Tuesday 31 March 2009

Cone Gatherers The, Higher Essay

Question -

Chose a novel which explores the theme of good and evil. Show how the author shows this conflict throughout the story.

Robin Jenkins’s “The Cone-Gatherers” explores the theme of good and evil through the characters of Callum and Duror. Through the use of many effective techniques such as setting we are able to see the conflict continue throughout the novel.

The novel is set in the Scottish highlands during World War two. It focuses on the activity of two men in autumn, whose job is to gather cones on a large estate. They are doing this to replant the forest which is to be chopped down. This action of cone gathering, and selecting the good cones from those which are bad, metaphorically show the separation of good againt evil. The cones represent rejuvenation and hope for the future. The gamekeeper of the estate holds a vicious grudge against them. This grudge will only be settled at the tragic end of the book. The gamekeeper, Duror, represents the theme of evil. His deep desire for the destruction towards the innocent, child like cone gatherer represents the clash between good and evil.

The character of Callum is very innocent and unique. He is an adult but seems to have the mentality of a child. He is physically deformed and struggles to walk on the ground, however he is a very adapt climber and is very nimble once in the trees. When climbing he appears to “Find holes by instinct” which reiterates his prowess while climbing. This contradicts with his walking where he would be “hurrying to keep close behind, and often stumbled.” Metaphorically the tree’s are higher up than the ground and therefore nearer heaven. This might imply that he is more at home in heaven than on the Earth, giving him angelic properties. He is incapable of seeing badness in the world and only sees the good in people. His inherent goodness and purity strikes us as being heroic, connecting him with the idea of good and innocence.

Duror on the other hand is a twisted, obsessive creature. He despises people for any slight sign of weakeness which they show. He is the anti-thesis of the innocent Callum. We learn he is mentally unstable. He wants to expel Callum from the wood, so as it can return to being a sanctuary for him where only he trespasses. Unfortunatly, it seems the only possible method he accepts for expelling Callum is by completly removing him from Earth and killing him. The doctor of the village suspects

God knew how many inhibitions, repressions and complexes were twisting and coiling there, like the snakes of damnation.

The metaphor comparing his mind to that of evil snakes reinforces the comparison of Duror to being evil. It also implies the corrupt state of his mind, as it is coiling and entwining itself. It is not normal. This shows the deformed mind of Duror forecasting the cruel actions he will commit.

Chapter six is an important scene in representing the characters of Duror and Callum as good and evil. In the chapter we see Callum running towards a wounded deer in an attempt to save it. He is trying to help a dyeing creature and bring it some comfort.However soon after, Duror comes quickly to its side and slaughters it. He “cut its throat savagely” in “some kind of berserk joy”. The use of words likes “savagely” and “berserk”implies that Duror has gone insane. In fact from this point in the book Duror is depicted as something non-human and more of a demon. Later he appears to have “no shadow”. After cutting the neck of the deer, he appears to have been baptised by it. He is described with “his hands red with blood”. This metaphorically implies that he is being born again, but he is being born with anger and murder. The people around Duror also see him as non-human after this. Erchie Graham says “Which beast, your ladyship?” when told to get rid of am animal. Another important revelation of this chapter is Duror’s plan for removing Callum. He wants Callum to suffer “destruction, an agony, a crucifixion.” This is important as Callum can represent Jesus with his good nature and the idea of a “crucifixion” foreshadows the end of the book.

The ending of the book is very important and is the final confrontation between the characters that represent good and evil in the book. We see Roderick, who represents the hope for the future, climb a tall tree to show that he wants to be a cone gathers. However while in the tree he gets stuck up there and is in danger. His desire to be a cone gatherer symbolises a change in the class system. It suggests people will be treated more equally in the future. Previously the rich never wanted to be touched by the poor like the cone gatherers, but now he wants to become one of them. At the same time as he is stuck in the tree, Callum is killed and some cones fall out of his bag. The cones represent the idea of regeneration and a fresh start. Callum may have died but he has sacrificed himself, so a better world can exists afterwards. This is similar to the way Jesus sacrificed himself.

In the same way, Duror’s suicide shows the collapse of evil. By killing goodness he had to kill himself. This death is juxtaposed with the knowledge of Roderick’s safety from the tree. It suggests a positive change will occur, with evil being defeated and a more equal way of life flourishing. This belief is continued in the final sentence which ends the book on a positive note. We see Lady Runcie Campbell kneel in an prayer like stance towards Callum where she begins to weep. This sign of respect towards Callum shows how highly she now regards him. Previously she had been afraid to touch him, but now treats him like he is above her. While she was kneeling “purified hope, and joy, welled up in her heart.” This description suggests a positive change for the future. She is filled up with emotions that will benefit the world around her, making it a better place.

Through the characterisation of Duror and Callum and other techniques, Jenkins effectively illustrates the conflict between the themes of good and evil running throughout the novel. The ending of the book initially indicates that evil has overcome goodness. However it also implies that evil is defeated which allows a positive change to happen and goodness to prevail. This leaves us feeling a deep sense of joy and hope over the demise of evil.

Monday 30 March 2009

Standard Grade English - An Introduction

Standard Grade is due to be replaced in the next couple of years, but this page gives a basic overview of how it is at present.

Standard Grade English is an exam sat by the great majority of Scottish school pupils in S4, when they are around 15 years old. Most pupils study Standard Grade courses over two years.

Some schools offer Intermediate exams instead - this is a level between Standard Grade and the more demanding Higher level. Some schools also run the Standard Grade exams in S3, when pupils are around 14 years old.

The final grade



The pupil is awarded a final grade of between 1 to 7, with 1 being the highest. They levels are divided into Credit (1 and 2), General (3 and 4) and Foundation (5 and 6), with Credit being the most difficult. Grade 7 is for pupils who fail to make the Foundation level.

The Standard Grade Folio



Pupils complete a folio of work which is given a grade by their teacher. It is completed over two years and contains essays and creative writing. This is sent in to the Scottish Qualifications Authority around March, before they sit their exam. The folio counts for one third of their final grade.

The Standard Grade exam



All pupils sit the same writing paper. They are given a choice of essays to write over a time limit. These can be short stories, personal or opinion essays. These are graded from 1 to 7, with 1 being the highest.

Pupils sit different reading papers, depending on their abilities. More able pupils sit the Credit and the General paper. Less able pupils sit the General and the Foundation paper.

Higher English - An Introduction

High Schools usually give this information out on a nice A4 sheet to fifth year pupils. In case you need a general guide to Higher, this covers the main points.

Overview



Higher English is important for many University courses and gives people an excellent start in life - it shows you can read and write to a high standard.

Scottish school pupils sit Highers in S5 after their Standard grades but many people sit Highers later in life. There are two levels of Intermediate English to help pupils reach Higher level.

The rule of thumb is, if you received a grade 4 at Standard Grade, you should sit Intermediate 1; grade 3, Intermediate 2; and credit grade 1 or 2, Higher.

Coursework



Candidates have to pass three units before they get to sit the final exam. These are graded by your teacher or lecturer and given either a pass or fail, although they might give you an actual mark as they would with the final exam, to show how well you got on.

You're assessed on:

• Class essay – personal, argumentative or imaginative. Your teacher will set a question for you to answer.
• Personal Study Unit – formerly known as the RPR. You choose a novel, play, short story(s) or poem(s) and write about it in some depth.
• Close reading – read the passage, answer the questions; same as your final exam for Standard Grade but more challenging.
• Textual analysis – close reading with a different emphasis. These tests ask you to look at aspects of language in more detail. They have fewer questions worth more marks and often cover drama or a piece of poetry.

The Close Reading and Textual Analysis come from a National Assessment Bank of test papers. They are usually called NABs.

If you are unable to pass the NABs at your level you will not be able to sit the final exam – if this happens, your teacher might recommend you drop down to Intermediate 2.

The final exam



One paper of Close Reading. Two passages, with questions worth fifty marks.

One essay paper. You write two essays in 90 minutes, on the texts studied during the year. These can be on drama, poetry, prose or media.

Your final mark is based on your performance at the exam.

Sunday 29 March 2009

When Is It Acceptable To Wear A Niqab? Essay

If you've just happened on this blog - this is an example of a high school essay for a Standard Grade folio or the final exam. It's not necessarily my opinion and I didn't write it. OK, disclaimer over.

Question -

Discuss a controversial issue. Explain the arguments surrounding the issue and give your own opinion.

In the UK there is a growing trend for Muslim woman to wear the traditional niqab. Many people feel that it has become a symbol of separation. Some people even feel intimidated by it because of it’s relationship with terrorism. I think people should be able to express whatever religion they please in whatever way they want. In this essay I will consider the potential problems for woman wearing the niqab in Britain.

Unlike the hajib (literally “covering up” in Arabic), which covers the head and chest of a woman, the niqab (meaning, “full veil”) almost covers the whole body leaving only a small slot for the eyes. Some western people are startled by the niqab and are attentive to it which is ironic as it’s purpose is to detract attention. In a democracy, people have the right to dress the way they like; despite this, women wearing the niqab are still vulnerable to verbal or even physical abuse. This is the case because many ignorant westerners think that fundamentalist religions all support terrorism.

An argument to oppose the wearing of the niqab in Britain is that, western women may be harassed for not wearing it in Muslim countries. Even native women are forced to cover up. This is a reminder of the continued oppression of women in the middle-east. However in the UK all people, men and women alike, have the right to wear what they want without being oppressed by the rest of the population.

The wearing of the niqab made the national news in recent years, when government minister, Jack Straw publicly stated that he would prefer Muslim women not to wear veils that cover their face. He sparked controversy when he asked women in his Blackburn constituency to uncover their face when visiting his surgery. Some women were insulted, some understood his concerns. This shows that there are a variety of opinions among the Muslim community.

There are certain situations where the niqab should definitely not be allowed, such as walking into a bank. Would a garment such as the niqab be thought of as appropriate? It is illegal to cover your face inside a bank; on the other hand, the woman may feel offended if asked to remove her niqab. It is against human rights not to allow someone to express their religion: however if they were allowed into a bank all sorts of robbers would claim to be Muslims for an excuse to not be seen.

Trying to get a job could be difficult too, as there may be a lack of communication between the woman and her colleague! Also if a teacher were a niqab-wearing Muslim, teaching would be very difficult. The ability to socialise with other teachers and staff would also be impaired.

