LITERATURE 2010
Dramatic Structure
 Basic structure: exposition, complication and resolution
 Exposition: prepares the ground by showing us some sort of change taking place in the characters’ lives or
the social order
 Complication: in the central stage of the play the dramatist develops the complication that arises from
the change as the characters seek to come to terms with the problems that have developed so that a
sense of disorder prevails.
 Resolution: the play reaches its denouement or ending, order is re-established, or the characters at least
some to terms with the new situation that has developed
 Some other conventions that make plays interesting are the way the dramatist uses : plot, characters and
language
 Important conventions: body language, audience involvement, dramatic irony, stage direction, dialogue.
Conventions of Tragedy
 Results in the deaths or severe injury of the main character
 Two types: Shakespeare, Sophocles (disorder in society) or Ibsen and Strindberg(breakdown of family)
 Most ambitious form of drama
 Carries a weight of meaning
 Simplified approach=>concentrates on the tragic hero or heroine, stressing his or her nobility in suffering
 Begin with an alteration in existing social order leading to destruction of human life
 Asks fundamental questions about the nature and purpose of existence in a world where, if conventional
social bonds are broken, appalling violence and vicious self interest become dominant.
 Tragic hero or heroine pose questions about life in speeches they make as they experience the full horror
of what the world can be like
 Provokes terror and pity at the plight of human beings
 Family is the central unit of society, and if family life is presented as diseased and corrupt it can
undermine our confidence that there can ever be any coherent order in society,
 In modern tragedy the characters are anti heroes i.e. they are not the great men and women who
featured in earlier tragedies.
 Earlier tragedy looks outwards, asking questions about the position of human beings in the universe
 Modern tragedy centres itself in the family and then looks inwards, the emphasis is on the disorder of the
mind as much as the disorder of the wider world
 The heroes and heroines are as likely to be confronting the worst elements in themselves as confronting
the worst elements in the world.
 Enlightenment – The point at which the tragic hero or heroine gains knowledge as to what he/she has
done wrong
 Ennoblement – The point in a tragedy after enlightenment where the hero or heroine does something
noble to rid themselves of their sins e.g. Oedipus blinds himself
Conventions of Comedy
 Several types of dramatic comedy: romantic, satiric, comedy of manners and tragicomedy
 Consists of laughing at people caught in difficult situations which we know will usually be resolved;
traditional comedy ends with marriage or a dance, the disorder that threatened the social concord having
been overcome
 Heart of comedy: - the way of looking at the world that regards the whole of social life as an elaborate
charade which is constantly disrupted by people’s folly.
 Comedy often shows us how people’s irrational impulses, such as love or greed, or their absurd selfimportance, undermine any claims of society to be rational, civilised order. The aim of the comic
dramatist is not to correct behaviour, for he or she is too aware of our irredeemable folly.
 Tragicomedy (The Merchant of Venice) – complicates the basic pattern of comedy by making us aware of
how unsympathetic society can prove when confronted with the excesses of love. The effect is more
realistic that in pure romantic comedy, with the stress falling on society’s rules and laws, how society
legislates against folly.
 Romantic comedy= mostly Shakespeare
Conventions of novels
 The novel is a form of literature that looks at
people in society
 Do not present a documentary picture of life
 Novels tend to tell the same few stories time
and time again
 Main characters are usually young people due
to the fact that young people often find
themselves most at odds with conventional standards
 Discourse – the language and texture of the writing in a novel.
 The detail in the novel, it’s discourse, serves to create an impression of just how complicated problems
and people are when we look closely
 Writer usually leans in one of two directions: individuals should conform to social standards or suggesting
that society that is in such a bad state that individuals are bound to feel alienated
 Realists are novelists who write an accurate impression of the ordinary lives of people e.g. Jane Austen or
George Elliot
 Most authors are present in their texts as narrators or subtly in a character
 Characters – The people in a novel. Assessed on the basis of what the author tells us about them and on
the basis of what they do and say
 Most characters in novels are either social conformists or move away from society’s expectations to
become a slightly rebellious character e.g. Lizzy in Pride and Prejudice
 Narrative Structure – Narrative is the organisation of a series of events into the form of a story. Many
novels have very similar narrative structure
o A novel usually beings with a description of a place or a character. The setting is likely to be either
an attractive one or an unattractive one
o A character introduced at the beginning of a novel will usually come into collision with society
o The opening chapters expand the picture of the characters and the society they live in
o The characters are then taken through a sequence of events
o Conflict will always be evident as novels deal with character who are at odds with their family or
conventional values
o The simple sequence of events is a story. Plot is when the nature of characters and the
significance of events is taken into account
o An account of the plot provides some ideas of the ways in which a particular novel is distinctive
o A story suggests that events can be arranged into a meaningful order
 Narrator – The narrator tells the story in a novel
o Novels contain simple stories which, in their telling, become complicated.
o There are two ways that a novelist can complicate matters. One is by introducing complications in
the content the other way is by the way that he or she chooses to narrate the story.
o A story can be told in many ways, for every narrator will see things from a different point of view
o In a first person narrative the central character relates the events he or she experienced. This
point of view allows for a very direct insight into the character’s mind
o In omniscient narration the narrator can see everything that relates in the story. This type of
narrator can be unintrusive or intrusive
o Unintrusive is when the reader is not really aware of a persona telling the story because the
action is presented without many explicit comments or judgements
o Intrusive is when the narrator comments on the events and characters. Such narrators frequently
point to the significance of what they are presenting, often providing a moral interpretation of
events and characters.
o Unreliable narrators are narrators who interprets events according to their own beliefs and values
 Nineteenth century novels – includes authors like Austen, Dickens, Eliot and Hardy.
o All four authors look at the conflicts between individuals and society
o Eliot and Austen were moralists who usually had characters who experienced things that had a
maturing effect on them and made them more responsible members of society
o Dickens was far more critical of society, presenting a picture on a dehumanising society motivated
by greed and lust
o
Hardy was a social critic but more of a realist than Dickens. He concentrates on social rebels and
sympathises totally with these characters.
 Realism – realistic is the label that is applied to those novels that seek to provide a convincing illusion of
life
o Readers often feel the most comfortable with realistic novels because they appear relatively
straightforward
o A realistic approach allows the writer to create a very full impression of what it must be like for
certain people to be caught in certain dilemmas.
 Romance – The term ‘romance’ is used to describe those novels where the story is more adventurous or
more fanciful than in realistic novels
 Style - The writer’s characteristic manner of expression
o Style helps to distinguish one writer from another
o Styles change from age to age but every novelist has their own ‘voice’
o The style of a novel reveals the author’s attitudes.
o The starting point in discussing style can be differentiating between whether the style seems like
polite, social discourse or more emotional.
