Stone Cold Resource Booklet Part Three

STONE COLD
Setting
Understanding the
setting is a vital part of
understanding the text
Helping the homeless
BRIEF
1. Shelter
2. Salvation Army
recently decided to
3. The Children’s Society
donate £150,000 to a
4. Centrepoint
homeless charity.
5. The Trussell Trust
They have invited
6. The Big Issue
7. Whitechapel Mission
8. St Mungo’s
Crisis
The National Lottery
Commission has
Complete the activity below
•••
Robert Swindells’ Stone Cold
largely takes place on the
streets of London and focuses
presentations from all
the main charities
in particular on the places
who work with the
that homeless people
homeless in order to
9. help them decide
10. congregate. Indeed the
overarching concern of
Swindells’ novel seems to be
which charity to give
the plight of the homeless.
the money to. Your
Having looked at the context
task is to research a
in which Swindells wrote the
novel we know that
homelessness was a very real
concern for the people of
London in the 1990s. With the
homeless charity
and prepare a group
presentation to
recent economic downturn
persuade the
may people are unable to find
Commission to give
work and unable to access
your charity the
services- from here it can be a
small slide into homelessness.
£150,000.
SHP
THERE ARE VARIOUS CH
ARITIES
WHICH HELP THE HO
MELESS.
SOME ARE LISTED ABOV
E- SELECT
AN ACTUAL CHARITY
TO
SUBMIT YOUR PRESEN
TATION
FROM AND INCLUDE
SOME
RESEARCH ON WHAT
THAT
CHARITY DOES FOR TH
E
HOMELESS AND WHA
T IT NEEDS
TO CONTINUE PROVID
ING ITS
SERVICES.
STEP ONE
STEP TWO
STEP THREE
• Select and research a charity
from the list provided.
• Think back to the work you
completed on persuasive writing
in Women Speak Up!l and plan
the structure of your talk.
• Organise any visual aids to
accompany the presentation.
• Using the information you
collect, decide which information
you will include in your
presentation.
• Produce a script of the talk,
remembering that your aim is to
persuade.
• Film and submit your
presentation.
STONE COLD
Character
This section will
ask you to take an in
depth look at the
characters in Robert
Swindells’ novel
CHARACTERISATION
One of the ways composers create interesting and
engaging texts is through characterisation.Writing
about characterisation means you need to think
Ensure you use
about what the set of characters in your text are
full sentences in
your responses
like, and it is really important to demonstrate how
you know what the characters are like. Look at
what characters say (dialogue) and what they do
(action). How are they described by the author, or narrator, and how they are
seen by other characters? Consider what happens to them at the end of their
story.
Link
pages 3-6
• How old is Link when his father leaves home?
• List three opinions that Link holds about Vince.
• How does Link think his mum has changed since meeting Vince?
• What are some of the reasons why Link leaves home?
pages 8-10
• What problems does Link encounter as a homeless person in Bradford?
• Why is Link unable to stay with his sister Carole?
• On page 9, Link says that leaving Bradford is, “sad and scary”. What are the reasons to be a) sad? b)
scared?
• Why does Link’s experience of Christmas make him determined to leave for London?
Shelter
Daily Routine Orders 3
• What is Shelter’s opinion of the homeless people in London?
• Shelter tells a homeless boy, “I’d change you, my lad, if I had you in khaki for six weeks.” What does he
mean by this?
• We discover that Shelter is forty seven towards the end of this extract. What clues are you given about his
age before this?
• Shelter had been discharged from the army “on medical grounds”. Basing your answer on the last two
paragraphs of page 12, explain what you think these medical grounds might have been.
• Before he was discharged Shelter was a Sergeant- Major. How do you think he would have treated new
recruits to the army, based on what you have read about him so far?
DIARY
ENTRIES
FOR LINK
AND
SHELTER
Final thoughts...
It is twelve months
since Shelter was
arrested. He has been
accused of the
murders of seven
homeless people from
the London area. The
day of his trial has
arrived- if convicted of
murder he will be
imprisoned for life.
Write the final diary
entries for either Link
or Shelter, on the
night before the trial.
Use the ideas listed to
help you.
LINK
Link has been called to testify at the
trial.
His diary could include the following:
• feelings about being called to testify
• feelings about Ginger
• feelings about Shelter
• feelings about Gail
• whether his life has improved- is he
still on the streets?
• whether there has been any contact
with his family
Try to write in the style of Link
SHELTER
Shelter has been in prison for twelve
months, awaiting trial. Write his diary
on the night before the trial.
