Coursework Update

Today i finished planning my essay, I have decided on the main themes that I will compare between the two novels and have a planned structure to follow. I am going to compare two of the characters from A Thousand Splendid Suns and one from The Colour Purple, then write about sacrifice as this is a recurrring theme in both of the books. My next paragraph will be on hope and how it is continually destroyed in each of the women. Then I am going to write about the bonds that form between these women as they console in each other and deal with the tragedies life has dealt them. I will conclude by writing about the similar ways that woman are portrayed in both novels and how this in turn effected their lives.

Reading Journal - Gothic Elements in Act I

Scene I – The play begins with three witches which immediately implements a gothic theme as they represent darkness and black magic. The scene is set with thunder and lightning which creates a parallel to the witches, letting the audience know they are on the edge of something evil.

Scene II – There is talk of a bloody soldier in this scene, this foreshadows Macbeth’s future role in the play that will also involve more bloodshed. The language is very gothic, words such as; “merciless,” “rebel,” “bloody execution,” and “reeking wounds,” are used to emphasise the evil in the atmosphere.

Scene III – The witches use brutal, cruel language here using phrases like “killing swine.” They gruesomely discuss the torture of an innocent sailor using words such as “drain” and “hang.” They create a mysterious atmosphere by having such a close bond which we see as they talk in riddles, their unity creates the image of power as no other force can come against them. As they tell Macbeth his future they increase the mystery of the scene by leaving when he was desperate to hear more. As they hear the news that Macbeth is to be Thane of Cawdor, we see the seed in Macbeth’s mind as he starts to allow himself to believe he could one day be king, and thoughts of murder are already surfacing. However he throws away the idea saying; “whose horrid image doth unfix my hair, and make my seated heart knock at my ribs.”

Scene IV – The king talks about the Thane of Cawdor’s deception which is linked in with the gothic theme as by deceiving the king, Cawdor was living in darkness; “there’s no art to find the mind’s construction in the face.” The king also declares that his son Malcolm will be heir to his throne, which threatens Macbeth’s new found desire to be king. Macbeth realises this could stop his prophecy coming true; “for in my way it lies.” Thoughts of murder reappear, but he is frightened by his “black and deep desires.”

Scene V – As Lady Macbeth hears of the prophecy, she immediately starts plotting and we see her part as a gothic lead begin to emerge in the play. She knows they have to kill King Duncan, but is aware that Macbeth is too soft a man to carry it out. She cries out to the heavens “unsex me here,” wishing for herself to be like a man, who traditionally is the only one capable of murder. There is again the use of gothic language, giving the sense of evil; “make thick my blood,” “murdering ministers” and “smoke of hell.”

Scene VI – The king comments on how lovely Macbeth’s castle is, this is a great contrast to the foreboding events the audience know is coming. Macbeth and his wife are slyly plotting the King’s murder as he relaxes in their home.

Scene VII – Macbeth has serious doubts about killing King Duncan, highlighting the difference in character between him and Lady Macbeth. We see just how evil and cruel Lady Macbeth is in her attempt to convince Macbeth to carry out their plan. She pleads, saying she would easily kill a baby no matter how sweet, if she had promised it to Macbeth. Eventually Macbeth agrees and they plan to frame the guards by getting them drunk. He comments on Lady Macbeth’s manly nature, as she is so willing and hardened to murder. The theme of deception is used again as a gothic element. “False face must hide what the false heart doth know.” This theme of the unknown creates a darkness and mystery as the audience is enthralled to see what happens next.

Director's Blog - Act I Scene III

In this scene, there are a lot of gothic elements created by Shakespeare. The witches use dark language such as "killing swine." This short, blunt statement shows their brutality and how little murder means to them. The actors should make words like this very sharp to get across how vile the witches are. The "weird sisters" appear to have a very strong bond, their lines are similar and repetitive reflecting their force therefore making them more powerful. They talk in riddles which the audience wouldn't understand, this emphasises their connection and relationship to each other. The use of thunder to set the scene is very effective as it is parallel to who the witches are. The scene should be a great open place, similar to moors. The atmosphere created should be creepy and tense to have the audience captivated with what the witches are talking about.
When the drums come in, the should be extremely dramatic to heighten tension and draw in the audience. The witches chanting together again represents their unity, their words should be exactly in time with each other. Words like "peace" and "wound" should be pronounced almost like hissing sounds to suggest evil connations linked with a snake. This is like the devil, establishing a gothic presence as Macbeth and Banquo approach.
Macbeth appears to be the gothic lead as after arriving his first line is "so foul and fair a day I have not seen." This foreshadows his destructive nature later in the play, so should be heavily emphasised. Banquo's statement "you should be women; and yet your beard forbids me to interpret" can be interpreted as merely just a comment on the difficulties of distinguishing the witches as humans or something else because them seem neither male nor female. However it could also be coming from a feminist approach, stating the witches should be male because they are not acting in the tradition female manner. Either way, the actor should say it spitefully as it is a harsh comment. As the scene continues it is clear Macbeth isn't as trusting as Banquo, he should appear uneasy and on edge as he feels very tense in this strange situation. However he should also appear intrigued as what they say is promising to him so when they vanish he should appear desperate to hear more.

