Beyond the Sky and the Earth: A Journey into Bhutan (Edexcel IGCSE English Language A)

Revision Note

Written by: Deb Orrock

Reviewed by: Kate Lee

Beyond the Sky and the Earth: A Journey into Bhutan 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 texts 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 Beyond the Sky and the Earth: A Journey into Bhutan by Jamie Zeppa contains:

Beyond the Sky and the Earth overview
Beyond the Sky and the Earth summary
Themes, ideas and perspectives in Beyond the Sky and the Earth
How does Zeppa present her ideas and perspectives?

Beyond the Sky and the Earth overview

Jamie Zeppa is a Canadian writer who worked in Bhutan teaching English in her early 20s. She wrote an essay about her first month in the country, which developed into the book Beyond the Sky and the Earth about the first three years she spent there. The book’s title is derived from a Bhutanese expression of thankfulness.

Beyond the Sky and the Earth summary

The passage for Zeppa’s memoir begins with a description of the landscape of Bhutan and the writer’s first night in Thimphu, the capital. She goes on to describe her first morning and her new colleagues: two other Canadians who had also signed up for teaching in Bhutan for two years. Zeppa reveals that she is feeling apprehensive about the country, and describes the town in detail as they walk down the main road with Gordon, their field director. Gordon gives the trio some background information on the tour, and Zeppa observes the local people. She then attends a week-long orientation course with 12 other new teachers, learning about the history of the country, which she discovers an admiration for.

Themes, ideas and perspectives in Beyond the Sky and the Earth

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

What are the key themes in Beyond the Sky and the Earth?

Theme	Analysis
Exploration of new countries and cultures	The writer’s description of the country and its people make it seem mysterious and beautiful: The tone throughout the passage is positive and respectful
	Zeppa conveys that the country is like nothing she has ever experienced before: This is emphasised by the length and difficulty of the journey to get there from Canada
	The writer’s awe and fascination with the country is conveyed through her vivid and detailed descriptions of the people and the country’s history: “Our first lessons, in Bhutanese history, are the most interesting”
Cultural differences	There is a lack of luxuries in Thimphu that Zeppa would have been accustomed to in Canada: Their “Westernised” breakfast is bland and flavourless
	There is a clash of cultures evident in the shops she describes, with signs of the outside world: She details imported biscuits from India, teenagers in “acid washed jeans” and English news playing on the Bhutan Broadcasting Service These intrusions seem incongruous against the beauty and what Zeppa describes as the “Bhutanese-ness” of everything else
	The town of Thimphu itself is fairly new, suggesting the intrusion of modernity into a more traditional way of life, implied by references to “rice paddies”: There is a sense of needing to preserve traditional architecture and modes of dress
	The writer appears surprised that, although foreigners are few, the local people do not seem surprised by her presence: It is revealed that there is a small “ex-pat” community and the young man in the hotel reception speaks “impeccable English”

How does Zeppa present her ideas and perspectives?

Zeppa uses a variety of language and structural techniques to present her ideas and perspectives.

Technique	Analysis
Title	While the title is taken from a Bhutanese expression, it could also connote a sense of scale, distance and adventure: “Beyond the sky and the earth” suggests somewhere that is other-worldly
First-person perspective	The passage is in the form of a memoir; a record of events based on personal experience and observation
Long paragraphs and factual information	Zeppa’s paragraphs describing the people, the history of Bhutan and Thimphu itself are long with lots of factual information: This shows that the history and the people are important to her She takes care to describe things in great detail, suggesting that she has embraced a country and culture she initially felt apprehensive about
Imagery	Zeppa finds it difficult to comprehend the expanse of the landscape she sees, so she uses the metaphor of a “giant child” moulding the mountains and valleys out of rock and mud: This implies that she feels something so awe-inspiring could not have happened by chance or merely by “technical explanation” Her choice of language to describe Thimphu and its people conveys beauty and grace: Even the policemen are described as having “graceful hand gestures” and the government building as a “golden-tipped fortress” Zeppa uses a triad of “unselfconsciousness, good humor, grace” to suggest she cannot isolate just one adjective to describe her overwhelmingly positive impressions
Repetition	The repetition of “mountains” and “landmass” conveys the vastness of this part of Asia: She wonders at mountains, which “rise to meet the moon”, conveying the majesty of the natural world
Plosives	The plosives “a convulsion of crests and gorges and wind-sharpened pinnacles” illustrate the violent and extreme terrain, and the apprehension she feels at going to live somewhere so unfamiliar
Negative adjectives	The writer uses negative adjectives to describe intrusions from the outside world, such as “stale, soft cookies” and ”hideously colored Orange Cream Biscuits”: This highlights the clash of the modern with the traditional, and how the signs of the outside world seem to be out of place in such a traditional setting
Juxtaposition	Zeppa juxtaposes the two different worlds with the suggestion Thimphu will look like New York: She believes that “Thimphu will never look like New York”, implying that the two worlds will never meet This is reinforced by the references to beautiful natural beauty juxtaposed with synthetic products and Western cultural references
Lexis	Zeppa employs lexical fields of local vocabulary, such as “kira”, “gho” and “dzong”, as well as rural and agricultural and architectural lexis: She implies that she has become an expert in this culture and its people