Paper 1 Practice for EngLit

[March]

1. [March] by Benjamin Grossberg is a poem about a first person speaker’s experience with grief, eight months after the loss of a loved one. The author uses similes and metaphorical language related to forest fires to create imagery of the painful impact of loss in his life. That allows us to unpack and recognise the speaker’s feeling of grief being eternal.

• lose sight of purpose of life

2. The poet uses the motif of fire and ash throughout the poem to further exhibit the all encompassing

ts:

3. the writer uses familiar images associated with depressing emotions such as grief, to help us recognise its effects. The image of a “blackened field in rain” is not only a recognisable pathetic fallacy associating rain with sadness, but the use of “black” to describe the field adds to the gloomy image.

…the soggy images create an unpleasant feel, and perhaps the reference to boiling food is intended to highlight the lack of motivation felt when dealing with grief or depression — where someone lacks the will to do anything beyond the bare minimum. By using these recognisable images and experiences, the writer depicts the characterisation of grief as a hovering, uncontrollable gloom that appears in all aspects of his life — consuming his perception of his own senses, emotions, and environment.

Contrarily, the poet also shows this overwhelming nature of grief by the lack of imagery used to describe the speaker’s efforts to put routine back into his life. 

*Perhaps the audience is invited to sympathise as the speaker attempts to instill a routine in their life and maintain an outward appearance of seeming busy, as a distraction of disguise, as a strategy to coming with the grief that breaks down “later at home”. 

 

 

unpleasant:

lacks:

grief:

1. [March] by Benjamin Grossberg is a poem about a first person speaker’s experience with grief, eight months after a strongly implied tragic incident perhaps including someone close to them. The author uses similes and metaphorical language to create imagery that allows the audience to unpack and recognise the speaker’s emotions and the very personal, individual experience he is trying to share.
2. the writer uses images familiarly associated with grief, or are easily relatable to depressing emotions such as grief, to help recognise the effects of grief. the image of a “blackened field in rain” not only is in line with the common weather reference to rain when coming across unpleasant emotions, but the use of “black” to describe the field adds to the gloomy image.

…the soggy images create an unpleasant feel, and perhaps the reference to boiling food is intended to highlight the lack of motivation felt when dealing with grief or depression — where someone lacks the will to do anything beyond the bare minimum.

The poet describes his efforts to put routine back into his life in order to show the engulfing nature of grief. 

Perhaps the audience is invited to sympathise as the speaker attempts to instill a routine in their life and maintain an outward appearance of seeming busy, as a distraction of disguise, as a strategy to coming with the grief that breaks down “later at home”. 

A Brave New World

• What do you find interesting about the writer’s use of description / descriptive language? (any passage)

“still leaning…” to “major instruments of social stability”

 

This passage takes place in the laboratory of a large building in which a tour is being held for a batch of students by “the Director” — a character through which the author conveys the bureaucratic workings of this dystopian society. Through “the Director”, the author provides detailed descriptions of the operations within the laboratory. These are highly suggestive of the production of test tube babies. The author employs neologisms and the heavy use of scientific jargon to add complexity to concepts that would otherwise be familiar to us — thus provoking us to consider the futuristic qualities of this depicted dystopian society. 

 

neologisms

clinical 

scientific jargon bureaucracy

familiar unfamiliarity with dystopia

 

p1 practice – 1984 extract

 

What makes the dialogue so interesting and important in this passage?

 

• 2 sentence intro?
• quotes
• not elliptical 

 

This passage is written in the third person limited narrative point of view of Winston, a member of a seemingly dystopian society. The author uses rhetorical devices such as irony and contradiction within the dialogue of this passage when depicting Winston’s interaction with Syme, a character who enthusiastically tells Winston of the justifications and advantages for Newspeak — a reduced version of English the language, or “Oldspeak” as referred to in this depicted society. 

