Discuss how fear and suspense are created here and elsewhere in the novel.

In the subject line, write your name.

1. Include name of the novel (underlined)

2. Context of the passage

3. Address the question → why does the author write this (authorial intent)

4. Thesis statement

Remember PQRQRL! & the 70/30 rule :)

Body Paragraphs SHOULD:

1. Analyse LITERARY DEVICE (effect of literary device)

   1. This refers to technique. It must be used.

2. Address form/genre of the novel

3. Situate analysis in context of the scene/novel/history

4. Address the socio-historical context of the novel (if relevant)

5. Talk about authorial intent

6. Some kind of personal response (effect on reader)

Highlighted points 5 & 6 = try and write this! It will help deepen your analysis :)

This is the criteria they will comment on:

Body para:

• Topic sentence clearly introduces the point

• Includes at least one relevant quote as evidence

• Analyses a literary device and explains its effect

• Refers to form or genre of the novel (e.g. trauma narrative, historical fiction)

• Situates analysis in the context of the scene and the novel

• Addresses the socio-historical context (if relevant)

• Mentions Tan Twan Eng's authorial intent (what he wants to show or explore)

After commenting on these elements write:

• 1 strength of your friends’ body paragraph

• 1 thing they can do to improve on it

In this extract from Tan Twan Eng’s The Garden of Evening Mists, the passage talks about an unsettling scene where Yun Ling had found a girl who was hiding in the forest. The girl’s family members had been murdered by the communist terrorists (CTs) during the Malayan Emergency; a guerrilla war fought in Malaya between communist insurgents and the military forces of the British colonial government, with the aim to establish a communist state in Malaya. The author crafted an atmosphere of unease and psychological tension in this scene to portray the pervasive and lingering fear that people experienced during the era, especially due to the aftermath of the war. Through literary devices such as evocative language and parataxis, the author builds not only suspense in this scene, but the lingering fear that haunts Yun Ling throughout the novel.

Tan uses imagery and Yun Ling’s thinking to convey suspense and fear. The line “vines hung from the branches in broad, sagging nooses”, conveys the sense of death and dread through the use of the word “noose” which is symbolic to suicide and death. Using this word to describe the path Yun Ling and the girl are walking down, makes the reader feel as if they are walking into something dreaded and unknown, provoking suspense, and thus fear. Further down the passage, Tan describes the bodies Yun Ling and the girl find in morbid detail. “three bodies lay in a moat of blood so dark and thick they seemed to be glued to it”, and “Hundreds of flies crawled over their faces, bodies and loincloths “. The level of detail used to describe the victims gives the reader a clear, macabre image of the bodies and evokes fear in the reader through Yun Ling. This is how Tan conveys suspense and fear in the passage.

Additionally ,suspense is present in the novel like when yunling first encountered the little girl.The visual imagery of the Young girl at the beginning gives a sense of uneasiness to the readers as it is unsure if she poses as a threat or an ally.’Turning back to the path, I gave a start. Less than ten feet away, a figure was standing in the shadows.’The short distance between them builds a sense of claustrophobia.’It was a girl, about nine or ten years old, her face and clothes smeared with mud. She was an aboriginal, and she was crying.’The fact that she's crying,covered in mud,and speaking in a distressed way makes her appear both vulnerable,mysterious which raises further questions about her and her situation.This unidentified person brings in suspicion and alertness towards readers ,hence creates a Suspensful moment.Therefore suspense is created here in the novel.

Garden of Evening Mist by Tan Twan Eng is a historical novel which brings up the topic of trauma and grieI.In this passage, yun ling encounters a girl and found dead bodies of the girls family.Set in the context of the malaysan emergency,  reflection on yun lings inner psyche.Fear and suspense is explained in detail through yun ling first encounter with the girl as well as her having to reface her trauma in the rainforest during the war.

In the novel,fear is conveyed through yun ling having to face her fear once again ever since the war to go into the jungle and help the Young girl.Yun ling must step out of her comfort zone and relive what she felt during the war when going through the jungle.With Visual imagery such as ,’I froze’,it suggests the thoughts and emotions yun ling might be going through,with fear bring the biggest factor in this scenario.Yun ling froze in fright as memories from the war rushes back.“for the first time since the war ended, I was about to enter the rainforest again.I feared that if I went in i would never come out again.’this shows that yun ling has ever since avoided the rainforest the war, suggesting the presence of a traumatic experience she has experienced when she was in a rainforest, which further explains her fear of it.Her body bosy frozen in response tells us that fear comes from past experiences which could alter the fears of a person, one example as shown would be yun ling.

