Reference Sheet- Writer’s Effect

Text: Crocodile Hunting

Nick, a tourist, accompanies Jack Cox, a crocodile expert, on a night-time crocodile hunt in the swamps of New Guinea.
Jack has assured him that in the swamps it is easier to see crocodiles at night.
The sun disappeared below the horizon as we paddled further into the swamp. Now that we were free
of the reeds, I found the balance of our canoe difficult to maintain. Its sides were high, but its draught
was decidedly shallow, and the slightest movement tended to send the whole vessel lurching
dangerously to one side. It wouldn’t have been my craft of choice for a crocodile hunt, especially
without a life-jacket.
My thoughts turned to the size of the specimens we might encounter. ‘It all depends on whether we
come across salties or freshies,’ Jack told me. ‘The saltwater crocodile is massive. A mature male reaches
a length of more than three metres, but really big ones can grow to twice that length.’ He was sweeping
the beam of his powerful torch across the water in front of him.
It sounded distinctly possible that we’d come across a considerably larger croc than I’d seen in the pen.
Hearing Jack point it out in such a casual manner made my blood run cold. The nightmarish scene was
not difficult to imagine: our monstrous aggressor would gobble us up with a sudden snap of its gigantic
jaws and use the boat’s splinters as giant wooden toothpicks. I asked myself what I was doing on this
hair-brained expedition, and failed to come up with a rational explanation.
I asked Jack how he could tell the difference between a big crocodile and a small one. ‘Distance between
the eyes,’ he murmured without interest. He was obviously concentrating hard on the sweeping beam
in front of him.
We glided along for some time, accompanied by the sound of frogs that resonated like castanets in the
distance and the pneumatic buzzing of mosquitoes and other flying insects. I was being eaten alive and
hadn’t been told I’d need repellent. The dark expanse of open water ahead of us was a floating
wilderness of submerged, tangled tree roots, dotted with reeds and small shrubs sprouting above its
surface. Jack continued scanning the murky waterline beneath the overhanging ferns before deciding
to move on. We swept off into the darkness.
A few moments later, Jack resumed his vigil with the torch. ‘There’s one,’ he whispered. I strained to
follow the beam trained on the water, but couldn’t spot a thing. As we moved towards the crocodile,
Jack whispered, ‘Lost him, it dived.’ We hung around the area for a while to see if the croc would
resurface, but it didn’t, and we moved off again. ‘That’s a shame because it was a massive one,’ Jack
said. I couldn’t tell whether he was being serious or just trying to scare me, but either way I wasn’t too
unhappy to have missed it.
We paddled for some time before Jack made an effort to scare me again. I’d been trying to get him to
admit that what we were doing was dangerous. He denied it, but then he confessed that there was one
situation that could be construed as risky. ‘If we come across a daddy croc, he might mistake our canoe
for competition. The underside of a canoe looks fairly similar to another crocodile and if our croc felt
like attacking, he’d have this boat over with one whip of his tail.’
I closed my eyes and shook my head, in the vain hope that this whole expedition would turn out to be
a bad dream. But shaking my head was not a good idea, because it started the canoe rocking dangerously.
I drew a deep breath: ‘OK Jack, if that did happen, and we ended up in the water, what should I do?’
 Jack paused. ‘Well,’ he said, ‘don’t splash about because that will get him excited. Dive underwater and
swim away. Crocs rarely bite underwater and he’s unlikely to follow you.’ I had noted that he’d said
crocs rarely bite under water and that it was unlikely to follow me, but I didn’t pursue these points as
the entire scenario was too horrible to imagine. I fell quiet, leaving Jack to continue scanning the water
for swamp monsters while I digested this information. The whole escapade had been preposterous. If
you choose to venture into a remote swamp in search of crocodiles, you might reasonably opt to do so
with more equipment than a torch, a broom and a ball of twine. A gun might be handy for a start, and
preferably a nippy boat with a large engine enabling a fast getaway.

Question: Re-read paragraphs 3 and 5:

(a) Paragraph 3 begins ‘It sounded distinctly possible…’ and is about Nick’s fear of crocodiles
(b) Paragraph 5 begins ‘We glided along for some time…’ and is about the swamp
Explain how the writer uses language to convey meaning and to create effect in these paragraphs.
Choose three examples of words or phrases from each paragraph to support your answer.
Your choices should include the use of imagery. Write about 200 to 300 words.

