Example Essay - English Literature - Paper 2: Section C

This essay was done to time-limits of 55 minutes-one hour

A Doll's House - Realism & Naturalism & Other AO2

• Realism: Emerged around the mid-19^th century, focuses on showing life as it really is in real life in literature as well as theatre. In drama, the actors will perform stories that depict real life without the involvement of supernatural beings
• Naturalism: Believed to have emerged from 1880-1930s, naturalism is a form of realism, it shows life as it is in its creations. Shows how things like science and technology can affect society as a whole. Focuses on society and genetics affecting an individual’s life. Actors tend to “act more natural” and realistic. Acting as we would in real life.

Naturalism in A Doll’s House:

• Stage time tends to equate to real time (not the case in Doll’s House)
• Set and props were detailed
• Action of the play takes place in a single location over one-time frame.
  • This is true for A Doll’s House as the play is set in the Helmer’s living room over the backdrop of Christmas.
• Characters who are shaped by circumstance and controlled by external forces or by the social and economic environment.
  • True for A Doll’s House as Nora doesn’t think about being free until she realises that she has been controlled by the external force of Torvald. Certainly, her social and economic background will not help her.
• Plays tend to focus on taboo subjects in a serious manner
  • True for A Doll’s House as Ibsen was forced to write a second ending in which Nora saw the children and decided to stay. Certainly, a radical text.
• Scenarios presented as being realistic.
  • Certainly true, the marriage between Nora and Torvald is a sham. “playing” at marriage rather than an authentic partnership.
  • Torvald’s arrogance, authority and selfishness for his job. His concerns for his wife that aren’t romantic. – product of society
• Ending of the play is realistic. Endings should have an “unhappy conclusion.”
  • The extent to which this can be agreed with is debatable. The conclusion of the play is consistent and reasonable given the circumstances but the not consistent and reasonable if we think about Nora’s position as an oppressed housewife, especially if she leaves the household.

Structure:

• Five characters, one setting.
• Move from traditional five acts to three reinforces the realistic framework placing emphasis on psychology rather than action.
• Two plots: The main plot of Nora and Torvald and the subplot: Krogstad and Mrs Linde which are meant to serve as parallels but not meant to distract from the main plot.
  • Nora vs Mrs Linde (for example, ML gets by in life through her liaison with Krogstad whilst Nora goes off on an alien journey) and Krogstad vs Helmer.
• The contrast of the sinful past with the calm present.
  • Makes it more realistic as Nora is presented (at the beginning) as playful but her dominant trait is revealed as the play progresses
  • Ibsen presents the characters are constructs who adapt according to social circumstances and attitudes
• The audience who are led to believe Nora will find the happy ending but ultimately doesn’t happen.

Language:

• Ibsen creates a habit of speech for each character reflecting social class and personality.
• Nora: Exclamatory phrases such as “pooh!” Short phrases with questions “We’ll have to celebrate”
  • When she leaves the household, her speech becomes more dominant “I have another duty”
• Helmer: Paternalism and sense of importance. Use of endearments “skylark” which define his attitude towards his wife.
• Krogstad: His speech shows his legal training through the use of questions. Humble speech as he blames others for his fall in society
• Mrs Linde: Collective, ready-made phrases without any hint of indirectness. Sarcastic, sounds bitter and cold.
• Dr Rank: Speech is guarded and more perfect than others as a man of sophistication

Setting:

• Set in the Helmers’ living room. Internal setting suggesting family growth which is ironic given that the family certainly doesn’t unit.
• Set around Xmas time which is meant to symbolise family renewal but anything but happens.
• Nora who retreats to the stove when things get touch. A way of requiring the growth and warmth needed in order to
• Set in “every suburb in Europe” – George Shaw. Shows that this play is a real play, about real issues, which is what Ibsen wanted to show. Allows audiences to put themselves into the position of Nora and Helmer. No place to hide from the issues of the play. Feels as though we’re imposing on the Helmers’ which makes the ending seem more dramatic.

Dialogue and Voices:

• Weirdly how Nora has the most stage presence through the majority of lines being of hers. Showing the progression from ‘skylark’ to admirable woman who no longer listens to what her family says.
• Torvald’s speech which becomes more confused as he gathers his thoughts on Nora’s departure from the household.
• Mrs Linde who doesn’t speak much but speaks enough so that the audience feel as though she is cold and bitter.
• Krogstad who provides the background information needed to establish the characters.

