Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Themes to be found in the Bloody Chamber collection of short stories from Steve
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Friday, April 10, 2009
S4 Crucible essay plan from Steve
This is a basic plan for the following essay.
"John Proctor is clearly more of a hero than a villain." Discuss.
This question asks you to look at Proctor's actions and behaviour in the novel and assess whether he is more hero than villain.
You will have to look closely and analyse both sides of the equation.
In your introduction you will need to show the examiner that you understand exactly what the question is demanding of you. Keep the introduction brief and to the point.
My advice to you is that you structure the essay so that you take a positive and negative point turn by turn. This time it is your job to find the key quotes-but as yoyu are revising this play for the final exam it will be good revision for you. Below I have listed some of the key points on both sides of the debate. Try not to get hung up on constant quoting. When you make what you consider to be a key point, try to find a short quote to bolster your opinion and then analyse what you have said. Remember PQA.
Proctor the hero-below is some information about John-you can add anything extra of your own. these points are in no particular order of importance. They are simply here to get you thinking and provide a springboard for your own ideas.
First of all it might be worth defining what you understand by the term hero. I advise pointing out that in this play there are no true heroes and that all of the characters are complex individuals who possess a number of both positive and negative character traits. Proctor is a complex character-a truthful man who has told lies, an adulterer who tries to be a good husband.
He is a respected member of the community (pg 16 gives you a lot of information on John-most of it positive) even tempered, possessed of a certain type of wisdom.
John Proctor is a kind man in many ways. In Act One, the audience first sees him entering the Parris household to check on the health of the reverend’s ill daughter. He is good natured with fellow villagers such as Giley Corey, Rebecca Nurse, and others.
Even with adversaries, he is slow to anger. Though he is particularly harsh and unforgiving towards Parris.
He is an independent spirit who has cultivated the wilderness and transformed it into farmland. Furthermore, his sense of religion and communal spirit has led to many public contributions. In fact, he helped to construct the church in town.
His self-esteem sets him apart from other members of the town, such as the Putnams, who feel one must obey authority at all costs. Instead, John Proctor speaks his mind when he sees injustice. Throughout the play, he openly disagrees with the actions of Reverend Parris, an action that ultimately leads to his execution. IS THIS A POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE QUALITY?
Proctor’s flaws make him human. If he didn’t have them, he wouldn’t be a tragic hero. If the protagonist were a flawless hero, there would be no tragedy, even if the hero died at the end. A tragic hero, like John Proctor, is created when the protagonist uncovers the source of his downfall. When Proctor accomplishes this, he has the strength to stand up to the morally bankrupt society and dies in defense of truth.
Offered the opportunity to make a public confession of his guilt and live, he almost succumbs, even signing a written confession. His immense pride and fear of public opinion compelled him to withhold his adultery from the court, but by the end of the play he is more concerned with his personal integrity than his public reputation. He still wants to save his name, but for personal and religious, rather than public, reasons. Proctor's refusal to provide a false confession is a true religious and personal stand. Such a confession would dishonor his fellow prisoners, who are brave enough to die as testimony to the truth. Perhaps more relevantly, a false admission would also dishonor him, staining not just his public reputation, but also his soul. By refusing to give up his personal integrity Proctor implicitly proclaims his conviction that such integrity will bring him to heaven. He goes to the gallows redeemed for his earlier sins. As Elizabeth says to end the play, responding to Hale's plea that she convince Proctor to publicly confess: "He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!" This is his triumph at the end of th play.
In a sense, The Crucible has the structure of a classical tragedy, with John Proctor as the play's tragic hero. Honest, upright, and blunt-spoken, Proctor is a good man, but one with a secret, fatal flaw. Once the trials begin, Proctor realizes that he can stop Abigail's rampage through Salem but only if he confesses to his adultery. Such an admission would ruin his good name, and Proctor is, above all, a proud man who places great emphasis on his reputation. He eventually makes an attempt, through Mary Warren's testimony, to name Abigail as a fraud without revealing the crucial information. When this attempt fails, he finally bursts out with a confession, calling Abigail a "whore" and proclaiming his guilt publicly. Only then does he realize that it is too late, that matters have gone too far, and that not even the truth can break the powerful frenzy that he has allowed Abigail to whip up. Proctor's confession succeeds only in leading to his arrest and conviction as a witch, and though he lambastes the court and its proceedings, he is also aware of his terrible role in allowing this fervor to grow unchecked.
