How does the narrative voice/perspective/speaker affect your reading of the text and what it says about the global issue?

1 min on extract, rest can be on the body of work – IO tips

 

The text I will be exploring is The Help by Kathryn Stockett. The help is written in 3 first person narrators, Aibeleen Clark, Minny Jackson, and Skeeter Phelan.

The text is written in a shaky command of African American Vernacular English, a dialect in which a large chunk of the book is written. Though the author’s intent may have been to accurately represent the black community, in the 1960’s, this shaky command may have had the opposite effect. Furthermore,

 

How does global issue/end of the text?

 

Authors life

Introduction:

• Introduce both text types as a literary and non-literary text
• Give the date of production/writing for each
• “The global issue I have chosen is..”
• “in particular,  Singapore’s self-representation and multi-cultural community

Main body:

• It is a long section, so attempt to make it less mundane
• You can do this by not droning on about one single point, and making your analysis connect/interesting
• For example, the analysis should not be too far out of the realm of possibility.
• Organize points

Conclusion:

• Restate thesis in conclusion
• Make sure to restate the main points and summarize in conclusion (as examiner will not remember every detail in the first 8.5 minutes
• Connect back to global issue

 

 

Georgette Chen national gallery brochure notes

Chen lived through many historic events, such as world war 1 and world war 2, and settled in Singapore after traveling the world, she underwent professional art training in Paris, France.

What is the purpose of this brochure? Is it Promotional/orientational/informational? Could be classified under all of them as it brings together aspects of each purpose.

Who is it for? General public? limits? Singaporean locals are free while foreigners have to pay. Museums sometimes people usually only go when they first come to country, however, national gallery always changes.

->Want locals to be exposed about multiculturalism, selling a diverse identity and a diverse culture.

Colour scheme of brochure, brown associated with history, and blue is associated with togetherness, vitality, calmness. [Vitality, full of light, fruit, abundance. (Singapore view in paintings).]

Bringing change to Singapore’s initial priorities of economic development and growth (inclusivity, vitality, and togetherness). This also is creating a new light/perspective of Singapore

Georgette Chen’s brochure and Gordon Parks’s painting would go nicely together for the IO.

Except, brochure may be non-literary text as well as Gordon Parks.

– Antiparallel, You don’t see paintings of starving children, but you do see photographs

-Both were revolutionaries trying to capture the world as they saw it. Park’s captured struggle, Chen captured peace.

 

By creating this brochure, the gallery intended to both persuade people to enter the exhibition, but also educate the reader on Georgette Chen, her paintings, and the history of Singapore. This gallery housed 106 of her paintings, of which some have never been seen before.

Georgette Chen –  A global painter who came to Singapore and painted the ‘Singaporean’ culture.

A famous painting, of a family making a satay by the beachfront.

 

She was recognized by Singapore post-humous, and well-known artists for her painting style and symbolism, I believe that her painting are considered to have long-lasting significance on equality and races in Singapore. The reason why her paintings were picked up after she died may have been the preservation and the way people looked at her paintings. Her paintings are currently in the national gallery of Singapore.

She portrayed the Singaporean idealistic view, incorporating different cultures into her paintings. She was also modernistic, and used bright colors in her paintings as you can see above. The painting is very colorful, and calm- where it shows a family of mixed race cooking a satay (traditional malay dish)

If I had to do IO next week, what texts would you choose and what global issue would you explore? What is the weak spot you need to think deeply about before we do this?

I would likely compare the Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye’s representation of Singapore history along with a modern love’s episodal representation of the essay. (no. scratch that completely. Unfocused if looking at three text types)

In this, I could show how each text type demonstrated the ability of expressing elements. For example, the dumbed-down explanation of the race riots in CCHC and in modern loves episode where they extended the tv show past the point the essay even finished. (no. scratch that completely. Unfocused if looking at three text types)

 

Help and Gordon parks photograph

I would choose this pair as, there is a very strong link between the two text types of trying to convey a very similar message, portraying societal system racism before the 2000’s. Not only is this the main link, but there are many other connections. The first off the top of my head would be about the author’s background. Stockett being a white female from the modern-day writing about a black maid’s experiences in the olden days is a complete antithesis to Gordon Parks, who was a black photographer during the olden times, and photographed (mostly) baffling pictures that showed system racism during the olden times, from a little (black) girl looking up at a closed clothing store’s white models to a black family distraught in a very serious meeting.