Narrative Perspective:

• Limited as it is a play which has characters.
• Nora, Krogstad and Mrs Linde who provide insight into the background of the characters.

The Kite Runner - Political Allegory in Chapter 7

• Events that are metaphors for other events e.g the rape of Hassan as an allegorical for the rape of Afghanistan by the Soviets.

Chapter 7 – The epicentre of the novel:

• Rape: Abuse of power, Amir who is haunted by the guilt. Amir who becomes passive. Hassan who becomes submissive. The loss of the passion. Decline of friendship
• But Amir and Baba’s relationship gets better.
• Develops Amir’s character, he challenges racial stereotypes, risks his life by challenging Assef
• Marriage to Soraya despite her flaws and becomes a writer.

The Dream at the Beginning:

• The monster represents Assef. The dream that foreshadows the rape.
• An ironic dream mirrors the dream Amir has during the rape
• Sultans of Kabul – giving power to equality and unity
• Juxtaposition of dream vs reality.

Start of Chapter 7:

• Cold weather signifies that something is going to happen
• Snow = purity. But ultimately shows that things have been frozen
• Amir is unable to move on.
• The kite tournament is a feeling of union-ship. The rape soils the kite competition and everything it stands for.

The Rape:

• Resistance against power
• Hassan’s body language that he must protect the kite. But Hosseni is trying to show that his defiance will ultimately cost him his life even at the end (protects Amir’s house)
• Connecting to Politics – Assef vs Daoud Khan
  • Family betrayal – Amir is betraying Hassan
• Animalist imagery to describe Hassan showing his prey and predator manner.
• Assef is saying that he is inferior to Hassan and wants to dehumanise him. Strips him of his dignity
• The defiance of Hassan enables Assef to be powerful as it makes things worst for them. Amir should be fighting back as it’s the job of the rich and powerful to fight so the poor don’t suffer but Amir does not do this.
• Lexical field of violence.

The Kite Runner - Revision for all AOs

Events:

1. Starts with Amir telling the readers about the time he became “good again” and starts again.
2. Hassan and Amir are born, Sanaubar ran away whilst Amir’s mother died during childbirth.
3. Amir teaches Hassan how to read, Assef arrives and Hassan takes him away with his slingshot.
4. Hassan’s birthday and Baba buys him a gift – removing his cleft lip.
5. The kite tournament occurs and Amir wins but Hassan is raped.
6. The rape of Afghanistan by Russia. Amir and Baba go to Pakistan where Baba stops a rape in the truck.
7. Baba and Amir move to America where Amir gets a education and Baba works at the petrol station, Amir meets Soraya at the market.
8. Soraya tells Amir her secret – that she previously eloped and the two marry. Baba dies sometime after.
9. The pair are unable to conceive and Amir gets a call from Rahim Khan asking him if he can go to Pakistan.
10. Upon arriving, he learns that Rahim Khan is dying but he also learns that Hassan and Amir are half-brothers – Baba cheated with his wife with Ali’s wife.
11. Amir goes to Afghanistan to save Sohrab > stadium stoning > finding the “leader.”
12. The leader turns out to be Assef as an adult, the two fight and Amir wins via Sohrab using his slingshot.
13. Sohrab’s attempted suicide > goes back to America to live with Amir and Soraya. Redemption at last.

AO2:

Structure:

• A bildungsroman novel. A rites of passage novel. A coming of age novel. We see the moral development of Amir and his guilt going away.
• Stage 1: Context/Environment: Amir vs his father (page 22), and the Afghan culture where he was brought up without a mother figure (arguable that Rahim Khan is the mother figure).
• Stage 2: Traumatic Event: The rape which sends him a journey of change (page 1). His relationship with Hassan has been ruined because of Amir’s guilt. Second: Moving to America, but this changes him for the good on his journey of redemption as he has a strong relationship with Baba, he gets a job, education and married.
• Stage 3: Long and Difficult Journey: Meeting his wife, education, job, where he is now accepted by people and has control of the future.
• Flashbacks: Provide a different narrative and backstory which is needed. Shows how Amir needs to move on from past events. Because of the rape, he has the flashbacks.
• Non-Linear: Starts mid-way through showing Amir’s confusion, he will not be content until he has atoned for his sins. Serves to demonstrate the differences in the restrictive and constrained views of Afghanistan versus the freedom and liberty of America.
  • Time jumps to draw attention to the rebellion of Baba against the Taliban authority.
  • Carries thirty years of personal/carried history.

