Compare the ways which gender dynamics are presented in “eat me” to explore conflicting representations of women. (C grade answer)

Compare the ways which gender dynamics are presented in “eat me” to explore conflicting representations of women. (C grade answer)

 

Both Agbabi and Duffy use multifarious methods to portray various representations of women. Both poems have an explicitly feminist tone. Agbabi focuses mainly on the submission of the female to the superior male in a society in which is sophisticated and advanced. Duffy focuses on how women's bodies provide a map, defining their identity and physically wearing woman's experiences, both historically and environmentally. In a similar way, we see that a lack of power leads to confusion and unhappiness, through a veil of poetic language, as they attempt to try to break free. Whilst both poems heavily depend on the body as an allegory, gaining knowledge and power in their feminine identities at the end of the poems, Agbabi uses food to show how inferior they are, whereas Duffy uses the body to show a path in which her life takes to become an independent woman.

In both poems, it is evident that both poetic writers have to grapple with the idea of becoming an independent woman. In “the map-woman” the writer discovers she needs to understand that her skin is adapting to her as she gets older. The poem is an extended metaphor in which 'a woman's skin was a map of the town … where she'd grown from a child'; this shows the woman's experiences are literally inscribed upon her body. The woman conforms to traditional views of female modesty as 'when she went out, she covered it up', this is also showing that it is very outdated and it is possible that it may link in with the Islamic view of modesty and restraint towards men. The listing of female clothing, 'mitts or a muff, with leggings, trousers or jeans' includes both old-fashioned items, 'shawl' or 'muff', and modern ones, 'leggings' and 'jeans', suggesting that the woman's experience outdoes time. This also shows that she had out-dated traditional views or was brought up in a time period where this was normal. The references to 'birthmark, tattoo', images indicating permanent and lifelong marks are juxtaposed with a series of verbs with inferences of growth and change; 'grew', 'binged', 'slimmed' and 'begin' , these all show the growth of a person. The use of “slimmed/binged” suggests a woman as a male would care less for their looks and appearance. The internal rhyme of 'tattoo' and 'grew' and 'skin', 'thin' and 'begin', the para-rhyme of 'precise' and 'precis' and the assonance of short 'i' sounds in 'skin', 'binged', 'thin' and 'begin' all highlight the mutability of the woman's skin as it adapts.

 

  In Agbabi poem “EAT ME” the female is showing how she is undermined and inferior to her counter-part. The poem “EAT ME” is an extended metaphor for the superiority of the male in which “I ate,did what I was told…his pleasure…his Jacuzzi…he said”. These quotations all show how the man in question was able to dominate and control the woman. This connotes that the female has always and will always be inferior to the male, which has been the tradition since the Neanderthal period in which the man would hunt and create fires whereas the woman would cook and look after children; similarly to the stereotype. The use of “his” in 1^st person makes it seem that she realizes the problem what he is doing to her but cannot escape from it just like women historically.

In Agbabi’s poem there is also a continuous reference to the number 3; “thirty, three layers, thirty-nine”, the continuous reference to 3 could suggest many things. One main connection is with male domination. The holy trinity is 3 subjects: father, son and holy spirit”, due to the male domination of this quote it may have a underlying link with the poem. The man acts as her father as she is too fat to do anything and the son is the food which is being looked after. The reference to god is possible through the death of the man so he may have been religious, but it is never dictated.

In conclusion both Duffy and Agbabi use different techniques to show gender dynamics within society. The main difference between the poems is that in “the map woman”, the woman tries to break free whereas in “EAT ME”, the woman is always totally submissive.

 

POETRY- 9 yr old self and identity

 

 

 

 

In Dunmore’s poem, the poet uses various different techniques to show the speakers identity. This is portrayed mainly by writing about his youth and the way in which he has damaged himself. Dunmore cleverly uses structure and form to reiterate this important message.