Proctor redeems himself and provides a final denunciation of the witch trials in his final act. Offered the opportunity to make a public confession of his guilt and live, he almost succumbs, even signing a written confession. His immense pride and fear of public opinion compelled him to withhold his adultery from the court, but by the end of the play he is more concerned with his personal integrity than his public reputation. He still wants to save his name, but for personal and religious, rather than public, reasons. Proctor's refusal to provide a false confession is a true religious and personal stand. Such a confession would dishonor his fellow prisoners, who are brave enough to die as testimony to the truth. Perhaps more relevantly, a false admission would also dishonor him, staining not just his public reputation, but also his soul. By refusing to give up his personal integrity Proctor implicitly proclaims his conviction that such integrity will bring him to heaven. He goes to the gallows redeemed for his earlier sins. As Elizabeth says to end the play, responding to Hale's plea that she convince Proctor to publicly confess: "He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!"
Proctor as villain
But he does get angry! One of his flaws is his temper. When friendly discussion does not work, Proctor will resort to shouting and even physical violence. There are occasions throughout the play when he threatens to whip his wife, his servant-girl, and his ex-mistress. Still, he remains a sympathetic character because his anger is generated by the unjust society which he inhabits. The more the town becomes collectively paranoid, the more he rages.
Despite his prideful ways, John Proctor describes himself as a "sinner." He has cheated on his wife, and he is loath to admit the crime to anyone else. There are moments when his anger and disgust towards himself burst forth, such as in the climactic moment when he exclaims to Judge Danforth: "I hear the boot of Lucifer, I see his filthy face! And it is my face, and yours."
Proctor’s character contains a caustic blend of pride and self-loathing, a very puritanical combination indeed! One the one hand, he takes pride in his farm and his community
Despises injustice, yet feels guilty because of his extra-marital affair with 17 year old Abigail .DOES THIS MAKE HIM A HYPOCRITE IN YOUR EYES? HIS ADULTERY IS OBVIOUSLY HIS GREATEST CRIME
His lust for Abigail Williams led to their affair (which occurs before the play begins), and created Abigail's jealousy of his wife, Elizabeth, which sets the entire witch hysteria in motion. So in a sense it is possible to blame him for all the subsequent events. It was his behaviour that set everything off at the start
DOES HE FAIL HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN BY LETTING HIS PRIDE TAKE HIM TO THE GALLOWS? SHOULD HE HAVE LIED TO STAY ALIVE TO LOOK AFTER HIS FAMILY?
Conclusion
You have to make an overall decision. My opinion is that although Proctor is the closest thing in the play to a hero-he is a tragic hero. A man who only has one real flaw-but it is this that helps to bring him down (and in doing so destroy the community he has helped to build up).
"John Proctor is clearly more of a hero than a villain." Discuss.
This question asks you to look at Proctor's actions and behaviour in the novel and assess whether he is more hero than villain.
You will have to look closely and analyse both sides of the equation.
In your introduction you will need to show the examiner that you understand exactly what the question is demanding of you. Keep the introduction brief and to the point.
My advice to you is that you structure the essay so that you take a positive and negative point turn by turn. This time it is your job to find the key quotes-but as yoyu are revising this play for the final exam it will be good revision for you. Below I have listed some of the key points on both sides of the debate. Try not to get hung up on constant quoting. When you make what you consider to be a key point, try to find a short quote to bolster your opinion and then analyse what you have said. Remember PQA.
Proctor the hero-below is some information about John-you can add anything extra of your own. these points are in no particular order of importance. They are simply here to get you thinking and provide a springboard for your own ideas.
First of all it might be worth defining what you understand by the term hero. I advise pointing out that in this play there are no true heroes and that all of the characters are complex individuals who possess a number of both positive and negative character traits. Proctor is a complex character-a truthful man who has told lies, an adulterer who tries to be a good husband.
He is a respected member of the community (pg 16 gives you a lot of information on John-most of it positive) even tempered, possessed of a certain type of wisdom.
