Feminism and 1984

Hi,

Here are a few things to get you started on the feminism/misogyny question in terms of Orwell and 1984.

• Daphne Patai on 1984 (in your folder)

• And another one

• A Prezi:

Mr M

How you know you're reading the Gothic...

Check out this excellent infographic about Gothic literature in the Guardian.


Mr M

More Faustus Revision resources

Hi,

A few more bits for you...

Faustus links:

Faustus at Sparknotes 
A guide to the Gothic
A better Gothic blog
Faustus quote cards 1
Faustus quote cards 2
Some useful gothic info and example questions etc. here




Here's some useful revision material for Faustus (through not as good as the notes in your copy of the text!):




Here is a walkthrough of the LITB3 exam:

And here are the Gothic videos starring David Punter:

I hope this is useful. Still, my top bit of advice is:

READ YOUR TEXTS (and the notes therein)!

Happy revision,


Mr M

Gothic past papers

Hi,

Here's a link to where you can find past papers for your exam. Remember, your paper is Unit 3.

In addition, I've uploaded a last year's paper, mark scheme and examiner's report, which you can find below:

  

More stuff to follow shortly. Let me know if you need anything.

Mr M

Y13: Gothic revision - Some resources

Oh hi,

As promised, I have a number of useful resources for you.

In this post, you'll find some top grade (and full mark) exam answers. Shortly, I'll be sticking up a few past papers for your perusal.

But first, some advice for how to make the most of your revision:

1) Selectively re-read your texts (I would re-read all the scenes involving Faustus, if I were you)
2) Try to memories key quotes
3) Read and make notes on context and criticism (the stuff in the back of your Faustus book is excellent: characters, contexts, language, criticism = all essential reading)
4) Revise your gothic checklists
5) Read model responses (below)
6) Practise making plans in response to questions
7) Do some practice essays

The following docs are all examples of excellent responses to past questions - and they've all been produced by students like you. 

You know what you're ready when:
a) you can see a way through the past paper questions
b) reading these model answers no longer makes you feel inadequate!

Here goes:

I hope that you find these useful. Past papers will be coming shortly, followed by some links and essays.

Get revising!


Mr M 

Good luck

Hi Y12,

Good luck for tomorrow, folks...


AND DON'T FORGET TO BRING YOUR COPY OF THE ROAD!


Mr M

Auden Round-up: How 1st September provides the key to understanding the poet's concerns

Hi,

Following a revision session today, this idea was buzzing around my head - so I had to write it down.

The starting point was an idea that many of the key quotes in understanding Auden come from 1st September 1939. So, here's what I'm thinking:


1st September 1939 reveals a lot about Auden's view of the human condition. Perhaps it is the key poem in understanding Auden? In it, Auden says that we live in a 'euphoric dream' - in denial of the realities of life beyond our narrow, selfish concerns. The 'error bred in the bone' (ie. human nature) is our selfishness ('to be loved alone') while Auden stresses the importance of 'universal love'. We are 'sensual' rather than cerebral - we want to feel sensations of pleasure and comfort, but we don't want to think. Because of this, Auden depicts us as childlike and innocent: 'lost in a haunted wood / Children afraid of the night / Who have never been happy or good.' Rather than think for ourselves, we'd rather allow ourselves to be shaped by others and by circumstance: parents, societal expectations etc. We drift through life in a euphoric dream with no direction. Only 'the Just' can think beyond these terms - they provide hope for humanity.

Now think of how these descriptions of human nature are reflected in the other poems:

Victor/Miss Gee/James: in all of these poems, the pace of the narrative seems to blur childhood and adulthood. In a way, these characters never grow up and never grow out of their issues - they are still child-like, innocent and naive until their deaths. They're either repressed, insecure, isolated - or all three. They all seem to be products of dysfunctional families - although we don't meet Miss Gee's parents. They all need guidance: from God, from parents, from neighbours. Perhaps this is why the ballad form works so well, as it depicts them in a comical or childish, nursery rhyme-like way.

