Analyse Key Quotations in 'Great Expectations'

In the exam, you will need to be able to select key quotations from an extract and comment on what these show us about a character or a theme.

You will also need to be able to choose quotations from the wider novel, to support your ideas about themes or characters.

Try to learn a number of key quotations for each character and theme so you can draw on these in the exam.

For higher marks, you will need to be able to analyse the quotations closely, so try to focus on particular words in the quotation.

Try to answer the following questions each time you discuss a particular word:

What choices of language and structure is Dickens making? e.g. metaphor/alliteration/imagery etc

What are the connotations of the particular word?

What effect it has on the reader?

How does the word reflect the historical context in which Dickens was writing?

This activity will help you to revise some of the most important quotations from 'Great Expectations.'

You will practise:

Identifying who is speaking in particular quotations

What certain quotations tell us about a character

What theme might be explored in a quotation

You should always refer to your own text when working through these examples. These quotations are for reference only.