In “to my 9-year-old self”, Dunmore uses listing to show the excitement which the child feels. “You would rather run than walk, rather climb than run, rather leap from a height than anything.” This quote systematically cancels out the previous verbs suggesting that the child’s enthusiasm is always growing and is never ending. As it cancels out each of the actions, the next action increases in danger, implying that the minor had no sense of danger or fear. This is reinforced by the line “Do you remember how, three minutes after waking, we’d jump straight out of the ground floor window, into the summer morning?” This act is a very dangerous which could inevitably cause pain and injury. The abundance of joy is also shown by the listing as it activities which require lots of energy and excitement. This further creates a higher ‘tempo’ due to the use of commas. The excerpt also connotes that the child has no time for anybody and wishes to enjoy his youth as much as possible.  The poet is reminiscing the old times as well as being disappointed in the way he treated his body. This shows that the poet is looking back upon the things he has done and believes that the past has shaped his identity.

The structure of the poem is uneven and does not have a rhyme scheme. In the first stanza, the poet focuses upon the happiness and joy in which is felt from the child. Due to the stanza being the shortest, a factor may be that the child is “eager to be gone”. This may show the child does not wish to hang around and wishes to explore and be free. It may also be the shortest however, because it may be implying that there were not many fun times as what was once thought.  The second stanza is largely about the dangers which they have put themselves through. This may be longer as he is reminiscing the old times and wishes to do the things he used to be able to do. This is further supported by the oxymoron “careful of a bad back or a bruised foot…we’d jump straight out of the ground floor window, into the summer morning?” if you continually jump from high objects then a bad back or a bruised foot is what’s likely to happen. The middle stanza is the longest stanza; it talks about the impossible dreams and visions which the juvenile had while growing up. “Dream we had…created an ice-lolly factory, a wasp trap, and a den by the cesspit.” This is the longest stanza as the poet is trying to grasp the best memories and keep them close to him, because he had damaged himself so much, he may have wanted something to smile upon. Another interpretation is that the imagination of this child was huge and may have had lots of ideas which were never followed. This shows that his identity now has been formed from what happened when he was younger.

The bard uses conscious choices on form to help enhance his view on his past. The use of commas creates a choppy, high paced poem. This may attribute to the great amount of energy and pleasure which the child exhibits. Furthermore nearer the end of the poem, the poet starts to slow the poem down using long sentences to help coagulate the view that the adult is not wanted as is taking up time, stopping the child having fun.

In conclusion, the poet has used various different techniques to show how their identity has been shaped by the previous years of his life. The main choices to explore this identity were the listing to show the energy and the experiences which has molded the identity of this speaker. The use of the different size stanza was clever in making you feel sorry for this person and creating a certain tone.

In A Streetcar Named Desire, Williams explores the battle between the strong and the weak.”

“In A Streetcar Named Desire, Williams explores the battle between the strong and the weak.”

In light of this comment, explore Williams’ dramatic presentation of conflict in your answer. You must provide relevant contextual factors.

 

Williams uses various different techniques to present the concept of weak and strong in a time of great discrimination and dominance. He uses concepts such as gender roles in order to show paradoxical roles between man and woman which also represent the weak and strong. This paradoxical nature is also used to heighten the difference between New Orleans and Belle Reve. As highlighted before Williams uses polar opposites to portray his message as well as using metaphors and similes.

Williams’s introduces the notion of weak and strong from his opening stage directions, with the idea of duality, double-sided references. “2 story corner building, l&N tracks, 2 flats.” These all show a duality with can link to the sense of “light and dark” and the “old and new”. These all show paradoxes in how Williams was intending to extenuated the dominant trait of weak and strong. The emphasis of the duality suggests a foreshadowing of a confliction between two people, which eventually happens in scene three, where Blanche is frightened due to Stanley hitting Stella. This was not uncommon then as it was not long after it became illegal to hit you wife. This shows the strength of Stanley and the weakness of both Stella and Blanche. It was acceptable for men to see women as their possession so it was deemed acceptable to punish her in anyway fit. Stanley hitting Stella show’s an animalistic side to Stanley. This would leave many feminists outraged, as it is physical abuse and oppression of Stella by Stanley. One could argue that William’s included such an action into the play and the character’s reaction to it to remind people that abuse is wrong. The action may also have been influenced by the abuse William’s received by his partner, which lead to his mental deterioration.