Answer:
Other words for Overall- Overarching, comprehensive, general, universal, expansive, enveloping,
underlying, significant etc can be used to replace overall
  Paragraph 3 begins ‘It sounded distinctly possible…’ and is about Nick’s fear of crocodiles
It sounded distinctly possible that we’d come across a considerably larger croc than I’d seen in the pen.
Hearing Jack point it out in such a casual manner made my blood run cold. The nightmarish scene was
not difficult to imagine: our monstrous aggressor would gobble us up with a sudden snap of its gigantic
jaws and use the boat’s splinters as giant wooden toothpicks. I asked myself what I was doing on this
hair-brained expedition, and failed to come up with a rational explanation.
Answer 1 The overall effect of language comically mocks the fright which Nick was ridden with. It
exaggerates the idea of an attack, even if the possibility of the same might be minimal.
The writer uses the phrase ‘monstrous aggressor’ rather feels like some tremendous beast revolving in
Nick’s mind, as if he could feel it looming somewhere in the dark, with its exaggerated large body ready
to prey on them. The use of onomatopoeia in the phrase ‘sudden snap’ gives an impression of an abrupt
movement, indicating the instant death they could face while dueling with their seemingly terrific
contender. It also suggests the lacking trust he had on his companion, in terms of safety. The writer
cleverly employs the phrase ‘giant wooden toothpicks’ making the intense imagination in Nick’s mind
seem true. The comparison of the wood as toothpicks creates an image of the sheer size of the croc,
making their task of the hunt more palpable and improbable.
Answer 2 The overall effect of language in the paragraph clearly articulates that Nick was now second
guessing his decision of going hunting with Jack.
The writer begins with the phrase ‘blood run cold’, which explains the intensity of fright Nick felt when
he realized that he could be in certain danger. The phrase describes Nick’s blood freezing and the reader
feels the chills running down Nick’s spine at that point. The writer then goes on to describe the ability
of the crocodile to ‘gobble us up with a sudden snap’ which creates a hyperbolic effect and explains
how Nick felt so urgently that he needed to get back to safety. The crocodile is depicted here as not a
mere animal but a merciless monster who only longs to eat humans up. Lastly the writer goes on to
describe the crocodile using the ‘boat’s splinters as giant wooden toothpicks’. This sentence gives a
dramatic and unrealistic effect to the paragraph and is a particularly striking imagery as the reader can
literally imagine a giant green lizard standing in the water and picking out his teeth.
Answer 3 The overall effect of the language creates a palpable sense of the fear and vulnerability that
Nick is feeling. His heightened emotions seem almost childish and exaggerated as if he has no hope, if
he encounters a crocodile.
The writer begins by describing the 'nightmarish scene' to create a sense of Nick's helplessness. The
writer's use of imagery immediately creates a sense of foreboding; it's almost as if Nick is entering the
crocodile's evil lair and is about to awake something terrifying. The writer then goes on to liken the
crocodile to being a 'monstrous aggressor'. The writer's use of the metaphor creates a grotesque image
of the crocodile; it seems both frightening and intimidating. There's also a sense created of Nick being
unable to escape should he encounter the wrath of the crocodile. Lastly, the writer goes on to describe
the crocodile using the boat as 'giant wooden toothpicks' The writer's humorous image here seems to
suggest that Nick would be no match for the formidable crocodile; his boat would be destroyed quickly
due to the power and sheer size of the crocodile.
Paragraph 5 begins ‘We glided along for some time…’ and is about the swamp
We glided along for some time, accompanied by the sound of frogs that resonated like castanets in the
distance and the pneumatic buzzing of mosquitoes and other flying insects. I was being eaten alive and
hadn’t been told I’d need repellent. The dark expanse of open water ahead of us was a floating
wilderness of submerged, tangled tree roots, dotted with reeds and small shrubs sprouting above its
surface. Jack continued scanning the murky waterline beneath the overhanging ferns before deciding
to move on. We swept off into the darkness.
Answer 1 The overall effect of language creates an impression of the swamp attempting to hide the
croc, by various sound and murky waters implying the soaring fright of Nick.
The writer uses the phrase ‘pneumatic buzzing’ to create an onomatopoeia of the abrupt and annoying
presence of the insects, pestering them with their unwanted buzzing. It also suggests the difficulty they
were facing in spotting the crocodile, making the scenario more perilous. The writer gives an apt
description of the setting by the phrase ‘dark expanse of open water’ indicating the enormous black
masses of water, mysteriously sheltering several creatures beyond their knowledge. It makes the reader
feel invested in the story-to know if they actually encounter an attack. The use of the word ‘murky’
furthermore develops on the dark and invisible line of vision, which is hiding the beasts beneath. It
makes them being insecure, as they are unable to spot their enemy, making the reader feel pity and also
terrified, contrasting from the previous comical and humor based language.
Answer 2 The overall effect of language in the paragraph describes the atmosphere of the swamp as
though it was something straight out the movies.
The writer begins with the phrase ‘resonated like castanets’ which is a prominent use of simile and
compares the sound of the frogs to the sound of castanets. The use of the word ‘resonating’ suggests
that the swamp caused echo and was hardly ever visited. The writer than goes on to describe the
‘wilderness of submerged, tangled tree roots’ which creates an image of the swamp being messy just
like a room. This phrase also creates an atmosphere of fear as the reader anticipates what lies ahead and
below the roots, especially since it is night time. Lastly the writer goes on to describe the canoe which
‘swept off into the darkness’. The sentence creates an effect of Nick being taken into the swamp against
his will and is the final straw of anticipation for the reader.
Answer 3 The overall effect of the language creates an image of the swamp being a foreboding place.
It's clear that the characters are entering unknown territory, an almost hostile environment— one which
is out to get them.
The writer begins by describing the characters getting 'eaten alive' to highlight the dangers of the natural
world. The writer's use of exaggerated imagery here suggests that even the flying insects are out to get
them. It's almost as if they are being tormented and warned to turn the other way. The writer then goes
on to describe the 'dark expanse of open water', the writer's use of imagery here creates a sense of the
ubiquitous dangers that surround them. It's clear that the characters are in a vulnerable position and
that there is nowhere to escape from harm. Lastly, the writer goes on to describe the characters being
'swept off into the darkness' The writer's use of the verb 'swept' coupled with the noun 'darkness' evoke
a sense of disorientation, almost as if the characters have now lost complete control. It also highlights
how the characters no longer have a choice; they are being forced into a dangerous environment with
hidden evils lurking.