An argument to approve the wearing of the niqab is that The Koran - Islam’s holy book, treated as the literal word of God - tells Muslims, to dress modestly. For women, that has been interpreted as covering everything except their face, hands and feet when in the presence of men they are not related or married to. Another reason is that some women gain respect from their families and community by ‘choosing’ to wear the garment. Women who genuinely want to wear the niqab may feel that it provides modesty and protects them from staring eyes. This point may be taken very offensively by British men. It reduces them to nothing but animals, unable to control themselves in the presence of a beautiful woman.

To conclude, it is apparent that in the UK the niqab is a symbol of separation. Many frown upon it and are even frightened with it’s association with fundamentalism. Should the niqab be illegal? Personally I think the niqab can only be allowed in certain situations, even although Britain is a free country. My opinion is this because it seems to only cause problems within communities; I also think the situation will only get worse with time. At the end of the day, people have rights but they need to exercise common sense.

My Comment

A fourth year essay for Standard Grade. The writer sets out his opinions clearly and structures the essay in a way that makes sense.

Holes Essay

Question -

What factors cause Stanley Yelnats to change in the novel 'Holes'?

In the novel ‘Holes’, by Louis Sachar, Stanley Yelnats is wrongfully accused of stealing baseball sneakers. His family believe they are unlucky with a family curse. Stanley is sent to Camp Green Lake juvenile detention facility, to improve his character. This was something of a relief to Stanley as he had no friends at home and was bullied at school. At the camp conditions are torturous. He endures searing heat and lack of water while having to dig a hole five feet deep and five feet across everyday. He puts up with the harsh treatment but manages to keep his cool. He displays bravery and strength of character towards the boys and the cruel “staff”. Due to this, he ends up getting stronger emotionally and physically; in this essay I will describe the events which make him change.

At the beginning of the novel Stanley is bullied by Derrick Dunne, who is half his size. Even his teachers make nasty comments without even realising it. His father is a failed inventor and Stanley’s great grand father had his fortune stolen from him and then Stanley is accused of stealing shoes when he didn’t. So the Yelnats family curse may not be as farfetched as we initially thought.

Stanley is sent to Camp Green Lake. He suffers from blistered fingers, unbearable heat and significant lack of water. At first Stanley thinks there is a lake surrounded by luscious greenery but his expectations are crushed when he arrives in a dry and hot environment; hell on earth. No lake, and definitely no green. This shows how naïve Stanley is at the beginning of the story.

However, everything changes when Stanley arrives at the camp. Initially Stanley is threatened by the other boys who are violent towards him, especially Armpit, who is meant to guide Stanley around the camp but threw him to the ground when he failed to refer to him as Armpit. Mr Sir, the head of the “councilors”, said he wouldn’t even waste a bullet on him. When Stanley start his first hole he is weak. His “soft fleshy hands” can’t cope with the pressure of the shovel. He begins to think that his shovel is defective, then he realises that he is defective. Then he realises that he is defective. When he finishes his first hole he knows that it is nothing to be proud of but is proud none the less.

Later on in the book the other boys show that they respect Stanley by giving him the nickname “Caveman”. Further on, in chapter 12, Stanley shows that he is not afraid of Mr Pendnaski by mocking him in front of the rest of the boys. Later Stanley finds a gold lipstick tube which, instead of giving it to the warden and getting a day off from digging, he gives to X-ray. By doing this he gains further respect from the boys, X-ray being the most respected of the group. As well as that Stanley shows that he can be can excellent friend by teaching Zero- the quietest of the group- how to read and write.

By the 45th hole, Stanley is stronger both mentally and physically. His body is now coping with the work. He no longer suffers from blistered fingers or lack of water. Now that his best friend Zero has run away, Stanley feels responsible as Zero was digging part of his hole. He isn’t worried Zero is dead, but that he is alive; crawling through the desert, dying of thirst. Stanley again shows his growing confidence by stealing Mr. Sir’s water truck to go in search of his lost friend. Although he drives the truck into a hole and the canteen is empty, Stanley still goes off in search of his friend.

By the end of the novel Stanley is a ‘hero’. He finds Zero and carries his up a mountain, fulfilling the wish of Zero’s great-great-great grandmother, Madame Zeorni. The boys survive on antique spiced peaches and onions. This shows how he has changed from being timid and passive to being someone people can look up to.

I enjoyed the book very much. It was interesting how fate and coincidence were used in the book: for example, Zero turning out to be Hector Zeroni and how the onions helped the boys to be immune to the killer desert lizards. Stanley’s family curse was lifted; he changed from being a weak boy, bullied and defective, to a brave hero; also making a life-long friend in Zero.

My Comment



Written by the same fourth-year pupil who wrote about his holiday. This is a Critical Essay based on a character question. It would be worth a credit grade or a pass for Intermediate 1.

Holiday Essay For Standard Grade

“Good morning, this is your captain speaking.”

I was sitting on the plane ready to go to Toronto with my mum. We’ve been on lots of good holidays but Canada was definitely the most memorable. We planned to see the CN Tower (the tallest building in the world), Niagra Falls and the Air Canada Centre.

Our flight was at lunch time, I prefer travelling at night but that was all that was available. The flight was seven and a half hours: the longest flight I’ve been on in my life. It was really boring. Well, at least we got a free bottle of water.

When we arrived at the hotel I looked out the window to see what kind of view we had; being night time I couldn’t see a thing. The following morning I looked out the window and there in front of the hotel was the CN tower! For breakfast, we went to Yong St, which happens to be longest street in the world. After a breakfast of bagels and coffee, we walked around the city to see where things were and how close they were to our hotel, which was pretty central. We also had a subway close to our front door.

A couple of days in to the holiday we went to see the CN Tower. I was very exited about it. I was especially looking forward to seeing the glass floor; I was even more excited about standing on it! Going up in the elevator took 60 seconds exactly. The ground dropped away beneath us.

We rose up higher than the birds flying in between the buildings. When we got to the main level, I was amazed at how far I could see. There was another level below the main one which had the glass floor. When I stood on it at first I felt a little dizzy when I looked down. The people walking around at the bottom were like tiny dots moving slowly across a piece of paper. After a few minutes I was confident with walking over the glass floor, four hundred and fifty meters above the ground. So we had seen the bar, the restaurant and the glass floor. We were about to go back down when we found that we could go even higher. There was only one lift to carry us to the peak of the building in operation; there were at least a hundred people waiting to get on. It took us twenty minutes to get to the lift but when we did, it was worth the wait. From the top we could see at least twice as far; yet even with binoculars, I still couldn’t see the end of Yong St. Since there was so many people still waiting, we could only go up for ten minutes but even then I enjoyed it.

The next day we went to Niagara falls. We took the bus from the cities main bus terminal and it took us a couple of hours to get there. When we got there the sight was breathtaking. The waves crashed off the rocks at the bottom and the sound was deafening. There was a series of tunnels behind the falls which we went through first. We were only a few meters away from the falling water. We were so close to it that we could even feel the spray.

After the tunnel we went on the Maid Of the Mist which sailed right into the mist of the falls. It was almost impossible to see: I could barely see people who were only five feet away from me. After all that we went for dinner in the town of Niagara. It was like a mini Las Vegas with loads of bright flashing lights and casinos.

On our second last day we went to the Air Canada Centre to see a basketball game. The Toronto Raptors were playing Boston Celtics. Before we went into the stadium there was a place called the ‘fan zone’. There was a eight foot basket ball net there that I was able to dunk into. I thought that was really cool. The game was surprisingly quiet, nothing like a football match. There was also music playing while the game was being played which I thought would be a distraction to the players. Still, in the end Toronto won 89-77.

I thought Canada was a memorable holiday because it is the furthest I have ever been from home. It was also the first time I had ever been outside Europe. Without a doubt going to Canada was my favourite holiday.

My Comment



This would suit either a Standard Grade personal essay or be suitable for the writing section of the final exam. This piece was written by a competent fourth year. It contains a neat structure, nice description and those all-important thoughts and feelings.

Saturday 28 March 2009

The Go-Between Essay

Question -

Choose a novel which caused you to reconsider your views on an important human issue. Explain what the issue is and go on to discuss ow the writer made you reconsider your views.

Childhood innocence can often be manipulated and this can lead to drastic consequences. ‘The Go-Between’ by LP Hartley causes us to question our views as we follow the ‘corruption’ of 12-year-old Leo Colston. Leo is the unwitting ‘go-between’ for the lovers Ted and Marian; he keeps their affair alive by delivering letters under the guise of business notes. The terrible outcome of Leo’s actions has a profound effect on his own life and inadvertently leads to the suicide of Ted.

Hartley depicts Leo’s innocence in the opening chapters of the novel. In the summer of 1900 he stays at the house of his friend Marcus Maudsley and becomes infatuated with his sister, Marian: ‘My spiritual transformation took place in Norwich’. The use of religious language suggests that Leo is a somewhat naïve idealist as, in reality, Marian only takes him clothes shopping.

Although Leo’s idealism is touching, his feelings blind him from Marian’s deceitful nature and before long he is covering for her to Marcus. When questioned over whether she met anyone in Norwich, she replies: ‘We were hard at is all the time, weren’t we, Leo?’ Leo agrees due to his willingness to please her but he forgets the hour he spent alone in the cathedral. It is telling that he attends church while she meets Ted; it emphasizes that his mind is on spiritual things. However, at the same time, this makes him easy to manipulate.

Marian takes advantage of Leo’s ignorance as well as his feelings for her when she sends him off with the letters for Ted: ‘We sometimes write each other notes on business matters and you say you like taking them’. In this way, she uses his immaturity to tell him what his own feelings are.

Leo’s innocence becomes his downfall when he is plunged into the world of adult relationships. When Leo discovers the true content of Ted and Marian’s letters he is devastated: ‘Not Adam and Eve, after eating the apple, could have been more upset than I was’. The narrator’s use of religious language continues with this biblical reference. It suggests his frame of reference for the lovers is Adam and Eve from the bible, their ‘fall from grace’ when they discovered knowledge.

When he discovers the lovers together it causes him to suffer an emotional collapse: ‘The Virgin and the Water Carrier on the ground … two bodies moving like one’. The use of symbols from the Zodiac, as with the bible, show that Leo is unable to understand sexual relationships in a modern way.

