OTHELLO - SHAKESPEARE - SYMBOLIC GEOGRAPHY IN OTHELLO

THE OUTER LIMITS OF THE WORLD OF OTHELLO are defined by the Turks—the infidels, the unbelievers, the ‘general enemy’. They are just over the horizon, ready to trick and confuse Christians in order to invade their territory and destroy them.

Out beyond the horizon, reported but unseen, are also those ‘anters vast and deserts ide’ of which Othello speaks. Out there is a land of ‘rough quarries, rocks, and hills whose heads touch heaven’ inhabited by ‘cannibals that each other eat’ and monstrous forms of men ‘whose heads grow beneath their shoulders.’ On the edges of this land is the raging ocean with its ‘high seas, and howling winds’, its ‘guttered rocks and congregated sands’ hidden beneath the waters to ‘enclog the guiltless keel’.

Within the circle formed by barbarism, monstrosity, sterility and the brute power of nature lie the two Christian strongholds of Venice and Cyprus. 

Renaissance Venice was known for its wealth acquired by trade, its political cunning, and its courtesans; but Shakespeare makes Venice over into the form of The City, the ageless image of government, of reason, of law, and of social concord. The solemn presence and ordering power of the Senate is the most powerful of all.

So, in summary…

THE TURKS

At the far edge of the world of Othello are the Turks—barbarism, disorder, amoral destructive powers.

VENICE, THE CITY

Closer, more familiar, is Venice, The City—order, law and reason. (Iago’s attempts to create civic chaos are frustrated by Othello’s calm management of himself and the orderly legal proceedings of the Senate.)

CYPRUS

Standing on the frontier between barbarism and The City, is Cyprus—an outpost, weakly defended and far out in the raging ocean, close to the ‘general enemy’. (Society is less secure than Venice—the island is more exposed to the Turks—and Othello alone is responsible for finding truth and maintaining order.)

MOVEMENT OF THE PLAY

From Venice to Cyprus, from The City to the outpost, from organised society to a condition much closer to raw nature, from collective life to the life of the solitary individual.

At the end of the play the movement is back towards Venice, the Turk defeated; but Desdemona, Othello, Emilia and Roderigo do not returen. Their deaths are the price paid for the return.

OTHELLO - SHAKESPEARE - CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS

OTHELLO

CHARACTERS:

The vision of human nature which the play offers is one of ancient terrors and primal drives—fear of the unknown, pride, greed, lust—underlying smooth, civilised surfaces—the noble senator, the competent and well-mannered lieutenant, the conventional gentlewoman (the first four characters in the table).

Othello is one of the most formally constructed of Shakespeare’s plays. Every character is balanced by another similar or contrasting character. For example:

·        Desdemona is balanced by her opposite, Iago –love and concern for others on one end of the scale, hatred and concern for self alone at the other.

·        Cassio, true and loyal soldier, balances the false and traitorous soldier Iago.

BRABANTIO	Sophisticated, civilised Venetian senator Unable to comprehend that his delicate daughter could love and marry a Moor, speaking excitedly of black magic and spells to account for what his mind can’t understand
CASSIO	Gentleman-soldier, polished in manners and gracious in bearing, wildly drunk and revealing a deeply rooted pride in his ramblings about senior officers being saved before their juniors.
EMILIA	Sensible and conventional waiting woman, making small talk about love and suddenly remarking that though she believed adultery to be wrong, still if the price were high enough she would sell—and so, she believes, would most women.
‘HONEST IAGO’	Conceals beneath his exterior of the plain soldier and blunt, practical man of the world, a diabolism so intense as to defy rational explanation—it must be taken like lust or pride as simply a given part of human nature, an anti-life spirit which seeks the destruction of everything outside of self.
OTHELLO	In the beginning, appears as the very personification of self-control, of the man with so secure a sense of his own worth that nothing can ruffle the consequent calmness of mind and manner. But the man who has roamed the wild and savage world unmoved by its terrors, who has not changed countenance when the cannon killed his brother standing beside him, this man is still capable of believing his wife a whore on the slightest of evidence and committing murders to revenge himself.
DESDEMONA	Here the heart and the hand go together—she is what she seems to be. Ironically, she alone is accused of pretending to be what she is not. Her very openness and honesty make her suspect in a world where few men are what they appear, and her chastity is inevitably brought into question in a world where every other major character is in some degree touched with sexual corruption.

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD - HARPER LEE - NOVEL - DISCRIMINATION AND CHARACTER IN TKAM

Discrimination and Character in TKAM

What is the accepted practice of discrimination (how the majority of people believe it is okay to treat someone; who you are allowed to interact with and how) in Lee’s fictionalised version of 1930s Alabama?

