Paper 1 Text 1 Analysis

Audience and Purpose

The text type is rather clear. It is reflective of an event that occurred in the past specifically “…out of the year 1853”, it is written as a story in the first person, and there is dialogue for different characters. For example, the dead guy said “let me lay my head on your breast.” This is an excerpt from a memoir. It merely informs of a person, presumably a nurse’s, experience in Jamaica during the Yellow Fever Crisis. It could be interesting to people who want to know about the experiences of nurses during periods of epidemic. It is more of a reflection rather than an informative piece.

Content and Theme

The text reviews the experiences of a nurse, presumably British, in disease-stricken Jamaica. It goes specifically over her experiences with one of the patients. His name was not released; however we know he was a young surgeon. She conveys the fact that the death affects those around him or her more than it does the unfortunate person who is dying.

Tone and Mood

It seems to be melancholic about her past. For example, “Habituated as I had become with death in its most harrowing forms, I found these scenes then any I had previously borne a part in.” Also she talks about how the death of people affected other people, in the following line: “It was a terrible thing to see young people in the youth and bloom of life suddenly stricken down.”  The atmosphere is very bleak. For example, “needful; for the yellow fever never made a more determined effort to exterminate the English in Jamaica than it did in that dreadful year.” Another example is, “Death is always terrible, no-one need be ashamed to fear it.”
Style and structure
The text is structured very precisely and a specific time period is given,i.e.,1853, the year the author saw many deaths. It consists of many metaphors, like 'the Valley of Shadow of Death', and imagery like "My house was full of sufferers... borne in from the ships of the harbour-sometimes in a dying state... ". It is merely a reflection from the point of view of the author, due to which personal pronouns like I, he and she are used.  The use of personal pronouns in places like "How we bear it (death), depends on much of our constitutions..." also helps the reader feel more connected to the author herself. The three periods in certain places also gives the text a melancholic and reflective feel. The author is successful in creating the intended mood for the audience.