Additionally ,suspense is present in the novel like when yunling first encountered the little girl.The visual imagery of the Young girl at the beginning gives a sense of uneasiness to the readers as it is unsure if she poses as a threat or an ally.’Turning back to the path, I gave a start. Less than ten feet away, a figure was standing in the shadows.’The short distance between them builds a sense of claustrophobia.’It was a girl, about nine or ten years old, her face and clothes smeared with mud. She was an aboriginal, and she was crying.’The fact that she's crying,covered in mud,and speaking in a distressed way makes her appear both vulnerable,mysterious which raises further questions about her and her situation.This unidentified person brings in suspicion and alertness towards readers ,hence creates a Suspensful moment.Therefore suspense is created here in the novel.

In conclusion, The Garden of Evening Mists masterfully uses fear and suspense to delve into the complexities of trauma and emotional healing. Through Yun Ling's encounter with the young girl and her journey into the rainforest, the novel paints a vivid picture of the lasting effects of war on an individual’s psyche. Yun Ling’s fear is not only rooted in her past experiences but also in the uncertainty of the present, where the boundaries between ally and enemy blur. The use of visual imagery and sensory details amplifies the tension, allowing readers to feel Yun Ling’s internal struggle as she faces her deepest fears. The suspense that builds through the girl’s appearance, her mysterious motives, and the dark, oppressive atmosphere of the jungle is carefully constructed to reflect Yun Ling’s emotional and psychological state. Ultimately, the novel explores how trauma shapes perceptions and actions, and how the confrontation with one's past though terrifying can also be a path toward understanding and, perhaps, healing.

(not done!)

In the next few segments, Toombs depicted upon how the bodies were discovered, and how it was all the girl’s family. This re-emphasises the severe trauma and horrific experience she went through from seeing her family turn out like that, the fear and suspense being revitalised even more upon her witnessing of the scenes that possibly unfolded before her. The death, the chase and the hiding, all are many different ways that her emotions could have had a negative impact.

Strength: Can describe what the novel is about well , and provides good context .

quote about rohana’s experience is related and show the fear of the situation, and parataxis is explained and elaborated well.

not much reference to genre or novel except for memories (?)

!!!

overall well written and very clearly explained however i feel that there are stronger examples that can be used to further show how fear and suspense is created

She quoted relevant quotes and elaborated on each of them

Relates back to YunLing’s trauma

Very very long

Talk about authorial intent

2. improve on: you should talk about the literary device used

“The flies rose from the bodies and swarmed to the underside of the thatch roof, blackening it like an infestation of mould.” This helps depict the scene that was unfolding in front of Yun Ling, showcasing the gruesome scene that was happening right before her eyes. This helps to enable to reader to visualise what is happening and imagine this terrifying scene. Tan uses simile “ blackening it like an infestation of mould” this allows reader to understand the severity of death in the situation and acts as a visual aid. Hence Tan Twan Eng uses imagery and simile to create suspense and fear

i pinpointed the techniques used and developed my paragraph from it

-i identified the literary devices used in the quotes and explained the impacts to answer the qn

This shows Tan's authorial intent to make the reader understand that even after war, people still live in fear, and trust is hard to find. As a historical novel, the book often explores the impact of war and violence on people's lives, and this moment reminds us how trauma can appear at any time. Later in the scene, Tan stated, "We moved closer to the hut, making as little noise as possible." Tan uses diction to creates even more tension. The fact that they are moving so quietly tells us that something dangerous could violence on people's lives, and this moment reminds us how trauma

can appear at any time. Later in the scene, Tan stated, "We moved closer to the hut, making as little noise as possible." Tan uses diction to creates even more tension. The fact that they are moving so quietly tells us that something dangerous could be nearby. It makes the reader feel anxious, as if something terrible is about to happen. This moment shows how careful and afraid Yun Ling and the girl are, especially in a jungle that holds bad memories. The jungle is not just a physical setting, it also represents fear, trauma, and the unknown. Tan uses this scene to show that healing is difficult in a place where violence still happens.

The careful use of imagery helps us feel Yun Ling's fear, and it reminds the reader that the horrors of war do not end quickly.