In this essay, I am going to analyse the different techniques Morris Gleitzman has used in the first chapter from two weeks with the queen. To reflect Colin’s mood.

In the beginning of the novel, it is happy and peaceful. “The queen looked across the mudfords living room and wished everyone a happy Christmas”, in this sentence the queen is giving her speech. By starting like this Gleitzman makes Colin in a bad mood, “Colin scowled.” Colin gets angry because Colin got new shoes for Christmas and he wanted a microscope but his brother got whatever he wanted.Gleitzman used many moody phrases and words when he is describing Colin. He used such words as “colins sincere wish was that the shoes would burst into flames”. To show the reader just how annoyed he is with his parents and his Christmas present.

Repetition helps the reader to feel Colin’s frustration. Each sentence begins with the same word “bet”. The author uses long sentences as well as short sentences “Colin looked away from the queens flickering face on the TV screen and down at the shiny box on the threadbare carpet”. “Yuk”. Gleitzman uses a long sentence to describe the atmosphere and then Colin looks at his shoes and gets to the point of what Colin feels about them, and how annoyed he is.

Gleitzman is good at dropping hints along his way “I don’t feel well’, said Luke”, Gleitzman is trying to say that soon he will not feel well or something might happen to him and the effect on the reader makes them suspicious. At the end of the chapter the mood changes and he moves the attention away from Colin and the atmosphere completely changes. “They heard a thump from the lounge. They hurried in”. Here Luke is on the ground in the lounge and Colin’s mood changes from annoyed to surprised and shocking. They hurry in and see what has happened “Luke lay on the floor, eyes closed, very pale very still”. From the hint in the beginning that the author has dropped before pf him being sick, something has now happened to him because he did not feel well before earlier in the story.

As the reader, I think so far it is a good novel. I like the way changes the mood all of a sudden, and Colin’s mood changes from angry to shocked to emotional. I like the way Gleitzman changes the atmosphere. One moment Colin is angry and they hear a thud and everyone hurry’s in to see Luke laid on the floor. The techniques that gleitzman uses are effective in reflecting Colin’s mood.