Setting:

• America vs Afghanistan: America is the land of freedom, liberty and hope. Afghanistan is anything but. A sanctuary without conflict. This is why Amir thrives in America through his education but cannot in Afghanistan.
• Afghanistan: Before the Taliban invaded, life was good. Liberal and western.
• After: A hypocrite of it prior to this – page 249. Almost discarded.
• Baba likes the idea of America but can never adapt. Powerless in American compared with the General who maintains his standing.
• Irony of Baba who is thief and hypocritical. Symbolic of the hypocrisy of his social standing.
• Afghanistan was a society that has been oppressed by religion and culture. But, in America the characters have been integrated into a new culture therefore the marriage between Amir and Soraya can take place. Some people, like the General, don’t like this idea of change and won’t allow it. This is why Amir and Soraya can get married in America but not in Afghanistan.
  • The General who is told in front of his wife and daughter, about the cultural shift in front of his ‘Americanised’ son-in-law. (“Never refer to him as Hazara boy in my presence”

Narrative Perspective:

• The Taliban’s interpretation (or narrative perspective) of religion verges on barbaric. Seen as backward thinking.
• Amir as a first personal narrator makes the larger stories of Afghanistan’s troubles seem more personalised almost as if he is blaming himself for the death of Afghanistan.
  • The Soviet invasion, Taliban rule, Afghan immigration is made into an intense, emotional journey seen through the eyes of Amir.
• The retrospective narrative allows the reader walks through Amir’s personal redemption as the reader walks through his journey.
• First person narrative: Gives Amir dual perspective between his adult self and younger self. Narrator has the benefit of hindsight and maturity and can offer insight and judgement on their earlier experiences. Does this make Amir a flawed narrator as he gets no time in between his narration.
• Hassan’s narrative which fills the gap between what has happened since his departure.
  • The fact that he is successful allows Amir to feel more personalised in his redemption.

Language:

• Pashtuns vs Hazaras: The class structure which changes when the move to America occurs.
• Amir teaching Hassan to read (incorrectly) but still maintaining his power. – “plothole”
• The spectacular justice of the stoning serving the purpose to show the mis-interpretation of religion.
• Symbolism – Willow tree: New beginnings and redemption.
• Metaphor: “I have been peaking into that ally”
• Personification of the kites to show how deeply Amir holds them in his life.
• Political allusions of Hassan defying Assef which enables him to be powerful but later turns him to suffering.

AO3:

• Hossieni’s intention is to question if redemption can be stable in Afghanistan – a country that has vastly changed.

Gender:

• The poor treatment/blight of women – seen as either whores or mothers. ‘Damaged goods.’ & “tempted countless men into sin” – page 7
• The absence of women in the book – intended? Hosseni trying to show Afghan society through the book characters. Yes – his other books are about women.
• A woman’s honour is also a mans.
• Women who are oppressed in Afghanistan vs the women who aren’t oppressed in America. Marginalised, disenfranchised, degraded – juxtaposition of women in Afghanistan vs America
• Soraya facing the Afghan community. How she’s forgiven by the semi-Western Amir.
• Expectations of women – their mode of dress. Religion oppressing women, the uniform that signifies gender.

Economic:

• Baba’s money in Afghanistan vs America. How his status means he has no money in America but in Afghanistan it meant a lot.

Religious:

• Baba, who is unwilling to follow religion despite the fact that Islam remained one of the forefront religion. It was unusual for someone to do in Afghanistan.
• The religious differences in Shia vs Sunni. Descendants can be leaders vs not.
• The look of the lamb of Hassan.
• Beard patrol
• Religion and how it shapes moral outlook. Amir and Baba who attempt to challenge it.
• The Taliban who have a warped interpretation of religion. They use religion as a deterrent and to gain power.

