Hints Of Danger (16/1/12)

Hints of Danger

In a pair, make notes on the following extract, showing which words and phrases hint at danger and how they achieve this.

‘Look over there,’ said Bruno, and Gretel followed the direction of the finger he was pointing and saw, emerging from a hut in the distance, a group of children huddled together and being shouted at by a group of soldiers. The more they were shouted at, the closer they huddled together, but then one of the soldiers lunged towards them and they separated and seemed to do what he wanted them to do all along, which was to stand in a single line. When they did, the soldiers all started to laugh and applaud them.

(page 37)

How does Boyne hint danger in this extract?

In this extract Boyne’s hints danger in the way he describes how the soldiers treats the children. In the quote: “group of children huddled together” it indicates that the children are trying to shy away from the wrath and the bullying of the soldiers, as children usually huddle together to escape a source of danger.

Next, in the statement: ‘The more they were shouted as, the closer they huddled together’ again this statement hints that the children were terrified and huddled together as children feel more safer in numbers to escape the “danger” which is the shouting of the solider.

Lastly, in the statement “one of the soldiers lunged towards them, and they separated’ This clearly shws that the children separated to escape the “danger” which was the soldiers lunging towards them.