 A short story
o Is fairly brief
Conventions of short stories
o Is usually about a few main characters
 A short story has:
o Happens in one place at a particular time
o A plot which deals with one main event only
o Is about a conflict or problem that the
o A plot with complications that the main
characters face
character has to overcome
o Is based on one main action which solves the
o Only one, or perhaps two, main characters
problem
and minor characters who are not
o
Finishes
on a climax that leads to a resolution
developed in detail
o Has one theme – the main idea behind the
o Only one major setting
events
o Events which happened over a short period
of time
o One main idea or theme behind the events of the story

The structure of a short story:
o Orientation – The opening paragraphs of the story which set the scene and introduce the main
ideas and he main character
o Complication – When characters disagree; important because without it the story would not
develop
o Resolution – How the story finishes
Conventions of poetry
 There are two main types of poetry: lyrical and narrative
 Lyrical elements are things like sounds and syllables, imagery and figurative language, rhyming and
rhythm (metre) and an application of the senses
 Poetry evokes emotions usually through emotive language.
 Poetry uses imagery and figurative language quite often
 Figurative language is language which differs from everyday, ‘non-literary’ usage.
 Simile – The comparison of two elements, where each maintains its own identity. Simile’s use the words
‘like’ ‘as’ or ‘than’
 Metaphor – The emerging of two elements or ideas, where one is used to modify the meaning of the
other. Metaphor’s use the words ‘is’ and ‘was’
 Metonym - The use of part to represent a whole, or use of one item to stand for another with which it has
become associated. ‘Palace Shocked By Secret Snaps’ is an example because the palace represents the
royal family and their aides
 Personification – The description of a non-living force or object in terms of a person or living thing.
 Symbol - The substitution of one element for another as a matter of convention rather than similarity.
For example a serpent in the story of Adam and Eve is the symbol for temptation. Language is symbolic
because words and meanings are associated by convention
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Figurative language is that which provides the reader with comparisons, substitutions and patterns that
shape meaning.
Literary texts sometimes make concentrated use of figurative language. However, most language is
figurative in some sense, because words do not have single, objective meanings
Imagery refers to descriptions and sensations which can be read as representing a particular emotion or
idea in the text. With regard to the meaning of a text, the importance of imagery varies according to the
reading practices which are being applied
Alliteration – Repetition of the same letter or letter sound. The main purpose of alliteration is to lend
ideas and images, additional emphasis and force
Assonance – Repetition of the same vowel sound in two or more words in a line of poetry
Consonance – the repetition of the same consonant sound before and after different vowels in two
words.
Lyric – A poem in which the poet writes about his or her thoughts and feelings. They present the poets
immediate response to life.
Metaphysical poetry – A term used to refer to the poetry of Donne and other seventeenth century poets.
Metre – The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry.
Iambic pentameter – Ten syllable line with five stresses or emphases
Caesura – a pause in a line of poetry, often marked by punctuation
End-stopped lines – a pause at the end of a line of poetry, marked by punctuation
Run-on lines – there is no pause at the end of a line. This running-over of the sense of one line into the
next is also called enjambment, meaning a striding-over
Narrative poetry – A poem that tells a story. The two basic types are epic and ballad
Rhyme – Identity of sound between two words, extending from the last fully stressed vowel to the end of
the word.
End Rhyme – occurs at the end of lines
Internal Rhyme – occurs within lines
Rhythm – the flow or movement of a line, whether it goes fast or slow, is calm or troubled
ESSAY STRUCTURE
Introduction
Sentence
1
2
3
4
Body Paragraphs
Type of sentence
Topic
Supporting
Quotes
Concluding
Conclusion
Sentence
Restate the question
Summary of main
points
Content
Rephrase the question
Introduce the text, summarising very briefly
Discuss the text in relation to the question
Thesis (topics discussed in paragraphs)
Content
Should be able to stand on its one as a clear overview of the topic(s) that will be covered
in the paragraph. Should be clear, should not be cague.
Must be clear and preferably concise relating to the topic(s) specified in the topic
sentence and not stating the obvious
Should not make the point or finish it. Quotes SUPPORT the point being made. There
should be a good reason for using the quote and the quote must be used on sentences
after to finish the point.
The concluding sentence of a paragraph MUST tie up all lose ends created in the
paragraph and relate all the points back to the question
Content
 Different to first sentence of intro
 Can be more than one sentence
 Connect them to each other clearly, don’t make it boring and long
Final Sentence
 Personal reflection
 Connect your own ideas to the question and leave the reader with something to
think about
TRANSLATIONS
The Language
 Northern Ireland belongs to UK=England, Wales, Scotland +NI.
 The British Isles in BC were in habited by Celts [Celtic]
 The Celts fought with each other
 55BC=> Romans invaded England, Julius Caesar landed in England, many Celts rand to Wales and many dies
 Romans were there for 700 years (until the 7th Century)
 Many of the Romans who invaded were soldiers, many got together with the Celts .: Language became CelticRoman
 650 AD=> Roman Empire fell. Mixed blood= Roman-Celtic with a lot of Roman influence
 Next the Engels invaded and went through the same routine as the Roman’s, they stayed for about 150 years
 Next the Saxons did the same
 Engels and Saxon = Anglo Saxon
 Latin was the written language
 1066= Normans invaded [French – Normandie]
 16th Century= England became powerful
 The Irish spoke= Gaelic and Celtic. Gaelic was a major component of Celtic
 Hedge Schools= Irish schools [ Taught Gaelic]
 Irish were like Aborigines in Australia
 Ordinance survey=> Kind of like census, Control (Normans)
 Massacre if you protested – English were thrown out of England
Main three points
 Imposition of culture
 Polarisation
 Protest
Themes
 Gender, Class, Race, Ethnicity => Four main topics in Literature. All four are applicable to Translations.
Notes on Act One
 Lengthy stage setting=> important
 The Barn is a metaphor for Ireland=> obsolete
 Political, social and economical state of Ireland
 The setting represents the state that Ireland is in.
 “Broken and forgotten”=> very emphasised
 The Irish made use of everything “the room is comfortless and dusty and functional-there is no trace of a
woman’s touch.
 Manus is the son of the school master
 Sarah is a girl from the village who can’t speak because she’s too scared
 Sarah’s speech defect is symbolic of Ireland which has lost its voice.