John Proctor is a kind man in many ways. In Act One, the audience first sees him entering the Parris household to check on the health of the reverend’s ill daughter. He is good natured with fellow villagers such as Giley Corey, Rebecca Nurse, and others.
Even with adversaries, he is slow to anger. Though he is particularly harsh and unforgiving towards Parris.
He is an independent spirit who has cultivated the wilderness and transformed it into farmland. Furthermore, his sense of religion and communal spirit has led to many public contributions. In fact, he helped to construct the church in town.
His self-esteem sets him apart from other members of the town, such as the Putnams, who feel one must obey authority at all costs. Instead, John Proctor speaks his mind when he sees injustice. Throughout the play, he openly disagrees with the actions of Reverend Parris, an action that ultimately leads to his execution. IS THIS A POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE QUALITY?
Proctor’s flaws make him human. If he didn’t have them, he wouldn’t be a tragic hero. If the protagonist were a flawless hero, there would be no tragedy, even if the hero died at the end. A tragic hero, like John Proctor, is created when the protagonist uncovers the source of his downfall. When Proctor accomplishes this, he has the strength to stand up to the morally bankrupt society and dies in defense of truth.
Offered the opportunity to make a public confession of his guilt and live, he almost succumbs, even signing a written confession. His immense pride and fear of public opinion compelled him to withhold his adultery from the court, but by the end of the play he is more concerned with his personal integrity than his public reputation. He still wants to save his name, but for personal and religious, rather than public, reasons. Proctor's refusal to provide a false confession is a true religious and personal stand. Such a confession would dishonor his fellow prisoners, who are brave enough to die as testimony to the truth. Perhaps more relevantly, a false admission would also dishonor him, staining not just his public reputation, but also his soul. By refusing to give up his personal integrity Proctor implicitly proclaims his conviction that such integrity will bring him to heaven. He goes to the gallows redeemed for his earlier sins. As Elizabeth says to end the play, responding to Hale's plea that she convince Proctor to publicly confess: "He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!" This is his triumph at the end of th play.
In a sense, The Crucible has the structure of a classical tragedy, with John Proctor as the play's tragic hero. Honest, upright, and blunt-spoken, Proctor is a good man, but one with a secret, fatal flaw. Once the trials begin, Proctor realizes that he can stop Abigail's rampage through Salem but only if he confesses to his adultery. Such an admission would ruin his good name, and Proctor is, above all, a proud man who places great emphasis on his reputation. He eventually makes an attempt, through Mary Warren's testimony, to name Abigail as a fraud without revealing the crucial information. When this attempt fails, he finally bursts out with a confession, calling Abigail a "whore" and proclaiming his guilt publicly. Only then does he realize that it is too late, that matters have gone too far, and that not even the truth can break the powerful frenzy that he has allowed Abigail to whip up. Proctor's confession succeeds only in leading to his arrest and conviction as a witch, and though he lambastes the court and its proceedings, he is also aware of his terrible role in allowing this fervor to grow unchecked.
Proctor redeems himself and provides a final denunciation of the witch trials in his final act. Offered the opportunity to make a public confession of his guilt and live, he almost succumbs, even signing a written confession. His immense pride and fear of public opinion compelled him to withhold his adultery from the court, but by the end of the play he is more concerned with his personal integrity than his public reputation. He still wants to save his name, but for personal and religious, rather than public, reasons. Proctor's refusal to provide a false confession is a true religious and personal stand. Such a confession would dishonor his fellow prisoners, who are brave enough to die as testimony to the truth. Perhaps more relevantly, a false admission would also dishonor him, staining not just his public reputation, but also his soul. By refusing to give up his personal integrity Proctor implicitly proclaims his conviction that such integrity will bring him to heaven. He goes to the gallows redeemed for his earlier sins. As Elizabeth says to end the play, responding to Hale's plea that she convince Proctor to publicly confess: "He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!"
Proctor as villain
But he does get angry! One of his flaws is his temper. When friendly discussion does not work, Proctor will resort to shouting and even physical violence. There are occasions throughout the play when he threatens to whip his wife, his servant-girl, and his ex-mistress. Still, he remains a sympathetic character because his anger is generated by the unjust society which he inhabits. The more the town becomes collectively paranoid, the more he rages.