You could include:
• how he has been coping in prison
• how he feels about the murders now
and his feelings about homeless people
• whether he thinks he will be acquitted
at the trial
• whether he is sorry for his crimes
Try to adopt the style of writing used by
Shelter in the novel
STONE COLD
Themes
The overarching
theme in Stone Cold is
the issue of
homelessness
Sleeping rough
Happens all the time- one man’s
bedroom is another man’s
And don’t forget the cold. If
you’ve ever tried dropping off to
lavatory. You might be spotted by sleep with cold feet, even in bed
a gang of lager louts on the look- you’ll know it’s impossible.
on pages 55 to 57 Link
describes the horrors of
sleeping rough
•••
out for someone to maim. That
You’ve got to warm up those feet,
happens all the time too, and if
they get carried away you can
or lie awake. And in January, in a
doorway, in wet trainers, it can
end up dead. There are guys who
like young boys, who think that
be quite a struggle. And if you
manage it, chances are you’ll
because you’re a dosser you’ll do
need to get up for a pee, and then
anything for dosh, and there’s
the psycho who’l knife your for
it starts all over again.
So you pick your spot. Wherever
your pack.
it is (unless you’re in a squat or a
derelict house or something) it’s
So, you lie listening,. You bet you
going to have a floor of stone, tile, do. Footsteps. Voices. Breathing,
concrete or brick. In other words even. Doesn’t help you sleep.
it’s going to be hard and cold. It
might be a bit cramped, too-shop Then there’s your bruises. What
doorways often are. And
bruises? Try lying on a stone
floor for half an hour. Just half
remember, if its winter you’re
going to be half frozen before you an hour. You choose any position
you fancy, and you won;t find it
even start. Anyway you’ve got
comfy, I can tell you. You won’t
your place, and if you’re lucky
And those are only some of the
hassles. I haven't mentioned
stomach cramps from hunger,
headaches from the flu,
toothache, fleas and lice. I
haven’t talked about
homesickness, depression and
despair. I haven’t gone into how
it feels to want a girlfriend when
your circumstances make it
virtually impossible for you to
maybe, maybe not. Remember
get one- how it feels to know
sleep unless you;re dead drunk
you’re a social outcast in fact, a
or zonked on downers. And if you
non-person to whom every
are, and do, you’re going t wake
ordinary activity is closed.
up with bruises on hips,
shoulders, elbows, ankles and
my first night? The Scouser?
Course you do. He kicked me our
knees- especially if you’re a bit
thin from not eating properly.
of my bedroom and pinched my
watch. Well, that sort of thing
And if you do that for six nights
enough to have a sleeping-bag
you unroll it and get in.
Settled for the night? Well
can happen any night, and there
are worse things. You could be
peed on my a drunk or a dog.
you’ll feel like you fell out of a
train. Try sleeping on concrete
then.
On pages 55-58 of Stone Cold Link gives a vivid description of what it is like to sleep on the streets of
London. Re-read the extract, then complete the following activities:
1. Make a list of 10 of the worst things about sleeping rough
2. How does Link manage to involve the reader in the description?
3. How does Swindells make effective use of sentence structure in this extract?
4. How successful is the description in allowing you to understand what it is like to sleep rough? Use
evidence from the text to support your response.
5. How does this extract make you feel sympathy for homeless people?
A night on
the streets...
TASK
To draft a detailed
description of how it must
feel to spend one night
sleeping rough on the streets
TIPS: Try and put yourself into
the situation of someone who
has been made homeless.
1. This is called empathy (when
you imagine how someone else
must be feeling)
2. Write in the first person
(using an ‘I’ viewpoint as
opposed to a ‘he’/ ‘she’ one).
3. Include as much detail as you can
to make your writing
interesting, vivid and
realistic.
Paragraph 1:
You should aim to create a real feeling
of what it must be like to sleep on the
streets.To describe the sounds, feelings
and things you can see and touch
(make use of the five senses).
Describe how you arrive in London and how you are feeling before your first night on the streets.
Make sure your writing includes answers to the following:
• where do you find a spot to sleep?
• what kind of place is it?
• how badly is the cold affecting you?
• can you get to sleep?
• are you scared for your safety?
Paragraph 2:
Describe the middle of the night.
Make sure your writing includes answers to the following:
• do you manage to fall asleep?
• do you get disturbed by anyone or anything?
• how are you coping with your feelings of loneliness?
• why do you feel so unhappy?
• what is the most difficult aspect of sleeping rough? What do you miss most of all?
Paragraph 3
Describe waking up the following morning
Make sure your writing includes answers to the following:
• what can you hear?
• what can you see?
• what can you smell?
• how do you feel after a night sleeping rough?
• will you be able to bear another night on the street tonight?
STONE COLD
Language
A close study of
text requires in depth
consideration of the
language forms and
features are used to
communicate
meaning
What’s in a Name?
You can call me Link.
