E2/3 Response 2
Power On is an imaginative exploration of a future world entirely devoid of imagination. The totalitarian society allows choice only in the Sim character and setting selected for computer gaming purposes. The work includes options available to the character/player at different points in the game, although greater consistency in the way these are presented would have increased their effectiveness as a literary device. The plot is not predictable but events develop an inevitability which serves as a cautionary tale for readers. Characterisation is cleverly achieved in spite of their social isolation. Language for the narrative strand is effective; the text for the gaming segments tends to be contrived due to presenting a digital experience in print form. The way the rules of the game are slowly revealed, while deliberate, needs to be more closely linked to the plot. The Reflection Statement demonstrates more research into narrative writing in general than for the short story medium. Purpose and audience are clearly stated and the ironical plot twist, that the murder of Sims enables their controllers to glimpse the nature of their real lives, is effective and well-articulated. Connections to works studied in English Advanced and as independent reading are evident but the work would have been strengthened if the post-apocalyptic world described were less stereotyped.
