The Circle

Question 1

What is a summary of the circle?

Answer 1

Don Paterson uses his son drawing outer space to explore the profound themes of humanity, imperfection, fate and the universe, stemming from the traumatic birth where his baby struggles to breathe.
The sons hand tremor becomes a physical reminder of his near death experience at birth

Question 2

“My boy is painting outer space”

Answer 2

• ‘my boy’ is possessive and suggests that the speaker is proud of Jamie and is keen to claim their connection
• ‘painting outer space’ would be a gargantuan undertaking. This suggests that Jamie has an ambitious nature

Question 3

‘The dream is taxed’

Answer 3

• metaphor
• in the same way that a workers salary is diminished when tax is automatically subtracted, a part of what we aspire to is always taken away. Again, the speaker suggests that expectation and reality are never identical

Question 4

‘Singing under everything’

Answer 4

• extended metaphor
  -while hidden, the voice of nature and fate resounds everywhere.
  There is perfection in imperfection and life is how it is supposed to be

Question 5

‘The comets, planets, moon and sun’

Answer 5

• emphasises the scope of Jamie’s imagination and his enormous ambition

Question 6

‘His hand shakes, and he screws it up’

Answer 6

• contrast
  Jamie’s physical fragility contrasts with the boundless nature of his imagination

-word choice
screws it up suggests his intense frustration at being unable to match his vision with reality. It may also suggest that he scrunches up and discards the paper in his moment of annoyance

Question 7

Central concerns could be..?

Answer 7

Human nature
Parenthood
Nature of art
Change