Cultural:

• Amir’s casual racism towards Hassan ‘just a Hazara’
• Afghanistan before the Soviet Invasion – Amir and Hassan going to see a Western movie – page 25
• The ingrained beliefs Amir has, how he’s accepted what he has been told. Creating a whole new sub-culture which fits the social norms

Social:

• Hazara vs Pashtuns: Description of the homes ‘mudhut’ vs ‘mansion’ Being born into society – Hazara and Hassan’s fate which has been decided at birth

Psychological:

• Amir growing across the novel – his moral context. Redemption. Feels cathartic when he is punched
• Hassan and his son suffering at the hands of Afghanistan. Mirroring his relationship with Amir when he was a child.

AO4 – Political & Social Protest:

• Government & State Power: The power of the Taliban to control religion and institutions. State intervention to show how the state intervenes in the live of the personal when it has no right to.
• Gender Imbalances: The difference between Soraya and Amir or Baba and everyone else. Women were not allowed to be free or liberalised, were seen to be the property of men.
• Disenfranchisement: Taliban who does not allow many things which were previously free.
• Literature giving a voice to the voiceless: The book allows the silent Sohrab to otherwise speak in a world in which he would not have usually spoken.
• Rebellion: Amir’s rebellion against the Taliban/Assef. Soraya’s rebellion against her father. Amir’s rebellion against the general at the end.
• Settings: See above for America vs Afghanistan.
• Social Organisations: The social organisation of the Church or in the kite runner, religion which is an opposing form which leads to the ethnic tensions throughout the novel.
• Deprivation: The deprivation which Hassan faces on account of his ethnicity. The deprivation of Amir which is forced upon by this father as Amir cannot live up to his father expectations. The deprivation which Sohrab faces under as he cannot lead a normal childhood.
• Control: The control Assef has over the novel as a whole. The control and dominance Assef has over Hassan during the rape. “it was the look of the lamb.” The control Assef has over Sohrab and the control Assef has over Amir throughout his life. The control Baba has over social situations. The control the General has over Soraya before her marriage to Amir.
• Corruption: The corruption of the Taliban in enforcing their rules in the name of religion. The corruption of Baba against Ali and Hassan in that he committed adultery and did not tell him. Assef’s corruption against the ideology of Afghanistan and then using Hilter in order to enforce it.
• War: The war of Afghanistan vs the rest of the Western world in that Hosseni was trying to write about Afghanistan’s “forgotten past”. The war between Afghanistan vs Russia.
• Endings: Ambiguous endings in the Kite Runner. Sohrab’s silence, did Amir actually atone for his past? The unknown limbo in which Afghanistan is left in when readers are fully aware of the current situation.
• Protest voices: The voice of Amir who is protest against the new Afghanistan and cannot believe what the Taliban have done.
• Treatment of women: The appalling treatment of women in which Soraya is shunted from society and silenced. Hassan’s mother who was seen as a sex symbol with the property of men. The overall absence of women throughout the novel – Rahim Khan as the mother figure, Hosseini trying to show that women had no place in society according to Afghan culture.
• Tyranny: The tyranny of the Taliban and Assef who control much of the novel. Tyranny of Baba who controls Amir and Ali, without them knowing. The tyranny of the General who controls Soraya in America.
• Social injustice: Soraya who got shunted by society. The social injustice felt by Hassan without him even knowing he was an inferior or not acknowledging it.
• Defiance: The defiance of Amir who returns to Afghanistan to atone for his sins. Defiance of Hassan against Assef and later Sohrab.
• The law: There is Afghan law but no-body follows it until the Taliban come in and replace with the law they call their own in the name of religion. Baba’s unwillingness to follow the “law.” The law of America which allows Amir to thrive. Afghanistan which becomes the very thing the Founding Father of America did not want any country to become.
• Invasion: The invasion of Russia against Afghanistan.
• Morality: Unknown?
• The class system: More the ethnic system in which Hassan is oppressed just for this ethnicity.
• Breaking boundaries: Hassan who breaks the boundaries of the class system by using his slingshot, later on Sohrab does the same. Amir who breaks the boundaries of the Taliban by saving Sohrab.
• Socio-economics: The economy which does not allow Ali and Hassan to make a living for themselves and they are funded by Baba.
• Deprivation of language: Hassan being unable read before Amir teaches him and he learns by himself eventually writing a letter to Amir and his language being professional and better than Amir.
• Links with political journalism: Amir taking a job as a writer, writing about Afghanistan showing the power of the pen in a time of political tensions.
• Enfranchisement: People now getting the vote and freedom. What Amir gained when he arrived to America – new opportunities he did not have in Afghanistan.
• Oppression: Hassan’s overall oppression. Amir’s oppression which he had felt by his father. Sohrab’s oppression by Assef. Soraya’s oppression on account of her being female.
• Literature breaking the rules: Would Amir really return to Afghanistan? Would Hassan really learn how to read? Would Assef really not try and go after Amir? Would Amir actually return to America safely?
• Decision-making: Amir’s decision to plant the watch, Amir’s decision to return back to Afghanistan, Amir’s decision to marry Soraya despite everything she had done. Amir’s decision not to intervene in the rape of Hassan. Baba’s decision not to tell Ali and Hassan about their true circumstances.
• Nostalgia: Amir feels this when he returns to Afghanistan and sees his old home.
• Power: The power Baba, Assef and eventually Amir holds over the country, Hassan and Sohrab.
• The public and personal: Politics having to lead to the eventual departure of Amir and Baba from Afghanistan. When state intervention eventually leads to seeding into the minds of the people.