Make a list of all the social rules you can think of that are mentioned in the book or part of your understanding of the historical context.

Race:

If you are black: e.g. you must sit at the back of the bus and use separate taps, toilets, and schools; you must not offer to shake the hand of a white person.

If you are white: e.g. you must not allow a black person to call you by your first name; you must date and marry other white people.

Class:

If you are upper class/hold a job: you have higher status, you use money

If you are lower class/don’t hold a job: you keep to yourself, don’t mingle with society, you barter

Gender:

If you are a man: you must provide for your family; you ‘own’ the females in your family; you must be physically tough and not emotional

If you are a woman: you receive less respect and status in society; you must wear dresses

Work with your partner to determine which characters reinforce (acts in accordance with, or perpetuates racism or classism) these accepted practices of racial discrimination or discrimination based on class, and which characters challenge (acts or speaks out against discrimination, realises it is wrong, or is shown to be moral or kind despite being the victim of discrimination).

For each character, note down which type of discrimination they reinforce or challenge, and examples of how they do this. NOTE: characters may both reinforce and challenge accepted practice.

Reinforces	Challenges
E.g. Mayella Ewell: while Mayella challenges racial discrimination somewhat by seeking out sexual relations with Tom Robinson, her actions following their encounter help to reinforce these ideas. By going along with her father’s lie, Mayella assists in condemning a man for the colour of his skin. Because Tom is black, she and her father believe his testimony won’t stand up against theirs in court. Rather than admit she sought Tom out (and risk further social isolation), Mayella passively allows society’s preconceptions to condemn him. Mayella is also the victim of class discrimination. As a Ewell woman, she is left to her father’s cruel whims, with almost no outside contact or friendship and no prospects of a better life. She is a prime example of the role social status and gender play in determining the fate of Maycomb residents.	E.g. Atticus Finch: he acts against racial prejudice and discrimination when he represents Tom Robinson to the best of his ability despite society’s belief that his word means less than that of a white man/woman. He also teaches Scout to see things from others’ perspective, and not to judge someone until you know them (which can apply to not judging based on skin colour). He also tells Scout not to use terms like ’n***er’. Atticus’ gentle and respectful manner with the Cunninghams (allowing them to pay with goods instead of money, treating Walter like an equal at the dinner table) reveals that he also challenges his society’s class-based discrimination.
Aunt Alexandra	Calpurnia
Bob Ewell	Miss Maudie Atkinson
Mrs Dubose	Jem Finch
	Heck Tate
	Mr. Dolphus Raymond
	Link Deas

Mr Underwood

Tom Robinson

Mr. Walter Cunningham

Water Cunningham

Scout Finch

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD - HARPER LEE - NOVEL - PREJUDICE - ANALYTICAL ESSAY

A good example of a PEEL essay on PREJUDICE in TKAM. I have changed it from first person to third person and edited the text to read a little better. 

Human beings tend to make assumptions about others based on the criteria such as a person’s clothing or skin. However, people rarely realize that these assumptions can lead to violence and strife. In other words, prejudice ruins and sometimes even destroys society; it causes people to lose all compassion and understanding for their fellow human beings. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch says, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (39)**. People often fail to examine a situation from a different viewpoint because their opinions are biased, and the result is the failure to judge others accurately. InTo Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows readers how prejudice causes people to believe in rumours, judge others by their race, and deem the beliefs of others unacceptable.

As a form of prejudice, rumours can cause a great deal of harm to the individual who is being targeted. Rumors can easily obscure the truth about a person because they are basically lies, opinions, and incorrect observations about the individual in question. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Boo Radley is the prime example of an individual who has suffered from this form of prejudice. As young children, Jem and Scout Finch are led to believe that Boo Radley is a horrifying bogeyman. Unfortunately, their opinion of him has been influenced by the widespread accepted beliefs of Maycomb. A few examples of these beliefs are, “People said he went out at night when the moon was down, and peeped in windows. When people’s azaleas froze, it was because he had breathed on them” (10). In reality, none of these rumours hold any truth whatsoever. In fact, Arthur (Boo) Radley isn’t only a victim of prejudice; his own insane family held him prisoner for years. Despite his traumatizing experiences, through his actions in the book, readers learn that Boo is actually a very good person. In fact, Harper Lee compares him to a mockingbird throughout the story because of his efforts to help Jem and Scout. Eventually, Arthur even saves Jem and Scout when Bob Ewell attempts to murder both of them. In the final consideration, Boo Radley’s situation proves rumours to be an extremely harmful form of prejudice.