Blanche DuBois appears in the first scene dressed in white, the symbol of purity and innocence. She is seen as a moth-like creature. She is delicate, refined, and sensitive. She is cultured and intelligent. She can't stand a vulgar remark or a vulgar action. She would never willingly hurt someone. She doesn't want realism; she prefers magic. She doesn't always tell the truth, but she tells "what ought to be truth." Yet she has lived a life that would make the most degenerate person seem timid. She is, in general, one of Williams' characters who do not belong in this world. And her type will always be at the mercy of the brutal, realistic world. Blanche represents a moth, which is attracted to the light, a provocative sense of moon and sun. Blanche represents the moon, fragile, magnetized, and is attracted towards the light, whereas Stanley presents the sun, imposing, strong, and radiant. This shows there is a clear difference in their personalities and it also links to the alternative title “Blanche’s Chair in the Moon”. This shows that the moon like conception is key to the play. Stanley is a clear “lad”, acting very masculine; the poker night emphasises this. The painting “the poker night” by Van Gogh represents the true nature of how masculinity is shown and is portrayed, this painting is referred to at the start of the scene. Blanche and Stanley have a hidden attraction to each other. Scene four ends with an intimate moment shared between Stella and Stanley. There is a “lingering brightness on their embrace”. Blanche finds it difficult to be around naked lights as she expresses to Mitch in scene three; this suggests that Blanche couldn’t stand to look at them due to her underlying jealousy for her sister.

Blanche also represents water. The continuous bathing sessions she undergoes increases when she is nervous or around new people, showing that she is very fragile and weak. The water is also significant as the other image of her, “moon”, is controlling the waves so it is saying that she is not in complete control of herself. Furthermore the conscious “bathing” may also be linked to her addiction to alcohol. The water shows that she is weak as she cannot completely control herself. This is also key with Stanley when he is pushed under the shower at the poker party; this event in the scene is very symbolic. As Blanche is representative of water, this shows Stanley being covered in Blanche and her presence. Stanley then violently reacts to such a reaction, brushing it off in blind rage, showing a rejection. This shows that there is nothing more to them but desire. The streetcar named Desire is a major symbol of this. The streetcar has a phallic meaning due to the idea of it running along the tracks. It’s representative of Stanley and Blanche’s desire for each other and how it isn’t going to go anywhere; it’s representative of Mitch and Blanche’s desire. In scene five, Blanche asks Mitch if the Streetcar is still running, meaning she is asking if his desire is still there for her. This shows a weakness in Blanche, as she also has a desire to be wanted and be called beautiful.

Stella is ambiguous to being both weak and strong. Stella is strong in the sense that she will stand up to Stanley rather than accept his abuse and do as she is told when he is being aggressive. In scene three, Stanley slaps Stella on the leg and she replies with “[sharply] that’s not fun, Stanley”. This is an example of her defending herself against him whilst holding her composure. However her desire for Stanley is a weakness. Stella always returns to Stanley, returning to their passion and love that she is so addicted to. Her sister Blanche is also a weakness, as she waits hands and feet for her to keep her happy. Stella brings the two protagonists - Blanche and Stanley - together, which of course creates the friction and opposition between the weak and strong characters we know so well.

NEEDS FINISHING COMMENT ANY ENDINGS??

 

 

 

literary techniques to attempt to create a believable novel

In both The Handmaids Tale and Frankenstein, the author uses literary techniques to attempt to create a believable novel. In the handmaid’s tale, the author creates a fictional “historical notes” and uses memories in a “talk-to-the-tape” fashion, whereas in Frankenstein the author uses frame narrative, epistolary and nature to help create a believable novel. Frankenstein was written in 1831 whereas The Handmaids Tale was written in the early 1980’s.

The structure of The Handmaid’s Tale is characterized by many different kinds of imaginary ideas. For one, the title itself, and the fictional “Historical Notes on the Handmaid’s Tale” of the book’s end, frame the entire novel as Offred’s story, that she’s said into a tape recorder in the old fashioned storytelling tradition. “We must be cautious about passing moral judgment upon the Gileadean. Surely we have learned by now that such judgments are of necessity culture-specific…our job is not to censure but to understand.” This seems to be a real place and by putting it into historical notes it makes it seem as if it was real. Furthermore, Atwood’s whole story is also punctuated by shorter stories she tells herself, of the time before Gilead or Aunt Lydia’s lessons. These small flashbacks are triggered by the slightest thing, and they occur throughout the novel; it seems like Offred lives in several multi-layered worlds, the present, the free past, and the Red Center that came in-between both of them. This continuous idea of looking back into the past gives you a strong feeling of believability as it makes you feel that you know the character now and then. “Humanity is so adaptable, my mother would say. Truly amazing, what people can get used to, as long as there are a few compensations…!” This seems like the narrator is reciting something from the past, making it feel as if this situation truly happened, and she lived through it.

