Chapter Questions- 4

1. Mrs Mossop reminds Joseph of a bird. Why? How does this image change as she talks with his mother?

She reminds Joseph of a bird because of her 'thin, upright posture' and the 'neat formality of her clothing'. (pg 44) At first, Joseph's image of Mrs Mossop goes from a 'crane' who gossips, to a 'bird of prey' who becomes influencial and tries to persuade Laura not to let him do it.

2. What causes Joseph to change his mind and tell his mother and Mrs Mossop that he 'probably' would draw Tom Leyton?

He says it probably just to annoy Mrs Mossop as she is so opposed to the idea. He says it so casually as if it was obvious that he was going to go with that desicion.

3. What feelings and memories does the mango tree arouse in Joseph?

The mango tree arouses feelings and memories of his childhood and how he used to play Tarzan and pirates. He also seemed to forget reality and drift off into another world. It was like his little hide away and a place where he could escape from reality.

4. What effect does the final incident in this chapter create? How has language been used to achieve this?

The final incident when the branch of the tree breaks, Joseph drops and injures himself. Very descriptive language and similies have been used to achieve this with the use of such words including 'hit Joseph's heart like a jolt of electricity', 'calf raked', 'knee butted', 'his hands closed automatically like a vice', 'ankles streaked with blood'. It was almost exaggerated a bit as every event, big or small was mentioned.