As I Walked Out: The love poem at the start is innocent, romanticised, childlike. It is the 'romantic lie in the brain'. We are imperfect - see the nursery rhyme references or the 'crooked heart' line.

O What: More imperfect love. More selfishness. War can turn lover against lover. Neighbour against neighbour.

Musee: We are indifferent to the suffering of others. We drift though life with our own narrow concerns, barely noticing what goes on around us. Life juxtaposes the significant and the mundane - and which is which depends entirely on your subjective viewpoint. There is no absolute truth.


I hope this makes sense. Perhaps an even better argument can be made for one of the others as 'key poem', but I do think that 1st September is the poem that gets to the heart of what it is to be human. Make sure you know it!


Any questions, get in touch.


Mr M

How does Auden tell the story in Musee des Beaux Arts?

Hello,

Breughel - Landscape with the Fall of Icarus

As promised, I've written a model response to an odd-numbered question (AO2) on Auden's Musee des Beaux Arts. Here it is:

How does Auden tell the story in Musee des Beaux Arts?

Unlike most other Auden poems, Musee des Beaux Arts doesn’t start with concrete images, characters or settings, but instead begins in abstraction. A short and seemingly simple poem, it crams in a lot of ideas and concerns found throughout his poetry. The voice in the poem is distant and philosophical, employing a complex initial sentence which lasts for fifteen lines. The first clause in this complex sentence is structured by Auden in a way which places immediate emphasis on the subject of the poem: ‘About suffering’. This unusually abstract and direct opening tells us immediately what the subject of the poem will be, while the subject of the sentence (‘The Old Masters’) is shunted into line two. This has the effect of making the setting (the Musee) a secondary concern; it is merely a way in which the abstract will be made concrete later in the poem.
 

In terms of the verse form, the first three lines lull us into a familiar pattern of regularity. There are ten beats per line; the underlying rhythm is that of iambic pentameter. This establishes a lofty tone to match the philosophical nature of the opening. However, this regularity unravels in line four, which drags on for twenty-two syllables. This shift in the verse form coincides with a shift in the language and focus of the poem. Line four is made up of simple, everyday language – Auden’s ‘light verse’ – as attention shifts from the ‘Old Masters’ to the mundane, everyday details revealed in the paintings: ‘opening a window’ or ‘walking dully along’. Here, the structure of the poem is mimetic; the movement from order to chaos in the verse form mimics the ‘untidy’ nature of life which is the subject of the line and the poem.

The rest of the first stanza is made up of contrasts, and one particular effect created by Auden is bathos (dear reader, remember that bathos is an abrupt transition in style from the exalted to the commonplace, the high to the low, producing a ludicrous effect). This contrast is seen in the descriptions of the ‘aged’ as ‘reverently, passionately waiting for the miraculous birth’ to the children ‘skating’. The religious connotations of the descriptions of the aged contrast sharply with the innocent, carefree actions of the children. More obviously bathetic is the contrast between the ‘dreadful martyrdom’ which is taking place in the painting and the ‘doggy life’ of the dogs and the ‘torturer’s horse’ which ‘scratches its innocent behind on a tree.’ These contrasts establish key ideas in the poem: the significant and the mundane, innocence and experience. Auden is pointing out that even at significant historical moments, most people are oblivious, innocently going about their normal business and indifferent to the suffering of others.

Auden’s choice of settings in the poem are significant. The Musee establishes the philosophical tone of the opening and fits the contemplative nature of the poem. The frozen, busy landscapes of Breughel’s paintings are almost the opposite: teeming with life and activity. Familiar images from Auden are present. The frozen landscape is suggestive of winter and death, which matches the idea of ‘martyrdom’ (another religious reference to the Massacre of the Innocents) and ‘suffering’. The ‘edge of the wood’ could be seen as threatening to the skating children. In 1st September 1939, a ‘haunted wood’ is used as a symbol of fear, and the idea of being lost is associated with experience and adulthood. The wood could be used as an image to suggest the threat to the children’s innocence.