In Shelly’s novel, Frankenstein is told through layers of first person narratives. Walton is the main narrator, then in an epistolary manner, and then recounts Victor's first-person narrative. In addition, Victor's narrative contains the monster's first person story as well as letters from other characters, including his dead friend. By creating this frame narrative, it seems that the novel, similarly to Atwood’s, is written in a multi-layered style between mainly Walton, victor, and the monster. The different perspectives give you a feeling of knowledge as you are made to feel as if you are getting to know everyone’s opinion and their side of the story.

The idea of religion run throughout both novels, creating- using extracts from the bible- a sense of history and understanding. This also links with the science involved throughout the novel. “Remember that I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel.” this quote links to the bible as he is talking directly about Adam and eve – victor is playing god and trying to do so through science, this led to a destructive creature. The idea of the fallen angel represents both the monster and Satan, trying to show that to recreate live and science is the work of the devil as they have no soul. This can be linked to paradise lost also where it talks about the fallen angel. The use of the voyage and the sciences is due to many recent discoveries and explorations which had happened recently, such as the 18 year old boy who set sail around the world.

In the handmaid’s tale, the Old Testament is the justification for many of Gilead’s characteristics. Offred’s job as Handmaid is based on the biblical reference of Rachel and Leah, where fertile servants can carry on false relationships to allow more women to be born- Genesis 30. Furthermore, the “Angels” are the soldiers, and they have names like “Angels of Light”. Whereas the word “angel” suggests something innocent or holy, the “Angels” in Gilead fight in wars. The names seem to suggest that it is a religious war they fight. The “Eyes” are the secret police who are supposed to spy on the people in Gilead. The name is also taken from the Bible. By using so many biblical references, it makes the reader believe that such actions have happened and that the history backs up the point.

A feminist approach to frankenstien would see that Mary Shelley was the daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft, a women's activist. Wollstonecraft has been called "The mother of women's liberation". Amid the nineteenth century, inside Genevian culture, where the novel was composed, men commanded the social circle totally. Perceiving Mary Shelley's women's the handmaids tale as the role of Offred is one with much importance within this book.  foundation, as a girl of Mary Wollstonecraft, brings into inquiry the intentions behind womanizing all of female characters in Frankenstein. Elizabeth and Justine both died far before the end of the novel. It can be contended that by accentuating the reactionary characteristics of all the female characters in the story, Shelley could underline the negative parts of the static female part by "executing off" female characters who fit that part.

In similarity a feminist reading handmaids tale would see the handmaids tale as: Offred’s life, as well as the life of all other Handmaids, appears to be very structured.  Woman who are fertile within Gilead become Handmaids, showing that woman are only esteemed upon the worth of their reproduction.  While some openly reject their status as Handmaids, most remain quiet with the fear that they will be taken away by the ‘eye’.  Through the actions of Offred, most woman reject their status; however, reject it unsuspiciously. These rejections are seen through the actions of Offred, when she see’s the Commander in secret; often reading and writing in the confines of his private office.  This is also seen when Offred steals items such as flowers, for nothing but the purpose of her own satisfaction  The relationship between men and woman within Gilead seems very structured; with the exception of Nick. Although a relationship does happen between the commander and offred, the basis of structure hangs low.  The relationship between the Commander and his wife, Serena Joy, also seems very structured.