Despite his prideful ways, John Proctor describes himself as a "sinner." He has cheated on his wife, and he is loath to admit the crime to anyone else. There are moments when his anger and disgust towards himself burst forth, such as in the climactic moment when he exclaims to Judge Danforth: "I hear the boot of Lucifer, I see his filthy face! And it is my face, and yours."
Proctor’s character contains a caustic blend of pride and self-loathing, a very puritanical combination indeed! One the one hand, he takes pride in his farm and his community
Despises injustice, yet feels guilty because of his extra-marital affair with 17 year old Abigail .DOES THIS MAKE HIM A HYPOCRITE IN YOUR EYES? HIS ADULTERY IS OBVIOUSLY HIS GREATEST CRIME
His lust for Abigail Williams led to their affair (which occurs before the play begins), and created Abigail's jealousy of his wife, Elizabeth, which sets the entire witch hysteria in motion. So in a sense it is possible to blame him for all the subsequent events. It was his behaviour that set everything off at the start
DOES HE FAIL HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN BY LETTING HIS PRIDE TAKE HIM TO THE GALLOWS? SHOULD HE HAVE LIED TO STAY ALIVE TO LOOK AFTER HIS FAMILY?
Conclusion
You have to make an overall decision. My opinion is that although Proctor is the closest thing in the play to a hero-he is a tragic hero. A man who only has one real flaw-but it is this that helps to bring him down (and in doing so destroy the community he has helped to build up).
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
S4 Essay plans for coursework from Steve
Here are the essay notes for the poetry I will be adding the essay notes for the John Proctor essay (for Melanie and Marie) on Friday-which still gives you the weekend to have a stab at it. Any of the rest of you are free to have a stab at The Crucible essay should you wish. That includes any of you in other forms who want to have a go at improving your grades. Remember the coursework counts for 30% of your Literature mark-so if you know your work was not up to standard in S3 then take a few hours to write a better essay. I have made the effort to do this for you. Help yourself by putting in a bit of effort yourself. You only get one chance at this exam-so do right by yourself. I hope this helps. It is a very detailed plan-all you have to do is add a little personal opinion (say how the writing makes you feel essentially) and concentrate on analysing not retelling. So work hard and enjoy the rest of your holiday. Mr Steve
Compare the way in which urban and rural lifestyles are presented in "Blessing" and "Night of the Scorpion" respectively.
The first thing you have to do here is write a brief introduction in which you establish that you know what the question is about. This is a comparison of two poems and the way in which they portray life. One is making use of an urban setting the other a rural one (i.e. in the countryside). You will need to establish that you know this in your introductions. Both poems show third world life and the trials, dangers and tribulations suffered by the locals. You could also point out that both poems go about their tasks in slightly different ways-though that they use certain tricks and techniques in common (i.e. imagery and figurative language). So all in all you will be pointing out in your introduction that you will be examining the way in which the locals are presented, the ways in which religion and superstition are dealt with as well as any thematic issues are handled. You will also need to say you will examine any structural differences or similarities between the two poems.
One thing that you must be aware of is that hen you compare you must also contrast (i.e. look at the differences between the poems as well as the similarities
Main body of the essay
You will need to look closely at/analyse each poem in this essay. It is probably best to compare the poems by breaking the essay down into sections-see below
I will list the key areas of comparison/contrast and then provide some notes and quotes for each section. Please try and remember that the very best essays are brave enough to provide their own opinions.
1. The people in the two poems-we will be looking at the similarities and differences in the way they are presented
2. Lifestyles-dangers and plus points
3. Religion/superstition
4. Structural differences between the poems-narrators/verse structure/rhyme/use of symbolism and figurative language
For each of these sections I will be looking very closely at the poem itself and using the PQA system to make analytical points.
MAIN BODY OF THE ESSAY
The way the people are presented and the lifestyle they lead (This is the first issue to compare): Blessing. The first thing to point out is that this poem is set in a slum on the outskirts of Mumbai (a huge Indian city with a population of around 17 million). Most of the urban city dwellers live in abject poverty and barely survive from day to day. Urban life is harsh and unremitting.