 

The author presents the characters’ discussion about the reduction of language in an ironically elaborative way in order to show the oppressive nature typical of dystopian society. Syme heavily dominates the conversation, with most of Winston’s opinions expressed through reported thought as he does not “trust himself to speak”. This is ironic because though Syme seems to praise (“with mystical satisfaction”) the intention of Newspeak to reduce the English language , he “carelessly” “goes on” to “add” reasoning to support Newspeak — thus, producing lengthy blocks of dialogue that contradict this new form of language. This is perhaps initially suggestive of the importance of status in a dystopian society — implying that Syme has greater power and therefore is able to refute these new norms with little consequence. In contrast to Winston, who “doubtfully” “checks himself” and instead allows Syme to “divine what he [is] about to say”. However, this is proved wrong later in the passage with Winston remarking that “Syme will be vaporized” because “he is too intelligent” with reference to how he has articulated his thoughts, regardless of the fact that he is purely advocating for this Newspeak. Syme expresses elaborate thought despite stating: “orthodoxy means not thinking — not needing to think. Orthodoxy is unconsciousness”. These certain phrases resemble political speech perhaps echoing that of the government: “Newspeak is Ingsoc and Ingsoc is Newspeak”. The mechanical nature implies a sort of brainwashing of people being made to think a certain way. This supports the idea that the totalitarian regimes depicted in dystopias have an oppressive effect on all members of society.

 

The author fills this passage with contradictions in order to emphasise the value of nuance in language for the purpose of expression — perhaps the reason being for oppressive regimes intentions to reduce such. “The whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought” by ridding the English language of “with all its vagueness and useless shades of meaning”. This aligns with the writer’s objective to depict a dystopian society, because limiting “the range of consciousness” is beneficial in a society where thought is seemingly a “crime” (hence: “thoughtcrime”), whereas claiming something of the sort in our world today would be considered dictatorial and unjust. The writer explicitly acknowledges this with Syme saying “it is merely a question of self-discipline, reality-control”, then again, contradicting himself with the lengthy and thoughtful nature of his dialogue. Winston may be “still thinking in Oldspeak”, but his verbal expression is stifled. The writer explores how oppressive regimes stifle civil society in order to prevent dissent. “How could you have a slogan like “freedom is slavery: when the concept of freedom has been abolished?” By taking away the value of nuance in expression, people are unable to communicate their opinions and thus form rebellions and resist against bodies of power. This is a reality we are provoked to consider as though it is intended to resemble dystopian society, it is in fact can already be seen in our world today.

 

feedback:

A very strong examination of the thematic implications of the content of the dialogue. Consider how you could have built up to this in your essay by starting with the way the characters and their situation are revealed through the dialogue…

 

remember the first function of dialogue is to give a character voice and therefore give them character, and therefore to position our sympathies!  So consider how the dialogue creates impressions of Syme as domineeringly in his expertise, effusive and expensive and proud and condescending, and therefore fairly contemptible, ridiculous even?, whilst Winston’s limited contributions – in conjunction with reported thoughts –  reflect his caution, reserve and fear, but inner rebellion and insight -and so therefore both sympathetic and admirable…character impressions that then underpin the dystopian impressions of the world / its governance – what it does to people…which then underpins the thematic so what of such an imagined world where language is reduced in order to constrain free expression and thought.    Build your argument from character/plot upwards…

——————–

whole aim of newspeak is to narrow range of thought? 

opinion follows thought. 

lose meaning in expression

writers like Shakespeare who was prided for use of language.

 

irony between topic and the qualities of the conversation

• very one sided conversation (but the actions of winston show the carefulness they need to have: “not trusting himself to speak”, vs syme just “going on” and wanting to show his support, enthusiasm..