 Manus represents many men in Ireland=> poor and disadvantaged and masculinity has been stripped away
from him. Symbolic of Ireland => intellectual=> symbolises the intellectual of Ireland trying to bring it back.
 Waiflike=> Light
 Pedantic=> not a bring academic type of person (jimmy)
 Jimmy represents those people in Ireland who would like to remain in the past => speaks only Latin and Greek
and only reads texts like that=> symbolic of many who believe that Irish culture must not be compromised
 The first few lines is juxtaposing the old with the new.
General Notes
 Cultural imperialism and reactions of the oppressed=> The power of the situation
 Race=> English vs. Irish
 Gender=> Sarah ( Weak) and Marie are binary opposites (Independent). Role reversal between Manus and
Marie. Men=> Manus
 The character constructions all represent a message
IRELAND WAS VERY PATRARCHAL (Very Catholic)
 Class=> The English=> Lancey=> More power so they feel more superior
 Politics, race, power, gender=> The things behind the play
 Didactic=> A text that teaches you. Create a normal situation, watch it, come to a conclusion about what you
learnt from it=> a subconscious lesson
 Laughing and sadness=> entertaining and then you take a lesson away from the text
ALL DRAMA IS WRTTEN TO BE PERFORMED ON STAGE – MAKE SURE TO USE WORDS LIKE AUDIENCE
Sarah
 Symbolic of Ireland which has lost its voice
 Conform with stereotype of weak women => “My name is Sarah”
 Inability to speak but has strong body language=Inability of Irish to communicate and therefore they many
only fight
Manus
 Waiflike (light)
 Not pedantic [Pedantic: ostentatious in ones learning]
 Represents many men in Ireland => poor and disadvantaged
 Masculinity stripped away from him
 Symbolic of Ireland=> intellectual but disadvantaged=> limp=> no defence
 Symbolic of people in Ireland trying to bring back the “glory days” as such
Jimmy
 Represents those in Ireland who would like to remain in the past=> speaks only Latin and Greek and only reads
texts like that => symbolic of those who believe that Irish culture was to be preserved
Hugh
 Would like to remain in past but realises he must move forward
Maire
 Represents those Irish who would like to move forward
 Wants to learn English and has ambitions.
 Challenges stereotype of Irish women=> not weak
 Moving towards progress
Owen
 Changing attitudes
 Favours English but then changes to favour the Irish
 Symbolises the changing attitudes of the Irish against the English
 Realises there is an invasion and imposition of culture
Bridget
 Indifference
 Slight change in attitudes
 Reactions=> very confused, same as we are compared to conflicts all over the world.
Doalty
 Changing attitudes=> indifference to rebellion
Lancey
 Typical Imperial British represents attitude at the time
Yolland
 Challenges stereotype of the English
 As Owen see the invasion=> changing attitudes of English against English
Thesis on cultural assumption
The cultural assumption that all Irish people are of low to middle class is reinforced in Brian Friel’s Translations
and many other texts, songs and films which portray Irish people. – Be careful not to use other texts…instead use
themes, characters or situations in the play itself
Translations and Irish Literature and Settings in novels
 - All the Irish characters in Translations are of a low to middle class and the setting of the barn also reinforces
this status(See page 1)There are NO upper class Irish men or women.
 The exclusion clearly emphasises the low class.
 The contrast with the high class character Captain Lancey from England also emphasising the low class of
the Irish.
 The significance of an income (page17 – Maire, page 57-manus) and the fact that they are hardworking
farmers but without a steady income. (pg14/18-Maire).
 Language (page 50) – Irish people have a rich language because they are poor
 They also seem to make up for their poverty by being very patriotic and religious, also self righteous
 The setting of Cal a novel by Bernard Mc Laverty is set in a dingy protestant part of Ulster. Setting shows his
low class. He volunteers for the IRA to fight for his rights (nationalism)
 From the setting of Cal and Translations, the exclusion of high class characters, and the Irish people’s faith in
everything they do we can see that the cultural assumption that Irish people are of a low class is supported.
Drinking Culture
 Poteen and beer – cheap and practically abundant drinks rather than wine.
 Once again the significance of money, they didn’t have enough to drink wine
 They don’t go to afternoon tea or upper class type functions instead they go to the bar and drink beer/poteen.
The pub is like a cultural hub. Place of celebration or mourning. [As important as the church]. Inexpensive
place to ward of the cold with friends.
 Culturally accepted way of life to fight in the pub “The premis is (and there is some truth to this) that when a
friendly brawl brakes out in an Irish pub it's nothing personal and everyone involved forgets about it after the
fight.”[ Clip Boon dock saints]
Clothes and Way of Life
 Agricultural way of life rather than high class
 Even today we look down upon farmers, as if they are of a low class.
 Also in general the dingy and broken places they live in also indicates their low calss
 Pikes – Hugh and Jimmy Jack fought with pikes as in Requiem for the Croppies etc Heaney. Low class – did not
have enough money for swords
 In Translations people are quite cultured, higher than the lower class that an English man would expect. In
cartoons/caricatures from the period we see a point of view that exaggerates this view. The Irish people are
portrayed to be ape like and wild, holding axes and pikes trying to kill the British officers (Show cartoon). This
is not isolated, when Irish people were portrayed in the media they were often portrayed as apelike creatures
causing disruption and having lesser intelligence to the English
 Ghetto culture – that’s how they set up in America
Conclusion (Both)
 Why has the cultural assumption continued until today?
o Back to the invasion=> English looked down upon Irish has been passed down to all descendents
o Assumption that they drink a lot=> looked down upon
o Assumption that they live in dingy places => also looked down upon
o Assumption that they are farmers looked down upon
 What impact has this cultural assumption had on the Irish people?
o Even today Irish people are seen as farmers, in fact in rural Ireland, which is basically the majority,
the majority of people are farmers
 From all of this evidence form “Translations” and so many other Irish Texts we can clearly see that the
cultural assumption the Irish people are of a lower class is reinforced
Seamus Heaney
Ireland
 IRISH CONNECTION WITH EARTH
 Peat is the earliest form of petroleum, it acts as a preservative
 Heaney expresses pride in the land and pride in the history of his land
 Heaney is catholic but was brought up in Northern Ireland. Catholics were a minority in NI, underprivileged
Irish.
 Heaney was taught English, had no anger against Anglicisation=> wanted to find out about his Irish roots
 Digging for centuries=> Nationalism, love of the land
 Metaphorical and physical preservation
 Heaney is not anti-English, he accepts history
 Friel also accepts history changes inevitably
 It’s all about the imagery: Visual, Olfactory and Aural.
