‘The Telegram’

By Iain Crichton Smith

Clues that the story takes place during WWII

• ‘The Telegram’
• ‘Bismark’
• ‘Reverberations from a war fought far away had reached
it’

• However, the themes/issues raised are easily

transferable to today’s wars in Iraq, Afghanistan…

• The family members or loved ones of those fighting

abroad face constant anxiety and worry
Clues that it is set in a remote Scottish village

• “Roddy”
• “McLeod”

• The names give the village a distinct Scottish feel

• ‘unwillingly attended’ school

• ‘only been there for thirty years’

• The narrative reveals that the town/village is narrow-minded and

insular
• Shows that the thin woman is treated with contempt due to the
prejudice which exists in little villages like this one
 Anonymity in ‘the Telegram’
• The fact that the village is not identified adds
to the idea that War is universal in its effects
• This is also why the women remain nameless
and why they are contrasting characters – to
show that War can affect anyone
 ‘The Telegram’ and Symbolism
• “This was a bare village with little colour and therefore
the yellow was both strange and unnatural.”
• ‘local elder, clad in black’ – Represents The Grim
Reaper
• ‘the house to which the telegram was directed’ –
made to sound like a weapon
• ‘a strange missile pointed at them from abroad’ & ‘left
desolation just like any other weapon’ – continues the
idea that the telegram is a weapon
 The Fat Woman
• ‘fat domestic bird’ – the imagery here implies she belongs
to the village, as well as conveying her physical
appearance
• ‘The fat woman’s son was an ordinary seaman’ – her son
is less successful and poorly educated – ‘left school at the
age of fourteen’ – because she isn’t driven or ambitious
• This is probably similar to others in the village
• ‘lived in the village all her days’
• ‘And then she added without thinking’ & ‘confused tone’
– indicates that she is not particularly intelligent
 The Thin Woman
• ‘more aquiline, more gaunt…more like a buzzard’ – imagery is used here to
show her frail physical appearance but also to convey the idea that she is
foreign to this village
• ‘the thin woman’s son was a sub-lieutenant in the navy’ – her son has
achieved more than most in the village because of her ambition and sacrifice
• ‘the thin woman was ambitious’ & ‘not popular in the village’
• ‘she was an incomer’ – not accepted even though she’d been there ‘thirty
years’
• ‘I made sacrifices…I lived on a widow’s pension…’ – she shows a little anger at
how she is viewed in the community and attempts to justify herself
• ‘The thin woman continued remorselessly as if she were pecking away at
something she had pecked at for many years.’ – Continues the bird imagery
used earlier but this time suggests that she has grown tired of the village’s
perception of her and will not let it continue
 Their feelings toward each other: dialogue
and Focalisation
• “It’s different for the officers” – The fat woman’s dialogue
shows a degree of jealousy here, as if the higher status of
the thin woman’s son will save him
• ‘the thin woman was thinking that the fat woman was very
stupid’ – The focalisation shows the thin woman’s
contempt for the fat woman
• ‘Most of them could have better afforded to send their
sons and daughters to university but they didn’t want to be
thought of as snobbish.’ – More focalisation to reveal that
the thin woman knows why they dislike her but thinks that
most of them are selfish
 Their feelings toward each other: dialogue
and Focalisation
• ‘It was difficult to know what she was thinking of…Her mind was
vague and diffused except when she was thinking about herself.’ –
Through focalisation again, the narration here reveals that the thin
woman thinks the fat woman is both selfish and stupid
• ‘No matter how you tried you never could like the thin woman. She
was always putting on airs. Mayor indeed.’ – The writer continues to
use focalisation effectively to reveal the fat woman’s resentment
toward the thin woman as she perceives her to be a snob
• ‘Why did she want to be better than anyone else?’ – The question
shows that she cannot understand the thin woman’s motivations
• There is a clear conflict between them in terms of how they see
things
 Their feelings toward each other: dialogue
and Focalisation
• ‘But the thin woman didn’t gossip much.’
• ‘you couldn’t feel at ease with her’
• ‘She sipped her tea, her little finger elegantly curled
in an irritating way.’
• By revealing more of the fat woman’s contempt for
the thin woman’s attitude and mannerisms, the
writer brings the tension between them to a climax
 Answers
5. Colon introduces an explanation of
1. “They were like two birds” the effects of war that the village had
2. “fat domestic bird”, experienced.