→ dialogue used to represent relationship, maybe reflecting different status? but then at the end “he will be vaporized”…

• talking about the reduction of language and thought but the way it is presented it very articulate and elaborate

foreshadowing qualities

• Syme is the one supportive of Newspeak when in fact he is the one in danger of whatever consequences “vapourized” “he will disappear” because “he is too intelligent’.

filled with contradictions

• “with all its vagueness and useless shades of meaning”
• “self-discipline, reality-control” syme says but seems quite careless with his rant

use of political speak, rhetoric

• use of questions
• echoing what seems to be words of government:

Newspeak is Ingsoc and Ingsoc is Newspeak

Orthodoxy is consciousness

 

third person limited (within the eyes/observations of winston)

 

In this 

 

two sentence intro for orwell’s personal essay:

In this fascinating and rather evaluative personal essay, the writer unpacks the absurd ways in which political language is used to manipulate an audience. This personal essay is made particularly compelling by its use of irony and vague language that allows the writer to disguise his opinion as fact — implying a self consciousness as he employs the very techniques he seems to be mocking.

 

feedback: Nicely done on the whole.  Rethink “rather evaluative”.  And is his language vague?  He sounds tremendously direct and blunt to me, with some vivid analogies to underpin his criticisms.  

 

What do you find interesting about the poet’s use of repetition in this poem?

 

Paragraph 2

The poet uses the motif of light and dark in order to acknowledge the persisting divide in the United States. The juxtaposition of a “light in this never ending shade” phrased as a rhetorical question mar be a signification of hopelessness that a harmonious future will be realised they have constantly been in this “shade” particularly because it has been characterised as “neverending”. However, this can also be seen as a phrase inviting hope as finding the “light” may finally be in the sights of the people. The poet further conveys a better future is in the hands of the people by saying the “dawn is ours”, intending to emphasise that their goals as a country can be achieved by working as one collective “union”. 

 

repeated sounds, aural effect, but also visual when eg. there are multiple c’s. perhaps intended to represent unity, togetherness

 

assonance inviting to connect the words, 

 

Handmaid’s Tale – body paragraph

 

The writer establishes the setting through the use of sensory imagery we find both familiar and unfamiliar in order to allow us to draw comparisons between our reality and the depicted dystopian society. The passage begins with a reminiscent image of “what had once been the gymnasium” with a floor of “varnished wood” with “painted stripes and circles” and “a balcony running around the room for the spectators”. This familiar picture evokes feelings of fondness over high school memories with the excitement of being young — the first person speaker provides a very sensory experience to immerse us by describing “the sweet taint of chewing gum and perfume”. However there is tonal shift when the writer begins the next paragraph with: “there was old sex in the room and loneliness” — creating a mood much less pleasant than just nostalgia, as there is a deep rooted longing for the past we are invited to wonder the reason for. The growing unsettledness is further emphasised by the descriptions of “army cots set up in rows with spaces between so [they] could not talk”, and rather than the dynamic and youthful ambience of the past that began the passage, we are beginning to question this more orderly and rather suppressive situation described by the speaker. The writer has created an ominous feeling that comes with realising a once recognisable world that has changed in the way we are yet to discover for better or worse.

 

about 25 mins

 

intro

How does the writer establish and use setting in this extract?

In this passage, the author uses a first person point of view from the perspective of a woman seemingly part of a larger group who reside in a school gymnasium 

 

This passage is about a group that seems to be made up of women, and their experience living in a school gymnasium at a time of a seemingly dystopian society.

 

The passage begins with detailed descriptions of ___ that is built open with vivid sensory imagery throughout in order to establish setting. 

 

This also builds a temporal perspective that provides comparisons to how life is represented then and now and how the character is affected by it. These comparisons are further emphasised by the use of euphemistic nomenclature — indicative of an authoritarian leadership that is typical of the dystopian genre.

 

evaluative vocab

• style – nomenclature, euphemistic language typical of dystopias
• mood/tone – bleak, dreary, depressing, hope/hopelessness, nostalgic (define type of nostalgia)/discontent/unhappiness, authoritarian, dictatorial, totalitarian, uncertainty, loss, open grief, despair → but hope/grim determination, 
• impact – bleak, unsettling, disconcerting, striking, notable, familiarity, dissonance, strangeness, oppressive, stifling, constrictive, suffocating
• craft words to go with mood/tone – contrast, antithetical, irony