The heat is emphasised straight away-"the skin cracks like a pod" These people are living in an environment where blazing heat is a constant. The use of the simile here hammers home the idea that the heat is almost a living thing. The people are suffering. "There is never enough water." Drought is a constant threat here-which we will see is a big contrast with the next poem where it is always raining (which ironically causes a different type of problem."
The people can only "imagine water." Try to show some empathy here. How would you feel if you were in the same position? Water for them has almost become a mythical and divine substance. Their lives depend upon it yet it rarely falls. Even a tiny amount "..small splash, echo" makes a big difference to them.
Fortune or fate/destiny is a theme of the poem. The "sudden rush" of the water is seen as a miraculous piece of good fortune. This ‘accident’ could be seen as saving the lives of the people. The water is seen as precious-it is described as "silver." However in being compared to a "roar of tongues" it also provokes a stampede among the people. Everyone is desperate to get his or her share.
The multitude that live in the slums are emphasised (there are hundreds upon hundreds of people)-"every man woman and child for streets around" is affected. We get a sense of the lifestyle of these people. They are living in "huts" (what does this tell you about their standard of life) crammed in on top of each other. Hopefully in geography you will have studied slums and shanty towns so you will get and impression of what life is like here.
Again the sense of the poverty of the people is emphasised when we see what they use to catch the water. "pots..plastic buckets, frantic hands." They are certainly not rich at all. The fact that they are described as "frantic" shows how desperate they are to get their hands on some water. This could well be the difference between life and death for them. The "naked" children again emphasises their lack of money and resources. The ending of the poem is ambiguous. The water can be seen as something of a mixed blessing after all. It has been a "municipal pipe" that has burst. The water has come gushing out in one giant rush. While this means water for them all today-so much that the happy children can play and enjoy some fun in the "liquid sun" what will happen when it runs out? This may mean they have no water for the rest of the month-which could lead to worse problems in the long run. We can compare this ending later on with the ambiguous ending of Night of the Scorpion.
Night of the Scorpion
Remember that we have to actively compare how the two poems deal with people and lifestyle.
Point out that this poem is set in rural India-deep in the countryside. The big difference is that there are two distinct types of people being described in this poem-there are the rural peasants and the family of the poet (who are educated people who have moved from the country to the city).
The peasants are poor like the slum dwellers. There are numerous quotes here that you can use to PQA. I will list a few of them below. So choose a few and analyse them to show how life is similarly harsh and that the people here seem to be living in a similar sort of poverty to their city dwelling cousins.
"mud baked walls"
"candles and lanterns."-no electricity
"insects and endless rain.-conditions are harsh. Where the city people suffer from heat and drought, here they are bombarded with water and the flies and stinging insects that come with the rain.
The presentation of the peasants is somewhat negative. They are described as a "swarm of flies" it is almost as if they are getting in the way of helping the mother. Again though the amount of people (as in the first poem) is emphasised-basically there are lots of them living in close proximity.
You can point out the irony of the fact that whether it is too much rain or not enough the people suffer either way. Indeed it is the incessant (nice word for you which means endless or constant) rain that "had driven" the scorpion in from outside.
This poem is more about suffering. The mother who is bitten actively suffers in this poem where we see the people benefiting from the rain in the previous poem (you see what we are doing here-contrasting or to put it another way: answering the question). You can again pick out a few key lines to emphasise the misery of the mother.
"the poison moved in mother’s blood."
"My mother twisted through and through, groaning on a mat." This key line can be actively contrasted with the happy children dancing in the rainfall of water from the pipe. Both poets use movement. One to convey happiness and joy the other to emphasise pain and suffering. This is a good A* type contrast of the imagery of the poems.
Religion/superstition: Blessing (this is the second area to compare and contrast).
Water is presented as divine "the voice of a kindly god." To the people of the sum water is the source of life and you can see what the writer is trying to do in comparing it to a god. Water is indeed the answer to all of their prayers. So we see religion, as a theme being used-although it is a strange way to imagine religion. We would normally associate religion with a belief in some divine being. Here nature or more specifically water is the thing to be worshipped. Again we can contrast this with the more orthodox attitude to belief that we see in the second poem. Remember that we will be actively trying to compare and contrast as much as we can throughout the essay.
The people are described as a "congregation" which is the way a group of worshippers in church are described.
The water itself is described as a "blessing" almost as if it were a gift from heaven.
