Language

The language of “Flight” by Katharine Susannah Prichard is simple but occasionally old-fashioned, using inverted syntax, like in the following example: “A big, fair-haired, youngish woman, she was, Mrs O’Shea, full-bosomed and sonsy.” (p. 167, ll. 15-16).

Furthermore, the language includes Aboriginal words which may pose some challenges for the unaccustomed reader such as “gnarlu” (p. 174, l. 8) or “gina-ginas” (p. 175, l. 11).

The choice of words is related to life in Australia in the beginning of the 20th century, focusing on the differences between Aboriginals and white Australians, on the government policy of removing half-Aboriginal children from their…

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Similes and metaphors

Similes are used to draw comparisons and associations between different terms. In the story, the plains are described as “grey-blue as the sea in winter” (p. 161, ll. 17-18) to convey Constable O’Shea’s perspective on the setting and to suggest how the night changes the way the landscape looks.

Several similes are used to describe the three Aboriginal girls. “The kids stuck like leeches” (p. 164, ll. 3-4) is a simile used to convey both the way the girls hold on to the saddle but also Constable O’Shea’s irritation with the situation.

O’Shea also describes them “like greased lightning” (p. 165, l. 2), “as wild birds” (p. 168, l. 4), or …

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Rhetorical questions

Various rhetorical questions are used to convey Constable O’Shea’s perspective: “Then what sort of a fool would he look, going back after them, with all the business of catching and getting away with them again?” (p. 165, ll. 4-6). In this example, the rhetorica…