In the novel, this discovery is in close proximity to Ted’s suicide. The result of this tragedy is that Leo spends the next fifty years of his life as an emotionally distant adult. We see Leo’s innocence through the nostalgia of his old age, as a first-person narrator. This made me feel pity for him due to his well-meaning idealism and the terrible experience he suffered at a young age.

‘The Go-Between’ explores the vulnerability of childhood innocence at the point when someone comes of age. In this way, it made me reconsider my views on an important human issue.

The Great Gatsby Essay Plan

Introduction
  • ‘The Great Gatsby’ by F Scott Fitzgerald is an example of a novel in which …
  • Brief plot summary
  • Setting – affluent New York, in contrast to the Midwest where Nick is from

The character of Gatsby is vital to the author’s theme of class / the American dream
  • First impressions of Gatsby
  • The symbolism of the ‘green light’
  • Self-made man – changed his name and made a fortune
  • Gave lavish parties to people he didn’t really know, his rich neighbours
  • Has links to organised crime through Meyer Wolfsheim
  • ‘Old sport’ – his favourite expression, which makes people believe he is Oxford-educated
  • Even though he has invented a ‘persona’ for himself, he is still a romantic, idealistic figure

Gatsby’s relationship with Daisy is one of the most important in the book.
  • Met when he was a young man working as a diver
  • Created his wealthy life in order to win Daisy over
  • He is clearly better than Daisy’s cynical, cheating husband Tom

A turning point in the book is at the party when the lovers sneak over into Nick’s yard
  • It suggests that the story will end happily
  • Gatsby believes the past can be recaptured, as he tells Nick

However, the book ends in tragedy, for Gatsby is wrong in his judgements about people.
  • Daisy will not give up her husband Tom
  • The climax - Gatsby’s murder: Gatsby was too naïve for the world of cheating and betrayal that he tried to live in
  • Gatsby was finally crushed by the class system – he underestimated Daisy’s devotion to Tom, who came from a wealthy background
  • After his murder his neighbours do not attend his funeral – he has failed to become one of them
  • The symbolism of Gatsby’s body

Conclusion – Therefore I would argue that ‘The Great Gatsby’ is a novel …

The Changeling Essay Plan

Question -

Choose a novel in which the fate of a main character is important in conveying the writers theme.

Introduction / plot summary: Robin Jenkin’s downbeat meditation on the nature of pity, ‘The Changeling’ has a tragic ending; it emphasizes that the ‘Good Samaritan’ Charles Forbes fails to redeem the life of his pupil Tom Curdie.
• He sees himself as the boy’s saviour and makes the decision to take him on holiday
• Tom’s stealing and strangeness set him apart from the family
• Finally the pain of the experience pushes him over the end.

Charlie’s character: The opening chapter reveals that Charlie’s interest in Tom is self-righteous:

At last he spoke, in his most pontifical tones:
‘Tell me, Curdie, have you ever seen the sea?’

• ‘Pontifical’ has overtones of pomposity - Forbes’ religious nature;
• first meaning is supported by the headmaster’s opinion of Forbes as a ‘pompous bore’
• Tom has never seen the sea but can write eloquently about it – shows imagination
• Forbes takes him on holiday in order to ‘improve’ him; but this leads to Tom’s suicide.

Tom’s principals: strong character who lives by a matter-of-fact set of ‘principals’:

Never to whine; to accept what came; to wait for better; to take what you could; to let no-one not even yourself know how near to giving in you were.

• Doesn’t need Charlie’s help
• Away from Donaldson’s court he feels inadequate
• tries to ‘take what you could’ by stealing – sets him apart from the Forbes family

Turning point – the phone call:

‘I mean, Tom Curdie,’ he said; but it was really that mythical person Tom Forbes, he still thought he was.

• Peerie pressing his face up against the glass - as if Tom’s background is crowding round him
• a ‘mythical person’ – but Tom has to live in the real world

Turning point – Tom steals: seen through the eyes of Gillian:

“She began to realise that this suit of armour, of calmness and patience, forged somehow in the dreadful slum where he had been born, must be heavy and painful to wear.”

• She does not tell as she wants to avoid ruining the ‘presentation’
• Her sympathy grows for him throughout the book
• ‘suit of armour’ continues the idea that he is a figure out of a myth who doesn’t belong in her world - she feels the stirring of respect for him, even though he is a thief.

Tom before the suicide: From her point of view, Tom has a kind of nobility, even when he strikes the tree in anguish:

His face was hard and aloof, like a young Prince’s out of a story book.

His hand red with blood was like an emblem of eerie distinction.

• He doesn’t belong to the time in which he lives
• allusions to being a Prince and wearing an ‘emblem’ through pain and violence

Conclusion: this impossible dilemma is finally solved by Tom’s tragic end. Therefore I would argue that the book considers the suffering of others and asks what we can really do for them; it explores this theme through the fate of Tom, who had never known what life was like outside the slum where he had lived his whole life.

The Changeling Essay

Question -

Choose a novel in which the fate of a main character is important in conveying the writers theme.

Robin Jenkin’s downbeat meditation on the nature of pity, ‘The Changeling’ has a tragic ending; it emphasizes that the ‘Good Samaritan’ Charles Forbes fails to redeem the life of his pupil Tom Curdie. He sees himself as the boy’s saviour and makes the decision to take him on holiday, to show another side of life from the slum in which he grew up. Yet Tom’s stealing and strangeness set him apart from the family and finally the pain of the experience pushes him over the end.

The opening chapter reveals that Charlie’s interest in Tom is self-righteous:

At last he spoke, in his most pontifical tones:
‘Tell me, Curdie, have you ever seen the sea?’

‘Pontifical’ has overtones of pomposity, and suggests Forbes’ religious nature; the first meaning is supported by the headmaster’s opinion of Forbes as a ‘pompous bore’. It is ironic that a boy who has never seen the sea can write eloquently about it; and Forbes takes him on holiday in order to ‘improve’ him. Yet this decision is to lead to Tom’s suicide.

In some ways, Tom is a character we should pity; however, in chapter three we learn that he is a strong character who lives by a matter-of-fact set of ‘principals’:

Never to whine; to accept what came; to wait for better; to take what you could; to let no-one not even yourself know how near to giving in you were.

One therefore has to ask – why would someone like this need Charlie’s help? It is only when he is taken away from Donaldson’s court that he feels the gulf between his circumstances and those of ‘decent’ people. When he tries to ‘take what you could’ to please them, the estrangement begins.

The turning point of the novel is where Tom calls the Forbes family and introduces himself as ‘Tom Forbes’:

‘I mean, Tom Curdie,’ he said; but it was really that mythical person Tom Forbes, he still thought he was.

At this point in the book, he is in a phone box with the hapless Peerie pressing his face up against the glass. It is as if Tom’s background is crowding round him as he tries vainly to keep contact with the ‘decent’ family who have given him a temporary home. However, the trouble with being a ‘mythical person’ is that one has to live in the real world.

The distance between myth and reality is explored in one of the turning points of the novel, when Tom steals so that he can afford the brooch for Mrs Forbes. The chapter is seen through the eyes of Gillian, who sees a truth about Tom before anyone else:

“She began to realise that this suit of armour, of calmness and patience, forged somehow in the dreadful slum where he had been born, must be heavy and painful to wear.”

Yet she does not tell as she wants to avoid ruining the ‘presentation’; Gillian is torn between jealousy and pity towards Tom; her sympathy grows for him throughout the book and it is she who discovers him after his suicide. The ‘suit of armour’ continues the idea that he is a figure out of a myth who doesn’t belong in her world, which indicates that she feels the stirring of respect for him, even though he is a thief.

Their relationship provides a note of optimism before the bleak climax. From her point of view, Tom has a kind of nobility, even when he strikes the tree in anguish:

His face was hard and aloof, like a young Prince’s out of a story book.

His hand red with blood was like an emblem of eerie distinction.

These continue the idea that he is someone who doesn’t belong to the time in which he lives, with the allusions to being a Prince and wearing an ‘emblem’ he has won through pain and violence.

This impossible dilemma is finally solved by Tom’s tragic end. Therefore I would argue that the book considers the suffering of others and asks what we can really do for them; it explores this theme through the fate of Tom.

To Kill A Mockingbird Essay

Question -

Choose a novel or short story which involves a theme of conflict and show how the dramatist makes the story compelling for the reader. You may refer to structure, characterisation, key scene(s) or any other appropriate feature.

Introduction



A novel which involves a theme of conflict is ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee. It is the story of a town divided by racism and ignorance, and a miscarriage of justice.

Setting



The novel is set in Alabama during the Depression. Maycomb is a poor community of farmers. This is shown in the early chapters when Scout attends school. The poverty of the other children is revealed at lunchtime, when they take out pails of molasses to eat. Walter Cunningham pays Atticus in turnips as he has no cash. When his son visits for dinner, he pours molasses over his food. As well as poverty, the town is divided. Black people worship at a separate church and live in their own area. The conflict of the novel arises from prejudice, which leads to Tom Robinson being accused of rape.

Characterization



The character of Atticus is central to the novel. At first he appears a somewhat boring middle-aged man: ‘Atticus was feeble; he was nearly fifty’. He does not play football like the other fathers. The incident with the rabid dog shows that he has kept his shooting skill a secret from his children in order to protect them. He represents the moral centre of the novel, refusing to allow Scout to use the word ‘niggers’ and standing up for Boo Radley and Miss Dubose. In the second half of the novel he defends Tom Robinson even though he is certain to lose.

The novel is narrated by Scout as an old woman. Scout is hot headed and gets into fights at the start of the novel. She becomes more like Atticus as she learns more of the fight against prejudice.

Key scene



A key scene of the novel is chapter 15. At the start of this chapter, we are reminded of the setting as the children eavesdrop on their father on the front porch. They hear Atticus’ dangerous question: ‘Do you really think so?’ This is repeated later on in the chapter as Atticus confronts the local men. Scout shames Walter Cunningham into withdrawing by reminding him he is an ordinary man.

Symbolism



Symbolism is important in chapter 15. The Maycomb Jail contrasts with the other buildings on the main street, being far grander and older, yet, in the minds of the townsfolk it is ‘full of niggers’. Tom Robinson seems to be living in a building better than theirs. The idea of being at home is continued with Atticus, who sits under a light bulb, in a chair, with a newspaper. This gives us some understanding of what motivates the locals to try to lynch Tom: they see him as being above them, and perhaps as a guest of Atticus’ home.