It’s not my name, but it’s what I say when anybody asks, which isn’t often. I’m invisible see? One of the
invisible people. Right now I’m sitting in a doorway watching the passers-by. They avoid looking at me.
They’re afraid I want something they’ve got, and they’re right. Also, they don’t want to think about me.
They don’t like reminding I exist. Me, and those like me. We’re living proof that everything’s not all right
and we make the place untidy.
Hang on and I’ll tell you the story of my fascinating life.
Shelter. Yes. I like it. It’s got a ring to it as I’m
sure you’ll agree. Shelter, as in shelter from the
stormy blast. It’s what they are all seeking. The
street people. What they crave. If they can only find
shelter everything will be fine. Well- get fell in, my
lucky lads, I’m ready for you.
Answe
r the fo
llowin
senten
g quest
ces
ions in
full
1. Why
does “L
ink” no
t get as
name v
ked his
ery oft
en?
2. Why
do you
think h
e is not
real na
using h
me?
is
3. Wha
t is you
r first i
4. Why
mpress
does “S
ion of L
helter”
ink?
this na
c
a
ll hims
me?
elf by
5. Wha
t is you
r first i
mpress
Shelter
ion of
?
6. How
are the
charac
“Shelte
ters of
“Link”
r” imm
and
ediatel
these in
y conne
troduct
cted by
ions?
Language used to describe the homeless
Down and outs
Scruffy blighters
Crims
Invisible people
Dossers
THE HOMELESS
Winos
Above are some of th
e terms used to desc
ribe
Street
homeless people in St
one Cold.
people
Read them carefully
and answer the
following
questions:
1. What do these te
rms
tell you about the wa
y
be viewed- what
impression is create
d of them?
homeless people can
2. Can you think of
any
to describe homeless
other terms that are
people in a negative
used
way?
3. Why do some peop
le feel this way abou
t the
homeless?
4. Make an alternat
ive list of terms that
present
homeless people in a
sympathetic way.
Street lingo
An accent is the way a certain group of people pronounce words, phrases and sentences, including
dropping sounds and joining up sounds from words. Accents often show which country people are
from or which area within a country people are from. Traditionally, accent would denote social
background.
A dialect is the type of language typical to a particular groups of the language’s speakers, often
dependant on where someone is from. Different dialects have their own vocabulary and grammar.
An idiolect is a form of language unique to an individual. It is shown by the words or phrases
individuals select and the grammar that they use regularly and is unique to them.
With a partner list as many accents as you can. Try to include
where the accent is from.
e.g. A Cockney accent may show that someone is from London.
Try to think of some examples of words that are used in
different dialects. See if you can think of five more examples.
e.g. In Yorkshire nowt can be used to mean nothing.
Try to answer the following questions alone.
Do you have an accent? If so, can you define it?
What words/ phrases that you use are part of your dialect?
Do you use any words that you think are specific to the way that you
speak and are part of your idiolect?
Now, with a partner compare the notes that you have made and discuss why accents/ dialects might
be important in Stone Cold. Be prepared to feed back your ideas to the class.
•
•
•
Street lingo
BELOW ARE SOME WORDS AND PHRASES SHOWING THE DIALECT AND IDIOLECT OF CHARACTERS
IN STONE COLD. TRY TO DEFINE EACH OF THE WORDS/PHRASES USING THE CONTEXT OF THE
WORD TO HELP YOU.
PAGE
WORD
10
dossers
12
winos and
crims
19
green
22
tabs off
26
caff
37
manky
40
doss down
44
bolted under
45
punters
55
fuzz
56
zonked
75
lick him
78
tap/tapping
96
the scene
108
grimmer
MEANING
Writing task
TASK
Write your own chap
ter in Shelter’s voice
titled
‘Daily Routine Orders
5a’. You must includ
e at least
one example of each
of the types of langu
ag
e listed
below. Firstly you wi
ll need to plan what
you want
to happen in your ch
apter. Remember that
in ‘Daily
Routine Orders 5’ Sh
elter has just murder
ed his
first victim. Your chap
ter will follow on from
this.
Ideas for your chapter
could include:
• Shelter kills his second
• Shelter disposes of his
• Shelter attempts to kil
gets caught
victim
first victim’s body
l second victim but ne
arly
• Shelter meets somebody
that he knows from
his
past on the streets
When you read the Daily Routine Orders chapters, written in the voice of Shelter, you will
notice a number of similarities.
• Shelter uses vocabulary that links closely to his military past. e.g. ‘recruiting’, ‘mission’,
‘19.00 hours’, ‘victory’.
• Shelter uses offensive or taboo language. e.g. ‘cheeky little bugger’, ‘cracker up his arse’,
‘arse-licking’, ‘it was pissing it down’.
