The author considers the use of language, sentence type and imagery to effectively portray the conflicting nature of the garden. The writer describes the garden as ‘The bottom half of the garden was an overgrown mess, a muddle of trees and shrubs’ which is a poignant image as it presents the garden as neglected of any human interaction. The use of the adjective ‘overgrown’ suggests that the garden is seldom maintained which contributes to the suspicious and eery setting that the writer purposefully sets up. Furthermore, the fact that it was a ‘muddle’ of trees implies the chaotic nature of the garden, the adjective muddle is typically associated with a lack of organisation and therefore it could be the author highlighting the fact that the trees and shrubs are out of place which contributes further to the established setting when describing the garden. The writer moves to an isolated image of an ‘ancient mulberry tree stood at the centre’ which almost creates a metaphorical divide between the speaker, Rosie, and the garden around her. The short sentence 'An ancient mulberry tree stood at the centre' isolates the tree, giving it prominence and a sense of foreboding. This sudden focus reflects its symbolic role as the garden's 'heart' and its sinister presence. The fact that this tree was ‘ancient’ implies that the tree has been in the same position for a long time which could mean that it’s been exposed to the chaotic nature of the garden as established earlier on in the extract. The placement of the tree, it being ‘stood at the centre’ makes it a central attraction in order for the writer to further personify it in the end of the extract. Furthermore, the author describes the tree as ‘snarled with the tangled ivy that grew up through the broken bricks and chunks of cement, choking it’ which is both a striking and poignant image. The use of imagery in ‘snarled’ is an evocative image, suggesting that the ivy on the tree is both metaphorically and physically poisonous. Combined with the image of the ivy ‘choking it,’ it presents the garden as a sinister force and a hub for chaos which could perhaps be a subtle foreshadowing for the danger and threat that Rosie may endure, especially through the use of such imagery. Finally, the author ends on a reflective note, which sums up the garden as being a destructive force, describing the path that led down to the fence at the bottom as disappearing into ‘a mass of nettles and brambles before it reached the padlocked door.’ The use of natural imagery in ‘nettles’ and ‘brambles’ is ominous and sinister once again which goes in hand with the symbolism of the ‘ivy’ presenting the garden as destructive and chaotic and contributing to the growing tension in the extract. The fact that it was a ‘padlocked door’ suggests a sense of safety and security, but this safety could perhaps be against the garden itself, contributing to not only the setting but also the harm that the garden may pose to Rosie as the story progresses.