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Once you have highlighted the references in the extract which you want to use, you need to make a brief plan before writing your answer. Make sure that you work through the extract chronologically, and always get to the end.

Remind yourself of the assessment objectives - to give your own opinion about the text; build a discussion and quote directly – as well as talk about the way the writer has used language and form to create particular effects.

Use this plan to help you to make your own for other questions:

Higher tier

How does Arthur Miller create mood and atmosphere for an audience here?

Foundation tier

How do you think the audience would respond to this part of the play?

Planning your answer

1. Introduction. Briefly discuss what is happening in this extract; this shows the examiner that you know the play
2. Discuss the way that Rodolpho talks and behaves
3. Discuss the way that Catherine talks and behaves
4. Discuss audience response/mood and atmosphere
5. Conclusion. Briefly summarise what you have said in your response

Higher tier sample responses

Here are two sample answers which address point four of the extract plan:

Sample answer one

In this extract Miller shows how Rodolpho gets angry about the situation which makes it tense. He is angry because Catherine doesn’t seem to grasp that he wants to stay in America, and going back to Italy isn’t an option. Rodolpho says to Catherine that the situation in Italy is terrible and he asks Don’t you believe that?

The audience might get angry with Rodolpho for being mean to Catherine, because she is obviously getting more upset, so they would feel sorry for her. Rodolpho says I am furious! which would make the atmosphere very tense. Catherine comes across as innocent and it is not her fault that she doesn’t understand how poor they are in Italy.

By the end of the extract Catherine is nearly crying so the audience might hate Rodolpho for upsetting her. Therefore the mood and atmosphere would be very heavy, but at the start Catherine was happy about moving to Italy – Americans live there - so the mood has changed.

Feedback comments – quite good, but with some aspects that need to be improved

This answer does show an understanding of how Miller creates mood and atmosphere. It refers to the audience and the way that they would react to the actors’ dialogue.

However, there are no references to the stage directions and these are important when discussing mood, as the writer has included them as guides for the actors. There is some empathy for Catherine and an awareness of how the audience would infer that Rodolpho is being harsh in his exasperation, but there are not many direct references to the text to support these claims. In addition, the references follow no logical order and are taken from all over the passage.

Sample answer two

In this extract Miller has used a variety of ways to create mood and atmosphere. First of all, Rodolpho and Catherine are contrasted, with Rodolpho being experienced in the ways of the world and Catherine being hopelessly naïve. The stage directions allow Rodolpho’s anger at the injustice of the world to increase, while they allow Catherine to become more upset and bewildered. The audience has sympathy for both characters, though, which shows that Miller has manipulated the audience in a sophisticated way.

At the start, Rodolpho is [astonished] that Catherine would wish to move from America, with its wealth and opportunities, to Italy, with its ruins and poverty. The audience can see that Catherine has a romantic idea of Italy based on what Rodolpho has told her previously – You’re always saying it’s so beautiful there, with the mountains and the ocean and all the...

The vocabulary used recreates Catherine’s image for the audience which allows them to empathise with her. As the extract progresses, we see Rodolpho growing in stature and becoming a man. This would be extremely interesting for the audience, as he moves from astonishment to shouting, Nothing, nothing, nothing, at Catherine. The use of tripling really emphasises Rodolpho’s negative view of his home country’s prospects.

The stage directions say that he then moves about angrily and his movement about the stage creates a mood of tension which comes to its height when he shouts I am furious! Miller has also used hyperbole to great effect, when Rodolpho says that Catherine “would have an old, hungry face” within two years. Of course, Rodolpho himself does not have an old face and he has lived in Italy all his life, so it is doubtful that Catherine would change so drastically. Rodolpho just wants to make a subtle point. However, an atmosphere of doubt and fear is created.

Feedback comments – this response is much more detailed and focused

This answer gets straight to the point and the examiner can see that the pupil is addressing the question. The response works systematically through the extract, showing how Rodolpho changes during it, rather than going back and forth from different parts of the passage.

The response shows empathy for the characters, which is a sign of real understanding of the text. The discussion of the subtext (Rodolpho’s real motive) and Miller’s use of exaggeration are also effective, when the pupil refers to Rodolpho making a subtle point about not wanting to return to Italy and the way he exaggerates to frighten Catherine into not wanting to go.

The use of technical language such as hyperbole and tripling add depth to the response. The points are aptly supported by direct references, as well as attention to the stage directions, and the question is addressed throughout the paragraph.

Now attempt your own answer to this extract question based on the above plan – you should allow yourself around twenty minutes.