The first stanza ends with a mundane and humorous detail: a horse scratching its ‘behind on a tree’. By this point, Auden’s movement from the lofty to the lowly is complete; all types of experience are included to encompass a universal message.

The second stanza of the poem is ekphrastic (reader, ekphrasis is a type of poem which describes a scene in a painting). Whereas the first part of the poem takes its inspiration from various works by Breughel, here we focus on one: Icarus. This gives the impression that the poem has been a contemplative journey past a number of paintings before settling to focus on one in particular. At this point, rhyme becomes a prominent feature of the poem, suggesting a sudden order, clarity and certainty to the speaker’s thoughts. It is as if this painting has helped Auden to neatlt pin down his phiosophical ideas. Although there are two couplets in this stanza, the other rhymes are split, suggesting that the poet’s conclusions are still ‘untidy’; life is chaotic and complex. The use of enjambment adds to this effect. For instance, the words ‘green/Water’ are split, making the reader’s eyes fall to the next line quickly like Icarus plunging into the water.

There are further contrasts in this stanza. Icarus’s downfall is described by negative words like ‘disaster’, ‘forsaken’ and ‘failure’. Meanwhile, for the ploughman and for us (until we see the legs in the water) this painting is idyllic. The words ‘leisurely’ and ‘delicate’ create an image of peace, and lyrical aspects such as the sibilance of ‘sun shone’ and the use of colour help create a vivid picture of beauty. Auden uses these contrasts to show that success and failure, life and death, significant and insignificant, beauty and horror, live alongside each other and happen simultaneously. Again, the second stanza is made up of one long, complex, flowing sentence which shows that these frozen moments are artifice and that, unlike in paintings, real life never stops for tragedy. This point is emphasised by the sense of movement in the final words: the ship ‘sailed calmly on’. So, in this poem, Auden defies convention by taking us from abstract to concrete, using a painting to explore contrasting subjective viewpoints on suffering.

I hope this is useful. If this poem comes up in the exam, I'd jump at the chance if I were you!

Good luck!

Finally, here are the other paintings which inspired the poem:

Breughel - The Massacre of the Innocents

Breughel - Winter Scene with a Birdtrap

Breughel - The Census at Bethlehem

Mr M

James Honeyman: How does Auden tell the story? (part 2)

Hello,

Here's the rest of my post on Auden's ballad, James Honeyman:

22-27: The gas

•  Stanza 22, like 19, highlights the jarring contrast between obsessive scientist and father. Although he tenderly kisses his sleeping son, he doesn't do it until midnight. The second pair of lines focus on his true pride and joy: his 'glass test-tube'. The words 'I've won!' reinforce the idea of James's hubris; he is chasing personal glory. Whereas Miss Gee is about 'foiled creative fire', this is about misdirected creative fire.

• This idea is complicated in the next stanza. By the peaceful light of the moon, James states his desire to do something 'worthy' of Doreen. The relationships in this poem are presented as distant and dysfunctional, from the mother peering at the son on the floor (with matches), to James ignmoring his family much of the time, despite his apparent love for them.

• There's an ironic echo in stanza 25. Just as James has been too busy to see his family, the officals at Whitehall are 'very busy' and are annoyed by his request for their time. This could be seen as Auden's criticism of the British Government in the lead up to the war. Like James, they are too busy desperately seeking answers that they don't notice others trying to help them.

• Mrs Flower is the 'agent of a foreign power'. 'Agent' has a double meaning here, as it means both 'one who acts' but also it has connotations of chemistry and warfare. Interestingly, Mrs Flower seems to be an agent of James's doom in the same way as Mr Rose is for Miss Gee. Make of that what you will.

 28-31: A deal for the gas

•  Plenty of irony in stanza 30. He believes, when looking back at Calais, that his work is behind him and he can return in triumph. Of course, 'Honeyman's NPC Will be heard of some day.' In fact, Auden makes that day arrive in the very next stanza. Just like in Miss Gee, it is clear in the suddenness and harshness of the ending that Auden is punishing his eponymous character for his mistakes.
•  

32-end: The bombs and death

•  The first three lines of stanza 33 make clear that James is the sole target of the bombers - although it is really Auden that is targetting him. Three bombs land in close proximity to James's house - the final one right on top of him. The simile of the 'falling star' is worth analysing. 'Star' is suggestive of his ambition, but also of fate. 'Falling' too has connotations of the fall of man. Adam and Eve were punished for their transgression of eating from the tree of knowledge - and a similar fate befalls James.