Blackberry Picking
1.“ At first , just one, a glossy purple clot Among others, red, green, hard as a knot” => innocence
2.” flesh was sweet Like thickened wine: summer’s blood was in it”
3. “hoarded the fresh berries”
4. “fur, A rat-grey fungus”
5.“ The juice was stinking too… the sweet flesh would turn sour”
6.“lovely canfuls smelt of rot”=>juxtaposition
7. “each year i hoped they’d keep, knew they would not”=> trying to retain innocence.
(1) “Just one”=> the beginning of the Irish rebellion slowly increases
(2)=> blackberries representative of the soldiers => alive and full of life/blood
Imagery allows for once again a simple pastoral scene where the childhood experience of blackberry picking and
the disappointment from their rotting
(3+4)the fresh, alive young men=> hoarded together to fight for their country=>They died doing so, their rotted
bodies lying on the streets of Ireland
(2)Words like “ wine” and “sweet” allow pleasant olfactory imagery=> Once again Heaney juxtaposes this
pleasant imagery of sweetness with
(5+6)=> rotting blackberries=> rotting dead bodies on the battlefields
(6)=> in itself is juxtaposition => “lovely” juxtaposed with “rot”
(7)=> Not really olfactory but symbolises the speaker trying to retain his innocence after seeing death and rot.
 Blood red=> connotations of danger, violence and death
 Torn pricks=>hurt=>loss of innocence hurts
 Rat grey fungus=> fungus growing on dead bodies
 Juice (blood) => stinking. Sweet flesh=> alive men=> sour=>dead and rotting=>conjures images and smells that
can immediately be connected to war.=> English raked away the innocence of the Irish by killing all their men
and raping their women.
 Juxtaposing connotations of the word “lovely” with the smell of rotting blackberries=> rotting bodes.
Happiness of childhood juxtaposed with innocence lost.
 Loss of innocence of children du wot war=> ethical
 Getting the English out of Ireland=>political
 Not olfactory but is used to shows the speaker’s last ditch attempt to retaining his innocence
Death of a Naturalist
1.” flax dam festered in the heart… green and heavy headed"
2. “ frogspawn that grew like clotted water”
3.“ fattening dots burst into nimble-swimming tadpoles”
4.“gross-bellied frogs… loose necks pulsed like sails”
5. “ some sat poised like mud grenades”
6.“ Bubbles gargled delicately” => innocence
7.“slap and plop were obscene threats”
8. “ blunt heads farting
(1)=>image of flax(slender, erect, annual plant having narrow, lance-shaped leaves and blue flowers, cultivated
for its fibre and seeds.)growing everywhere. Country scene established.
(2) Description of frogspawn=> childhood greed=> all children experience it=> develops the pastoral scene
(3) Increasing presence of England in Ireland=> frogspawn starts of at eggs, as if their planted but no conflict has
begun. The eggs burst=> war/conflicts begin=>
(4+5) both represent the power that the English had over the Irish during the majority of the 20th Century.
(6)=> links to a pastoral scene of a river or stream gargling as it flowed. Helps to develop the setting of the flax
dam. Lulls the reader into a sense of easiness as though the poem is simple.
(7) Although later in the poem compared to the first use of aural imagery i8t juxtaposes the simplicity and beauty
of delicate gargles with “slap and plop” as though suddenly bombs were being set off and fear is the only thing
the speaker understands about the situation.
(8)=> same as (7)=> juxtaposition, fear. The word “ blunt” could refer to opinion that the Irish may have of the
English, that they are dull or thick
 Visual imagery of tadpoles=> invites the reader to reminisce about joyous personal experiences.
 Transition between innocence and experience=> fast and direct=> discovery of amusing tadpoles.
 Feeling of fear flows through the reader due to the powerful visual imagery
 Juxtaposition of the joyous images with the frightening images makes reader feel the loss of innocence that the
children of Ireland experience at the time of the Troubles and other wars
 Increasing presence of England in Ireland=> frogspawn starts of at eggs, as if their planted but no conflict has
begun. The eggs burst=> war/conflicts begin
(4) Represent the power that the English had over the Irish during the majority of the 20th Century.
 Picture painted of childhood=> fairies, butterflies and constant happiness. Most Irish children in the 1960’s or
earlier would never have experience such a childhood due to the constantly intense warfare between England
and Ireland.
 A reader without a knowledge of the context may think that this poem and the imagery it contains are simply a
recount of one of the speaker’s childhood experiences
 Reader with knowledge=> imagery that represents the warfare in Ireland. “ gross bellied frogs…loose necks
pulsed like set” => like a bomb about to go up. Threatening.
Frankenstein Notes
(Some of this is from Spark notes)
Letter I
 Complex language
 Scientific Expedition
 Satiate=> Satisfy
 Mostly narrating his excited demeanour and happiness in reaching his goals
 Conjecture=> guess, inference. The formation of judgments or opinions on the basis of incomplete or
inconclusive information
 Requisite=> required. Necessary or appropriate for a specific purpose
 Walton is a very focused man=> “ tranquilize the mind like a steady purpose”
 Consecrated=> to dedicate somebody or something to a particular purpose
 Talks about his endeavours to get where he is at the present time
Letter II
 Talks about his endeavours again, and how they are progressing.
 Need for a friend/ companion is voiced [Frankenstein’s creature wanted a companion]
 Capacious=> big enough to contain a large quantity
 Illiterate compared to a 15 year old boy [Frankenstein is also disadvantaged]
 Tells a story about a young girl that he heard from an acquaintance
Letter III
 Short, succinct
 Shows his pride and also his anticipation
Letter IV
 Walton see Frankenstein’s monster
 Walton meets Dr. Frankenstein and takes him aboard
 Dr Frankenstein and Walton become good friends.
 Walton and Frankenstein’s monster are quite alike in some ways=> illiteracy, want for a friend, want for
acceptance by his crew, who seem to want to mutiny.
 Walton and Dr. Frankenstein are also quite alike=> will give up everything for the pursuit of knowledge
Themes and Issues
The Pursuit of Knowledge
 Demonstrated in Victor Frankenstein's effort to make discoveries in Chemistry, which leads to the creation of
the monster. It can also be seen in Walton's attempt to reach the North Pole by ship, charting unknown
territory.
 Important to note that the novel does not hold the position that all scientific discovery is bad, but that the
unchecked pursuit of knowledge can be extremely dangerous. Walton almost gets his entire crew killed
because of his schemes, while Frankenstein's desire to conquer new heights of knowledge drives him to “filthy
creation” (ch 3) which eventually causes him great suffering and brings about his death.