“aquiline” and “buzzard”

6. The young men had joined the
3. Fat woman – fat, home- navy and many of them had
loving, nosey Thin woman drowned abroad.
– thin, ill-looking, nosey
7. WW2 – it mentions the
4. Reverberations- “Bismarck” which was famous during
continuing effects shown this period and says “war fought far
away” which fits in with the locations
by saying “reached it” and in WW2.
“much had gone on”
 Answers
14. It is a village, remote, cows are
wandering about, it is a small
place, not busy, not many
people
15. Thin woman: outsider, widow,
ambitious, sent son to
university. Fat woman: native,
dislikes the thin woman
16. Telegram is yellow, it stands
out in the village because
everything else is quite dull,
seems unnatural
17. Speaking quickly, trying to disguise
their feelings of nerves/fear,
feeling unwell at the thought their
sons could be dead.
18. To guarantee the safety of her
own son and save her family from
heartbreak
19. Repetition/symbolism/metaphor –
suggests that she has to
constantly repeat her justifications
for her behaviour to chip away at
the women’s prejudice.
 Answers
20. Lack of control, speed,
desperation, no pause, frantic
prayer – feel sympathy and
understand her emotions
21. Simile – compares her touch to
beginning of a relationship, kind
act, first time she has experienced
kindness from her, potential for
close relationship
22. Fat woman: pray, cries, hysterical,
emotional. Thin woman: firm
voice, hides emotions, holds
herself together, strong.
23. Fat woman sees the truth of the
thin woman, sees her vulnerability
and realises she has had a hard
life.
24. Repetition of “she saw” and
mention of “extra vision”
emphasise that it is like the first
time she is seeing the real her.
25. Elder walked alone without
knowing where he was going,
tried to escape the truth. “not
knowing where he was going”,
“search of his son” etc show he is
confused
 Essay writing
• What is the title asking you to do?

• What initial thoughts do you have about how

“The Telegram” shows this?

• What evidence could you use to back up your

ideas?
How to Write a Higher Critical
Essay

G. Scott - CHS
 Know your stuff
• Have a clear understanding of your main texts.
• Choose two you are confident in and use the
third as a back up.
• If you know your texts you should be able to
quote the important parts.
• Memorise at least 10 quotes per text! You may
not use this many in your final essay but you
need the flexibility.

G. Scott - CHS
 Choose the correct question
• Know the main themes of your text and the
motivations / actions of your main characters.
• Read all the questions and highlight possible
choices before deciding on which one to do.

G. Scott - CHS
 Plan
• Yes plan!
• Create a quick and simple plan explaining
what your essay will look like.
• Don’t go into unnecessary detail. Take the
time to collect your thoughts and select
relevant information.
• This will help you in answering the question.

G. Scott - CHS
 Answering the Question
• This is where we lost marks in the Prelim.
• Think of it like this: you are answering a
question in the form of an essay. You are not
just writing an essay!
• Read all of the question, not just the first
sentence. You are answering the full thing!

G. Scott - CHS
 Answering the Question 2
• Refer to the question in your introduction to
show the marker you mean business.
• In each paragraph / section refer to the
question – topic sentence & linking sentence.
• Refer back to the question in your conclusion
again to end on a high.
• If you don’t answer the question you will get a
9 – no matter how good your essay is!

G. Scott - CHS
 Introduction
Identify the text and author
Use words from the beginning of the question and
explain why the text is suitable for the question.
Include a couple of sentences that summarise the
text – this should relate to the theme and the
question, not the main events.
Refer to the words from the second part of the
question and explain what the essay will look at to
fulfil the task and answer the question.
G. Scott - CHS
 Example
• ''Nineteen Eighty Four'' by George Orwell is a novel
which makes use of symbolism. The story follows
Winston, the main character who lives in a
dystopian society and wants to stand up to the
totalitarian government named The Party to re-gain
individual freedom. Orwell skilful use of symbolism
along with theme, setting and characterisation
helps express his opinion and enhance the reader’s
appreciation of the text as a whole.

