When the Wasps Drowned

An Introduction to the Story

That was the summer Therese stepped on the wasps’ nest and brought an end to our barefoot wanderings.

We heard her screams from inside.

She came back a moment later and we angled the light. At the end of the tunnel…

Read lines 1-20 • Underline any words or phrases which give you a clue about WHEN this story happened.

Read lines 21-34 • Underline the VERBS used in this section.

• What do you notice? Why do you think the writer has done this?

Read lines 35-56 • Underline THREE quotations which show us something about the narrator.

• Label your quotation with an explanation about what this shows us

about the narrator.

Read lines 57- 84 • Find an example of each of the following techniques and annotate your copy of the story.

• Speech • A short sentence • A complex sentence • Careful use of adjectives (describing words) • Appeal to the senses (see/hear/touch/smell/taste)

Read lines 85 - 129 • How old is the narrator?

• What makes you think this?

• Re-read line 20. Now you know the ending, what does this line suggest?

What would you do?

DECIDE WITH YOUR SHOULDER PARTNER WHETHER YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE WITH THE STATEMENTS ON THE CARDS. BE PREPARED TO GIVE REASONS FOR YOUR VIEWS.

In my opinion… I agree with you because… I’m in two minds about this one. On the one hand… Another reason I think that is...

I disagree with this statement as… I don’t agree with what you said about… because…

Rights and Wrongs Some psychologists say that babies as young as 15 months know the difference between right and wrong. In the UK, the age of criminal responsibility is 10 years old.

Which sentence do you agree with the most and why?

Statement QUOTE In the story ‘When the Wasps Drowned’ the children behave in a shocking, evil way. The narrator is only interested in keeping the diamond ring. She doesn’t care what happens to the body in the garden.

In the story ‘When the Wasps Drowned’ the children behave in an understandable way. They don’t know what to do so they pretend nothing has happened.

In the story ‘When the Wasps Drowned’ the children are old enough to take responsibility and do the right thing.

In the story ‘When the Wasps Drowned’ the children don’t know what is the right thing to do. How would they? They’re just children after all.

Life is not about right and wrong, good and bad; it’s a lot more complicated than that. I don’t think the children in ‘When the Wasps Drowned’ should be judged in these terms.

• To explore Learning Objectives

Blind Sequencing 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

One person should deals the cards out face down.

Mark the back of your cards with your initials.

You have a few minutes to look at and memorise your cards then put them face down on the table.

Describe your cards as well as possible to your teammates without looking! After all the cards have been described, the team works together to sequence your cards (face down) on the table. (No looking!) Once you think you have properly sequenced the cards, flip over the cards and check to see how you did.

Exploring Symbolism • Denotes – the literal meaning. The word is used to name the object or thing.

• Connotes – (connotation) the things that we think about that is associated with that word.

WASP DENOTES Danger CONNOTATIONS Pain

Carousel • Consider the symbolism of the following from the story: • The wasps • The dead body • The diamond ring • Therese’s dream • The garden

USE THE THINKING QUESTIONS AT THE SIDE TO HELP YOU COMPLETE YOUR BUBBLE MAPS.

Pathetic Fallacy • Pathetic fallacy n. when human emotions or characteristics

are given to objects, nature or the weather (especially in art or literature).

• This is a type of symbolism that a writer can use to show the mood or atmosphere of a scene.

• Pathetic fallacy is when the weather or seasons is used symbolically to suggest a certain tone or mood.

Rally Robin adjectives to describe the mood of this picture.

Rally Robin adjectives to describe the mood of this picture.

Rally Robin 3 adjectives to describe the mood of this picture.

Choose the best word to describe the mood of this extract. •

Charles Dickens,

Great Expectations

And the sky was just a row of long angry red lines and black lines intermixed…

Pathetic Fallacy in the Story

Example of weather from the story What mood or feeling is coming across in the story?

Structure Reminder!

• Unscramble the following terms to do with structure… • T R O T I I N D C U N O • I O N E C S T • F L I C C T O N • L O T P • M B O L Y S