AO5:

• “Rich in warmth and humour” – New York Book Review
• “the novel puts a human face to the painful history of Afghanistan” – Roberts
• “deviates from the typical narrative of heroism and goodness” – Spiegal
• “Baba personifies all that is courageous” – Hower
• “Hassan… The thread that ties the story together” – Hower
• “Baba has a very Nietzche-esque personality” – E.B
• “personal selves permeated by political prejudices” – Saraswat

Richard II - Biblical Betrayals/Act 4, Scene 1 Information

• Richard always compares himself to Christ who betrayed and ultimately crucified in the New Testament
• Richard compares those who are on Bolingbrook’s side to Judas. “Three Judases” – mirroring.
• Richard compares the rebels to Pontius Pilate, the Roman judge who sentences Jesus to be crucified

The Christ Comparison:

• Richard sees himself as a Christ like figure – a martyr who thinks he is going to be avenged by God. However, Richard is not a Christ like figure. Shakespeare suggests that the problem with such a comparison that is actually the opposite of Richard.
• Christ received a crown – instead of having it taken from him. It was a crown made of thorns nevertheless, it’s a crown. Roman soldiers placed the crown of thorns on Christ’s head.
• Richard talks non-stop about his suffering and Christ never had his uncle killed and did not run an entire kingdom into the ground.
• This is an example of how vain and deluded Richard is.

The Mirror:

• After losing his title, he looks into the mirror and expects to find wrinkles but he does not and he is unchanged
• He thinks the glass is flattering him or making him look better and healthier
• He tells Bolingbrook to look at how sorrow has ruined his face
• Richard’s face isn’t ruined – it’s the mirror that has broken so now Richard’s reflection looks awful and distorted as Richard feels on the inside.
• Richard’s way of showing us his loss of the crown is by shattering the mirror to pieces.

Richard II - AO3 Features

Monarchy Context:

• The monarch at the time of writing was Elizabeth I who was in many ways, similar to Richard.
• She had taken the throne when she was just a child.
• She also surrounded herself with flatters and influential favourites.
• Senior members were scared to depose her, as such the deposition scene (Act 4) was redacted from the play
  • Uncensored versions were shown for £2 extra.

Shakespeare Himself:

• Many critics at the time argued that Shakespeare had lost his touch and Richard II was not going to solve it.
• The play was unpopular but once it was released in print for, it got a following and remains popular today

Government:

• The reigning monarch was Elizabeth I and she governed the nation from London.
• Law and order was maintained by the land-owners and enforced by their deputies.
• Average man had no vote and women had no rights.

Religion:

• England was a Christian country and all children were baptized as soon as they were born and were born into the Church of England and were taught the essentials of Christian faith and instructed their duty to God.
• People were forced to attend Church and those who didn’t got a fine.

Education:

• Boys went to school to learn basic reading and writing, they went to Grammar Schools afterwards where they learnt Latin.
• Girls stayed at home and acquired domestic and social skills such as cooking, sewing or even music. The lucky ones might read and write.

Drama:

• Boys had to play the role of women too.
• Most theatres had lots of disease, especially in summer as there was lots of plague.
• Plays were forced to have comedy in to keep the common people entertained.