The numerous references to brightness and light create a religious feeling. "Highlights..flashing lights." It is almost as if the arrival of the water was a miracle
Night of the Scorpion
The way religion and superstition is handled in this poem is much more conventional. Though there is a contrast between the villagers and the sceptical and educated father of the narrator.
The people are primitive and superstitious-they chant to help the mother in her suffering "They buzzed the name of god a hundred times."
They "clicked their tongues" to ward of the spell of the scorpions poison, a thing they associate with the devil-"the evil one." They are a primitive people who believe in charms and spells as an aid against the devil.
They believe in karma-a Hindu"idea about rebirth and redemption. They believe that the suffering the mother is going through will "burn away" the sins of her "previous birth." This is a very complex religious idea. All you need to do is show that the people have a simple religious belief in God/rebirth and karma. This is a more conventional religious belief than the portrayal of the water as divine in the first poem.
Even the educated father of the poet who is described as a "sceptic, rationalist" turns to superstition and belief in his desperation and worry about his wife. He tries "every curse and blessing" in an attempt to help his wife. Religion in this poem is seen as a primitive force, something to be turned to in times of need. The religious feeling in the first poem was one of joy in nature rather than belief or faith in God or divine providence. Please try and put this point in your own words rather than simply lifting my words into your essay.
There is even a holy man in this poem who "performs his rites" which is the most overtly religious act in either of the poems. In the first poem the religious imagery is subtle-the water is seen as a divine force. Here we see religion being used in a much more conventional sense-as a curative solution to the problems of life. "Incantations" and chants are used to try and help the mother.
The structures of the poems-how they are similar and different (the third comparison/contrast)
You can deal with this section as a direct contrast/comparison in one large paragraph. You will need to point out that the poets approach their task of portraying urban and rural life in different ways.
Similarities
Both use figurative language-metaphors/similes etc-you have numerous quotes in this plan to refer to. Both also use symbolism. Water=life and joy a gift from god. The scorpion=evil and the devil. Water=a source of discomfort rather than life giving.
Both deal with rain and water-yet they are presented in very different ways. Poem one water=divine/good. The second poem uses the "constant rain" as a motif and it is a negative one. It blights the life of the villagers making life more difficult.
Both poems deal with the difficulties of life in poverty stricken India
Both uses a number of poetic devices in common-especially the use of enjambment-which means that the lines run over to create a flowing feel to the poem.
The endings of the poems are ambiguous. The burst pipe has brought joy but it may lead to greater hardship in the future. At the end of the second poem when the "poison lost its sting" we do not know whether the mother has survived or not.
Differences
The first contrast is that Night of the Scorpion is written in the first person (making it much more personal and immediate). We get a lot more personal feeling and viewpoint in the first poem
The tone of the second poem is much more factual and matter of fact than the first one. Also the feel of the second poem is much more negative and gloomy compared to the joy of the first poem. Try to give your opinion here.
Blessing uses verses/stanzas where as the second poem is written in free verse.
Conclusion
Sum up what you have done in your own words. Conclude by saying the poems are similar yet different they deal with Indian life in the city and country-yet they deal with the issues at times in quite different ways. Hopefully you will have been comparing and contrasting all the way through the essay.
Compare the way in which urban and rural lifestyles are presented in "Blessing" and "Night of the Scorpion" respectively.
The first thing you have to do here is write a brief introduction in which you establish that you know what the question is about. This is a comparison of two poems and the way in which they portray life. One is making use of an urban setting the other a rural one (i.e. in the countryside). You will need to establish that you know this in your introductions. Both poems show third world life and the trials, dangers and tribulations suffered by the locals. You could also point out that both poems go about their tasks in slightly different ways-though that they use certain tricks and techniques in common (i.e. imagery and figurative language). So all in all you will be pointing out in your introduction that you will be examining the way in which the locals are presented, the ways in which religion and superstition are dealt with as well as any thematic issues are handled. You will also need to say you will examine any structural differences or similarities between the two poems.
One thing that you must be aware of is that hen you compare you must also contrast (i.e. look at the differences between the poems as well as the similarities
Main body of the essay
You will need to look closely at/analyse each poem in this essay. It is probably best to compare the poems by breaking the essay down into sections-see below
I will list the key areas of comparison/contrast and then provide some notes and quotes for each section. Please try and remember that the very best essays are brave enough to provide their own opinions.