In conclusion, both The Handmaids Tale and Frankenstein use similar topoi in order to create a believable, anti-utopian novel. Although both novels are from completely different eras and have different genres, however, the idea of time and religion runs smoothly throughout both of them and helps create a sense of believabislity due to the historical context within.

frankenstien and handmaids tale

compare the ways in which the writers of your two texts present the position of women in society

 compare the ways in which the writers of your two texts present the position of women in society

By stealing the female's control over reproduction, Frankenstein has eliminated the female's primary biological function and source of cultural power. Indeed, for the simple purpose of human survival, Frankenstein has eliminated the necessity to have females at all. One of the deepest horrors of this novel is Frankenstein's implicit goal of creating a society for men only: his creature is male; he refuses to create a female; there is no reason that the race of immortal beings he hoped to propagate should not be exclusively male.

shelly presents the position of women through the lack of sex within frankenstien, therefore evoking the feeling of science being more needed than natural sex. The lack of sexual activity stems from Frankenstiens’s perverse sexual feelings towards his mother, commonly known as the Oedipus complex. Shelley describes a dream in which Elizabeth morphs into his mother, “as I imprinted the first kiss on her lips, they became livid with the hue of death”. In having Elizabeth replaced Caroline, Shelley is not only equating Frankenstein’s affection for his mother with Elizabeth but also she also alludes to a sexuality that goes against the norms of society, and the lack of the need to have sex with a woman, usurping the position of women as their main role of being a woman is to bear children. What Victor Frankenstein truly fears is female sexuality as such. A woman who is sexually liberated, free to choose her own life, her own sexual partner (by force, if necessary), and to propagate at will can appear only monstrously ugly to Victor Frankenstein, for she defies that sexist aesthetic that insists that women be small, delicate, modest, passive, and sexually pleasing -- but available only to their lawful husbands. This is clearly seen as a possessive nature when he talks about Elizabeth as "My more than sister, since till death she was to be mine only." This shows that the position of women are not key in frankenstien except as a possesion, in which he does not wish to escalate a sexual relashionship with. Further more victor refuses to create a “she” creature for the monster for him to enjoy and possiably have a sexual relasionship, showing that women are possiably needed for happiness as it is after he refuses in which the monster kills elizabeth. Therefore he is denying the delights on natural intercourse. This is contradictary in the handmaids tale where sex is the only reason of any position within  the giliad regime as a woman.

Atwood also presents women in an oppressive way however it is the contradiction of frankenstien as they are oppressed by being ‘ state-raped’, or forced to have sex like a “machiene”, causing a complete lack of libido between both the commander and the handmaids. The lack of enjoyment through sex makes sex another “chore” in which is another way to persecute and put women down. The women are made to believe that this is their duty and the only reason they are important. The Handmaids are told stories about these conditions to justify their situation. They are told that “men are sex machines… and not much more. They only want one thing”.  Again the Gilead discourse returns to the fact that men cannot be blamed for their behaviour since it is something “natural”. The Handmaids are told that: “It’s up to you to set the boundaries” (reference). “used to think of my body as an instrument, of pleasure, or a means of transportation, or an implement for the accomplishment of my will . . . Now the flesh arranges itself differently. I’m a cloud, congealed around a central object, the shape of a pear, which is hard and more real than I am and glows red within its translucent wrapping” This shows that it seems that women are made just for sex and that’s also a natural instinct for men, therefore women should comply. Similarly in frankenstien there is an idea of going against the norm with moira,being a prostitute and a lesbian, representing the individualistic and plauralised feminisms of the late 80’s and 90’s which include the different agendas of formerly marginilized women: black women and lesbians whos intrests were closer to equality gay rights than traditional feminist agendas of the 1^st wave feminism.this clearly shows that the position of women are usrped and taken away from them unless they have children. If they cannot then they are sent to camps, in which offred mother was sent to. These points clearly show that womens position in this regime is not high and the only time they get any position at all is when they have a baby, and this is only temporarly.