G. Scott - CHS
 Main body of your Essay
• Your answer should be split into paragraphs
and should follow the following pattern:
• Statement
• Context
• Evidence
• Analysis
• Relate to question

G. Scott - CHS
 Topic Sentences
• The first sentence of each paragraph should
make it clear to the marker what your
paragraph will be about.
• Example 1 – The prologue of ‘Romeo and
Juliet’ introduces the theme of fate.
• Example 2 – The opening scene of ‘Macbeth’
establishes an atmosphere of mystery and
evil, which is developed in the rest of the play.

G. Scott - CHS
 Providing Evidence
• You must use quotations. They are the
evidence you are using to back up your
answer. Without strong quotations you do not
have a strong answer.
• You should use one main quotation per
paragraph but, for top marks, you can include
smaller additional quotes if they help further
back up your point.

G. Scott - CHS
 Comment / Analysis
• Explain what quote means and how it answers the question
• Look at individual words and phrases which further improve
your argument
• Look at how this quote relates to the theme
• You should know what you plan on saying about your
quotations. As you have learned them thoroughly you know
why they are important to your text and what they show.
Explain this to the marker.
• Remember to relate your analysis back to the question! This is
essential.

G. Scott - CHS
 Statement, Context and Evidence
• In addition, Orwell uses the paperweight, bought by Winston
in the novel, to symbolise the importance of hope. Winston
likes the fact that the paperweight, useless in a world without
paper and books, is proof of a past much different to the
present. It represents Winston’s utopia away from the
dystopian society in which he now lives. He dreams of a
future as simple as this object and describes it as:
• “The room he was in, and the coral was Julia's life and his
own, fixed in a sort of eternity at the heart of the crystal''

G. Scott - CHS
 Analysis
• Winston sees this object as symbolically representing a safe place for himself and
Julia where they can be free from the party’s totalitarian society. He believes that
they both belong in the past where they could express their opinions and have
individual freedom. Winston is also taking a big risk by keeping the paperweight
and this shows his rebellious streak. The use of the word ‘eternity’ highlights
Winston’s desire to be with Julia forever which shows his love and devotion
towards her. However, at the end of Part Two the paperweight is smashed by
members of the Party who have found Winston and Julia’s secret hiding place. This
symbolises the fact that an all-powerful, totalitarian government can never be
defeated. When the paperweight smashes so do Winston’s hopes and dreams. The
reader realises that once a group have managed to get complete control of you
there is no way to defeat them. This reinforces Orwell’s message that we must
ensure we remain vigilant in terms of knowing the people ruling over us and not
allow those who govern us to have unlimited control over us.

G. Scott - CHS
 Linking
• One of the main reason your should plan your
essay is so that it flows nicely.
• Go from one idea to another similar one so it
is easy for the marker to follow.
• Use a linking sentence to build bridges
between your ideas.
• Use knowledge of linking questions from close
reading to help here.

G. Scott - CHS
 Link words / Linking Expressions
• Continuing an idea • Making a different point
– In addition – However
– Moreover – Nevertheless
– Furthermore – On the other hand
– In the same way – In contrast
– Similarly

G. Scott - CHS
 Link words / Linking Expressions
• Drawing a conclusion
– Therefore
– Consequently
– As a result of this
– Thus
– In sum

• However, only use these at the start of a new

sentence!
G. Scott - CHS
 Conclusion
• Your conclusion should:
– Follow on logically from what has been said
– Refer back to the question
– Sum up the main points in the essay.

G. Scott - CHS
 Spelling and punctuation
This is very important. One of the main areas you are
marked on is technical accuracy.
If you continually spell words incorrectly or miss
apostrophes you will lose marks.
If you are unsure of how to use a specific punctuation
mark learn before you go in. Ask a member of the
English Department if you are stuck.
If there are difficult words you know you will use in your
essay learn them before going in. If you are in the exam
and can’t think of how to spell a word, don’t use it.

G. Scott - CHS