 

• At the end of the poem, we hear a range of voices which finally add some pathos to the story, but it is all too late. We hear from the son, then from Doreen. Both address him in terms (Daddy/Jim) which emphasise his neglected role as father and husband. It seems that part of Auden's message here is about healthy relationships. This concern is echoed in the reference to Hitler and 'what occurred in Linz' in 1st Sept: it is suggested that dysfunctional relationships can be the cause of a misdirected 'creative fire' which can have disastrous consequences.

• The final four stanzas alternate between James's first person lament (the repetition of 'O' suggests a lament) and a response from an unknown speaker. Is it another part of James? He is presented as having two contrasting identities in the poem: chemist/family man. Is it Auden? Is it some abstract voice of Justice or Fate? Remember Auden's habit of personifying such concepts.

 

• The imagery of nature and creatures living in their natural habitat (note the irony of the dove - a symbol of peace and purity) suggest that James Honeyman's life has been unnatural and that he has now realised his mistake. The image of 'sea' and 'mountains' both suggest a desperate wish to escape this fate - but, like in Miss Gee, Auden reserves a deliciously ironic fate to James to ram home his message.

• The final stanzas mimicry of the repeated 'O' lament again adds to the darkly humorous tone. Auden dispenses justice with a brutal harshness and with a comic edge which makes the poem all the more effective.

I hope this helps. Remember, when you do the first question in the exam, you are focusing on AO2 alone and must show an understanding of how the whole story is constructed - keep the over-arching story in mind at all times, from beginning to end.

I'll blog about Musee de Beaux Arts shortly.

Mr M

Auden: a few more resources

Hi,

A couple more things.

First, a completed version of my 'O What is that Sound' worksheet:

On Repression, or 'the back-pedal brake':

Finally, as a treat, one of my favourite Auden poems:



Enjoy,


Mr M                                                                               

Auden's concerns and style

Hi,

A few years ago, I made a useful summary of Auden's concerns in the poems and the main features of his style. I need to update these for the new poems, but I wanted to post them here in the meantime.

Since I made these, three of the poems have been changed.

I'll update these docs if and when I get the chance - but they should still be useful.

Finally, an analysis of 'As I Walked Out One Evening':

This post is getting a little crowded, so I'll post more later.

Mr M 

James Honeyman: How does Auden tell the story (Part 1)

Hi folks,

As you know, I have a feeling about James Honeyman being the named poem for Auden, which is why I've set you an essay on it. I'll get those marked so that you can have it back next lesson. If there is no next lesson, please drop in for it or email me for feedback.

In the meantime, I thought it would be a good idea to put together some notes on the poem to help you should you get this question. I'll steal any good ideas I find in your essays too.

I've broken this post into two parts.

Here goes:

James Honeyman - Key points

• The poem was written in 1938, at a time when Auden was predicting the start of the war. In the same collection of poems that James Honeyman appeared in, he wrote:

In the nightmare of the dark
All the dogs of Europe bark,
And the living nations wait,
Each sequestered in its hate.
  

• The poem obviously links with Miss Gee and Victor as they make up a trio of satirical ballads from the same period. They also use accentual verse, in this case there is a pattern of three stressed syllables per line which creates a steady rhythm of 1, 2, 3 pause & etc. This musical rhythm lightens the tone and creates a sense of time moving on swiftly. As one critic commented: 'the whirr and chime of clocks can be heard throughout Auden's poetry'.

• The poem has an abcb rhyme scheme, which adds to the sense of regularity and musicality. Note the awkward moments however. The first stanza's rhyme (cry/curiosity) suggests that the character is awkward and struggles to fit in from the very start.