 Frankenstein himself characterises this uncontrolled thirst for knowledge as both madness and intoxication
(letter 4), while the monster muses on the nature of knowledge, which clings to the mind like lichen to a rock,
and can only be removed by death (ch 13).
 Questions whether all pursuits of knowledge are justifiable
Slavery
 Frankenstein dreams of creating “a new species which would bless me as its creator and source” ,but in fact it
is he who becomes the slave to the demands of his more powerful creature.
 The monster addresses Frankenstein with the words: “Slave... you are my creator, but I am your master:
obey!”
 Frankenstein and Walton can also be said to be slaves to the thirst for discovery which drives them.
Imprisonment
 Frankenstein's workshop is called a “cell”, which could refer to a simple room, indicating devotion to his cause,
but could equally refer to a jail cell, indicating his bondage to Science.
 The monster is imprisoned by his hideous form which prevents him from having any relationships with
humans, but rather than being shut in, his imprisonment is to be shut out from society.
 Frankenstein describes his own situation of intense guilt and persecution by the monster as being “chained in
an eternal hell” (ch 24).
Religious Imagery
 Adam and Lucifer/Satan are two characters from the Bible who are invoked in the novel. Both were creations
of God and both went wrong, Adam by disobeying God, Lucifer by seeking to overthrow Him.
 The monster is supposed to be Adam, made in Frankenstein's image, but instead is treated as Lucifer although
he is innocent (ch 10). Later his anger at his rejection turns him into a true devil, which is how Frankenstein
most often refers to him.
 Frankenstein also characterises himself as Lucifer, since he tried to seize the position of God by creating life (ch
24).
Secrecy
 Victor conceives of science as a mystery to be probed; its secrets, once discovered, must be jealously guarded.
He considers M. Krempe, the natural philosopher he meets at Ingolstadt, a model scientist: “an uncouth man,
but deeply imbued in the secrets of his science.”
 Victor’s obsession with creating life is shrouded in secrecy, and his obsession with destroying the monster
remains equally secret until Walton hears his tale.
 Whereas Victor continues in his secrecy out of shame and guilt, the monster is forced into seclusion by his
grotesque appearance. Walton serves as the final confessor for both, and their tragic relationship becomes
immortalized in Walton’s letters.
 In confessing all just before he dies, Victor escapes the stifling secrecy that has ruined his life; likewise, the
monster takes advantage of Walton’s presence to forge a human connection, hoping desperately that at last
someone will understand, and empathize with, his miserable existence.
Point of View
Mostly in first person switches to third person limited sometimes.
Major Characters
Victor Frankenstein – Perpetrator of immoral crime [abandoning the creature]
 The young scientist, around whose creation the story revolves. He can be said to be an example, or rolemodel, for Robert.
 The creator of the monster, Victor spends most of the novel trying to defeat the monster. Victor is the oldest
son of Alphonse and Caroline Beaufort Frankenstein. Victor's childhood is a good one. His doting parents lavish
him with attention. He even receives a present, in the form of Elizabeth Lavenza, from his parents. Caroline
Beaufort Frankenstein's last wish before dying is for Victor and Elizabeth to be happily married.
 He later attends the University of Ingolstadt, where his interest in the teachings of the physical sciences
prompt him to study them while there. He seeks to combine the best of old and new science to create a new
being. Victor becomes obsessed with the idea of creating the human form and acts upon it. Immediately after
creating the monster, Victor falls into a depression and fear. He leaves the university and returns home to his
family, only to find tragedy there. Convinced his youngest brother's murderer is his creation, he sets off to find
the creature.
 Victor is a modern scientist unleashed upon an unsuspecting society. Not fully aware of the consequences of
his creating a new race of humans, he spends his entire life trying to destroy the same creation. Victor is also
the unbridled ego who must satisfy his urge to know all and use that learning to create a new race of man. His
excesses ultimately destroy him. Victor represents the id, the part of the psyche that is governed by the
instinctive impulses of sex or aggression.
Elizabeth Lavenza Frankenstein
 The "more than sister" of Victor Frankenstein. She is an adopted child, and she later marries Victor. The
monster murders her after her marriage.
 Elizabeth Lavenza is the orphan child taken in by the Frankenstein family, who was lovingly raised with Victor;
she later becomes Victor's wife and is killed by the monster on their honeymoon. Elizabeth was the daughter
of a Milanese nobleman and a German mother.
 She was found living with a poor family near Lake Como. She was granted land, where she and Victor
honeymooned, around the time she was getting married. Elizabeth is the one who keeps the family together
after Caroline dies. Elizabeth survives the scarlet fever plague that takes Caroline. She writes to Victor while at
school and tells him what is going on with the family. She is the source for information for Victor when he is
away at the university. Her letters are important in the plot of the story.
 Elizabeth also represents a character much like Mary Shelley herself, by aiding the poor, respecting all classes
of common people, and coming to the assistance of Justine Moritz, when Justine is accused of murder.
Elizabeth was a happy child and had a positive outlook on life. She is an innocent murdered merely for revenge
on Victor.
Henry Clerval
 The son of a merchant and a dear friend of Victor's. He is often Victor's protector, and he becomes one of the
victims of the "monster."
 Victor’s boyhood friend, who nurses Victor back to health in Ingolstadt. After working unhappily for his father,
Henry begins to follow in Victor’s footsteps as a scientist. His cheerfulness counters Victor’s moroseness.
The "Monster" - Victim
 The result of Victor's ambition. He is an enormous creature and a misfit in society. He is feared by all because
of his appearance, and he learns to despise humankind. His goal is to destroy his creator, Victor Frankenstein.
 The monster is created by Victor Frankenstein while at the University of Ingolstadt."Formed into a hideous and
gigantic creature," the monster faces rejection and fear from his creator and society. The monster is the worst
kind of scientific experiment gone awry.
 Acquires humane characteristics, even compassion for his "adopted" family, the De Lacey's, but he still
murders for revenge. The creature also begins to learn about himself and gains general knowledge through the
books he reads and the conversations he hears from the De Lacey's. The monster turns against Victor because
of the lack of love
 The monster represents the conscience created by Victor, the ego of Victor's personality — the psyche which
experiences the external world, or reality, through the senses, that organizes the thought processes rationally,
and that governs action. It mediates between the impulses of the id, the demands of the environment, and the
standards of the superego.
Justine Moritz
 An adopted child of Caroline Frankenstein. She is tried for the murder of William and executed, thus she is an
indirect victim of the monster's violence.
