From 127 Hours: Between a Rock and a Hard Place (Edexcel IGCSE English Language A)

Revision Note

Written by: Deb Orrock

Reviewed by: Kate Lee

127 Hours: Between a Rock and a Hard Place Analysis

Students studying the Pearson Edexcel International GCSE English Language A qualification must study all ten of the non-fiction texts in Part 1 of the Edexcel IGCSE English Language Anthology in preparation for Paper 1. You will be given one of the ten readings in your exam, along with another unseen text, which are thematically linked. Section A, Question 4 will specifically be about the anthology text, and Question 5 will ask you to compare the anthology text with the unseen text.

The following guide to 127 Hours: Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston contains:

127 Hours overview
127 Hours summary
Themes, ideas and perspectives in 127 Hours
How does Ralston present his ideas and perspectives?

127 Hours overview

This extract, taken from the book Between a Rock and a Hard Place, is an autobiographical account by American mountain climber Aron Ralston of his experience of being trapped in a canyon while hiking in the Utah desert in the USA. He had not informed anyone of his hiking plans, and, in order to free himself, was forced to amputate his own right arm which had become trapped by a boulder.

127 Hours summary

The account opens in the middle of Ralston’s hike as he attempts to traverse over drop-offs in the canyon. He describes a technique called stemming, which allows climbers to descend into narrow passages, using it to reach a chockstone which is stuck in the channel between the walls. He decides that if he gets down to the chockstone, he can then drop from the stone to the canyon floor.

Unfortunately, when he reaches the chockstone and dangles from it, the stone becomes dislodged. Ralston drops to the floor, followed by the stone which smashes his left hand against the wall, then ricochets and crushes his right hand and arm. The stone becomes wedged, trapping his arm. He quickly realises that he is trapped and desperately attempts to free himself, but the boulder does not move. The extract finishes on a cliff-hanger.

Themes, ideas and perspectives in 127 Hours

Paper 1, Question 4 in your language exam will ask you to explore how the writer has used language and structure to present a theme or idea within their text. For Paper 1, Question 5 the exam question will ask you to compare how the writer presents their ideas and perspectives with the unseen text.

What are the key themes in 127 Hours?

Theme	Analysis
Man versus nature	Ralston’s climbing and hiking experience means that he does not underestimate the terrain he is tackling: He carefully assesses the situation and the descent before undertaking it He even tests the boulder itself, kicking it to “test how stuck it is”
	However, despite his experience and expertise, he still finds himself injured and trapped: This conveys the danger of becoming complacent in the face of nature’s power
	To convey the power and danger of nature, the rock becomes an active threat to Ralston: It “smashes”, “crushes” and “ensnares”

Confidence and desperation	Ralston uses a confident tone and specialist language to convey that he is experienced and knows what he is doing
	Ralston’s experience is further conveyed by the implication that he has tackled challenges like these many times: His tone is detached when he tells the reader that “I come to another drop-off” indicating that this is a common occurrence
	The whole extract is written in the present tense: This emphasises the immediacy and danger that Ralston is feeling In contrast to the use of the passive voice earlier in the extract, Ralston changes to the active voice when fear takes over when he is trapped: For example, “I’m frantic, and I cry out…”

How does Ralston present his ideas and perspectives?

Ralston uses a variety of language and structural techniques to present his ideas and perspectives.

Technique	Analysis
Title	The title is an idiom and is ironic as Ralston himself will find himself literally stuck between a rock and a hard place (the canyon wall)
First-person perspective	Writing in the first person conveys that this is an autobiographical account, lending the writing authenticity
Pace	The passage begins with detailed description and technical language to convey Ralston’s experience and expertise, as well as the seriousness of what he is about to attempt The pace then increases through the use of adverbs such as “instantly” and active verbs such as “[fear] shoots” The writer then slows down time in the paragraph describing the accident itself, as “the next three seconds play out at a tenth of their normal speed”: “Time dilates” and goes “in slow motion” in order to emphasise the severity of the incident, and how clearly Ralston recalls it This paragraph concludes with the short sentence — “Then silence.” — to indicate how such a brief moment can have life-altering consequences Ralston then speeds up the pace once again as his fear and desperation manifest
Imagery	The image of the chockstone as a dangerous creature is conveyed firstly as it “consumes the sky” falling towards Ralston’s head: This is reinforced by the description of the accident itself, with the writer using the active verbs “smashes”, “ricochets”, “crushes”, “ensnares” and “tearing” This evokes a sense of the boulder being a wild animal or predatory creature
Zoomorphism	Ralston “grimaces”, “growls” and “grunts” in his efforts to free himself: The animalistic imagery hints at his loss of control, in contrast to the start of the passage
Comparative language	Ralston compares the technique of stemming with climbing up the inside of a chimney: This creates a claustrophobic tone He also describes the chockstone as the “size of a large bus tire” and his plan to slide off the boulder to the ground to “climbing down from the roof of a house”: This adds authenticity to the account and reinforces both Ralston’s expertise and the size of the obstacle he is tackling
Metaphor	The description of the “refrigerator chockstone” conveys its size and weight
Exclamation and alliteration	The writer conveys the shock in the aftermath of the accident with the short, alliterative sentence “Good God, my hand.” His subsequent panic is conveyed with the exclamative “Get your hand out of there!” and “Come on… move!”: This contrasts with the calm, calculated tone and sentences used at the start of the passage
Apocryphal story	Thinking of possibly fictitious reports of how adrenaline can give people superhuman strength conveys Ralston’s sense of panic and fear