"My Daddy's a Diver" Questions + Answers

My Daddy’s a Diver Use the following questions to write a coherent review of the short story, My Daddy’s a Diver, in which you address its effectiveness as a short story, how it relates to the concept of journey and what ideas, attitudes and values underpin the story. Take notes in answer to the following questions and then use these to write an extended response. Finish for homework if necessary and post this to your blog. 1. Use the checklist of short story genre requirements to assess how well the story meets these. Give specific evidence in your response. - have a title: Yes,” My Daddys’ a Diver” - tell the story of an event: goal for the character is to find food for his daughter, as his wife had died during the pregnancy of their child and he doesn’t have a job. - have a closed setting: he’s in the sea, while his daughter is near the sea. - orientation, complication, conflict/problem, climax, resolution: He needs to find food, he finds a fish and he kills it, but his daughter doesn’t want to eat it because she didn’t like seeing the fish dead. So, the dad then compromises on 2 minute noodles. - have a restricted number of characters: 2 characters, the dad and the daughter. - use a balance of dialogue and narration in a purposeful way: the story is told in third person, and there is a lot of narration and a bit of dialogue, but it is just enough, to give the character’s some personality. - demonstrate a balance of showing and telling • - imagery: of the fish, of his daughter, of the sea. • variations in sentence length/structure to maintain reader interest – especially variation from subject + verb openings: short quick sentences, give it that ‘action packed’ feel, but there is also some long sentences that go into detail of the description of something. - be resolved so that it surprises the reader in some way: The dad resolves the problem by agreeing to eat 2 minute noodles, rather than the fish. The relationship of the dad and the daughter is very strong and beautiful, this is evident in the very end where she hugs him and he cries. - be written from more than one perspective: is written through one perspective, third person. - use non-linear structure: linear structure, has a beginning, middle and end. 2. How well does the story connect with the reader? What emotions or thoughts does it elicit? How effectively does it use language to do this? Give evidence from the story in your response. It’s in third person, which doesn’t make it that personal, but there was a lot descriptive sentences and short quick sentences, which kept the reader on its toes of what else could happen. “Far below lay a sponge-and-weed-matted overhang. This, he knew, concealed a cave-like ledge where, on turbulent days, fish sometimes congregated. Once more he tilted downward, finning rhythmically.” There was a short sentence and then a long descriptive one. It gives the reader an insight of the whole different world under the sea. 3. What ideas, attitudes and values underpin this text? You may have already identified some of these in Question 2. The whole notion of doing anything that you can to benefit you/ or to survive. Also, that you have to persist with life and never give up, because you have your friends and family there. 4. What kinds of journeys do we see evidence of in this story? Explain your answer. The journey of overcoming his pain from losing his wife, not having a job and looking after and making his daughter his first priority. There’s this journey of family and love. 5. How effective is the story as a whole? The story was very descriptive, but also had short sentences, which was a nice variety. The story was sweet and loving. The story also gave an insight into the world of the ocean.