The Secret Garden

Primary & ElementaryAdvancedReading Comprehension

The following extract describes Mary Lennox's first impressions of the secret garden:

"It was the sweetest, most mysterious-looking place any one could imagine. The high walls which shut it in were covered with the leafless stems of climbing roses which were so thick that they were matted together. Mary Lennox knew they were roses because she had seen a great many roses in India. All the ground was covered with grass of a wintry brown and out of it grew clumps of bushes which were surely rose-bushes if they were alive. There were numbers of standard roses which had so spread their branches that they were like little trees. There were other trees in the garden, and one of the things which made the place look strangest and loveliest was that climbing roses had run all over them and swung down long tendrils which made light swaying curtains, and here and there they had caught at each other or at a far-reaching branch and had crept from one tree to another and made lovely bridges of themselves. There were neither leaves nor roses on them now and Mary did not know whether they were dead or alive, but their thin gray or brown branches and sprays looked like a sort of hazy mantle spreading over everything, walls, and trees, and even brown grass, where they had fallen from their fastenings and run along the ground. It was this hazy tangle from tree to tree which made it all look so mysterious. Mary had thought it must be different from other gardens which had not been left all by themselves so long; and indeed it was different from any other place she had ever seen in her life."

Question: How does the author use descriptive language and imagery to create a sense of both mystery and beauty in the secret garden? Refer to at least two specific examples from the text.

šŸ’” Writing Tips

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    Look for words and phrases that appeal to your senses (sight, touch) and that suggest something is unknown, old, or hidden. Also, identify language that describes attractive or appealing qualities. Consider how contrasting descriptions (e.g., leafless but 'loveliest') contribute to the overall effect. Quote directly from the text to support your points.

šŸ“ Sample Answer

The author masterfully uses descriptive language to evoke both mystery and beauty. The sense of mystery is created through phrases like "most mysterious-looking place" and the "hazy tangle from tree to tree which made it all look so mysterious." This repetition of 'mysterious' directly tells the reader about the garden's elusive quality. The uncertainty regarding whether the roses "were dead or alive" further deepens this mystery, making it intriguing rather than simply overgrown. Beauty is evident in descriptions such as "strangest and loveliest" and how the climbing roses formed "lovely bridges of themselves." Despite the 'wintry brown' grass and 'leafless stems,' the image of tendrils creating "light swaying curtains" adds a delicate, almost magical charm, suggesting a hidden prettiness even in its neglected state.

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The Secret Garden | Reading Comprehension Prompt | atoply