The ending of the novel



Despite the optimism of chapter 15, the book still ends with the death of Tom. However, Boo Radley saves the family from Bob Ewell and the policeman refuses to investigate what may have been Ewell’s murder by Boo. The conflict of the novel leaves the reader with a sense of injustice but also optimism. The good people of the novel include people such as Walter Cunningham, who learn tolerance from a child’s point of view.

Conclusion



In these ways, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ is a novel which features conflict. The author uses symbolism, characterisation and setting to explore the theme of racial prejudice.

Of Mice And Men Essay Plan

Question -

Choose a novel or short story in which there is an obvious climax or turning point. Show how the author arrives at the turning point and then discuss the consequences of it for the final outcome of the story. You may wish to mention techniques such as characterisation, structure, description or any other appropriate feature.

Introduction

Setting
  • Depression era
  • Background to George and Lennie’s story – on the run from their last job.
  • Turning point: when Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife.

The character of Lennie
  • Lennie’s strength and lack of intelligence described early on
  • Word choice portrays Lennie’s childish behaviour:

Lennie dabbled his big paw in the water and wiggled his fingers so that the water arose in little splashes … ‘Look George, look what I done.’

  • Shows immaturity
  • ‘paw’ suggests that he is more like an animal than a man.
  • Loves animals and collects pet mice, ends up killing them with his great strength.

Animal imagery
  • Lennie looks forward to keeping rabbits, showing his kind and gentle nature.
  • The death of Candy’s dog makes him join Lennie and George’s scheme.
  • ‘Of Mice and Men’ = animals; as well as the Robert Burns poem.
  • Like the mouse in the poem, after the death of Curley’s wife, the men’s plan comes to nothing.
  • Title of novel prepares reader for turning point and climax

The suffering of ordinary people
  • Main theme of the novel
  • Shown in the scene where Curley attacks Lennie and has his hand crushed:

Curley stepped over to Lennie like a terrier. ‘What the hell you laughin’ at?’


  • Curley decides to pick a fight with Lennie as he hates people who are bigger than him.
  • Animal imagery – compared to ‘terrier’
  • He uses violence to make up for the fact none of the other workers respect him.
  • This incident prepares us for the death of Curley’s wife in chapter 5.

Curley’s wife
  • Lonely and not tolerated by the farm workers, who visit prostitutes rather than having real relationships with women.
  • Her name is not given in the book, showing that people do not really know her.
  • Like Crooks, who is a victim of racism, she is isolated.
  • Seeks out Lennie for friendship, but due to his strength she dies.
  • The book shows us that people who have a low position in society can lead a lonely and short life.

Description
The author’s use of description is vital to the turning point:

She jerked her head sideways and Lennnie’s fingers closed on her hair and hung on … She struggled violently under his hands … And then she was still, for Lennie had broke her neck.

  • It is as though Lennie has no control over his own fingers.
  • We are reminded of the dead mice and the rabbits, as well as the fight with Curley.

The outcome of this turning point
  • George is forced to kill Lennie before the other farm workers get hold of him.
  • The reader is left with a feeling of sadness because George is a friend to Lennie to the end, and does what he has to do.
  • We are made to feel pity for the poor farm workers who have no control over their lives.

Conclusion
Therefore, in ‘Of Mice And Men’ Steinbeck uses word choice and characterisation to prepare us for the turning point in the novel and its tragic ending.

Of Mice And Men Essay

Question -


Choose a novel or short story in which there is an obvious climax or turning point (1). Show how the author arrives at the turning point and then discuss the consequences of it for the final outcome of the story. You may wish to mention techniques such as characterisation, structure, description or any other appropriate feature.

(1) In this essay, I discuss a turning point. The climax of ‘Of Mice and Men’ would probably be when George shoots Lennie.


Structure -

1. Introduction
2. Curley’s wife
3. The turning point / description
4. The opening chapter / the character of Lennie
5. Animal imagery
6. The fight with Curley
7. The outcome
8. Conclusion

The turning point of the novel ‘Of Mice and Men’ by John Steinbeck is when Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife. [R1] The novel is set in America at the time of the depression. Two migrant workers, [R2] George and Lennie join a ranch to work. Like the other misfits they meet in the novel, they work for low wages while dreaming of a better life. After this turning point their dreams are over and George shoots Lennie out of pity before he can be lynched.

Curley’s wife is lonely and not tolerated by the farm workers, who visit prostitutes rather than having real relationships with women. Her name is not given in the book, showing that people do not really know her. Like Crooks, who is a victim of racism, she is isolated. She seeks out Lennie for friendship, but due to his strength she dies. Therefore the book shows us that people who have a low position in society lead a lonely and short life. The death of Curley’s wife [R3] is the beginning of the end for Lennie and his dream of owning a ranch with George.

The author’s use of description is vital to the turning point[R4] :

She jerked her head sideways and Lennie’s fingers closed on her hair and hung on … She struggled violently under his hands … And then she was still, for Lennie had broke her neck.

It is as though Lennie has no control over his own fingers – they are acting independently of him. Her death happens very quickly, suggesting that life is cheap in the world of the novel.

At the start, the reader is given the impression that Lennie’s strength and low intelligence will lead to tragedy. The writer’s use of word choice helps portray Lennie as an overgrown child at the start of the novel:

Lennie dabbled his big paw in the water and wiggled his fingers so that the water arose in little splashes … ‘Look George, look what I done.’

The fact that ripples in the water amuse Lennie and are seen by him as an achievement helps convey his immaturity to the reader. The use of the word ‘paw’ suggests that he is more like an animal than a man. He clearly loves animals and collects pet mice, but always ends up killing them with his great strength. This also shows his dependency on George, who is almost like a parent.

Animals are used in the novel in several ways. When he and George fantasise about having their own farm, he looks forward to keeping rabbits, showing his kind and gentle nature. Lennie is not the only farm worker who feels close to animals. The death of Candy’s dog makes him join Lennie and George’s scheme. The title ‘Of Mice and Men’ alludes the Robert Burns poem. Like the mouse in the poem, after the death of Curley’s wife, the men’s plan comes to nothing. After the turning point, the men’s ‘best laid schemes’ come to nothing.

The aspirations of ordinary people is the main theme of the novel [R5] and is shown in the scene where Curley attacks Lennie and has his hand crushed:

Curley stepped over to Lennie like a terrier. ‘What the hell you laughin’ at?’

Curley decides to pick a fight with Lennie as he hates people who are bigger than him. Curley is also compared to an animal[R6] – as though he is little better than a savage – but small - dog. He uses violence to make up for the fact none of the other workers respect him. He is a sad character like Crooks and Candy. This incident prepares us for the death of Curley’s wife in chapter five.

[The outcome of the turning point is that George is forced to kill Lennie before the other farm workers get hold of him. The reader is left with a feeling of sadness because George is a friend to Lennie to the end, and does what he has to do. I felt pity for the poor farm workers who have no control over their lives.

In the tragic world of the novel ‘Of Mice And Men’ Steinbeck [R7] uses description and characterisation to prepare us for the turning point in the novel and its pessimistic ending. He uses the story of George and Lennie to make the reader think about the hopes and dreams of ordinary people at the bottom of society.

[R1]Topic sentence, addressing the question.

[R2]Plot summary – a few sentences to give the beginning, middle and end of the story.

[R3]I haven’t mentioned the question yet in the paragraph, so this sentence is to reassure the marker that this discussion of Curley’s wife is relevant to the essay.

[R4]For this essay, I’ll write about the turning point of the novel; then the start; followed by Lennie’s fight with Curley; then a summary of the climax.

[R5]I mention theme in every prose essay. The marker will be interested in what you think the theme is; and it s likely you will get a theme question every year.

[R6]This carries on from the discussion of the novel’s title and animal imagery.

[R7]The most straightforward way of introducing your conclusion is simply to mention the full title of the novel again. I use the phrase ‘tragic world’ as this makes my summing up slightly more stylish.

Boy Driving His Father To Confession Essay

Question -

Choose a poem in which there is a noticeable change of mood at one or more than one point in the poem. Show how the poet conveys the change(s) of mood and discuss the importance of the change(s) to the central idea of the poem.

Seamus Heaney’s ‘Boy driving his father to confession’ is a poem with distinct changes in mood. The central idea of the poem is quite simple: the speaker and his father are very different people and struggle to understand each other. The changes of mood show the affection in their relationship as Heaney describes the ‘Four times’ in which his father was more like ‘a grown up-friend’ than a parent.

The mood at the start of the poem is quite poignant. He describes his father as having ‘paternal mail’ to protect himself with only four ‘chinks’. This emphasizes that his father is tough and proud like a knight in armour. He belongs to a past age, when ‘men were men’. He sees his father cry ‘among the men’ when his brother died, showing that he embodies a very traditional kind of masculinity.

This dark mood is contrasted in lines eight to ten: ‘I was shocked at your tears when my mother’s plane took off’ – the father gives a rare display of vulnerability. This is a poem about men and the way they bond together, and the fact that his father misses his mother so much humanizes him and lightens the tone of the poem. Yet it also continues the idea of being a knight with the suggestion of true love and chivalry – like a figure from a Romance, love is the most important thing in his father’s life. The poet creates a sense of poignancy by leaving his father ‘lonely at the barrier’.

The lighter mood continues when Heaney describes the third ‘chink’ – his father tells an ‘almost smutty story in a restaurant toilet’, which is an ‘unprecedented breakthrough’. The poet’s use of ‘almost’ emphasizes that the father hasn’t quite abandoned his stern, distant demeanour. The place, a toilet, gives another contrast to the world of knights and honour, although it is still a place where men meet. The word choice of ‘unprecedented breakthrough’ adds a witty and ironic comment on this new mood.

In the second stanza, the poet brings the poem up to date and creates a thoughtful mood by describing their current relationship. ‘Do you tell sins as I would?’ shows that he still does not know his father well but at the same time it emphasizes that they both have a relationship with God.

The poem ends on an almost playful note with the pun:

You grunt and slam the door. I watch another
Who gropes as awkwardly to know his father.