• We get the whole life story of James Honeyman from childhood until death, told in a linear fashion.  It can be usefully broken down into the following sections:

 1-5: Childhood

• The eponymous hero is immediately marked out as someone who lacks emotion (he didn't laugh or cry) and instead possesses 'curiosity', foreshadowing his scientific and intellectual pursuits.

• His name suggests sweetness and benevolence (ironic, when you consider his invention of a poison gas), but could also suggest a connection with bees: perhaps their restlessness, productivity and the sting in the tail?

• In the second stanza, there is a sense of distance between mother and son. He is literally observed to be playing with fire - an idiom suggesting that he's going to get burned.

•  Stanzas 3-4 highlight the contrast between a normal childhood and James's. His only interest is in chemistry.

• Stanza five brings in an outside perspective (just like we get in Miss Gee and Victor) to point out the (anti)heroes character flaw: he doesn't play with others.

6-7: College

• Again, he is characterised as being isolated, extraordinary and driven. The 'black coffee' and 'glasses' use simple, concrete images to sum up his driven nature and studiousness. Similar use of synecdoche is used in Miss Gee in particular (no bust, slight squint etc)

 8-12: Growing up and moving on

•  As elsewhere in Auden, James takes a trip into the country where he looks for answers and seeks inspiration. The reference to 'phosphorous' reminds us of the earlier image of him striking matches.

• Lewisite was used in chemical weaponry but was developed too late for WW1. The use of the phrase 'pretty decent stuff' in connection with a poison gas demonstrates James's sense of perspective and ignorance of the consequences.

•  Again, a fresh perspective (the landlady) points out an obvious issue: James Honeyman only has one life and ought to have some fun. These outside perspectives help us identify the target of Auden's satire.

• Some readers comment that the connotations of alkali are less harmful than the corrosive acid. Perhaps his research work is linked to alkali while his more dangerous experiments in his shed are on the other side of the spectrum. The word 'Imperial' is used ironically. It is suggestive of the British Empire - and yet the gas is eventually used by a foreign power.
•  
• Stanza 11 reveals James's motivation: 'I'll be famous before I die'. Like Miss Gee, James harbours a secret and burning desire to be noticed and appreciated.

13-21: Marriage, becomes a father, doing experiments

•  There is humour in James's encounter with Doreen. He is able to offer iodine when she cuts her finger, and wants to 'stroke her hair'. It's quite a childlike, innocent response. Perhaps this hints at the absence of warmth in his childhood. It reminds me of the childish curiosity Lennie has in Curley's Wife in Of Mice and Men.

•  The significance of the dairy and the cinema? Perhaps the diary suggests a benign substance associated with innocence (milk) in contrast to the poisonous substances he is experiemnting with. The cinema could represent the neglected need for entertainment, escapism and relaxation. Also note the repetition of 'green' in the poem. The earliest use of gas as a chemical weapon (chlorine) was known for it's green (or green-yellow) colour. So it is suggestive both of nature and the poison gas - just as James is both at once family man and killer.

• In stanzas 17 and 18, the repetition of 'I'll finish my experiment' helps give an idea of time passing while James obsessively puts his life on hold until his work is done.

• Stanza 19 juxtaposes two lines about domestic bliss and the desire to care and nurture (helped to push the pram) and the sharply contrasting desire to destroy (kill a man). This stanza sums up perfectly this antithetical character.

• In stanza 21, time moves on again. The summer nights pass, but James carries on working in isolation in his shed, despite the symbolic red roses, which are suggestive of love. Both this image and summer itself suggest that he is spending the prime of life in isolation and is oblivious to his surroundings. Like 'Honeyman', the rose image suggests both something sweet but also painful. (Note the name of the doc in Miss Gee). Of course, the use of red at this point could also be a warning sign.

_________________________________________

 

Part 2 of this post is coming soon. I'll also be posting some more useful Auden resources.

 

I'm also happy to organise a revision session for next week if anyone is keen. How would after school on Wednesday and/or Thursday be?

 

 

Mr M