Theatre:

• Hexagonal in shape, three roofed galleries.
• Balcony useful for a musicians gallery or the acting of scenes above.
• Pillars forming a canopy which seems to have been painted with the sun, moon and stars for the heaven.
• Stage props important for establishing the scene e,g torches symbolised night.
• Actors wearing second-hand clothes. 
   Works Cited: Oxford School Shakespeare Richard II

Richard II - Three Important Themes

Power:

• Richard believes he has power because of his belief in the Divine Right of Kings
  • “not all water in the rough, rude sea can wash the balm off an anointed King”
• Bolingbrook’s power and dominance over Richard in the court scene.
  • AO2: Mirroring how he will dominate over Richard during the course of the play by later usurping him.
  • Further shown by how Richard does not speak during the court scene yet Bolingbrook does.
• Gaunt’s power as Uncle to Richard to warn him about his kingship and to prophesise about the state of the nation.
  • “This earthly isle is now leased out, I die out pronouncing it to you”
  • Is the tragedy of Richard caused because he failed to heed the warnings of Gaunt and surrounded himself with flatters.
• Bolingbrook’s power to heed support from the “common people”
  • “Observe his courtship with the common-people, look at how he did dive into their hearts with such humble and familiar curiosity”
• Richard’s power to allow him to leave the country in a time of crisis almost as though he is running away from the crisis he has caused. He unknowingly acknowledges that he has run the country into the ground and thus runs away so he does not have to face up to his problems.
  • Shows the signs of a bad king who won’t be able to rule for much longer.
  • “We will for Ireland and tis time, I trow”
• Bolingbrook asserting his power over Bushy and Green through their execution

Revenge:

• Bolingbrook’s revenge for Richard taking his land. Gathers his supporters very quickly which speaks of his character and comes back to entice his revenge.
• Bolingbrook is as much as a villain as Richard is. Both use power incorrectly (Richard throughout the play and Bolingbrook at the end)
  • What right does Bolingbrook have to usurp the anointed King.
• Possible to interpret the view that Bolingbrook takes revenge because Richard remains in his own world.

Remorse:

• Richard feels the utmost remorse during the mirror scene when it all comes crashing down and he realises that he has wrongfully compared himself to Jesus and ran his country into the ground.
  • His speech returns, his noble actions return and he willingly gives away the crown.
• Bolingbrook’s remorse at the end of the play when he also flees the country
  • Cyclical structure which adds to this showing that there is no catharsis as Bolingbrook also runs when Richard ran.
  • Shakespeare is trying to suggest that ultimately, England will not be destined under greatness in the House of Lancaster.
• Gaunt’s remorse of how England will turn out. Gaunt feels pity and sympathy but gives a bad appraisal, not just of how England will turn out, but also the tenure ship of Richard’s rein on the throne.
• Richard’s remorse at having to leave his wife.
  • “betwixt my wife and me”
  • Unusual because Richard’s wife does not appear much in the play suggesting that family ownership is ultimately more important than relation.

Richard II - AO2 Features

Structure:

• The tragic progression of a King who is at the height of his power already vs his downfall.
  • Shakespeare’s authorial intent that we have to see Richard up until his death – which is largely pointless.
• The uneventful play where there isn’t much action, one battle and we don’t see much of the action involved
  • Shakespeare’s intention of choosing to ignore the drama and battle by replacing it with discussion.
    • Is this why Richard is such a good speaker in the play vs Bolingbrook is about action?
• Start off with Richard on the throne, we see his downfall, the rise of a new King and end with a new King on the throne.
• The presentation of Richard’s guilt in the early part of the play to allow his regal suffering in prison later on in the play
• The double complementary plot which sees Richard’s downfall with the uprising of Bolingbrook

Setting:

• The constant changing setting which shows the unfamiliar surroundings in which Richard is going to fine himself confined to.
• Windsor Castle: Where we start the play, a lot more familiar. Pomp and circumstance in this setting
• Ely House: Gaunt’s dying wish.
• Ireland: Represents the dying and already dead. A pointless place for the pointless war.
• Pomfret Castle: Represents the imprisonment of Richard who is trapped behind four walls. Leads to him thinking about what he has done to the country.

Dialogue & Voices:

• Richard’s word which speak actions. Richard who is perhaps scared to use action (unlike Bolingbrook) but feels more comfortable using words.
• Gaunt’s dying words as a prophecy for Richard and England. His harsh words which always come back to haunt Richard.

