1. “The Lighthouse” By Agnes Owens
National 5
Ian Yule

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

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

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

8. 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?

9. 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”

10. 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”