Thanks for that!
In regards to what I have so far, I have a hard time with technique recognition. I can recognise themes and ideas but can't back them up with techniques. However that being said, I can see that in Text 2, there's this central idea of personal experiences result in renewed perceptions of the world (discovery). In Text 3, its something about how discovery can be different for everyone based on what sort of input they take from their surroundings. Text 4 is the persona rediscover the days of his youth. All very vague statements, but that's all I have so far. My test is the in the Paper A format, so I don't need to over analyse.
Thanks again
These sound like some good conceptual ideas! When you are looking for techniques, start with the simple stuff. Word choice, expression and imagery; look for places where a picture is painted especially well in your mind. Or where a word really packs a punch. Then graduate to language devices; look for phrases with repetition of a single consonant or vowel to pick up alliteration and assonance. Then, on a third pass, look for things like figurative language and symbolism. Does this carry any greater meaning than what is literally said? Build up from the simple to the complex.
Finally, you can also comment on the general style and tone of the author. Is it angry? Sad? Excited? What sort of voice do you hear in your head and why?
For the second text especially, I think the style would be worth mentioning. Very stream of consciousness style, reads a bit like a speech! You could also talk about the metaphor of being at "ground level" at the end, that's a bit of political symbolism I think, depending on how you interpret it! I also see some bits of alliteration around as well
I think the big thing for Text 3 is the imagery and word choice. Look for sentences that paint a picture visually, aurally (etc) extremely well. You've got a nice structure in two parts, signified by that repetition of "a Summer's Day on the beach", you may wish to extrapolate on the meaning of that too
Try having a crack at Text 4 yourself using the process I outlined above. I see lots of places where sights, sounds, even tactile (touch) sensations are used to paint a picture for the audience, that's all imagery. Further, what sort of tone is conveyed? It seems very melancholy to me
Hope this helps as a start!