 

A possible weak spot here:

Rambling about racism, or the common link of the both of them conveying racism. Even the antithesis point is not deep enough analysis. So after mentioning these, I have to go further, sub text level analysis and work on a strong thesis.

 

Other possibilities:

Duffy and Help

Duffy and Chuck Close

Close and Gordon Parks

 

 

There is never a beneficial time for a king in 1891 to go against his father’s orders to rescue his sister in another utopia.

1891, The year of my commemoration, June 18th, the day I finally be crowned king of Utopia. Seeing my father beaming from teeth-to-teeth, he waved his razor-sharp sword over my shoulder, and handed me the crown; and just like that, I was the new king. I could see and hear the countless citizens, now MY countless citizens clapping from below the town hall’s balcony. I glanced by head around, head raised, feeling superior as kings do. With this new power I shall do good, hold up the family’s tradition. Retreating back into the town hall, I looked around the back of the utopia to see all of my slaves tirelessly working, hunched over with exhaustion. One caught my eye, a slave, a woman, in her 20’s not working, sitting down in protest to the circumstances. I looked at my guards and ordered them to bring her to me at my throne.

Enter Sylvalina, a female slave in her 20’s. What is your name peasant?,” I asked. She murmured Sylvalina, her head down low looking to the ground below my feet. Seeming distraught I asserted my dominance upon her and demanded why she is not tending the fields. She replied shaking, “my-my little brother’s gone mis -missing.” Where is your brother from?, when she replied signutopia, the utopia across from one, our opposition- I threw down my stake and ordered she be punished for such irrational behaviour. To which she replied, punishing me will do no good to anyone. Through a moment of sudden and utmost clarity, I decided to help.

I ordered the guards to leave the throne room and guard the doors so no one could see. Then me and this woman, Sylvalina walk to a dining table and I ask her to sit down and recount her brother’s last whereabouts. After she finishes speaking, I thank her for coming to me, and compliment her personality, she blushed and quickly looked away. She suddenly jumps up and embraces my cold, iron armour. Almost calling in the guards, I let it happen.

Suddenly I understood what love means, that family connection, familial love. The connection I wish I had with my own sister. My sister who my father had banished, my sister in jail in that same distant utopia, signutopia. I knew I had to join Sylvalina on the journey to reinitiate that connection with my sister, and her brother. I tell the guards to prepare themselves and the chariot, it is time to embark on this journey. Suddenly I turned for the better, from my ignorant self, have chosen to sacrifice my kingship for my sister.

The sister-brotherly connection.

An interlude of clarity.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/09/07/he-claimed-to-be-a-heroic-war-photographer-but-his-photos-and-identity-were-stolen/

This article surveys the theme of identity theft, misrepresentation in art, and attention-seeking behaviour. In this case, we have someone who misrepresented themselves as a war photographer, (an ‘intrepid photojournalist’) who has cancer, has done humanitarian work for the United Nations, and has raked in a lot of followers on Instagram. Why did he do this? ultimately, only he knows, perhaps this was a desperation for empathy/sympathy, a cry for reality by portraying a ‘role model’ or a ‘good/perfect person’. The ability to almost become something you aren’t takes over temptation and causes people to do things that they wouldn’t otherwise do. The opportunity allows for people to do this with intent, without verification

This also conveys the theme of digital identity theft, digitalization has made it considerably easier to steal someone’s online identity. Thus, his doing so reveals the simplicity of doing exactly that- and gain followers, which may also get him money.

