Andrea Ashworth's Once In A House On Fire

782 Words2 Pages

Andrea Ashworth’s autobiography of the poetic memoir ‘Once in a House on Fire’ was set in 70’s Manchester, where she was born. Throughout her life she suffered untold sadness from the death of her father, which she used humour to mask the serious situation. The themes of emotional, physical and mental abuse is prevalent throughout the text. As Peter Hawkins, one of the main protagonists is violent, controlling and tries to ruin Andrea’s right to education because he is the flame to the fire, destroying lives around him.
The author, uses the simple declarative sentence “Boots brushed and scraped on the door mat.” (pg.4) To portray an aggressive connotation to create the sense of suspense, making the reader feel anxious for Andrea. Therefore, …show more content…

The word ‘gripped’ suggests that he is uses his power and control irresponsibly over Andrea and Laurie. “by the scruff of our necks” implies that he is using great force to “thrust our faces close to the mess on the floor”, meaning that he is teaching them a lesson; showing them his authority and degrading them. The declarative sentence shows the reader that the abuse keeps a firm hold on them and they have no escape because it is constantly lingering around them, like a shadow. This builds up tension and discomfort for Andrea, making her feel on edge and uneasy. Therefore, Peter is unpredictable and capable of harming …show more content…

The assonance phrase “Whisky bottles whispered through”, perceives the step-dad as having a false persona to be someone his not. This means he can come across as being desirable and trustworthy to the mum, so implicitly he can deceive situations. The adjective ‘broken’ interprets Andrea’s feelings of giving up hope because the family has cracks beneath the surface, exposing their vulnerability to the reader. The word ‘drained’ suggests that she feels like the happiness in her life has been removed, which is displaying emotive language.
“We kept our eyes on the black shark fish. They flared red when we tapped on the glass to distract them from nibbling the tiddlers” (pg.12)
Andrea, paints negative imagery towards her step-dad because the adjective ‘black’ associates with death and the grim reaper, suggesting that he is heartless, dark and

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