 Justine is the housekeeper for the Frankenstein family. We do not learn much about her character except that
she embodies the best in suffering for a just cause. She represents graceful suffering in the face of injustice,
much like a martyr. Justine is well treated by the Frankenstein family and is regarded not as household help,
but with the esteem and affection accorded a family member.
 Also, Justine endures the rejection by her own family through no fault of her own. It is the Frankenstein family,
specifically Elizabeth, who rescues her and allows her to continue her work as a housekeeper.
 Through the character of Justine, Shelley addresses the issues of equal treatment for domestic help and the
accommodation of those in need of aid. Because of all that she endures, Justine is a sympathetic character
who elicits a favorable response and empathy from the reader.
Robert Walton
 Walton’s letters to his sister form a frame around the main narrative, Victor Frankenstein’s tragic story.
Walton captains a North Pole–bound ship that gets trapped between sheets of ice. While waiting for the ice to
thaw, he and his crew pick up Victor, weak and emaciated from his long chase after the monster. Victor
recovers somewhat, tells Walton the story of his life, and then dies.
 Walton laments the death of a man with whom he felt a strong, meaningful friendship beginning to form.
Walton functions as the conduit through which the reader hears the story of Victor and his monster. However,
he also plays a role that parallels Victor’s in many ways. Like Victor, Walton is an explorer, chasing after that
“country of eternal light”—unpossessed knowledge.
 Victor’s influence on him is paradoxical: one moment he exhorts Walton’s almost-mutinous men to stay the
path courageously, regardless of danger; the next, he serves as an abject example of the dangers of heedless
scientific ambition.
 In his ultimate decision to terminate his treacherous pursuit, Walton serves as a foil (someone whose traits or
actions contrast with, and thereby highlight, those of another character) to Victor, either not obsessive enough
to risk almost-certain death or not courageous enough to allow his passion to drive him.
Minor Characters
William Frankenstein
The younger brother of Victor. He falls prey to the "monster".
Ernest Frankenstein
Also the younger brother of Victor. He wants to join the military and remains the sole surviving member of the
Frankenstein family.
Alphonse Frankenstein
Victor's father. He is a man of character.
Caroline Frankenstein
The kind, devoted wife of Alphonse Frankenstein. She dies before Victor leaves for the university.
M. Krempe
A professor of Victor's at the University of Ingolstadt.
M. Waldman
Also a professor of Victor's. He becomes a mentor and a friend to Victor. He appreciates Victor's passion for
learning and encourages him to study science.
De Lacey
An old man from France; he lives in exile in Germany. He is the father of Agatha and Felix.
Agatha De Lacey
The daughter of De Lacey. She is a mild-mannered and sweet girl.
Felix De Lacey
The loving son of De Lacey. He marries Safie after helping her father escape from France.
Safie
Felix's love interest. She breaks free from Arab tradition and marries Felix, a Christian.
The Turk
Safie's father. He is a Turkish merchant in France. He is strongly opposed to Safie's marriage to Felix.
Mr. Kirwin
An Irish magistrate who takes care of Victor when he is imprisoned in Ireland.
Margaret Saville
The sister of Robert Walton and the recipient of his letters. She is married and has children.
Language
Old fashioned and quite formal, talking about a higher class.
Structure
The complex narrative system of the book provides some interesting structures for analysis. Captain Robert
Walton writes to his sister Margaret Saville about his adventures. Then Victor recounts his story to Walton, who
takes notes and sends them to his sister. Then the monster tells Victor about his or its adventures, which Victor
recounts to Walton. Finally, the monster quotes the De Laceys.
Narrator
Walton
Frankenstein
Monster
De Laceys
1st Audience
Saville
Walton
Frankenstein
Monster
2nd Audience
Reader
Saville
Walton
Frankenstein
3rd Audience
4th Audience
5th Audience
Reader
Saville
Walton
Reader
Saville
Reader
It starts with letters from the sea captain, Robert, to his sister, Margaret (Mrs. Saville). The story of Frankenstein,
as well as that of the monster, is covered in his letters. In other words, Robert meets Victor, who then tells his
story. Victor meets the monster, who also tells a story, and finally, the novel concludes with another set of
Robert's letters. The plot is presented in a structure of concentric circles, with Robert in the outermost circle,
Victor in the second circle, and the monster in the innermost circle.
In the twenty-four chapters of the novel, the monster's story is placed in the centre, from Chapters 11-16. The
first four letters are to be taken individually; the content of each differs from the others. The first ten chapters
then tell the story of Victor, to which the readers return at the end of the book. Robert also concludes his letters
to Margaret at that point.
The author never leaves a loose thread in the novel and sees to it that every character is fully developed. Ernest is
probably an exception to this, but usually, the other minor characters get their due. Each character is
representative of some particular quality.
The pace of the book is carefully controlled. The killings, while horrific, occur at regular intervals. Events generally
seem to follow a natural (or supernatural) course, and almost nothing seems out of place. In the end, the author
brings everything together to show Victor's desolation and frustration at the disappearance of his loved ones.
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One way communication
Stream of consciousness => All the thoughts going through their heads. It is honest and uninhibited
The creature is all Walton’s perspective
Mary Shelley and the creature are very similar=> fells ugly inside, wants to be loved.
Technique => Narrative point of View
Knowledge and morality
Translations Quotes
Degraded living conditions represent degraded state of Ireland
“The hedge school was a disused barn”
“Around the room are broken and forgotten implements”
“To room is comfortless and dusty and functional”
Significance of money
“It’s £56 a year you’re throwing away”
“The rents are going to go up again-the harvest’s going to be lost – the herring have gone away for over”
“A salary of £42 a year!”
Importance of language – making up for their degraded state with faith and langauge
“A rich language. A rich literature. You’ll find ,sir, that certain cultures expend on their vocabularies and syntax
acquisitive energies and ostentations entirely lacking in their material lives”
Agricultural and Poor way of life
“Two young gallants with pikes across their shoulders”
Maire “There’s ten below me to be raised and no man in the house. What do you suggest?
“The massage money came last Friday”
“We should all be learning to speak Enlgish, That’s what my mother says. That’s what I say.
“ ‘The old language is a barrier to modern progress’”
Owen
“Easy, man easy. Owen-Roland- what the hell? It’s only a name. It’s the same me, isn’t it?
“Owen picks up the Name-Book… it falls to the floor. He stops to pick it up, hesitates-leaves it
“A mistake-my mistake”
Manus
“waiflike”
“The lame scholar turned violent”
“His movements are determined and urgent”
Hugh
“We must learn where we live. We must learn to make them our own. We must make them our new home”
“It is not the literal past , the ‘facts’ of history, that shape us, but images of the past embodied in language… We
must never cease renewing these images; because once we do, we fossilise”
Yolland
“I’m not sure. But I’m concerned about my part in it. It’s an eviction of sorts.”
