Mar
19
2013
Apocalyptic homework;
Part 1
1) what evidence is there that the setting of the road might have been the result of a nuclear war/disaster?
Throughout the book, various settings described denotes a very dark and empty society.
With the constant referring to the setting containing “ash” it allows the reader to question its overall impact on the book.
The use of ‘ash’ in the book enables the ideas of a bomb explosion, showing after the explosion occurred ash would have been released in the air, also to consider is the destruction it causes such as hitting a house releasing burnt materials.
Another example used is “watching the nameless dark come to enshroud them”, this point enables mccarthy to present the theme of ‘loneliness’ and allows the reader to consider whether this idea was considered by some deliberate act, this concluding the idea of a nuclear bomb, where people have had to go on there own route in life due to a desperation for survival.
2) if we assume we are reading the result of a nuclear war/disaster, what message(s) do you think might mccarthy be sending
Mccarthy establishes a variety of themes throughout the book which are able to reflect the mindsets of both the son and father.
The assumption that there was some form of nuclear war/disaster means the reader can question various conversations between the son and father, for example when the son asks his dad “Are we going to die”, this showing through the issues already occurring including scarce resources and high amount of death’s, life is an ‘uncertainty’ and the son feels that he is vulnerable to death and that he can die at any moment throughout the book.
Through Mccarthy presenting the mindsets of these characters, the reader is able to empathise
3) What is suggested by descriptions of scorned landscape. (quotation aswell)
As said earlier ‘The Road’ establishes these eerie and dark settings, so for land to be scorned the reader must take into account that for the land to be scorned, it must have been vulnerable to something extremely hot, this is for the reader to consider, this could be a spilling of a substance, the dropping of bombs or another type of disaster occurrence.
The impact on the book shows how just like the humans source of protection and hope, these landscapes have been deserted allowing the reader to understand the concept of life in the book at this time.
Through this quotation, the father is trying to load his son with the ideas and morals that he was once so familiar with in the ‘old world’.
He tries to tell his son how the other people are no longer good strangers through there committing of acts such as theft, murder and cannibalism, this plays a role throughout as the reader beguns to question how much of a ‘good man’ the dad is after murdering a stranger.
Part 2
When reading both ‘The road’ and ‘Wasteland’, the reader is able to automatically detect this very dull and depressing setting where society seems to have gone against its strong democratic and organised views which were once so crucial.
One outstanding point was in ‘Wasteland’ is when one line confirms “Unreal city” which relates so well to The road, which has these averse characteristics and make up such as constant murders, cannibals and the concept of ‘fighting till the death’, which goes against thus typical society through the events in the road that do occur, they are the opposite to vivid and really are only of a ‘Dystopia’.
no comments | posted in Poems
Mar
3
2013
no comments | posted in Poems
Mar
3
2013
How far do you agree an overwhelming sadness hangs over Rossetti’s poems
Throughout Rossetti’s poems a sense of ‘sadness’ is presented, this accomplished through an insight into the language used, literary techniques, the structure of the sentences and its relevance and meaning when fixed into a sentence/paragraph.
Whilst reading Rossetti’s ‘The Convent Threshold’ the idea of sadness was fairly apparent from line 60-64.
“I turn from you my cheek and eyes,
My hair which you shall see no more –
Alas for joy that went before,
For joy that dies, for love that dies!”
My personal summary, hints to the fact that these four lines signify an ‘ending’ on some form of relationship. The idea that they will not see each other no more and “love that dies” shows quite a depressed state from Rossetti.
Another possible idea is how Rossetti may have linked this concept of ‘breaking up’ or an end to something may just have been a contextual factor in her life.
This idea of a breaking up or ending is backed up when Rossetti makes a use of of repetition.
Rossetti says “For joy that dies, for love that dies!”, the use of the word ‘dies’ is repeated, this to make it stand out amongst all others in the same paragraph, also it can be taken into consideration how the word ‘dies’ is the last word used out of the four lines. This backs up the fact that Rossetti would have maybe made these words and ideas deliberately stick out, so readers could have understood her mindset at this specific point in time and the also the relevance of how an ‘end’ to something occurs.
When looking at another poem, Rossetti’s ‘A Royal Princess’ shows on a more drastic measure a depressed society.
“Men are clamouring, women, children, clamouring to be fed;
Men like famished dogs are howling in the streets for bred”
These two lines in the stanza discuss how in this specific society Rossetti is discussing how deprived this place is through families are hungry and need to be fed and the men are begging for bread which signifies begging for both food or money.
Rossetti once again brings up this idea of a place which to some extent is a dystopia, where there are lots of poor people, high rates of crime like shows in goblin market with the idea of the sister being ‘sexually abused’, and in this case the other feature of a dystopia ‘cannibalism’ which can be linked to the idea of being extremely hungry and Rossetti tries to provoke the idea to what extent humans can go on till they would eat there own.
The metaphor “Men are like famished dogs” allows Rossetti to target her readers imagination of these animal like humans who are starving and becoming savages.
The horrible concept within these lines contribute to the sad theme which hangs over Rossetti’s poems.
Rossetti’s poems propose a social factor through out and the interaction between people this normally including relationships.
Through the direct use if specific words and use if literary techniques Rossetti is able to apply a sad feeling on her readers through the ideas such as an ‘ending’ or ‘depression’
It is crucial to consistently question whether these themes are just mirrored events in her life
no comments | posted in Poems
Mar
3
2013
A Dystopia.. A community…People…Terror&fright.
To the average citizen in London a dystopia would be the idea of a nightmare, the place whereby dreams and hopes are crushed.
Movies in todays society such as ‘shank’ signifies a fallen government and the impacts it bas, including how deprived London has become. A Dystopia is said to have taken the form of a ‘multitude of speculations’
Movies in todays society such as ‘shank’ signifies a fallen government and the impacts it bas, including how deprived London has become.
Now taking into account the society that the man and boy live in is considered to be in a ‘post apocalyptic world’ with these changed settings and moral attitudes of the citizens. An example of the change in setting is when the boy asks his dad what colour the sea is and his dad replies “it was once blue” signifying the dumping of litter and excess amounts of pollution have changed the colour of the water. These new towns are described to be run down and urban areas have almost converted into rural ones. When taking into account other factors aswell, people are jobless, homeless and there is a constant battle for the ‘scarce’ amount of resources available, this leads on to why issues such as cannibalism occur throughout.
Whats interesting to consider is how the man sticks by his traditional values from the ‘old’ world including avoiding cannibalism and being the ‘good guys’ and also influences his son with this decision of thinking.
It enables the reader to develop the understanding of the strong character that that the man is, as he’d rather get by and die starving than do whats considered to be normal in a dystopia.
1 comment | posted in Poems