frankenstien and the handmaids tale narrative end

Compare the way the writers in your two texts end their narrative
In both Atwood and Shelley’s narratives, there are resemblances in the methods used to end the narratives. Atwood ends her narrative in two ways: the handmaid, Of-Fred, leaving in a black van at night and also with fake historical notes set 150 years later. Shelley concludes her novel by tolerating the creature to run away on an ice block. Both authors also end on a sense of rebirth and biblical referencing.
In Atwood’s novel: the epigraph, opening chapter and the last sentence of the Handmaids narrative, there are biblical references. The inaugural epigraph is an extract of Jacob and Leah of Genesis 30:1-4 and the reference to “the angels” are both biblical references the first giving Gilead the motive and ability to perform its oppressive actions and the angles are usually fallen souls who have gone to heaven and work with god, although Gilead, in theory, state-rapes these women. The ending of The Handmaids Tale - "And so I step up, into the darkness within; or else the light.” connotes to lightness and darkness; this is ironic of biblical teaching as this theme is first seen in the bible in the first book of the old testament- genesis 1:1-4, “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.” the change from darkness to light is the same as the reference within The Handmaids Tale, possibly conveying an underlying idea of rebirth. This is the rebirth of her need and her position in society, but also could imply rebirth as in death and being reborn. The idea of separation is also prevalent within. God “separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” This could denote the separation of Of-Fred from the oppressive regime or contextually the separation from the norm with the 2^nd wave feminism taking place at the time of the novel being published.
 In Shelley’s Frankenstein, the idea of light and dark is also seen at the end. “The light of that conflagration will fade away; my ashes will be swept into the sea by the winds. My spirit will sleep in peace; or if it thinks, it will not surely think thus. Farewell. He sprung from the cabin-window, as he said this, upon the ice-raft which lay close to the vessel. He was soon borne away by the waves, and lost in darkness and distance.”  The idea of being in a light and then fading away is a theme in the bible “John 3:19-21 - And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” This suggests that the creature’s actions were one of guilt and led him to darkness because he has come to terms with the traitorous sins in which he has committed. Furthermore Shelley’s epigraph, which originates from paradise lost has references to darkness as well “Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay
To mould me Man, did I solicit thee, From darkness to promote me?" this proposes that he has come from clay and darkness and if interpreted with the ended, could be going back to darkness; dying or going to hell. The creature was never asked to be born, but was abandoned at ‘birth’ These lines were said by the Post-Lapsarian Adam to God before leaving Eden, in Paradise Lost. These lines when juxtaposed with the Prometheus myth in the context of Frankenstein’s story complete the theme of the novel. A further reference to light is the idea the Prometheus stole the fire (light) from the gods and gave it to man, in which he was eternally punished.

In Shelley’s gothic novel, the use of symbolism brings forcefully to the reader’s mind the parabolic nature of the tale. If we consider the novel’s sub-title, ‘the modern Prometheus’, we can see that Frankenstein’s tragic story is given still greater weight through the parallels that Shelley invokes with her mythological foundation. Prometheus, who created mankind, is punished by Zeus for stealing the fire of the gods and stopping a devastating flood. He is chained forever to a rock in the wilderness, his liver perpetually eaten out by a vulture. Likewise,  rankenstein is destined forever to pursue his monster through the wilds of the earth, in which he does. However, Prometheus is eventually released by Hercules. Mary Shelley does not allow her creator to be released from his torture. Although Walton and his ship offer a way of escape, Frankenstein knows that if he does not continue pursuing the monster, he will become the pursued. Unlike the mythical titan, whose torture is physical, his ‘doppelganger’ faces continual psychological torment. Shelly does this to show that a journey of discovery that many scientists continue to take is dangerous and unreligious, and that they shall be punished for their work.

At the end of The Handmaid Tale, the author “shifts gears” so to say and assesses the story within the previous 350 pages as history. It was not to be expected that the historical context to be situated at the end. Professor Piexoto places the reader in a different setting where he goes into explanation of the tapes found in the army locker that were said to be of recordings during Republic of Gilead.  By doing this, Piexoto somewhat authenticate Atwood’s story and causes the reader to believe it was non-fiction, instead of the speculative fiction we believe it to be. Piexoto’s notion to explain why the Republic of Gilead worked the way it did gives the tale somewhat of a reasoning. For example, when discussing polygamy, Piexoto correlates it with the Bible and how it occurred during the Old Testament. Such narrative choices are used to create a further sense of suspense at the same time as understanding as we still do not know definatly what happened to Offred but we know she either escaped or was captured.

In conclusion both authors manage to create mystery and suspense at the end of the novel and uses narrative to do so. The handmaids tale ends in a future time, while frankenstien ends about the same time it started, only the time of the narratives within changed. Furthermore both authors use first person narrative to make their story feel more personal and ‘touching’

english edexcel alevel new spec poetry and analysis

english edexcel alevel new spec poetry and analysis
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