Heaney’s use of onomatopoeia with ‘grunt’ and ‘slam’ show that his father is, in some ways, the same as he has always been – rough and ready. But the ending also suggests that the poet has come to understand him. He is distant from his ‘father’, who, in a different way, is distant from the other ‘father’ – the priest, or even God himself.

This is therefore a poem with several different moods. The change in mood with each ‘chink’ that the poet witnesses in his father’s armour shows their developing relationship over many years, and this is what helps bring the poem to life.

My comment



A common poetry question: explain the changes of mood, atmosphere or tone between the different sections.

The ‘four chinks’ hold my essay together – the poem is structured around four different stories from the poet’s life, so I mention each one in turn.

Mitigation

Question -

Write about a poem which made you think about an important issue.

Kate Clanchy’s harrowing lyric poem ‘Mitigation’ forces the reader to dwell upon the issue of human evil. It is a take on the murder of Jamie Bulger by two young boys, Thomson and Venables. The poet uses a first person narrative to change the reader’s perspective, along with the use of word choice and style.

The poet’s choice of words emphasizes the horror of the Bulger’s death which occurs in the ‘swooping railway tracks’. This gave me the impression of a bird capturing its prey. This gives the impression of extreme speed and efficiency, but also suggests that the murder was part of a ‘natural’ animal instinct. It is shocking enough to contemplate two children killing a younger child, but this suggests that it was nothing strange in their minds. They are unaware of the moral implications to what they have done.

Clanchy employs stanza structure to create jarring contrasts. The ‘swooping railway tracks’ occur in the first line of the last stanza, where the reader might become aware for the first time that the poem is about the Bulger murder. The first stanza describes childish games and fantasies in nostalgic locations like ‘The Den’. This changes with the break between the first and second stanzas:

and loved the tender ticking throat

of panicked bird or retching child

This makes the poem take a sinister turn and shows how the killers are unaware of the suffering of their victims. The ‘tender ticking throat’ is a pleasant, fragile expression; the alliteration of the slight ‘t’ sound emphasises the vulnerability of the bird and ‘loved’ is a reminder that Venables and Thomson are children. Yet the bird is ‘panicked’ – the boys clearly love the heartbeat because the bird is in their power and it is equated with a ‘retching child’ who we then learn is Bulger. Clanchy uses bird symbols as they represent both the defenceless, with the bird in their hand, and the bird of prey, a natural predator. This gave me a new perspective on the mentality of the young murderers – still children but capable of adult crimes.

The poet’s use of first person throughout allows the reader to see through the eyes of Venables and Thomson. The boys talk directly to the reader and accuse them of having the same mindset. ‘That doll of yours whose head came off’ is about an experience of theirs, yet they address the reader - quite plausibly, the reader could have had the same experience while playing. The poem makes the reader examine their own life and see where they have acted in the same way as the killers.

Clanchy’s use of symbolism also helps the reader to understand the issue of murder. The doll represents the torture Bulger went through and the desire for power – it is buried behind a ‘fort’, a symbol of military power as if the boys are playing soldiers. Yet the difference between the boys and the adults with ‘signet rings’, in their own eyes, is that they went through with an actual crime rather than by sticking to make-believe. They claim to speak on behalf of all young boys:

We heard your hands, the short wet slap
Of adults clamouring to get back

I was horrified by the suggestion that everyone would do as they did if they had not ‘bottled’, but this is why the poem is effective. Clanchy shows how murderers might have the same experiences as the rest of us but implies that they do not understand the lines which we can’t cross as adults. The adults outside the van want to kill the boys – to ‘get back’ to the time when they could be violent without taking responsibility for their actions.

The title of the poem suggests that there are ‘mitigating’ circumstances for why the boys killed Bulger – the boys simply didn’t know right from wrong. While I didn’t feel any sympathy for the boys, it made me think about the important issue of murder, and this is why it is a successful poem.

Church Going Essay Plan

Introduction - ‘Church Going’ by Philip Larkin is an example of a poem …
In this essay, I will show / discuss / describe …

The title of the poem contains a pun …
  • Title – ironic, as the speaker only visits churches, without worshipping
  • Church’s are ‘Going’, i.e. declining
  • Theme – decline of religion

The poet uses a strict rhyme scheme to tackle this subject.
  • Form – the orderly thoughts of an average person
  • He is able to use colloquial language – an ordinary person thinking about common things:
  • ‘Brewed God knows how long.’
  • Stanza one sets the tone of this poem.
  • Sets the scene – a lack of respect
  • ‘some brass and stuff
  • Up at the holy end;’ – informal language

Sound effects are important from the start of the poem.
  • ‘I step inside, letting the door thud shut.’ Contrasts with the ‘tense, musty, unignorable silence’ of the church.
  • The poet speaking makes ‘echoes snigger’ – as though his presence is not welcome.

The main symbol running through the poem is the church itself.
  • The church itself is described several ways in the poem:
  • ‘this cross of ground’
  • ‘this accoutred frowsty barn’
  • ‘a special shell’
  • ‘serious house on serious earth’
  • -give chosen quotes some explanation.

Stanza three shows the poet reflecting on the scene and marks a change in tone for the poem.
  • Through the middle and final sections the poem poses questions for the reader.
  • Melancholy, thoughtful tone

The final stanza contains a note of mild optimism.
‘all our compulsions meet,
Are recognized, and robed as destinies.
And that much never can be obsolete’
- in a higher register than at the start

Conclusion – Therefore I would argue that ‘Church Going’ …

African Beggar Essay

Question – Give an account of a poem you have read and show how the poet conveys his ideas.

‘African Beggar’ is a descriptive poem written successfully by Raymond Tong. It is a poem which paints a picture clearly in words of a poverty-stricken, native beggar.

Throughout the poem Tong uses many different techniques to portray images and to control the readers’ feelings towards the beggar. The first two lines of the poem cause the reader to feel sorry for the beggar. This emotion can be sensed greatly from the first word of the poem ‘sprawled’. The simple use of this word illustrates that the beggar is lying on the ground, his limbs stretched out awkwardly because he is unable to hold himself. Though, the word also suggests that the beggar is tired and frail as a result of the lack of water and food he is receiving. He has no energy or strength left, and has become lifeless.

The beggar is also described as a ‘target for small children, dogs and flies’. This cleverly used metaphor can either attack or defend the beggar, yet I believe there are more aspects of this quote which upholds him competently. The word ‘target’ gives the impression that he is helpless and he has no energy left to prevent the situation from occurring. He is so weak that even ‘small children’ are able to annoy and ridicule him. ‘Dogs’ are urinating on him which make him seem inanimate and unimportant and ‘flies’ are also attracted to him because he is unclean. As a result of this they are feeding on his rotting flesh.

He is also referred to as a ‘heap’ which implies that he is nothing more than a pile of skin and bones, and that he has no feelings. Again he is being considered as if non-living. This further adds to the readers’ understanding towards the beggar. For these reasons the reader empathises for the beggar as no individual should have to live such a life.


However, Tong then changes the direction of the poem by repelling the reader from the beggar. He does this skillfully by using more effective techniques and by the use of proficient words. The beggar is described to the reader as if insanitary and dangerous. He is looked upon as having ‘verminous rags and matted hair’. This efficient metaphor makes the reader assume that the beggar has a disease of some type, which he may spread. The word ‘rags’ suggests he is wearing clothes which are old and tattered, as he has no money to buy any new ones. His ‘matted hair’ simply indicates that the beggar has not been able to have a wash for a long period.

Tong also describes the beggar as having a ‘noseless smallpoxed face’. This quote portrays his ugliness, and confirms the readers’ assumption of him having a disease. So, the reader feels more aversion towards the beggar. Nevertheless, Tong doesn’t stop there. He continues to ward off the reader by describing his face as being ‘creased in a sneer’. The use of negative language in this extract, and the use of the word ‘sneer’ shows the beggar’s contempt towards other individuals. Though the beggar may only have this contempt to those who are not helping him, the reader interprets it as if he is ungrateful to all.

The image of the beggar’s ugliness continues into the second stanza: ‘yellow stumps of teeth’, which suggests his teeth are discoloured and rotting. Tong then smartly uses a complex metaphor to examine this image. He generalises his ideas by describing the beggar as a ‘grotesque mask of death’. This thick-skinned excerpt continues the presumption that the beggar is not attractive to look at and that he has not long to live because of his condition, so he is virtually dead.

Tong also uses a very intelligent method of imagery to effortlessly make a comparison of the beggar. This can be described as animal imagery. This allows the reader to easily visualize the beggar. His ‘cunning reptile eyes’ is a metaphorical example of this type of imagery. Again there is a use of negative language which drives the reader further away from the beggar. The word ‘cunning’ also shows the ingenious deceit that the beggar has towards the people who are disregarding him.

Another example of the animal imagery used is ‘whines’. This word is used to describe the pain the beggar is feeling. It realistically describes both his emotions and the true torture he is feeling because of the lack of water and food he is obtaining. It also expresses clearly the way in which the beggar is creating this sound.

‘Hands like claws’ is a further simile which is also used in this style of imagery. It represents that the beggar has narrow, skeletal fingers which may be a result of being undernourished. However, this particular example is not interoperated like this. When evaluating this quote the reader understands it to be a negative feature on the beggar’s behalf.

In the third stanza of the poem Tong changes the path of the poem yet again. For a second time he decides to change the reader’s perception of the beggar by the use of word selection and technique. The discouraged emotion begins to disappear within the first line of the third stanza, and is replaced with a sympathetic feeling. The reader starts to comprehend the true emotions of the beggar and the following quote ‘lying all alone’ confirms that the beggar is lonely and isolated from everyone else, as well as frail.

Another well written metaphor is ‘trackless jungle of his pain’. This creates a sense of confusion and emphasises the amount of pain the beggar is in. The word ‘lost’ is used just before this quotation and I feel that it shows that there is no escape for the beggar.

I believe that the word ‘shadow’ shows the darkness of the beggar’s existence, and proves the unimportance of him. This quote goes on by saying that he is in the shadow of a ‘crumbling wall’. This is a very witty metaphor as it does not only raise knowledge of the decaying of the area, but it also refers to the decaying of the beggar himself.

