Amy Smith

‘The Crucible’ –Arthur Miller

The play opens with an in depth description of the character Reverend Samuel Parris who has “very little good to be said for him”. The way in which Miller casted him as a vicar is extremely significant as Salem is described as a thoroughly religious place, where “a holiday from work meant only that they must concentrate even more upon prayer”.
Miller draws apparent parallels between the seventeenth-century Salem witch trials and the anti-communist era, as the religious oppression could be considered anagorical of the injustice that took place.
In the opening it is revealed that Parris’s daughter is extremely ill and ideas of witchcraft as a cause are hinted at. Consequentially we witness the character Abigail (the reverend’s daughter) begin to take the blame for her cousin’s poor health as she was “discovered dancing like heathen in the forest”.

Books to consider for comparison: ‘The Bell Jar’ Sylvia Plath, ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’ Arthur Golden (the oppression of women); ‘To Kill a Mocking Bird’ Harper Lee, ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ Ken Kesey (themes of power and authority being abused)


‘Stuart –A Life Backwards’ -Alexander Masters

We are introduced to the character of Stuart, an “ex-homeless, ex junkie psychopath” from the point of view of the author Alexander and understand that Stuart is assisting in the writing of the book. We are aware that it will follow his life events and portray the struggle of a drug addict in twenty-first century Britain.
In acute juxtaposition to the early revelation and foreshadowing of Stuart’s death, we are lead to believe that the novel will be optimistic due to the statistics that Stuart lived against and his optimistic language such as “I want to thank them what got me out”. We begin to like Stuart as he seems to be a pleasant man, catering for Alexander, getting himself back together and wishing to inform others of his misfortune.
Despite the probable friendship between Alexander and Stuart, Alexander does not fail to include negativity towards Stuart’s positive actions such as “The only problem … in his desirable new home is mould” and “Stuart has devised a special colour-coding for this book” which may be interpreted as patronising.

Books to consider for comparison: ‘rozac Nation’ Elizabeth Wurtzel (substances and mental breakdowns); ‘The Virgin Suicides’ Jeffrey Eugenides (suicide),


‘Notes on a Scandal’ -Zoë Heller

This book is written from the point of view of the character Barbara Covett, a retired schoolteacher and ex-collegue of protagonist Bathsheba “Sheba” Hart. We read how Sheba has been persecuted as a result of having an affair with a 15 year old schoolboy, who she constantly speaks of whilst Barbara tends to just listen.
Sheba’s fragility is made apparent, as she is described as being “in a highly nervous state … extremely sensitive about being “ressured” as a result of her affair and subsequent persecution, marital breakdown and court cases.
We may empathise with Barbara, feeling that she is very much used yet still loyal to her friend who seems to have a snobby and selfish attitude towards their relationship. However, we may have feelings of suspicion towards her, as she is writing about her friend in secret.

Books to consider for comparison: ‘Running with Scissors’ & ‘ossible Side Effects’ Augusten Burroughs, ‘Romeo & Juliette’ William Shakespeare (forbidden love)

‘The Bell Jar’ –Sylvia Plath

We are introduced to an academically successful fashion journalist with an overall pessimistic view of her financial state and the city of New York. The opening to the book establishes the morbid overlay for the rest of the book, baring a description of exocution by electrocution; described as “being burned alive all along your nerves”. This is obviously a result of obsessive thinking, paying extra attention to the pessimism that the majority of us tend to subconsciously ignore.
The character of Doreen may be regarded as a bad influence, despite being described as “wonderfully funny”. However, Plath plants seeds of doubt into our head about this character, which is apparent in the quotation which serves as an entire paragraph “I guess one of my troubles was Doreen”.

Books to consider for comparison: ‘The Handsmaid’s Tale’ Margret Atwood (feminism), ‘rozac Nation’ Elizabeth Wurtzel, ‘Stuart: A Life Backwards’ Alexander Masters’ (depression and suicide)

Write About the Importance of Places in the Telling of the Narratives in 3 texts you have Studied

