountain.

Emphasis on colour – contrast to setting of snow covered mountain.

I was lying in my sleeping bag, staring at the light filtering through the red and green fabric of the dome tent. Simon was snoring loudly, occasionally twitching in his dream world. We could have been anywhere. There is a peculiar anonymity about being in tents. Once the zip is locked and the outside world barred from site, all sense of location disappears. Scotland, the French Alps, the Karakoram, it was always the same. The sound of rustling, fabric flapping in the wind, or of rainfall, the feel of hard lumps under the ground sheet, the smell of rancid socks and sweat – these are universals, as comforting as the warmth of the down sleeping bag.

Shows the sense of isolation that they feel. This place is somewhere they have no connections or anything to relate to.

Shows that the place is disorientating. They have no sense of place here.

( To help you find your way into the novel, use the Internet to do some research on the topics in the boxes below. Record your findings.

The Author – Joe Simpson

The Setting – Siula Grande

The Real Life Characters

( As you probably already know, Touching the Void is a novel about an adventure that goes seriously wrong. To help you begin to empathise with the characters and their situation, complete the tasks below.

Brainstorm everything you know about the story so far – think about what happens, who is in it, when and where it is set…

Think about a time when you have faced adversity, explain to a friend how you reacted…how did you cope?

With your partner, discuss an adventure that you have undertaken – where was it? What happened? What were the risks involved?

What makes a good adventure story? Make a list of the key features and explain why each one is important.

• Look at each of the quotations below.

• Highlight the features of language that you can find.

• Write a paragraph explaining the effects of Simpson’s language.

“We could have been anywhere.”

“It feels menacingly remote and exhilarating at the same time… no hordes of climbers, no helicopters, no rescue – just us and the mountains.”

“Simon was coming up, hitting hard, ice splintering down below him, hitting hard and strong… head down, hitting, hopping, on past me and up without a word.”

“Hit hard. Hit again - that’s it, now the hammer. Look at your feet… no time to answer. This way is wrong. Damn, damn!

“I was standing on an open face with a drop of nearly 4000 feet below me and felt very unnerved by the exposure. There was a long gap of unprotected rope between me and Simon…his anchor was his axes buried in the snow, and I knew all too well how useless these would be if I made a mistake.”

“We had a silent agreement. We both knew the truth…I was injured and unlikely to survive. Simon could down alone…I remained silent, but it was no longer for fear of losing control.”

To get an A* you must

✓ Keep the focus on the question all the way until the end of your answer.

✓ Write with insight – get to the core of what the writer is trying to say.

✓ Use quotation analytically.

✓ Make evaluative comments on language / structure.

✓ Suggest different interpretations of the text.

To get a C you must

✓ Focus on the question.

✓ Use effective quotations to prove your points.

✓ Explain the effects of language on the reader.

✓ Include a range of points in your answer.

Other things to remember!

✓ Re-read the novel several times before the examination.

✓ Keep thinking about quotations that you could use in your answer.

✓ Try and think of a range of points you could use in your answer.

• Look at the sample response below.

• Using the C grade descriptors, identify which of those qualities it demonstrates.

• The response is on the question below.

One of the most tense parts of the book is in Chapter 1, Beneath the Mountain Lakes. At one point Simpson writes ‘It feels menacingly remote and exhilarating at the same time…no helicopters, no rescue – just us and the mountains.” This is a very effective quotation because it helps to build tension for the reader. The reason why this quotation builds tension is because it gives us the impression that Joe and Simon are alone and abandoned in the Andes. The sentence ‘no helicopters, no rescue’ is very effective because he repeats the word ‘no’ which makes us realise that if anything goes wrong that there is no one there to help or save them. This quotation creates tension for the reader because we realise that the two men are alone on the mountains attempting to achieve something that no other mountaineer has ever attempted. We quickly realise that the men are in serious danger.

• Look at the sample response below.

• Using the A* grade descriptors, identify which of those qualities it demonstrates.

• The response is on the question below.

Simpson creates tension in the novel from the first chapter; he evokes the climbers’ sense of isolation and separation from all that they know. He writes ‘It feels menacingly remote and exhilarating at the same time…no helicopters, no rescue – just us and the mountains.” It is clear that while the sense of isolation is, in a sense, a threat to them, the threat itself is exciting and a reason to undertake the climb. This is an interesting opposition, almost as if the men find the idea that they are in danger a thrill. This, perhaps, is Simpson’s way of exploring the nature of adventure; he suggests to the reader that it is only when we are forced to the extremes of the natural world that we are forced to face the extremes within ourselves. It is, Simpson, appears to suggest the point at which we overcome these extremes that we have truly prevailed over all that life has to offer.

Choose a passage from the book that creates tension.

Write about:

• what creates tension in the passage;

• the methods that Simpson uses to create tension.

Introduction

Conclusion

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