In addition to rumours***, racism causes people to lose all compassion and empathy for their fellow human beings. Being a typical southern town during the Great Depression, Maycomb is a society where racism against African-Americans is rampant. Atticus proves this when he says, “Why people go stark raving mad when anything involving a Negro comes up, is something I don’t pretend to understand” (117). The citizens of Maycomb exhibit this behavior when Atticus is asked to defend Tom Robinson, an African-American who has been accused of rape. Unfortunately, there is only one possible solution for the trial, and Tom Robinson is convicted. Even though the prosecution has no credible evidence, Robinson’s race is enough for the jury to convict him. Atticus even states that a colored man’s word is useless against the word of a white man (295). To make matters worse, Tom attempts to escape from prison; unfortunately, the decision ends his life. Overall, racism is a form of prejudice that undermines every aspect of humanity and causes human beings to judge others with contempt.

When it comes to another person’s beliefs, prejudice is rampant. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch and his children are exposed to this form of prejudice before and during Tom Robinson’s trial. Instead of succumbing to the hatred and bias Maycomb exhibits toward Negroes, Atticus chooses to do the right thing. Atticus states his opinion when he says, “As you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men everyday…whenever a white man does that to a black man no matter who he is…that white man is trash” (295). As a result of their beliefs, the Finches are criticized ruthlessly by their fellow citizens. Unfortunately, this criticism turns into violence when Bob Ewell decides to act on his grudge against Atticus. However, instead of going after Atticus, Bob Ewell decides to attack Jem and Scout. Fortunately, Arthur Radley intervenes and prevents the murder of both children. In the final analysis, To Kill a Mockingbird shows readers how people can be utterly ruthless when judging another person’s beliefs

Throughout human history, prejudice has caused more strife and violence than almost anything else. Despite mankind’s advances, prejudice and discrimination still undermine civilization. In fact, the capability to destroy other human beings through contempt and bias has remained largely the same for thousands of years. Sometimes children can be deprived of their innocence with the horrors of prejudice which is true in the case of Jem and Scout. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows readers just how damaging prejudice really is when it is caused by rumours, race, and another man’s beliefs.

**

Normally, you would not use a quote in the introduction.

***Good link to previous paragraph

By Cullen Knowles

http://chspineneedle.com/2012/11/09/examining-prejudice-in-to-kill-a-mockingbird/

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD - HARPER LEE - NOVEL - PRACTISE EXAM QUESTION

QUESTION:

To Kill a Mockingbird is set during the Great Depression of the 1930s, a time of widespread discrimination, especially in the American south. How has the author, Harper Lee, used characters and events in the novel to reinforce the accepted practice of discrimination?


USING THE ANALYTICAL STRUCTURE OF C.T.A., P.E.E.L and T.A.G., a model answer could read something like this...

C(ontext) -

• Broad Statement on the essay focus. 
• General statement identifying the text, author and plot summary

T(hesis) - 

 Your personal response/statement to the question. All paragraphs must link back to the Thesis.

A(rguments) -

Usually 3 main Points which support your thesis in the form of topic sentences.

INTRODUCTION:

The Great Depression was an event that affected many countries in the 1930s. When the stockmarket crashed, the economic repercussions were felt worldwide. It was a hard time, as people struggled to put food on the table and a roof over their heads. This depression was the major background event to the storyline of To Kill a Mockingbird, where the main character and narrator, Scout Finch, lives with her older brother Jem and her widowed father Atticus in a small town, Maycomb County. Atticus, a lawyer, makes just enough to keep the family comfortably out of the poverty that affects many of the townspeople. The central theme of the novel is how a white lawyer, Atticus, defends a black man, Tom Robinson, who is accused of raping Mayella Ewell, the daughter of a poor, notoriously vicious man, Bob Ewell. Racial tensions in Maycomb flare, Scout and Jem become targets of abuse from the townspeople, and the generally accepted discrimination rises to the surface. In her novel, Harper Lee uses characters such as Aunt Alexandra, Dolphus Raymond and Mrs Dubose to demonstrate sexism, prejudice and racism. The character Aunt Alexandra combines sexism with racism, Dolphus Raymond suffers the town's prejudice as he lives with a black woman and Mrs Dubose's long-held racist attitudes are typical of the townspeople.

YELLOW - broad statement on the topic
BROWN - general statement on the topic
GREEN - plot summary
PINK - thesis
 BLUE - arguments (3) using characters (3)

PEEL PARAGRAPHS

POINT ONE - Aunt Alexander

From the time she arrives at Atticus' Finch's house to turn Scout into a lady, Aunt Alexander's sexist and racist attitudes are obvious. 