There is also a sense of desperation from the beggar as he is ‘clutching the pitiless red earth in vain’. The reader can feel the true despair of the beggar. There is also personification in this extract. It generalises the feelings of all the population in the way that the beggar feels they see him. He believes that no-one feels sorry for him or wants to help him. However, as unsuccessful as he is, he doesn’t give up begging as it is his last hope of survival.

The last line of the poem uses a simile to clearly conclude the feelings of the beggar. He is described as ‘whimpering like a stricken animal’, which continues the animal imagery used before in a more positive way. It seems as if the beggar has been afflicted by this experience. It has made him feel genuine pain and grief. This is because he feels unloved and insignificant in a world were he is looked upon as worthless. The last stanza of the poem creates an uneasy atmosphere, as the reader is exposed to the true horrors of being a beggar.

Macbeth Essay

Question -

Choose a play whose main theme is made clear early in the action. Show how the dramatist introduces the theme and discuss how successfully he or she goes on to develop it. In your answer you must refer closely to the text and to at least two of: theme, key scene(s), characterisation, climax, dialogue, or any other appropriate feature.


A play whose main theme is made clear early in the action is 'Macbeth' by William Shakespeare, as it highlights the conflict between good and evil, as Macbeth, a tragic hero, descends from being a brave, loyal solider to a tyrannical king. This main theme is conveyed through the use of key scenes, characterisation and language.

Shakespeare introduces the idea of good and evil by using the means of the supernatural. Three witches appear in the first scene, conveying the main theme immediately by using the words:

Fair is foul, and foul is fair

'Fair' is used for the idea of good while 'foul' is used to express evil and things which are immoral and against natural order. Also these words suggest how good and evil exist side by side, making it difficult to tell them apart. The idea of deception and disguise is used here to portray the struggle between good and evil.

Shakespeare develops the struggle between good and evil as Macbeth is praised by the captain for his role in the battle between Scotland and the invading armies:

For brave Macbeth – well he deserves that name –


Macbeth is introduced to us as the brave man who led King Duncan’s forces to victory against the traitorous Thane of Cawdor, Macdonwald and the King of Norway, in a battle that could have gone either way were it not for Macbeth’s leadership. This clearly shows that Macbeth is not fighting for himself but to save Scotland. At this point, it is proved that Macbeth is seen to be good. However, his first speech turns out to be connected with evil:

So foul and fair a day I have not seen


This makes the audience become suspicious of Macbeth as Macbeth may be considered of having the possibility of being evil. His speech mirrors the words of the witches, suggesting once again that he is questioning his own morals.

Shakespeare continues to show Macbeth’s moral ambiguity when he hears of the prophecies from the witches and a messenger comes to tell Macbeth that he has been granted Thane of Cawdor, he says:

Glamis, and Thane of Cawdor
The greatest is behind…
This supernatural soliciting
Cannot be ill, cannot be good.
If ill, why hath it given me earnest of success
Commencing in a truth


In this soliloquy, Macbeth knows that the witches have revealed some truth and starts to believe them. However, Macbeth wonders why something which is good or brings good luck can be evil or bad. This again hints out the idea of deception and how good and bad impulses might exist side by side in on person.

Shakespeare continues to develop the combat between good and evil by showing how using evil can take over the life of a good person. Once Macbeth hears that Malcolm, Duncan’s eldest son, is the successor to the throne, he thinks of murdering Duncan, who praised Macbeth “o valiant cousin, worthy gentleman”:

The Prince of Cumberland – that is a step,
On which I must fall down, or else o'erleap,
For in my way it lies. Stars hide your fires,
Let not light see my black and deep desires.
The eye wink at the hand; yet let that be,
Which the eye fears when it is done to see.


Macbeth knows that “chance” will not make him become king and that Malcolm is an obstacle to the throne which he must overcome. An extended image of the stars, not seeing what Macbeth is planning to do, is used in this soliloquy which is connected to the theme of night & evil. Also "eye wink at the hand" creates the idea of deception.

The battle between good and evil progresses as Lady Macbeth receives a letter from Macbeth. In this key scene, Lady Macbeth knows that Macbeth has ambition but is worried:

do I fear thy nature,
It is too full o' th' milk of human kindness
To catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great,
Art not without ambition, but without
The illness should attend it


Lady Macbeth knows Macbeth so well that she is sure that Macbeth’s inner goodness will prevent the kingship to be fulfilled. However, Lady Macbeth attempts to overcome this problem by calling the evil spirits, so that she is able to carry out the murder of Duncan:

Come you spirits
That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,
And fill me from the crow to the toe top-full
Of direst cruelty; make thick my blood,
Stop up th’access and passage to remorse


There is no confusion in this soliloquy, as Lady Macbeth is clearly willing to do whatever is necessary to seize the throne. Her strength of purpose is contrasted with her husband’s tendency to waver. This speech shows the audience that Lady Macbeth is the real steel behind Macbeth and that her ambition will be strong enough to drive her husband forward.

Moreover, Macbeth considers whether he should kill Duncan, listing his good qualities.

First, as I am his kinsman and his subject,…
…Besides, this Duncan
Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been
So clear in his great office


In this soliloquy, when Macbeth lists Duncan's noble qualities and the loyalty that he feels towards his king, we are reminded of how grave an outrage it is for the couple to slaughter their ruler while he is a guest in their house. At the same time, Macbeth fears that:

we still have judgement here, that we but teach
Bloody instructions which, being taught, return
To plague th' inventor


This foreshadows the way that his deed will eventually come back to haunt him. The imagery in this speech is dark and suggests that Macbeth is aware of how the murder would open the door to a dark and sinful world. At the same time, he admits that his only reason for committing murder is his "ambition" which suddenly seems an insufficient justification for the act. At the end, Macbeth resolves not to kill Duncan, but his resolve only lasts until his wife comes and rallies Macbeth on his behaviour.

Shakespeare continues to convey the theme of the struggle between good and evil as Macbeth becomes worried about his kingship and lists Banquo's good qualities:

Our fears in Banquo
Stick deep, and in his royalty of nature
Reigns that which would be feared…
…And to that dauntless temper of his mind,
He hath a wisdom that doth guide his valour


This clearly shows that Macbeth knows that Banquo has a good character, making people respect him, as well as not fearing anything. Macbeth knows that Banquo has a stronger spirit than Macbeth, since his has been weighed down by guilt. Despite these qualities, Macbeth insists on killing Banquo as he fears that Banquo's descendants may take the throne instead, due to the witches' prophecy:

Both of you
Know Banquo was your enemy…
…So is he mine; and in such bloody distance
That every minute of his being thrusts
Against my near'st of life;


Macbeth is clearly worried if the witches' prophecy may come true and is determined to prevent the prediction to happen. Macbeth knows that Banquo is so close that every minute Macbeth lives, Banquo is threatening his life. A fighting imagery has been used to describe the space between swordsmen, showing how close Banquo is, in threatening Macbeth. As a result of Banquo's murder, Shakespeare uses the means of the supernatural to haunt Macbeth on what he has done. In this key scene, a ghost of Banquo appears and Macbeth becomes terrified:

The time has been,
That when the brains were out, the man would die
And there an end. But now they rise again.
With twenty mortal murders on their crowns,
And push us from our stools. This is more strange
Than such a murder is


Macbeth believed that when a person would die then there would be an end to his life. However, in this situation, Macbeth knows that Banquo's descendants will still be kings. Macbeth is haunted by this conclusion. In spite of all this, Macbeth does not change his character, but instead plans to become more evil as he knows that there is no turning back:

I am in blood
Stepped in so far, that should I wade no more,
Returning were as tedious as go o'er.
Strange things I have in head, that will to hand;
Which must be acted ere there may be scanned.


Characterisation is used as Macbeth says that he is so used to evil deeds that it will be easier to continue the bloody course of action than to go back. The recurring imagery of blood is mentioned here to show how evil Macbeth has now become.

Most of all, at the end of the play, Macbeth now understands how something which is good, namely the kingship, can be evil or bad:

I have lived long enough. My way of life
Is fallen into the sear, the yellow leaf;
And that which should accompany old age,
As honour, love, obedience, troops of friends,
I must not look to have; but in their stead
Curses, not loud but deep, mouth-honour, breath
Which the poor heart would fain deny, and dare not.


Macbeth now realises that his life has dried up. He now regrets that he has no true friends, loyalty or honour due to his tyrannical behaviour. When Lady Macbeth dies, Macbeth reflects on the significance of his life:

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death.


Given the great love between them, his response is oddly muted, but it moves quickly without interruption into a speech of such pessimism and despair that the audience realises how completely his wife’s passing and the ruin of his power have undone Macbeth. His speech insists that there is no meaning or purpose in life. Rather, life is:

a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.


In conclusion, Shakespeare conveys the theme of the struggle between good and evil effectively, through the tragic flaw of Macbeth. By his clever use of characterisation, key scenes and language, he manages to portray a clear message to the audience, making the play fascinating to watch.


My Comment



This is an in-depth discussion of the main themes of Macbeth and the relationships in the play. It's too long and has too many quotes for a 45-minute exam essay - normally I advise people sitting the Higher or Intermediate English exam to go in with three to five detailed quotes and aim for about six paragraphs, not including the introduction and conclusion.

Dulce Et Decorum Est Essay Plan

Question -

Choose a poem which creates an atmosphere of despair about human existence and show how the author conveys this to the reader.

Introduction
  • A poem which creates an atmosphere of despair is ‘Dulce et Decorum est’ by Wilfred Owen.
  • Set in the trenches of World War One.
  • Explain title: ‘It is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country’
  • The poet describes a terrible scene from war then builds up to this slogan at the end, showing that it is a lie.