1. The people in the two poems-we will be looking at the similarities and differences in the way they are presented
2. Lifestyles-dangers and plus points
3. Religion/superstition
4. Structural differences between the poems-narrators/verse structure/rhyme/use of symbolism and figurative language
For each of these sections I will be looking very closely at the poem itself and using the PQA system to make analytical points.
MAIN BODY OF THE ESSAY
The way the people are presented and the lifestyle they lead (This is the first issue to compare): Blessing. The first thing to point out is that this poem is set in a slum on the outskirts of Mumbai (a huge Indian city with a population of around 17 million). Most of the urban city dwellers live in abject poverty and barely survive from day to day. Urban life is harsh and unremitting.
The heat is emphasised straight away-"the skin cracks like a pod" These people are living in an environment where blazing heat is a constant. The use of the simile here hammers home the idea that the heat is almost a living thing. The people are suffering. "There is never enough water." Drought is a constant threat here-which we will see is a big contrast with the next poem where it is always raining (which ironically causes a different type of problem."
The people can only "imagine water." Try to show some empathy here. How would you feel if you were in the same position? Water for them has almost become a mythical and divine substance. Their lives depend upon it yet it rarely falls. Even a tiny amount "..small splash, echo" makes a big difference to them.
Fortune or fate/destiny is a theme of the poem. The "sudden rush" of the water is seen as a miraculous piece of good fortune. This ‘accident’ could be seen as saving the lives of the people. The water is seen as precious-it is described as "silver." However in being compared to a "roar of tongues" it also provokes a stampede among the people. Everyone is desperate to get his or her share.
The multitude that live in the slums are emphasised (there are hundreds upon hundreds of people)-"every man woman and child for streets around" is affected. We get a sense of the lifestyle of these people. They are living in "huts" (what does this tell you about their standard of life) crammed in on top of each other. Hopefully in geography you will have studied slums and shanty towns so you will get and impression of what life is like here.
Again the sense of the poverty of the people is emphasised when we see what they use to catch the water. "pots..plastic buckets, frantic hands." They are certainly not rich at all. The fact that they are described as "frantic" shows how desperate they are to get their hands on some water. This could well be the difference between life and death for them. The "naked" children again emphasises their lack of money and resources. The ending of the poem is ambiguous. The water can be seen as something of a mixed blessing after all. It has been a "municipal pipe" that has burst. The water has come gushing out in one giant rush. While this means water for them all today-so much that the happy children can play and enjoy some fun in the "liquid sun" what will happen when it runs out? This may mean they have no water for the rest of the month-which could lead to worse problems in the long run. We can compare this ending later on with the ambiguous ending of Night of the Scorpion.
Night of the Scorpion
Remember that we have to actively compare how the two poems deal with people and lifestyle.
Point out that this poem is set in rural India-deep in the countryside. The big difference is that there are two distinct types of people being described in this poem-there are the rural peasants and the family of the poet (who are educated people who have moved from the country to the city).
The peasants are poor like the slum dwellers. There are numerous quotes here that you can use to PQA. I will list a few of them below. So choose a few and analyse them to show how life is similarly harsh and that the people here seem to be living in a similar sort of poverty to their city dwelling cousins.
"mud baked walls"
"candles and lanterns."-no electricity
"insects and endless rain.-conditions are harsh. Where the city people suffer from heat and drought, here they are bombarded with water and the flies and stinging insects that come with the rain.
The presentation of the peasants is somewhat negative. They are described as a "swarm of flies" it is almost as if they are getting in the way of helping the mother. Again though the amount of people (as in the first poem) is emphasised-basically there are lots of them living in close proximity.
You can point out the irony of the fact that whether it is too much rain or not enough the people suffer either way. Indeed it is the incessant (nice word for you which means endless or constant) rain that "had driven" the scorpion in from outside.
This poem is more about suffering. The mother who is bitten actively suffers in this poem where we see the people benefiting from the rain in the previous poem (you see what we are doing here-contrasting or to put it another way: answering the question). You can again pick out a few key lines to emphasise the misery of the mother.