• Shelter uses a lot of similes in his descriptions. e.g. ‘as easy as falling off a log’, ‘like a ruddy
poodle’, ‘like a pair of new boots’, ‘as fit as a butcher’s dog’.
• Shelter uses a lot of informal and dialect words. e.g. ‘scruffy blighters’, ‘dossers’, ‘winos and
crims’, ‘woofta’.
• Shelter also uses some words that suggest he is well-educated. e.g. ‘anticipation’,
‘meticulous’, ‘commence’, ‘perished’.
• He also uses rhetorical questions. e.g. ‘Who loses?’, ‘What thanks do I get?’, ‘ They’re all par
of the plot, see?’, ‘I can clean up the garbage, can’t I?’.
Here are some sentence starters to help:
• The time was 06.00 hours when I left the house that morning...
• I knew that today was going to prove successful to my overall plan
• The decontamination of the streets is starting to make an impact on me: I feel exhausted!
• Am I doing this for thanks? No. I am clearing the streets to satisfy my own mission as well as to improve the
quality of life for others
PERSUASIVE TECHNIQUES
In chapter 8 (pp. 52-61) Link describes a typical night on the streets. Robert Swindells uses a lot of persuasive
techniques to convince the reader how awful it is.
Find examples of each of the following persuasive techniques from this chapter of the novel. Some have been
done for you.
PERSUASIVE TECHNIQUE
EVIDENCE
Rhetorical question
“Settled for the night?”
“the psycho who’ll knife you...”
Triples
“Footsteps. Voices. Breathing...”
“It can’t be only one o’clock, surely?”
Pronouns
“You won’t find it comfy, I can tell
you”
HOW AND WHY DOES THIS MAKE
US FEEL SYMPATHY FOR HOMELESS
PEOPLE?
The words “psycho” and “knife”
imply a dangerous situation. This is
a real threat that creates emotions
of fear, panic and upset.
By using the triple Swindells
emphasises how scary and
dangerous the streets can be at
night. Having three threats shows
the danger more clearly than a
single idea.
PERSUASIVE TECHNIQUES
PERSUASIVE TECHNIQUE
EVIDENCE
HOW AND WHY DOES THIS MAKE
US FEEL SYMPATHY FOR HOMELESS
PEOPLE?
Emotive language
Flattery
“Not your fault of course- if you’ve
never tried it you’ve no way of
knowing what it’s like...”
Link is kind and reassuring. This
makes the reader feel grateful that
he has assumed that we are in a
better situation. However, it also
makes us feel guilty that we have no
idea what it’s like yet have formed
opinions of homeless people.
Pronouns
When you have completed the table answer the following question by
writing a P.e.E.E.E.E.E.E.L paragraph:
How does Robert Swindells persuade the reader to feel sympathy for homeless people?
THE
PANEL
Q&A Forum on Homelessness
Father Chris Riley:
Founder and CEO of Youth
Off The Streets, has worked
with disadvantaged youth for
more than 30 years.
Gina Rinehart: Heiress
to a mining fortune. Recently
Rinehart criticised welfare
recipients for dragging the
country into debt and
attacked the political left for
spending the “bottomless
pit” of revenue generated
from mining taxes and
royalties.
A young mother with
children: Rachael has
three young children and
recently lost her job. She is
currently living out of her
car.
Rev Dr Keith V
Garner: Superintendent/
CEO of Wesley Mission, an
inspiring and gifted preacher
who believes in combining
'an enthusiasm for the
Gospel with a compassion
for those who are hurting,
endure poverty and suffer
injustice.'
Tony Abbott: Current
Liberal Prime Minister of
Australia. Mr Abbott has the
power to determine how
much money gets goes into
funding a social safety net
for the homeless in
Australia. State governments
and peak body
Homelessness Australia have
recently urged the
government to provide
certainty around funding for
homelessness initiatives.
THE FORUM
As a class group we will be holding a forum on
the issue of homelessness in Sydney, with a
particular focus on the varying attitudes people
hold towards homelessness.
The class will be divided into 6 groups and each
group will be assigned a character from those
listed on the left (or as an audience). Each
THE
NUMBERS
The number of people
who are currently
homeless in Australia
105 237
group will nominate a ‘speaker’ to represent
their perspective in the forum discussion. You
will have a lesson to research your perspective
and consider the perspectives of your fellow
participants in the panel discussion. The
speaker may use prepared notes to assist them
in responding to the questions posed to them by
audience members about the issue of
On any given night in
Australia
1 in 200
people are homeless
homelessness in Australia.
(If you are assigned the role of audience you
must consider your own personal perspective
on the issue of homelessness and pose questions
tailored to the panel participants).
44%
of homeless people are
women