The Big Green Arm Chair

The Big Green Armchair a) i. The mood of the setting ii. “Staring into the grim winter/ Only slate – grey skies” iii. The author uses adjectives like “grim” and “slate – grey” to describe the winter’s day, which conveys a very dull and dreary mood. The author compares the grim winter’s day and the dull mood to the old woman. This helps the reader understand how the woman is feeling.

b) The author creates a dull mood by describing in detail what the old woman sees outside the window. “Staring into the grim winter, she sees no flowering plants. There are no colours, only slate – grey skies and bare, brown trunks. There are no buzzing cicadas or cheeky kookaburras singing and darting between the trees. This shows the reader that the old woman misses this time of the year. The use of repetition “There are no colors/ There are no buzzing cicadas...” The use of repetition “There are no colors/ There are no buzzing…” emphasizes the dullness of mood. This descriptive style of writing makes the reader picture the dull and gray setting and the old woman looking out of the window.

c) The author writes in third person and uses past tense half way through the text which creates a nostalgic feeling which the old woman is going through. The use of adjectives and descriptive sentences like “summer was bright and lively” and “ruby red gerberas burst through the green gardens and purple flowers blanketed the huge jacaranda tree”, adds to the nostalgia and creates imagery. The author makes the reader visualize the bright sun and the blooming flowers. The use of sensory descriptive words like “the smell of meat sizzling on the barbeque lingered in the air” and “eating mouthwatering prawns” makes the reader imagine the smell of the barbequed meat and the taste of the prawns. This shows that the old woman misses those days and that those days are now memories that make her happy and comfort