Hitch

Hiker
Personification
(The powerful engine growled
and grunted impatiently at slow
speeds, but at sixty miles an
hour the growling stopped and
the motor began to purr with
pleasure.)

Beware of the Dog

Similes (Above there was
the sun, and the sun was
white like the clouds,
because it is never yellow
when one looks at it from
high in the air.)
Metaphor (Down below
there was only a vast white
undulating sea of cloud.)
Rhetorical questions (But
where were the sirens, and
where the guns?)
Specific references
authority (Anyone who has
been bombed can tell the
noise of a Junkers 88.)

Both
Sensory Imagery
(This time he saw the
room. He saw the bed
in which he was lying;
he saw the grey walls
and the door and the
green curtains over
the window. There
were some roses on
the table by his bed.)
Vernacular (Thats
even sillier he
answered. Theres no
fun working them
lousy machines and
selling tickets to mugs.
Any fool could do
that.)

Task 1

W4T2
English
Beatrix Thomson









Task 2
Write a paragraph on how Roald Dahl uses language devices to convey his message
effectively in both of his short stories Beware of the Dog and The Hitch Hiker. Remember to
use PEAL.

Roald Dahl effectively uses language devices such as sensory imagery and vernacular to
effectively convey his messages in Beware of the Dog and The Hitch Hiker. In Beware of the
Dog sensory imagery is used frequently, but particularly near the beginning of the story when
the pilot is waking up to discover he is in a hospital. It says Then he saw the basin on the
table near the roses. It was a white enamel basin, and beside it there was a small medicine
glass. This excerpt is from the very detailed description of the hospital room that evokes
interest within the reader. The detail enables the reader to completely understand the story
and the pilots situation by letting them feel as though they know more about the character
as well as feeling somewhat involved with the story. Vernacular is greatly used in The Hitch
Hiker. The hitch hiker says Me, ashamed of my job? Im about as proud of it as anybody
could be in the entire world! Dahl uses vernacular cleverly to create his characters and slowly
build on them as the story continues. Most of the information that we learn about the
characters is through the use of vernacular. We learn that the hitch hiker has an accent;
something that can only be expressed through speech. We also learn the narrators
occupation through the use of vernacular, as well as more personal things such as his
opinions and fears. Dahl successfully uses language devices to tell exciting and interesting
stories while also conveying the message in each story effectively.