From the start of the poem, Owen creates a bleak image for the reader:
Bent double, like old beggars under sacks
  • Knock-kneed, coughing like hags we cursed through sludge
  • -‘old beggars’ / ‘like hags’: similes show that the young men are now like the opposite of soldiers – sick, old, weak, emphasised by ‘bent double’ and the idea of ‘sacks’ instead of uniforms
  • Instead of ‘marched’ or even ‘retreated’ the soldiers ‘cursed’, suggesting this is a depressing and somewhat pointless activity
  • Sound effects: the alliteration of ‘coughing’ and ‘cursed’ suggest harshness, along with the onomatopoeia words ‘coughing’ and ‘sludge’ to describe the conditions they are marching through

The poet creates an effective contrast between the first and second stanzas in order to heighten the horror of the gas attack.
  • The men’s slow progress is emphasized at the start
  • The ‘haunting flares’ continues with the idea of ‘hags’ and ‘cursed’, suggesting that the soldiers have been afflicted by black magic
  • ‘asleep’ suggests that this scene has a dream-like quality
  • This prepares reader for ‘gas-shells dropping softly’ – as though they are harmless and part of this quiet scene

The poet shows the panic of the soldiers at the start of the second stanza by using reported speech.
  • ‘Gas! Gas! Quick, boys! – An ecstasy of fumbling’
  • Contrast with eerie quiet of first stanza
  • Shows how death can strike when people least expect it
  • Describes dying man in some detail – ‘in my dreams’
  • Word choice of ‘fumbling’, ‘stumbling’, ‘floundering’ and ‘drowning’ show how the men suffer
  • ‘misty panes’ and simile of drowning in a green sea – a dream-like image
  • Even though the man’s death takes some time, the others are powerless to help him; shows horror of this scene

These ideas are continued in the final stanza as the poet prepares the reader for his statement about war at the end of the poem.
  • Brings in reader – ‘If … you too’, ‘My friend’
  • Supernatural overtones again – ‘white eyes writhing in his face’ – showing how the soldier has lost control over his own body
  • ‘devil’s sick of sin’ – showing even demons must be horrified by the experience of war
  • Sound effects:
  • Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
  • Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
  • The repeated hard ‘c’ shows harshness
  • Onomatopoeia of ‘gargling’ – makes vivid for reader
  • Word choice of ‘cud’ – a gruesome image for the sores on the man’s tongue, as if it is something to chew on
  • Idea of cattle – creatures which are slaughtered
  • Continued with the idea of ‘innocent tongues

At the climax of the poem, Owen gives a chilling message to the reader.
  • Describes soldier’s retreat and the gas attack
  • They are ‘children’ desperate for ‘glory’ unprepared for the nightmarish horror of the trenches
  • Brings the reader to the Latin quote at the end

Conclusion -

Wilfred Owen chooses a scene from war and brings it to life for the reader. He uses a variety of techniques in order to create a dream-like atmosphere, including sound effects and imagery. This shows us the horror that soldier’s experienced during the war and helps convince the reader that propaganda for the war was based on lies. I would therefore argue that ‘Dulce et Decorum est’ is a poem which creates an atmosphere of despair about human existence, within the context of war.

Topic sentences and quotes - how to write an English essay which will pass

When you write an essay on a novel or a play, you can pick up marks and help make sure you pass by using strong topic sentences and good quotes.

Topic sentences


As a tutor I see a lot of essays. I used to sit down and read the whole thing but these days I usually go straight to the first sentence of the first paragraph. Although I usually try to read the essay in full, this is the bit which attracts my attention as it often tells me whether the essay should pass or fail.

The first sentence of a paragraph is the topic sentence - it tells the person marking your essay what this paragraph will be about.

Essay question -

Choose a play involving an important theme. Show how the playwrite explores this theme using characters, key scene, symbolism or any other important feature.
Topic sentence -

The theme of love and violence is explored in the key scene when Romeo first meets Juliet in act 1, scene 5.
Right away, the marker knows this paragraph is relevant to the question -

  1. it uses the word 'theme', which was in the essay question;
  2. it directs the marker to one particular part of the play;
  3. it uses the expression 'key scene' - this is a technique.
For a Shakespeare play, it looks better to include the act and scene you are talking about. This might not be essential for every novel or play you study.

The next paragraph might start wih the following topic sentence -

The romantic theme is introduced in the first scene of the play: Romeo misses the street brawl because he is pining over Rosalind.
Instead of 'love' I use the word 'romantic' for a bit of variety. I direct the marker to the very start of the play, and I bring in the technique of characterization. I didn't use the word characterization although I could use this in the next sentence.

Quotes


You can't pass an essay without using quotes effectively. They are the next thing I look for in an essay after the topic sentence.

Introduce your quote with -

  1. who said it
  2. who they said it to
  3. when this happens in the story

For example, this is the quote I would use for when Romeo meets Juliet -

She doth teach the torches to burn bright

This is the way I would introduce the quote -

The theme of love and violence is explored in the key scene when Romeo first meets Juliet in act 1, scene 5. At his first sight of Juliet, Romeo seems to fall in love -

She doth teach the torches to burn bright

This hyperbole helps emphasise that Romeo is a dreamy romantic. It raises the tension in this scene because the audience will want to find out what happens next. It also suggests probably behave in a reckless way after they meet. I would therefore argue that love and violence are inextricably linked to one another in the play.
After the quote comes my analysis - I explain what this line adds to the scene.

At the end of this paragraph, I added a sentence about the theme. This reminds the marker of the essay question I am answering. I have also used a clever-sounding phrase, 'inextricably linked' which I can use in any 'Romeo and Juliet' essay.

Wednesday 25 March 2009

Drama Textual Analysis

This post is for Higher and Intermediate pupils who are doing a drama text for their Textual Analysis NAB.

What you will be asked about -



1. Word choice – are the words used formal or informal? What does the word choice say about a character?
2. Imagery – simile, metaphor, personification. When a character uses an image when they talk, what does it say about them?
3. Sentence structure – rhetorical questions, long and short sentences, parenthesis, list, repetition, climax, antithesis
4. Tone – ironic, sarcastic, upbeat, downbeat, serious, light, nostalgic, humorous, pompous
5. Sound effects – alliteration and onomatopoeia
6. Register – high register (formal) or low register (informal). This example uses both: ‘My lords ladies and gentlemen … how y’doing?’
7. Stage directions – what do the actors do on stage? Are they standing, moving around … trying to stab each other!?
8. Props and costumes – what are the actors holding and wearing?
9. Setting – where does the scene take place? In a house? In a castle? Outer space?
10. Relationships – when two characters talk, one is always more important than the other. Which one is in charge?
11. Characterisation – how does a character talk? How do they behave on stage?


Analysing a line of dialogue in a play or script


This line is from the movie ‘Pulp Fiction’, a comedy thriller about gangsters in Los Angeles:

Normally both of you would be dead as fried chicken. But you happened to pull this while I'm in a transitional period.


It is said by Jules the hitman as he points a gun at Ringo the armed robber, and Ringo’s girlfriend. I took out some of the sweary words.

What can we say about this line?

Word choice –

• The scriptwriter has used colloquial language – ‘pull this’. This shows Jules is a tough character who speaks plainly. He is also happy to show Ringo that he is in charge of the situation – he uses a low register to show Ringo is of less importance than himself.
• This is contrasted with a high register – ‘transitional period’. This is a clever-sounding phrase which you wouldn’t expect Jules to say. It shows that he is thinking about himself and his life. This helps capture the audience’s attention and make Jules a complex character rather than just a thug.

Imagery – the simile ‘dead as fried chicken’ says a lot about Jules. For textual analysis, write down more than one thing if you can.
• Jules is a menacing character – fried chicken has been cooked as well as killed; this suggests Ringo will die in a gruesome way
• Jules is a common person – fried chicken is cheap food which you can buy anywhere.
• Jules holds life very cheaply – killing Ringo would be like eating chicken to him.

Stage directions, props, costumes and setting


Because this is a drama, we can say more about this scene in general. You may get questions about this when you do drama textual analysis -

Stage directions – Jules is pointing a gun at Ringo and they are sitting in a café. They might both be sitting totally still, or Ringo might be slowly backing away from Jules. It depends what the director and the actors decide, in order to make this scene exciting and full of tension.

Props and costumes – Jules is holding a gun, which will attract the attention of the audience and make them wonder what is going to happen. In this scene, Ringo is wearing ordinary casual wear and Jules is wearing shorts and a t-shirt, which might make the whole scene ironic, as he isn’t dressed for doing anything criminal.

Tuesday 24 March 2009

Romeo and Juliet Essay - a play with a tragic theme

This essay gives a general answer to a 'theme' question from a higher English past paper.

Question -

Choose a play which involves a tragic theme and show how the dramatist makes the play a moving experience for the audience. You may refer to structure, characterisation, key scene(s) or any other appropriate feature.

Structure -

  1. Introduction
  2. The character of Romeo / the start of the play
  3. Key scene - act 3, scene 1
  4. Juliet’s monologue
  5. Conclusion

‘Romeo and Juliet’ is one of Shakespeare’s best known stories and most celebrated tragedies. In this essay I will show how the structure and characterisation of the play make it a moving experience for an audience. The tragedy comes from the play’s twin themes of love and violence. The prologue suggests the ‘star-crossed lovers’ will meet a tragic end and in the first scene there is a brawl between the Capulet and Montague families; the Prince forbids any fighting in public and shortly after this, we are introduced to Romeo, who stands in contrast to the violent society of Verona.

Romeo represents the wide-eyed romantic who falls in love at first sight. who is pining for his love Rosalind. He has missed the violence in the street. Mercutio and Benvolio persuade him to attend the party at the Capulet’s house where he meets Juliet. The dialogue of the play emphasizes his rush of emotion at their first meeting: ‘She doth teach the torches to burn bright’. Comparing beauty to fire suggests that it can be a destructive force. In contrast, Mercutio is a more down-to-earth character; he makes rude jokes and puns at Romeo’s expense and mocks his friend for being naïve and idealistic.

The turning point of the play is act 3, scene 1. Before this, things have been going well for the lovers. In the previous scene, they were married, after the Nurse and Friar Benedict have given them advice and support. At the start of this scene, Mercutio mocks Benvolio for being a troublemaker. When Tybalt arrives, Mercutio turns his jesting to him. The tone of this dialogue is light rather than serious. When Romeo arrives, his attitude towards Tybalt is that of reconciliation.

The death of Mercutio is accidental. He is wounded under Romeo’s arm as he tries to break up the fight. It can be played by the actors as horseplay that goes wrong. Mercutio continues to joke as he dies, about his wound: ‘it is not as wide as a cellar door but it may suffice’. Comedy co-exists with tragedy through the course of the play; however, with the death of Mercutio, the tone of the play changes as the lovers launch their desperate plan.

The outcome of this scene is that the play ends in tragedy. The lovers make plans to elope but bad luck and rash decisions mean that they both end up committing suicide. Romeo is rash and idealistic, without the climate of violence created by the Capulets and Montagues, the plan to escape with Juliet may well have worked. It is therefore difficult to argue that the lovers were fated to die, even though this is the tone of the play’s prologue.