“Something is being eroded”
Lancey
“He clears his throat. He speaks as if he were addressing children – a shade too loudly and enunciating
excessively”
“This will suffice. I will address then and it will be their responsibility to pass on what I have to say to every family
in this section”
“Lancey indicated to Owen to translate. Owen hesitates, trying to assess the change in Lancey’s manner and
attitude”
Heaney Poem Quotes
Easier to memorise 2-3 poems
Blackberry Picking
Late August, given heavy rain and sun
For a full week, the blackberries would ripen.
At first, just one, a glossy purple clot
Among others, red, green, hard as a knot.
You ate that first one and its flesh was sweet
Like thickened wine: summer's blood was in it
Leaving stains upon the tongue and lust for
Picking. Then red ones inked up and that hunger
Sent us out with milk cans, pea tins, jam-pots
Where briars scratched and wet grass bleached our boots.
Round hayfields, cornfields and potato-drills
We trekked and picked until the cans were full
Until the tinkling bottom had been covered
With green ones, and on top big dark blobs burned
Like a plate of eyes. Our hands were peppered
With thorn pricks, our palms sticky as Bluebeard's.
We hoarded the fresh berries in the byre.
But when the bath was filled we found a fur,
A rat-grey fungus, glutting on our cache.
The juice was stinking too. Once off the bush
The fruit fermented, the sweet flesh would turn sour.
I always felt like crying. It wasn't fair
That all the lovely canfuls smelt of rot.
Each year I hoped they'd keep, knew they would not.
Death of a Naturalist
All year the flax-dam festered in the heart
Of the townland; green and heavy headed
Flax had rotted there, weighted down by huge sods.
Daily it sweltered in the punishing sun.
Bubbles gargled delicately, bluebottles
Wove a strong gauze of sound around the smell.
There were dragon-flies, spotted butterflies,
But best of all was the warm thick slobber
Of frogspawn that grew like clotted water
In the shade of the banks. Here, every spring
I would fill jampotfuls of the jellied
Specks to range on window-sills at home,
On shelves at school, and wait and watch until
The fattening dots burst into nimbleSwimming tadpoles. Miss Walls would tell us how
The daddy frog was called a bullfrog
And how he croaked and how the mammy frog
Laid hundreds of little eggs and this was
Frogspawn. You could tell the weather by frogs too
For they were yellow in the sun and brown
In rain.
Then one hot day when fields were rank
With cowdung in the grass the angry frogs
Invaded the flax-dam; I ducked through hedges
To a coarse croaking that I had not heard
Before. The air was thick with a bass chorus.
Right down the dam gross-bellied frogs were cocked
On sods; their loose necks pulsed like sails. Some hopped:
The slap and plop were obscene threats. Some sat
Poised like mud grenades, their blunt heads farting.
I sickened, turned, and ran. The great slime kings
Were gathered there for vengeance and I knew
That if I dipped my hand the spawn would clutch
Frankenstein Quotes
Frankestein’s realisation’s
“Seek happiness in tranquillity and avoid ambition, even if it be only the apparently innocent one of distinguishing
yourself in science and discoveries.”
“In a fit of enthusiastic madness I created a rational creature and was bound towards him to assure, as far as was
in my power, his happiness and well-being . . . I refused, and I did right in refusing, to create a companion for the
first creature. He showed unparalleled malignity and selfishness in evil; he destroyed my friends . . . Miserable
himself that he may render no other wretched, he ought to die. The task of his destruction was mine, but I have
failed.”
Frankenstein’s pursuit
“So much has been done, exclaimed the soul of Frankenstein—more, far more, will I achieve; treading in the steps
already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest
mysteries of creation.”
Robert Walton’s pursuit – Willing to sacrifice human life
“One man’s life or death were but a small price to pay for the acquirement of knowledge”
“What may not be expected in a country of eternal light?”
The creature
“I, the miserable and the abandoned, am an abortion, to be spurned at, and kicked, and trampled on.”
“Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay
to mould me Man; did I solicit thee
from darkness to promote me?”
“Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust? God, in pity,
made man beautiful and alluring, after his own image; but my form is a filthy type of yours, more horrid even
from the very resemblance. Satan had his companions, fellow devils, to admire and encourage him, but I am
solitary and abhorred."
Harwood
In her poems on Krote and Eisenbart Harwood examines the Australian’s outdated perception of identity. The
following poem “Prize Giving” is the first poem of the Eisenbart collection. Professor Eisenbart is modelled around
the scientist Robert J. Oppenheimer who was named the father of the atomic bomb.
Prize Giving
Professor Eisenbart, asked to attend
A girls’ school speech night as an honoured guest
And give the prizes out, rudely declined;
But from indifference agreed, when pressed
With dry scholastic jokes, to change his mind,
To grace their humble platform, and to lend
Distinction (of a kind not specified)
to the occasion. Academic dress
Because hum, as he knew. When he appeared
The girls whirred with an insect nervousness
The Head in humbler black flapped round and steered
Her guest, superb in silk and fur, with pride
To the best seat beneath half-hearted blooms
Tortured to form the school’s elaborate crest.
Eisenbart scowled with violent distaste,
Then recomposed his features to their best
Advantage: deep in thought, with one hand placed
Like Rodin’s thinker. So he watched the room’s
mosaic of young heads. Blonde, black, mouse-brown
they bent for their Headmistress’ opening prayer.
But underneath a light (no accident
Of seating, he felt sure), with titian hair
One girl sat grinning at him, her hand bent
Under her chin in mockery of his own
Speeches were made and prizes given. He shook
indifferently a host of virgin hands.
“Music!” The girl with titian hair stood up,
Hitched at a stocking, winked at near-by friends,
And stood before him to receive a cup
Of silver chased with curious harps. He took
Her hand, and felt its voltage his hold
From his calm age and power; suffered her strange
eyes, against reason dark, to take his stare with her to the piano, there to change
her casual schoolgirl’s for a mater’s air.
He forged his rose-hot dream as Mozart told
The fullness of all passion or despair
summoned by arrogant hands. The music ended,
Eisenbart teased his gown while others clapped,
And peered into a trophy which suspended
His image upside down: a sage fool trapped
By music in a copper net of hair
Eisenbart: “asked to attend a girls school speech night …rudely declined but from indifference agreed when
pressed with dry scholastic jokes to change his mind, to grace their humble platform and to lend distinction” Europeans were expected to immigrate into Australia so as to “ lend distinction” to Australians, whose class was
seemingly decreasing, also seen through the Krote poems when he describes the people at the Arts Club
Both krote and Eisenbart are very snobbish in their perception of the Australian people. This shows that European
people were not suited to assimilating into Australian society.