• go on to explain her opinions re Scout (sexism) while leaving Jem alone
• explain her dislike of having Calpurnia in charge of the children (racism)
• give one example (quote) to reveal her sexist/racist attitudes

POINT TWO - Dolphus Raymond

Dolphus Raymond demonstrates how prejudice blinds the townsfolk who are determined to think the worst of him because of his choice of a black woman and how he has fathered two coloured children. 

• explain the hierarchy of the town with black people on the bottom
• explain how long-held attitudes allow the prejudice towards Dolphus
• explain why he pretends to drink whisky and be drunk 
• give an example - from his chat to the children outside the courthous explaining how children would understand him, but adults (long-held prejudices) wouldn't. 

POINT THREE - Mrs Dubose

Mrs Henry Lafayette Dubose is an old and bitter woman,  a neighbour of Atticus Finch, and sees no problem with expressing her racist views, even to Scout and Jem.

• explain the character of Mrs Dubose, yelling at the children when they walk by
• explain why Jem has to read to her
• give example of her racist attitudes towards Atticus, Tom Robinson- quote

CONCLUSION - 

T(hesis) - revisit
A(rguments) - essay summary, revisit Introduction
G(eneral statement) to wrap up essay.

Like Mrs Dubose, the townsfolk of Maycomb County have long accepted discrimination as a way of life. The trial of Tom Robinson is the polarising event, which brings these racist attitudes to the surface.

CANON - YEAR 12 - ANALYTICAL ESSAY - NOTES AND STRUCTURE

Depending on the question...such as 'What is the value of literature?' or 'Why is the novel still relevant today?'

For this unit, you will have studied novels such as:

• 1984 
• Brave New World
• Pride and Prejudice
• The Picture of Dorian Gray
• Emma
• One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
• The Great Gatsby...

INTRODUCTION:

CONTEXT:

• General statement explaining the Canon of English/Western Literature
• Why your novel (name of novel, author, year, title) is in the Canon
• Your novel's literary excellence - language, themes, word useage...
• How it answers humanity's deepest concerns...is relevant...is timeless (depending on question)
• Continuing impact on readers (e.g. written 63 years ago...still relevant)

THESIS:

Your answer to the question in the form of a statement which answers the key words.

3 ARGUMENTS:

Depending on question, is your novel still relevant because of its:

• political value? 
• historical value? 
• ethical value? 
• moral value? 
• artistic value? 
• philosophical value? etc...

Go to the Analytical Essay post for more information on the structure, but it follows...

Context

Thesis

Arguments 

(This can alternatively be - C, A, T)

Point 

Explanation

Example/s - evidence, quotes, paraphrase...

Link to THESIS and next POINT

(3 TIMES)

Thesis (revisit, restate partially/in full)

Argument summary revisiting INTRODUCTION

General statement to wrap up essay. No quotes.

METAMORPHOSIS - FRANK KAFKA - REFLECTIVE SPEECH

EXAMPLE TASK:

For an audience of your peers, present a reflective speech that EXPLORES the power of literature to INFLUENCE the lives of readers. Begin with Kafka's METAMORPHOSIS as a springboard to DISCUSS your own TRANSFORMATION over the past five years and the IMPACT that literature has had on your personal metamorphosis.

HOW TO APPROACH THIS TASK:

• Consider CONNECTIONS between the experience represented in Kafka's METAMORPHOSIS and your own life - e.g. consider the connections with your personal development over the past five years (physical, emotional, mental, attitudinal changes...) e.g 'When I was a child...'
• IDENTIFY significant texts - BOOKS, NOVELS, ARTICLES, POEMS, LYRICS that have changed the way you see/experienced the world.
• SYNTHESISE these elements into a Reflective Speech that explores the transformative power of stories.

FURTHER NOTES - beginning your thesis:

Literature has the power to transform the way we see/experience our world...

Which novels etc have marked your personal journey - broader socio/cultural context, unique identity and transformation, literature represents themes (alienation, family dynamics, human identity, change...)

How has literature lead to your metamorphosis over the past five years?

'GOOD' LITERATURE TO DISCUSS:

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD - Jem and Scout's transformation throughout novel, from acceptance of the town's racist attitudes, to agreeing with Atticus' words about how to treat others. (So many themes in this one...)

LORD OF THE FLIES - How a happy tribe can transform into fierce warriors, uncaring of human life, with murder and mayhem resulting. (DYNAMICS)

THE BOOK THIEF - How courage transforms under the harshest circumstances. How people can survive through resilience, determination and pure fate. (Liesel's courageous life was saved by pure fate - her love of words saved her life as it meant she was hidden in the basement writing...)

So...look for novels that have deep themes that you might be able to discuss in relation to the topic - transformation.