Settings often have symbolic meanings in texts and are representative of much more than just a place in the narrative. For example in ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’, Coleridge chose the setting of a wedding to provide a backdrop which is referred back to throughout the text. “The Bridegroom’s doors are open wide” is representative of a new beginning that the couple are about to embark upon and provide the mariner’s story with some moral significance; as a turning point in anybody’s life is an appropriate time to receive advice. We may assume that people attending “the merry din” are perhaps acting too fast, overindulging and participating in spontaneous acts, which the mariner’s story may warn them of. Furthermore a wedding is a very special occasion that a guest would not normally miss, especially if they are “next of kin”, which immediately establishes the importance of the mariner’s tale as normally nothing would prevent a guest to attend.
The sea contrasts greatly to the setting of the wedding, as it is representative of the undercurrent of surrealism that runs throughout the poem. The reader is made aware of the vastness of the sea through the famous quotation “Water, water, every where”. When the expanse of the sea and the sky are thought of, the reader may associate this with liminality, an important theme in the text. The sea also holds connotations to vulnerability, as the crew are completely unable to control the effects of a storm for example. In relation to this, the vaster setting of nature is also represented as an awesome space far out of the crew’s control. For example “ice, mast-high, came floating by / As green as emerald” emphasises the scale of nature in comparison to the mortals. The colour imagery not only creates a vivid picture in the reader’s mind but is also an unusual way to represent nature and incorporates the recurring motif of irregularity and the supernatural which runs throughout the poem.
Hosseini also includes his novels recurring motifs through the use of setting. The location of present day Afghanistan holds connotations to conflict due to the war, which reflects the inner struggle suffered by the central protagonist Amir as a result of the country’s events. The difficulty to obtain peace in the country after the war is expressed by the character Rahim Khan, “eace at last. But at what price?” which is directly associated with Amir’s ongoing battle to redeem himself. The location of Afghanistan may also be interpreted to represent oppression, another main theme which runs throughout the novel. The character Rahim Khan also explains how “the Taliban rolled in and kicked the Alliance out of Kabul” which some readers may interpret as a metaphor of Assef’s rape of Hassan; something irreversible, life changing and mindlessly cruel.
In contrast to this, the country of America is represented in the conventional way, described as “dazzling white” and symbolises a new beginning for the novel’s central protagonist. The setting also remains within the expected conventions of a new beginning as it is the land in which the character Amir finds love; however this occurs in an Eastern setting within San Jose at the flea market whereby “Afghan families were working an entire section”. It could be argued that this could be symbolic of another opportunity for Amir to experience an Eastern style way of living.
Another setting of great significance in the novel is the alleyway as it provides a seedy, dark and dirty scene for Hassan’s rape –the event which sculpts the motives of the central protagonist. Hosseini emphasises the dinginess of the setting through pathetic fallacy, describing it as “the alley near the frozen creek” which connotes danger and a longing for warmth and safety. Readers may also regard the alleyway as a metaphorical symbol for a dead end as the events Amir witnesses have an irreversible effect on his life.
Like Hosseini, Fitzgerald provides a broader representation of America in his novel ‘The Great Gatsby’ through portraying the country as ‘the land of opportunity’ through the character of Gatsby –a “self made man” who’s “arents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people” but develops into one of the richest characters in the novel. However, Fitzgerald also describes the darker side of 1940’s America due to the undercurrent of gossip of murder, affairs and crime such as “He’s a bootlegger” (alcohol was illegal). The conspicuous consumption of the characters is also apparent, for example the character Daisy weeping into Gatsby’s possessions claiming “I've never seen such - such beautiful shirts before”, showing how her strongest emotions can be provoked by material possessions.

we can knit pick everything you say
circling and repeating ourselves until we extract something of our own
hoping that please there is something more than what we see
something more grinding your teeth down
your veins your hooves your smile your nails
well tell us then the things your eyelids conjure
how haunting it truly is or pull of the mask
we can rattle on the bars for years or maybe you can help pull him out this time
pulling hairs apart until we crack the core
we can blame age, gender, timing, money, history
but can never put name to face
your tongue in your teeth keeps me awake until the sun sets me to sleep
and you really dont know how selfish you truly are

“Traditional criticism of ‘Death of a Salesman’ has focused on Willy Loman as exemplifying what Arthur Miller called “The heart and spirit of the average man”.
How do you respond to his character and role?


1) Introduction

Traditional criticisms of ‘Death of a Salesman’ have mainly formed around Miller’s 1949 essay ‘Tragedy and the Common Man’; written the same year as the plays release. Within this, Miller discusses how tragedies needn’t be about the highest people in society; but about those more average. We can see how he applies this to the character of Willy Loman; the tragedy’s protagonist, often regarded as more of an “average Joe” than the protagonists of epic tragedies (such as Macbeth).
Although Miller attempts to break out of the traditional tragic genre by using an alternative character as the protagonist, ‘Death of a Salesman’ also displays the application of Aristotle’s tragic theory. Aspects of this are especially apparent within the character of Willy Loman; Miller displays his hubristic nature, his critical error (or hamartia) and we watch his downfall as a result of this lead to his death. These features and events make Loman a classical example of a tragic hero, despite the groundbreaking characterisation and subgenre Miller created.

2) Aristotle

• Outline classical view of tragedy
• Reference to the six components of tragedy (defined in Aristotle’s ‘oetics’
1. Plot:
-Complex plots > simple plots
-Suffering should be included & the plot should end sadly (tragedy is serious and emotional [even when we laugh it’s still upsetting eg. Willy laughing at Linda])
-Audience response should arise from events and not just what is seen on stage (common man makes the play easier to relate to, more realistic ect)
-Tragedy arises from action rahter than a timeless contition of the world (Willy’s downwards spiral; society changing = action -> consumerism etc)
- Plots shoulnt begin or end at an arbitary point but should be internally coherant and linear in their narrative
-Must have aesthetic logic, be satisfying in conclusion and related to processes of social change (consumerism, nuclear family, middle class, suburban home, demasculating jobs –decline in the working class)
2. Character:
-
(plot; character; diction; spectacle; reasoning; lyricism/melody)

february is the fucking dogs
i made a big old boob out of jelly for art and it tasted schweeeet
everyone is hot. really really hot.
my toes hurt.
i look fit in the media video. my boyfriend is fit.
how happy am I!
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ps ben youre the maaaaaaan!x