Krote: “The hostess pats her tinted curls. Sees, yawning surreptitiously, a bitch in black with ginger pearls
squeezing the local tenor’s knees” –the European view of an Australian Arts Club. This show that Europeans were
bought into Australia to counteract the wave of “mediocrity” that people believed had begun. Australian’s are not
exactly the high class people that the Europeans such as professor’s and classical musicians think they should be
and this shows that the Australian people had an outdated perception of who they should be, Australia was no
longer a mini England, rather only a small proportion of the motherland lived through the Australian people. The
people had changed and Gwen Harwood expresses through her poetry that the Australian people had an
outdated perception of themselves in the 1950’s.
Harwood also explores sexual identity in her poems that encourage a feminist reading. She reflects upon the
average housewife and their somewhat monotonous lives. In her poems “Suburban Sonnet” and “In the Park”
Harwood partially demonises the life of the average housewife by making the environment around the woman
speaker seem frustrating
Suburban Sonnet
She practises a fugue, though it can matter
To no one how if she plays well or not.
Beside her on the floor two children chatter,
Then scream and fight. She hushes them. A pot
Boils over. As she rushes to the stove
Too late, a wave of nausea overpowers
Subject and counter-subject. Zest and love
Drain out with soapy water as she scours
The crusted milk. Her veins ache. Once she played
For Rubinstein, who yawned. The children caper
Round a sprung mousetrap where a mouse lies dead.
When the soft corpse won’t move they seem afraid.
She comforts them; and wraps it in a paper
Featuring: Tasty dishes forms tale bread.
Miriam Stone
Suburban Sonnet: Both Suburban Sonnet and In the Park, express the frustrations of women who feel trapped by
motherhood and by being placed in the traditional role of women (wife, nurturer etc). Gwen Harwood’s poetry is
written in a 1950s context, when a woman’s concerns would not have been expressed. It was a woman’s
responsibility and place to make a home for her husband, upkeep it and raise a family, all the while making the
duty seem effortless and enjoyable. It is a characteristic of a patriarchal society for men to have the vast majority
of power and for the women to be marginalized due to their supposedly inferior qualities, such as emotional and
physical weakness. Suburban Sonnet and In the Park give the speaker, who is interpreted as a woman, the chance
to express her concerns about the way women are placed into stereotypical roles, forget the other aspects of
their lives and simply be content with the joys and burdens of motherhood. Issues such as motherhood and
domestic life, lost love and loss of individuality are addressed in the poetry. It starts with children fighting, pots
boiling over and then as the woman scrubs a pot, the speaker says," Zest and love drain out with soapy water.
This woman must have had a great talent and love for music to be playing for someone so great. In both poems
the loss of individuality stems from their stereotypical duties, motherhood and domestic life and the personal
sacrifices that these duties bring. Concerns involving these issues were not addressed in the 1950s as they were
seen as being the natural duties of women. Dale Spender said, "Their role is to make a home a haven and to
always be on hand, to be admiring, available, attractive. Through In the Park and Suburban Sonnet, Gwen
Harwood gives women a voice by privileging their life experiences and their concerns about the restrictions
placed on them due to their role in society. "The children caper around a sprung mouse trap where a mouse lies
dead”. Although the speaker is voicing the two women's experiences and frustrations, they are never named. The
first mention of her children starts off with, "Two children whine and bicker, tug her skirt”. Being set in the 1950s
this would have been the case, as women were meant to make motherhood and domestic duties seem effortless.
The techniques used in the two poems give insight to the way in which motherhood and domestic life are being
presented. Both Suburban Sonnet and In the Park are written in sonnet form. Both women seem very enclosed by
their children, they are not free to become the person they have the potential to be and thus Gwen Harwood has
effectively shown the burdens and frustrations of being a housewife.
Gwen Harwood has seemingly used her own experiences in life as well as her perception of the Australian people
to challenge naturalized understandings of the Australian national identity and sexual identity, the main
techniques in her poetry are the use of the setting the 1950’s and the use of emotive and therefore persuasive
language.
The Sound of One Hand Clapping
The migrant experience
Diaspora - any group that has been dispersed outside its traditional homeland. Any religious group living as a
minority among people of the prevailing religion i.e. you are neither Slovenian nor Australian you’re both.
“ Our world is upside down”
“To have a future you must forget the past”
“For the Australian officials the naturalisation ceremony was a joyous, celebratory moment when the new
Australian renounced their previous citizen ship- their country, their past- to become Australian. For those being
naturalised it was a sad but necessary step to take”
“The room swirled in front of Bojan Buloh’s eyes. The young girl-Queen and Ming Menzies circled around him like
wolves”
“It seemed as if his arm were in another country that he was leaving forever and to which he hight never be
allowed to return”
“As if it were made of china and could as easily be broken”
“He felt their arms wrap around what he presumed was his body and he felt that body push them away, heard his
mouth form and twist and say in a language he knew little of and found harsh ‘Fuck off Fuck off’”
Themes and Issues
 Migrant experience=> treated as low class citizens=> forced into labour camps to become ‘naturalised’
Symbol, Metaphors and Motifs
 Tea set – Symbolic of her life and how it falls apart then she puts it back together
 Adelweiss – Healing properties=> Sonja is healing her life
Language
 Very descriptive – written for a movie but helps to fully describe the emotions
Australian Identity etc;
 Migrant can try yet new people are always treated as if they are of a lower class.
Characters
 All the characters are trying to escape their past
 Sonja: her mum committed suicide and her father abused her when she was young, she is trying to escape that
 Maria- Escaped her past of being raped and seeing her father shot in front of her
 Bojan: Escaping Maria’s death and is trying to make up for abusing his child
 Sonja and Bojan are main characters
 Treated as second class citizens
Structure
 Fragmented time structure – keeps the reader reading but also allows the story to be pieced together just like
Sonja’s life is slowly pieced together
Vocabulary - Synonyms
Emphasis
accent, attention, , highlight, power, priority, significance, stress, underlining
Emphasise
accent, accentuate, affirm, articulate, assert, dramatize, enunciate, , highlight, maintain, make clear, make
emphatic, point out, press, pronounce, punctuate, reiterate, repeat, underline,
Portray
Characterise, depict, describe, illustrate.