“The Lighthouse” By Agnes Owens National 5 Ian Yule

Short Story Features (Genre) One Main Character Megan, aged 10 One Main Setting The Beach / Lighthouse (link to title) One main issue / theme Neglect / Danger / Childhood / Innocence lost A twist in the tale It is ironic that in a place of safety that something so horrible should happen to children

One main character Megan aged 10 In conflict with her brother Bobby Put in a situation where she will fail (a child looking after a child) – her flaw The reader is sympathetic to Megan because she is a child, but we become ambivalent because she is not a pleasant child

One main setting The writer establishes the action in a small local area that we can easily identify and associate with, it is pleasant so that the horror and violence will stand out by contrast It is a microcosm – in this small area a huge social issue will be explored and discussed

One main issue - theme Several potential questions / issues can be addressed from this story - what point(s) does Agnes Owens want us to take from her story? What are the central concerns of this text? Neglect The parents neglect the children The children neglect to follow their parents’ instructions The woman neglects to intervene The man in grey neglects to behave appropriately with children

Other possible themes Danger (stranger danger) Childhood Loss of innocence – these are not perfect children in a perfect world Abuse (verbal, physical, sexual)

Twist It is ironic that in a place of pleasure, a beach, and safety, a lighthouse, that something so unpleasant and dangerous should happen.

Narrative technique Third person narrative (story is told by a narrator) It is important that we are told what happens to Megan and Bobby – if in first person narrative we would not get this information Evaluation – would the story have been more moving if Megan had told it?

Foreshadowing (anticipates and predicts) “The day was warm but with a bit of wind” “(Throwing) a stone into the pool causing them to disappear” “A monster is going to get you” “She felt like strangling him”

The Pathetic Fallacy (adds atmosphere) “The day was warm but with a bit of wind” “The sea was stormy now with the waves lashing over the rocks” “The sun came down and she was gone with the tide”