Essay: https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/27/style/modern-love-the-race-grows-sweeter-near-its-final-lap.html

This article is another modern love season 1 story, this essay describing two people, ages 70 and 80 falling in love. Celebrating their 150th joint birthday party, falling in love the old way- as two young people do. I found this very interesting as usually we regard marriage, or love to slowly fade as you get older- but in this case, the author- Eve Pell actually describes how it got sweeter for her. Falling in love with Sam, enjoying her life- travelling, a continuous honeymoon, training for the Olympics, winning gold at 70 and 80 years old before Sam finally meets his end with an unfortunate diagnosis of stage 4 cancer. I believe this story got selected for modern love as it contrasts a societal stigma-  by conveying the message that love can blossom at any age.

1. This text is not organized AT ALL like any fiction or non-fiction you have been taught to do for the IGCSE or other school tasks.  Mark it into three sections (Beginning, Middle, & End). Does it have a thesis —a guiding idea— that the anecdotes and details support or prove or give nuance for? If it has a thesis, what is that idea? 

Personal essay – builds up using story recounting, until the last lines- which in my opinion is the thesis of the text.  “Because real love, once blossomed, never disappears. It may get lost with a piece of paper, or transform into art, books or children, or trigger another couple’s union while failing to cement your own.     space   But it’s always there, lying in wait for a ray of sun, pushing through thawing soil, insisting upon its rightful existence in our hearts and on earth.“

Aside from having the thesis at the end, there are 2 ways to look at this. Structured and Unstructured. In a way, there is a beginning, middle, and end – if you look at the story itself, for example, the dropping paper scene would be the beginning of the story and the getting married would be the finale. The reason why it could be unstructured is that there are 2 parallel story lines and no clear beginning, middle, and end.

 

2. Every time I read non-fiction, I ask how much I believe it. Even the best of us, in recounting a memory, is tempted to flatter ourselves or justify our actions. What details enhance the credibility of the author? Where do you think it might be “soft” in authenticity?

100%, there is always some sort of text transformation

3. If you were to make a 30-minute movie of this, what scenes would you want to include?

I would re-enact the separate events that occurred in the story recounting, for example, the dinner scene, the scene where he drops the paper and he can’t find her but she feels stood up.

Mario Vargas Llosa: Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter

Ideas:

• Reality and imagination are in a state of tension or conflict
• Art sanctifies life/ Life is better than art
• Dreams vs. Reality
• Self-representation and realism vs. misrepresentation

Quote: “What does it matter to anyone if I lubricate my imagination with a few bits of cloth? What is realism, ladies and gentlemen — that famous realism we hear so much about? What better way is there of creating realistic art than by materially identifying oneself with reality? And doesn’t the day’s work thereby becoming more tolerable, more pleasant, more varies, more dynamic?”

In Mario Vargas Llosa’s book, he conveys the theme of reality and imagination in conflict along with self-representation, realism, and misrepresentation. He cuts off the ‘dream’ of marrying his aunt by getting divorced in a couple of sentences towards the latter end of the book. However, he presented Aunt Julia and Marito’s almost forced romance for most of the book and that sudden break could represent the end of a dream.

His self-representation, portrayal as the character Pedro Camacho shows his mania towards writing, for example not even acknowledging Marito as he walks in the room while he is writing. This mania towards writing, further than passion ultimately leads to the psychotic episode of Pedro and he ends up in a mental asylum for some time. Before this, we saw his short stories get more and more and more confusing. This could almost say that even though he will lose his skill in writing, he will write himself crazy as long as he lives (Mario, in real life).

Mario blends realism into the book by using some realistic elements, and his fruitful descriptions allow for the reader to be able to feel and relate with Mario on a deeper level. Being rejected and insulted by those around him, he turns to his aunt and they develop a romantic relationship- which is indeed possible. However, the combination of such strange events will almost never occur in real life, for example, a minor marrying his aunt, and the rape court case, and the writer who was well regarded and fell down the ranks ultimately ending up in a mental asylum.  These are all possible real-life stories, however, the combination of them and connections between all the characters make the book both possess fiction and non-fictional elements.