Coursework Summary

My coursework is a comparison of A Thousand Splendid Suns and The Colour Purple. I am going to write about the way woman are treated and how they deal with this. The two books are very similar, both of the protagonists grew up in difficult backgrounds and ended up in arranged marriages where they are abused and mistreated. Both women deal with this by finding love in a companionship with fellow women. They learn lessons such as how to love and be loved in these friendships.
In A Thousand Splendid Suns, Mariam grows up feeling rejected and worthless in the world. Her mother kills herself and her father leaves her to sleep on the street. She is forced into a marriage with an older man who verbally and physically abuses her until Laila comes into her life years later. Through Laila’s side of the story we start to see how woman are mistreated and imprisoned in their own homes. Mariam and Laila become best friends under very unusual circumstances and form a close bond as they are united together in standing up to Rasheed.
In The Colour Purple, Celie is abused from very early on in her life, she is raped and beaten by her father and then her husband. The only love she knows is her sister Nettie and she is soon taken away from her. She is told her children are dead and she soon believes she has no one left in her life. When Shug Avery comes into her life, things begin to change for her. She is taught about love and about her femininity.
My ideas for titles so far are; “ In the novels A Thousand Splendid Suns and The Colour Purple, compare how women are mistreated and they deal with this.” Or, “In the novels A Thousand Splendid Suns and The Colour Purple, how similar are the lives of Mariam, Laila and Celia?”

What is Literature?

In my opinion, literature is anything that strikes emotion in the reader. If a book can make you cry, laugh out loud or even emphasise with a character it should be considered a great work. Literature shouldn't be a book that critics have classified as a classic because everyone has their own taste. Literature should mean something different to each individual and strike a different feeling and view in them. I believe that literature should be a variety of works and include all sorts of books and novels that will be suited to everyone. This way literature will have so much more appeal as it invites a reader to take their pick and read what attracts them instead of reading something that another person decided to categorise as a classic. Someone may thoroughly love a novel that another person may hate, it depends on how the book made them feel and the angle they read it from. Literature could be anything, there are so many possibilities, it depends on what each person enjoys as an individual.

A Marxist Criticism of A Thousand Splendid Suns

Mariam is defined as a “harami.” As a young child she comes to realise she is unwanted and worthless in the grand scheme of things. “She was an illegitimate person who would never have legitimate claim to the things other people had, things such as love, family, home, acceptance.” In society, she is seen as the lowest class a person can be. This status defines Mariam as a person, the way she was brought up causes her to develop into the character she is. She learns rejection at a young age and this is all she knows throughout her life. This catches up with her later in the novel as she is married off to Rasheed, believing he is all she deserves. A Marxist would say that Mariam’s place in society seals her fate, her social class makes her who she is and effects the way her life will play out.
Her birth caused her mother to be thrown from society and together the pair are forced to live miles out from civilisation. They are beyond poor, their survival depends on Jalil, Mariam’s father, an upper class man, ashamed of his daughter. Their differences in social class are clearly contrasted when Mariam treks many miles to visit her father, however he shuns her, leaving her to spend the night out on the street. This is when Mariam’s eyes are opened to the reality of her dreary life as she sees the splendour her father and his “real” family live in compared to the poverty she had to endure growing up.
Laila spent most of her childhood living as a middle class citizen, she is taught by her father that education is the most important thing as it will be vital throughout her life. However this proves difficult, when there is a power shift in Kabul. Education becomes illegal and dangerous for women, so she is left helpless. She is left with no other choice but to marry Rasheed, where money is not an issue but she may aswell be counted as a working class citizen because she is mistreated and abused despite all her hard work.
When Laila and Mariam choose to fight back and break free from Rasheed, the Marxist theory would say this is them making the right choices and moving up the social ladder. They are choosing their own path and future and not having society and their circumstances decide for them.

Coursework

I am going to write about A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. The themes in this which I am thinking of using are war and how this effected women. I am still choosing my second text, I am looking at Trolius and Cressida by Shakespeare, All Our Yesterdays by Natalia Ginsberg, Sweet Francaise and Bookseller of Kabul. I am also thinking of linking in the theme of culture but am yet to develop this further.