Phillip Gwynne’s 1998 novel “Deadly Unna?” takes place in the racially skewed 70’s. It focuses on a town divided by skin colour that is also cut off from city life. When the local junior football makes it into the grand final, everyone is out to attend what forms the most important passage in the novel. Gwynne uses a variety of literary techniques to portray the intensity of the emotion at the ground, namely; repetition and truncated sentences to create a sense of tension, and imagery to show the emotion in the town.
The use of repetition aids to highlight the intensity of emotion in crowd at the grand final. It reinforces the desperation for victory embedded in the minds of these two towns, as Arks exclaims, “Please, Blacky … It was a plea, a prayer. Please, Blacky. All those grand finals and not a bloody one. Please, Blacky.” The use of the word “Please” suggests that Arks, a hardened man of few emotions, is now begging that Blacky does something for the sake of the team. Furthermore, the use of “prayer” implies Arks is searching for a higher power out of dire desperation. Phillip uses this language to create such intense emotion so that it locks the reader in at the very climax of the novel. …show more content…
The exaggeration helps to highlight how hopeless Blacky feels in the final moments of the game. As Thumper charges towards him with the ball, Blacky thinks to himself, “… I was the only one … between Wangaroo and victory, was me. Mass of a stick insect.” Though Blacky knows he is the last hope, he feels powerless against the size of Thumper. He even compares himself to a stick insect, a fragile and weak bug against a grain silo. The imagery connected to a stick insect also implies the fear that Blacky has, that he will be crushed and ruined by the Thumper. This emotional reference helps to draw the reader in to the coming