"the poison moved in mother’s blood."
"My mother twisted through and through, groaning on a mat." This key line can be actively contrasted with the happy children dancing in the rainfall of water from the pipe. Both poets use movement. One to convey happiness and joy the other to emphasise pain and suffering. This is a good A* type contrast of the imagery of the poems.
Religion/superstition: Blessing (this is the second area to compare and contrast).
Water is presented as divine "the voice of a kindly god." To the people of the sum water is the source of life and you can see what the writer is trying to do in comparing it to a god. Water is indeed the answer to all of their prayers. So we see religion, as a theme being used-although it is a strange way to imagine religion. We would normally associate religion with a belief in some divine being. Here nature or more specifically water is the thing to be worshipped. Again we can contrast this with the more orthodox attitude to belief that we see in the second poem. Remember that we will be actively trying to compare and contrast as much as we can throughout the essay.
The people are described as a "congregation" which is the way a group of worshippers in church are described.
The water itself is described as a "blessing" almost as if it were a gift from heaven.
The numerous references to brightness and light create a religious feeling. "Highlights..flashing lights." It is almost as if the arrival of the water was a miracle
Night of the Scorpion
The way religion and superstition is handled in this poem is much more conventional. Though there is a contrast between the villagers and the sceptical and educated father of the narrator.
The people are primitive and superstitious-they chant to help the mother in her suffering "They buzzed the name of god a hundred times."
They "clicked their tongues" to ward of the spell of the scorpions poison, a thing they associate with the devil-"the evil one." They are a primitive people who believe in charms and spells as an aid against the devil.
They believe in karma-a Hindu"idea about rebirth and redemption. They believe that the suffering the mother is going through will "burn away" the sins of her "previous birth." This is a very complex religious idea. All you need to do is show that the people have a simple religious belief in God/rebirth and karma. This is a more conventional religious belief than the portrayal of the water as divine in the first poem.
Even the educated father of the poet who is described as a "sceptic, rationalist" turns to superstition and belief in his desperation and worry about his wife. He tries "every curse and blessing" in an attempt to help his wife. Religion in this poem is seen as a primitive force, something to be turned to in times of need. The religious feeling in the first poem was one of joy in nature rather than belief or faith in God or divine providence. Please try and put this point in your own words rather than simply lifting my words into your essay.
There is even a holy man in this poem who "performs his rites" which is the most overtly religious act in either of the poems. In the first poem the religious imagery is subtle-the water is seen as a divine force. Here we see religion being used in a much more conventional sense-as a curative solution to the problems of life. "Incantations" and chants are used to try and help the mother.
The structures of the poems-how they are similar and different (the third comparison/contrast)
You can deal with this section as a direct contrast/comparison in one large paragraph. You will need to point out that the poets approach their task of portraying urban and rural life in different ways.
Similarities
Both use figurative language-metaphors/similes etc-you have numerous quotes in this plan to refer to. Both also use symbolism. Water=life and joy a gift from god. The scorpion=evil and the devil. Water=a source of discomfort rather than life giving.
Both deal with rain and water-yet they are presented in very different ways. Poem one water=divine/good. The second poem uses the "constant rain" as a motif and it is a negative one. It blights the life of the villagers making life more difficult.
Both poems deal with the difficulties of life in poverty stricken India
Both uses a number of poetic devices in common-especially the use of enjambment-which means that the lines run over to create a flowing feel to the poem.
The endings of the poems are ambiguous. The burst pipe has brought joy but it may lead to greater hardship in the future. At the end of the second poem when the "poison lost its sting" we do not know whether the mother has survived or not.
Differences
The first contrast is that Night of the Scorpion is written in the first person (making it much more personal and immediate). We get a lot more personal feeling and viewpoint in the first poem
The tone of the second poem is much more factual and matter of fact than the first one. Also the feel of the second poem is much more negative and gloomy compared to the joy of the first poem. Try to give your opinion here.
Blessing uses verses/stanzas where as the second poem is written in free verse.
Conclusion
Sum up what you have done in your own words. Conclude by saying the poems are similar yet different they deal with Indian life in the city and country-yet they deal with the issues at times in quite different ways. Hopefully you will have been comparing and contrasting all the way through the essay.
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