Language:

• The nobles who speak in iambic pentameter and the lower classes who speak in prose.
• Almost every line is written in blank verse
• Richard speaks the most soliloquies emphasising his perception as a man of thought and reflection
• Religious imagery: Ties into divine right of Kings. How Richard views himself as God’s representative on Earth.
• The language of betrayal: Most characters betray their own family. The Queen is who is not made aware of what the King is doing up until the Garden scene.
• Richard’s language is so powerful that it essentially becomes law
• Richard and the power of speech. Richard who uses speech instead of action whilst Bolingbrook is the opposite. Uses speech to enact peace but it has the opposite effect.

The Great Gatsby: AO2 Features

Narrative Perspective:

• Nick is the main narrator, but this allows him to cloud his views about Gatsby which leads to him becoming a flawed narrator.
  • “I am one of the few honest people I know” already clouds his judgement.
  • How much time went before Gatsby’s death and Nick writing about the events.
  • Nick actually thinks Gatsby is great but he has had time to think about events so he must be flawed.
• Jordan briefly takes over as narrator accrediting to her sensibility and trustworthiness that she does not lie. She is a true narrator where Nick fails.
• It is Nick’s invisible character trait of reserving judgement that makes me an invisible narrator. One that almost like a third-person character

Setting:

• The elite East Egg which is full of money. The rich snobbery of Americans who believe they are the elite and no-body else is above them.
  • The fact that Tom is here signifies that he feels threatened when somebody from outside this circle threatens his marriage.
  • The fact that Tom is from East Egg serves to demonstrate how he can use his status to commit adultery and get away with it.
• West Egg which represents hope and freedom in that anybody can make money and maintain a good status.
  • The only bad they see is the bad perception they have among East Egg.
• America which represents hope and freedom. Everyman is equal in America. This is what makes Gatsby thrive, without the setting of America, there would be no Gatsby and he would certainly not be great.
• Valley of Ashes represents the worse of the American Dream in that the two Eggs dump everything there. It is the land where dreams go to die. The rich disregard it as a dumping ground and are unable to see it as anything but. Even the government agree as there is no train station.

Language:

• Dramatic Irony: All the characters are aware of Gatsby and Daisy’s relationship. All the characters but Tom. This puts him on the backfoot. Where Tom was once ahead of the playing field, in this one, he is behind it. But it shows his character that he still ends up with Daisy mere moments after this scene.
• Symbolism: Green light which represents Daisy. Green represents hope and growth which Gatsby hopes he can achieve under Daisy but when he finally has her, the green light goes away, as does his relationship with Daisy
• Flashback: Provide exposition and background information. Often used to elevate suspense by revealing key elements of the plot e.g Jordan who tells us the backstory of Daisy and Gatsby.
• Metaphor: Comparing Daisy to a rose. A rose represents purity, joy and light. When Nick and Gatsby learn more about Daisy, they come to realise just what a gross thing a rose is. The white rose has been contaminated with the “valley of Ashes” of the American dream which corrupts Daisy.
• Symbol of Doctor TJ Eckleburg who is like a God to the poorer people watching over them. The poorer people believe that the rich will one day get their tragic ending through all the bad they do to the poor. Just like Gatsby.

Dialogue and Voices:

• The voice of “Owl eyes” who cannot believe that Gatsby has pure materialism about him but actually has books in his library. Owl eyes represents the reader who may believe that Gatsby is not real but turns out he is.
• Tom’s voice in bursting out against Daisy in the first chapter trying to show his arrogance and how threatens he feels.
  • Tom has got to make his point. He can’t have Jordan or Daisy speak better than him. He has to assert his dominance over the characters and the readers themselves. He essentially forces his hand into the story than be “introduced”.

Structure:

• Nick’s narrative starts in the present and from chapter 4, he integrates stories from Gatsby’s past.
• Non-chronological order in order to build the mystery surrounding the character of Gatsby.
• Repeating of patterns which thread their way throughout the story and adds richness to the novel as the whole.
  • We should include the way Nick interrupts the dialogue during this with this own information about characters and past events.
• The introduction of Gatsby shows Nick’s moral need for improving his life.
  • Gatsby is to Nick what Dan Cody was to Gatsby