No.47 Haywards Heath (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE English Literature): Revision Note
Exam code: 0475 & 0992
Haywards Heath analysis
In the exam, you will be asked to answer one question from two options. Both questions will be on a different text from the selection of ten texts in Stories of Ourselves Volume 2.
Because there are so many text options, make sure you read through the exam instructions carefully, and look for the questions on Stories of Ourselves.
The following guide to Haywards Heath by Aminatta Forna contains:
Plot summary
Themes, ideas and perspectives
Writer’s methods
Key quotations
Plot summary of Haywards Heath
When the story begins, the protagonist, Attila, is driving to the English town of Haywards Heath. He thinks back to the “youth” at the car-hire desk, and his hired car from the “Prestige” range. He remembers Rosie, and how they shared a joke about the “overseas students” who could not pronounce the name of her home town, “Haywards Heath”. Attila has found out where Rosie is from the “London hospital” where he consults as a trauma doctor for displaced populations twice a year.
Readers learn that Attila is visiting England and is excited about his impulsive trip to find Rosie. He reflects on the last time he saw her, and his sudden departure after graduation to go “6,000 miles away”.
When he arrives he is surprised to find the address he has been given has directed him to a care home. He finds Rosie in the “day room”. He remembers how she pleaded with him to stay, and apologises to her for leaving her all those years before. However, although she says she has a friend called Attila who is coming to visit her soon, Rosie is unable to recognise him.
They go for a walk in the garden, during which Attila is reminded of her cheerful and youthful nature despite her age and dementia. She steals a sweet from an elderly woman sitting on a bench, telling him that they are her favourites.
Attila goes back to visit two months later, once he has found the sweets Rosie loves. However, once there, he sees her dancing with one of the African care workers. Attila notices that the man has the same “smooth” skin and little beard that he had when he was young. He sees her place her head on his chest and ask him to dance “another turn, Attila”.
He places the box of her favourite “Newbury” sweets on the table and sits down to watch.
Examiner Tips and Tricks
In order to answer the question in Section B of the CIE Literature in English Poetry and Prose Paper 1, it is best to have a thorough knowledge of the story’s plot. You will need to be able to support your points with references from the story, and consider how themes and characters develop (or not).
Themes, ideas and perspectives in Haywards Heath
For top marks, you need to form a critical understanding of the text’s themes and ideas. This is best when it includes personal judgements and evaluations of the themes, ideas, and perspectives of the text. Here are some of the key ideas you will need to understand in Aminatta Forna’s Haywards Heath.
What are the key themes in Haywards Heath?
Theme | Analysis |
|---|---|
Romantic relationships |
|
Individual identity |
|
The past and the present |
|
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Examiners are looking for responses that demonstrate good knowledge of the text through well-selected references. To do this, identify key words or phrases that very specifically support your point, rather than writing out long quotations. By considering a particular word or phrase you will find it easier to notice patterns or techniques. This will lead to a stronger analysis of the writer’s choices and how they achieve their intentions.
Try to notice patterns of verbs, for example. What tense are they in? Do they inform you about the character’s mood or attitude? You can then explain how this may convey deeper ideas.
Writer's methods in Haywards Heath
How does Forna present her ideas and perspectives?
In her short story Haywards Heath, Aminatta Forna conveys the hopes and disappointments of an elderly man returning to a past love.
Technique | Analysis |
|---|---|
Omniscient narrator |
|
Symbolism |
|
Haywards Heath key quotations
The mark scheme for the CIE IGCSE Literature in English Paper 1, Section B asks you to showcase your knowledge of the story in the question. To do this, you should refer to the text through references and quotations. You will not be required to remember direct quotations, though. Summarising, paraphrasing, referencing single words, and referring to plot events are all considered valid supporting evidence for your points.
The best way to revise quotations is in connection to a theme. Below you will find explanations and analysis of some key quotations from Aminatta Forna’s Haywards Heath, arranged by the following themes:
Romantic relationships
Individual Identity
The past and the present
Romantic relationships
“...exhaled all the breath in his lungs at the sound of her name” — Narrator
Meaning and context
The narrator says that Attila became breathless when he heard Rosie’s name mentioned at the “London hospital” where she used to work
Analysis
Forna shows Attila’s strong and lasting feelings for Rosie by emphasising his excitement at simply hearing her name:
His reaction is so strong it is physical
“On this slender hope he hung his heart” — Narrator
Meaning and context
Attila hopes that Rosie will remember him when he visits next
Analysis
Forna’s alliteration in “hope”, “hung” and “heart” accentuates the emotive language:
Attila is very disappointed to find Rosie in a care home, but he still holds out a vain and desperate “hope” for a rekindled romance
Forna implies Attila has a sense of regret over the missed chance to be with Rosie
Individual identity
“But he went back to his country anyway, full of ideas of himself, of the future” — Narrator
Meaning and context
Attila’s choice to go back home after graduating from university in England was because he had dreams and personal goals
Analysis
Forna highlights the difficult decision Attila faced choosing between Rosie and a career as a doctor back home:
It is implied Attila went back to Africa to help “displaced populations” with “trauma”, and that it was there that his wife was killed in an atrocity
Forna here raises themes about personal identity and impactful decisions
“She reached out to touch the drops or rain on the leaves” — Narrator
Meaning and context
When Attila and Rosie are walking in the garden of the care home, Rosie is “youthful”, and takes in the “wonder” of nature by touching the wet leaves
Analysis
Forna highlights, with sensory imagery, Rosie’s cheerful nature
Despite her age and condition, she takes pleasure in simple things
This may emphasise the sense of loss Attila feels having lived without her
The past and the present
“At the desk he asked for her by her maiden name” — Narrator
Meaning and context
Attila does not consider Rosie may be married when he visits her at the care home
That he does not know if she has married highlights the length of absence between them
Analysis
Forna illustrates how Attila’s memory of Rosie is limited to their time at university
This creates suspense, as readers and Attila wait to find out what Rosie is like now
It also reveals Attila as stuck in the past
“Attila felt light-headed and — somewhat bizarrely — youthful” — Narrator
Meaning and context
When Attila and Rosie walk in the garden he is taken back to the past and feels excited:
In a strange way, she makes him feel young again
Analysis
Forna creates a sympathetic portrayal of Attila and Rosie’s romance:
Despite their age, he is “youthful” when he is with her, and this, Forna implies, he has not felt for a long time
Forna implies Rosie would have brought fun to his life as she used to say he was “too serious”
Sources
Wilmer, M (ed.), 2018, Stories of Ourselves: Cambridge Assessment International Education Anthology of Stories in English Volume 2, Cambridge University Press.
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