Why might a writer choose to order things the way they do? Let’s find out.

Whatever stage you’re at with your English studies, it’s always interesting to think about structure. AQA’s GCSE paper has one whole question concentrated on the order of things! These short activities will help you harness that ability to talk about structure in an interesting way.

ACTIVITY 1

Brainstorm: what do cars represent/symbolise? List the connotations of a car.

ACTIVITY 2

Watch the first 10 seconds (no longer!) of the ‘Caught It’ video.

Chrissy Costanza’s character is picking up a car from the garage. Is the car significant in her life? What do you think and why? To what extent can you say for sure. What does the writer want us to feel for the character?

ACTIVITY 3

Watch the rest of the VOILÀ/Chrissy Costanza video (ignore the bits with band playing; concentrate on the story of the 2 main ‘characters’).

Ask yourself again: is the car significant in Chrissy’s life? What do you think and why? To what extent can you say for sure. A car is always significant of something – the first activity showed us that. But do we respond differently to the car and its significance given what we now know having watched the rest of the video?

Why does the writer spend most of the video focussed on detailing the backstory? What does the writer want us to feel at the end?

ACTIVITY 4

Watch the performance of ‘We Pray’ – the link below is set to start with Little Simz on stage (don’t rewind it). How significant are Little Simz, Coldplay and the other artists on stage? Justify your answer.

ACTIVITY 5

Now, watch the very opening of the video. How significant do Little Simz, Coldplay and the rest seem now? Has your answer changed? How do the opening images help to make sense of the ‘We Pray’ title? Think metaphorically as well as literally.

ACTIVITY 6

Consider the lyrics and the video. What’s the song about?

Warning: swearing 2mins 45 secs.

“The Emptiness Machine”

Your blades are sharpened with precision
Flashing your favorite point of view
I know you’re waiting in the distance
Just like you always do
Just like you always do

Already pulling me in
Already under my skin
And I know exactly how this ends, I

Let you cut me open
Just to watch me bleed
Gave up who I am for who you wanted me to be
Don’t know why I’m hoping
For what I won’t receive
Falling for the promise of the emptiness machine
The emptiness machine

Going around like a revolver
It’s been decided how we lose
‘Cause there’s a fire under the altar
I keep on lying to
I keep on lying to

Already pulling me in
Already under my skin
And I know exactly how this ends, I

Let you cut me open
Just to watch me bleed
Gave up who I am for who you wanted me to be
Don’t know why I’m hoping
For what I won’t receive
Falling for the promise of the emptiness machine

I only wanted to be part of something
I only wanted to be part of, part of
I only wanted to be part of something
I only wanted to be part of, part of
I only wanted to be part of something
I only wanted to be part

I let you cut me open
Just to watch me bleed
Gave up who I am for who you wanted me to be
Don’t know why I’m hoping
So ******* naive
Falling for the promise of the emptiness machine
The emptiness machine
(I only wanted to be part of something)
The emptiness machine
(I only wanted to be part of)
The emptiness machine

ACTIVITY 7

The song starts quieter, but escalates in volume. Why does it do that? Why does it make sense that things get ‘louder’? Why has the writer employed that escalating ‘quiet… less quiet… noisy… noisier…’ structure?

ACTIVITY 8

I’ve starred out the swearing in the Linkin Park lyrics, but why does it actually make sense that it happens at this point of the song? Why do we understand the swearing in a way which we might not if, say, the swearing had occurred much earlier on?