Boyden’s Wenjack: Building Connections and Creating Understanding – GRASPS Task

Part 1: Organizer

In the organizer below, select one chapter from Wenjack and identify at least three dominant literary techniques (elements of style) from that
chapter. Analyse how each device generates meaning by how it is used in that chapter. Finally, provide a comment on how these devices and
their meanings work together to develop the theme of connection as a dominant effect in that chapter.

Chapter Title: “Spider” from Joseph Boyden’s Wenjack

Literary Technique Direct Quotation Analysis

(element of style)
#1 ‘’Then nimishoo turns he over to
Diction remove his insides. The long
white stomach and bright heart
and brown guts spill and I watch
the shining knife slit open the
white and out flops two parts of
a smaller fish the bigger one had
eaten.’’ (43)
#2 ‘’The nimaamaa comes up then
Metaphor with her bowl and scoops it all
inside then turns and walks, her
daughter following, into the dark
mouth of their home.’’ (43-44)
#3 ‘’I can’t see her, but I know that
Symbolism grandmother spider watches me
careful from the she made from
her body, wondering too which
way tomorrow I will go.’’ (48)
“Turns, long, white, bright, brown and slit”, these words are
carefully selected by Boyden in order for the readers to recreate
the situation again in their mind. On one hand, Boyden describes a
cruel process of killing the fish, moreover, he tries to indicate the
harsh truth for this family: they don’t have enough food for
everyone. On the other hand, this is a huge contrast to the story
after that Uncle insists on sharing his ration of fish with Aunt,
because the former is emotionless and the latter is touching.
“The dark mouth” here is the kitchen. The reason why the kitchen is
dark is because apparently they don’t use electricity at that time
period and they want to save the resources that they have for the
true cold? winter. This implies that the family is in a very poor living
condition. In real life, people use their mouth to eat, to swallow,
therefore, when they use their mouths to swallow food, food will
disappear forever into their stomach. The dark mouth is like a
endless hole that traps the family in the problems and poverty,
never letting them have the opportunities and the abilities to make
their condition better.
Spirit takes the form of a number of animals in this novella, for
example, in the former, it becomes a pike. As a result, the
grandmother spider in this text represent Spirit’s process of
watching over Chanie and being present with him in his journey.
Sometimes, Spirit provides support, as it does in “Pike” (35) by
 giving its life as a gift, wheras in other occasion, it is simply a
witness.
#4

Dominant Effect: How do these three techniques work together to generate the dominant effect of connection in the chapter?

The three techniques establish the dominant effect of connection by describing the poor living conditions of the family, as well as warmth
flowing in the family that the readers could picture. Diction and metaphor collaborate together to show how the cruel the- delete truth is and
also make the contrast of even though this family is living in this situation, they still never forget the principles of being kind to each other.
Lastly, symbolism reminds the readers that no matter in what occasion, Spirit is always by Chanie’s side to either watch over him or help him.