The events at the cemetery are foreshadowed by Juliet’s final monologue:

I'll call them back again to comfort me.
Nurse!- What should she do here?
My dismal scene I needs must act alone.

The Nurse is a stabilising influence upon the young lovers, but at this point in the play Juliet has rejected any further help, as she criticised her romance with Romeo. The audience is prepared for the final scene in the graveyard - she fears waking up with Tybalt’s corpse in her family tomb. This symbolizes that her own family may represent death to her – the world of brawling and one-upmanship is perhaps the factor that caused her to fall in love with Romeo in the first place. Even though it puts her in danger, Juliet would rather make her own decisions than do what is expected; and this leads to the final tragedy of the double suicide.

In these ways, ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is a tragic play which makes the audience think about issues of love and violence. The fact that it may have ended happily makes it a moving experience.

Romeo and Juliet Essay Plan - Fate

Another 'Romeo and Juliet' essay. This is answers a theme question from a higher exam paper. Is there a mystical force at work in the play? Or does the tragedy just come from bad luck?

Question -

Choose a play in which a main theme is made clear early in the action. Show how the dramatist introduces the theme and discuss how successfully he or she goes on to develop it.

Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is a tale about a ‘love at first sight’ which leads to tragedy; its impact comes from the two lovers escaping their violent world through the power of love, yet from the start of the play, there are hints that fate is against them. During the Renaissance, beliefs in supernatural powers affecting human events were commonplace and this is explored by various references in the play.

The prologue introduces the idea that ‘two star-crossed lovers take their life’, This suggests the events of the play have already been ‘written in the stars’. This theme is continued in Act I Scene V, where Romeo attends the Capulets masked ball to take his mind off his unrequited love for Rosaline. There he sees the daughter of his families sworn enemy, and the two fall in love at first sight. However, both are unaware of this fact at the time and come to learn it later on in the night: ‘O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?’ The repetition of ‘Romeo’ shows Juliets anguish, and her disbelief at the minute chances of Romeo being from her family’s worst enemies.

Perhaps the most evident development in the theme of fate comes in the turning point of the play, and key scene Act III Scene I. In this scene, Romeo tries to break up a fight between Mercutio and Tybalt, but tragically his mistake helps Tybalt slay Mercutio. Romeo then avenges Mercutio, after stating that ‘fiery eyed fury be my conduct now’. Romeo believes that this outcome was already predetermined by fate: ‘O, I am fortune’s fool.’ This shows that Romeo believes that fate was set to follow its course, and that he was simply fulfilling his fate. By having these unlikely “misadventured piteous overthrows” Shakespeare is able to manipulate and strictly enforce the theme of fate, which he picks up on again later in Act V.

Yes this also shows that Romeo is perhaps reluctant to take full responsibility for his actions. He shows naiveté in assuming that Tybalt will leave him in peace; the fact he has just married Tybalt’s cousin seems to blind his reason. This is a tension throughout the play – the references to fate suggest that supernatural forces are at work, yet the tragedy comes about because of human passions.

After Romeo’s exile, the Friar and Juliet form a plan to get him back in, but it seems once again that fate has intervened, against the hapless lovers: ‘A greater power than we can contradict/Hath thwarted our intents.’ The Friar believes there was nothing that anyone could do, and that fate was always going to run its course for better or for worse.

Upon hearing the news, Romeo decides to return from exile to be with Juliet in death. He tries to defy fate, exclaiming: ‘I defy you, stars!’ Once again, the idea of his fate already being written in the stars is included, and it also shows that Romeo is eager not to let fate prevail. However, Shakespeare's inclusion of this helps bring an effective conclusion to the theme of fate; in Romeo trying to defy his fate, he is in fact tragically fulfilling it. It emphasizes that Romeo’s rash impulsiveness is as much the agent of this tragedy as any mystical force.

And thus, Shakespeare effectively introduces and develops the theme of fate. By using a prologue to introduce the theme, and putting the emphasis on the theme of fate in the turning point, Shakespeare develops the theme in what I deem to be a successful and entertaining way.

My comment -

The theme of fate in 'Romeo and Juliet' is slightly harder to discuss than the theme of love and hate, or society. Although the playwright tells the audience that the stars have determined that the lovers will die a tragic death, and Romeo tells the audience that he is 'fortune's fool', in fact the whole play could have easily turned out differently if Romeo and Juliet had made better decisions. You can contrast this with 'MacBeth', where the whole play is built around a prophecy and all the action leads up to his defeat.

Personally, I think the two lovers were acting impulsively because they were surrounded by violence and early death. This explains Juliet's last monologue before taking the sleeping draught in act 4, scene 3. She thinks about all her relatives in the family mausoleum, including that of her young cousin, Tybalt. To her, living in Verona and being a Capulet means death; so, her only option is to fake her death in the hope that she can escape with her new husband.

Sunday 22 March 2009

Assisi Essay

The following is a confident Standard Grade essay which covers most of the poem's important points.

Question -

Choose a poem which left a powerful impression on you. Show how the poet uses techniques to create a memorable experience for the reader.

Structure -

  1. Introduction
  2. Summary
  3. First impressions of the dwarf
  4. Juxtaposition - of the dwarf, and the church
  5. Sarcasm - 'he had the advantage of not being dead yet'
  6. Irony - description of the tourists
  7. The poem's structure
  8. Conclusion

“Assisi” by Norman McCaig is a thought provoking poem which leaves the reader with a powerful impression of both a person and a place. McCaig uses several techniques which contribute to the reader’s opinion of the person and the place.

A disabled beggar sits slumped outside the beautiful church of St Francis in Assisi which is located in Italy. The priest and those tourists who are so admiring of Giotto’s frescoes ignore him. But for the poet, it is not the beautiful art and architecture which creates a vivid memory of his visit to Assisi, but the disabled man.

McCaig instantly illustrates to the reader the beggar's “abnormality”. He then goes on later in the poem to describe this poor man’s disabilities in more depth. Due to the use of themes and various techniques the reader is left with a powerful impression of the beggar:

Slumped like a half-filled sack


This simile which is used at an early stage in the poem is very effective as it creates a vivid image of the dwarf in the readers mind and implies that this beggar is shapeless and almost lifeless. The reader is also immediately made aware of the beggars restricting posture. Also in the opening line, the disabled man is referred to as a “dwarf”, a term which in any context is derogatory, demeans the man, and creates the idea that he is “not normal”. This leaves the reader with a very powerful impression due to McCaig’s word choice. The vivid imagery used by the poet suggests ugliness associated with his particular disability.

Norman McCaig uses juxtaposition several times throughout this poem to highlight the abnormality of this poor human. The beggar is noticeably situated outside this extraordinary three tiered church which also adds to the created impression of this helpless beggar:

outside the three tiers of churches built
in honour of St Francis


McCaig’s specific choice of words helps the reader to create a picture of this deformed man. The poet uses brutal language to create a prevailing impression of this man. McCaig’s use of words such as; slump and half filled sack inform the reader that the beggar can not even sit upright because of the deformation of his body. Due to the way in which the poet describes the beggar we immediately feel sympathetic toward this man.

McCaig also states at the end of the first paragraph that the beggar has an advantage of “not being dead yet”. This is a prime example of McCaig’s sarcasm as he thinks that the beggar may be better off dead as he does not have much to live for. This leaves the reader to ponder the dwarf’s poor quality of life when he suggests that he the dwarf has the advantage over St Francis “of not being dead yet”. The poet’s purpose of this opening paragraph is to set up various contrasts, mainly the contrast of ugliness and beauty when the beggar is outside this magnificent church.

The poet also compares these tourists to chickens as he believes they are brain dead and self centred which also creates a vigorous impression. These ignorant tourists are chasing after this priest however they are ignoring this poor dwarf who is begging outside the church which honours St Francis.

A rush of tourists, clucking contentedly, fluttered after him as he scattered the grain if the Word.


McCaig also shows irony here as these tourist are chasing this priest who is preaching about St Francis himself, who helped the poor and unfortunate, however these tourists and the priest himself is overlook this unfortunate human outside the church. This deprived man is also isolated from society as he is sitting alone whilst these more fortunate beggars are in a large group. McCaig also chooses these specific words to remind the reader that St Francis is famous for talking to birds however it is the tourist who are listening to the priest like birds in this particular situation.

It was they who had passed the ruined temple outside


This metaphor emphasises the ignorance and hypocrisy toward this disabled man. The reference to “ruined temple” is to draw our attention to the fact that in Christian religious belief, the body is seen as the place where the human spirit or soul is held. This makes the reader wonder if this “ruined temple” had soul. A temple is also a place were you are supposed to go to pay your respects however this ill-fated beggar is receiving no respect and is just being ignored.

The poet decided to structure this poem unusually; however this adds to the readers understanding of the setting and also the impression of this unfortunate dwarf. Norman McCaig starts each verse with reference to a character or a group of people. McCaig deliberately opens each verse with mention to a character or group of people as he is highlighting the lack of contact with the beggar. Notably the poem also opens and ends with the beggar. This is to make sure that the reader is continuously focused on this particular individual. Norman McCaig also uses brutal language at the start of this story however it gets less brutal as the poem progresses. This is also done on purpose as the poet started of the poem on a brutal tone. Also the poem ends with the words “to St Francis” to remind the reader of the irony that the beggar is situated outside this spiritual church but is still being ignored by the tourists.

The poet’s use of metaphor, simile, word choice, structure and other techniques is very effective in creating a negative image of disability for the majority of the poem, and then with one contrasting detail, we can appreciate McCaig’s anger at the hypocrisy of the church. This poem leaves the reader with a powerful impression of this deformed mistreated beggar being ignored by the tourists who are ironically visiting a church in honour of St Francis.

My Comment



Norman MacCaig was an English teacher who used to write poems. He would smoke while he wrote, and once said that few of his poems had ever taken longer than two fags to write.

There are points in this essay when the writer needed to check his work -

these tourists are chasing this priest

This sounds very clumsy. Also look out for the number of times he uses 'Norman McCaig' in the essay. Call him 'Norman MacCaig' (note that it's 'Mac' not 'Mc') once in the introduction, then 'the poet', 'the writer' or just 'MacCaig' thereafter.