Post study leave

We start English classes again on Tues 22nd Jan; you need to have a copy of The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood - we'll be starting the Creative Writing phase from here on.  Look up the word 'Dystopia'.  

Exam revision class 1030 Friday 11 Jan

We will be looking at The Color Purple exam questions and Unseen Text do's and don'ts.
We will have a go at this questiuon (below) and debrief a planned answer
We will also look at how to formulate a Color Purple essay answer

The Color Purple
: AliceWalker

Extract

from…You a lowdown dog is what’s wrong (page 180) to you running off to

Memphis like you don’t have a house to look after?

(page 181).

Using this extract as your starting point, you should:

•

explore the changes in the language used to convey Celie’s voice and the

reactions of others to this change

•

examine how Celie’s voice has been shaped by the events that brought about this

change.

(AO1 = 20, AO2 = 30)

(Total for Question 4 = 50marks)

Useful revision site - for linguistics

Exam is Weds 16th Jan 9am.

Have a look at the link above - a helpful site on linguistics and a few things we haven't talked about.

Revision site

Homework for Weds 12th Dec

Attempt the two extracts (Swedish Christmas Toys and SkyFall) and apply the exam question to them:

Consider Audience, Purpose and Context and examine the use of spoken word features.  

I would also strongly advise you to buy/borrow the book about The Color Purple - York Notes.  Start reading the 'character' section and taking notes.   

6:  Extract from ‘I wanted to kill you…(page 246) to He was just the first one the people didn’t kill.’ (page 248).

Using this extract as your starting point, you should:

·         Explore how Walker’s manipulation of Celie’s and Albert’s voice conveys changing attitudes.

Examine how Celie’s sense of racial and personal identity has developed since receiving these letters

Prezi presentation on what to include

Homework - due Weds 14th Nov

Not due until Weds:

Extract from Saturday morning Shug put Nettie in my lap (page 109) to She take and sling it back in the shaving box (page 110).  

Using this extract as your starting point, you should:

• Explore how Walker’s manipulation of Celie’s voice conveys her attitude towards Mr ________ ‘s deception.
• Examine how Walker shows how this realisation has changed Celie’s perspective on relationships and the circumstances that have shaped them as the novel progresses.  

Results - latest - an improvement.

AS English Lang/Lit	Ex 1 Feet	Ex 2 Buffalo	Ex 3 Henry V	Ex 4 DCB Pierre	Ex 5 The Caretaker	Ex 6 Color Purple	Ex 7 Travel Article	Ex 8 Color Purple 2
Abdiqani	4		7	10	16	11	12
Trusanth	4	4	5	7	11	6	14	17
Storme	10	2		11	19	10	14	5
Natalee	4	5	11	8	7	20	8	16
Rubie	7		6		18	11	13	16
Tanisha	5	11	4	4	25	21	15	7
Bhanusha		9	12	13	15	25	18	13
Rea	5	6			17	18	19
Sayana	7	8	2	7	30	29	22
Nazanien	5	4	15		15	13	16	6
Stephanie	6		8	7	7	21	6	18
Alana		6	11	19	15		8	14
Emily		8	16	18	22	10	24	16
Oliver		12	14	12	12	11	3	19
Cherelle		4	14	18	20	19	16	16
Ebony		6	4	12	16	7	7	9
Lori	12	16	14	19	28	23	15	19
Kheran		9	7	15	28	32	23	16
Michelle		6		12	9	8
Alin				7	9	19	15	20
Aalayah				9	19	17	12

AS English Language and Literature marks.  For Ex 8, 15 is the pass mark.

Mention AAVE and the themes of Patriarchy and Sisterhood.

Exemplar:  

Extract: ‘Mr _______come finally one day looking all drug out’ (page 12) to ‘he say, her cow.’ (page 13).

Using this extract as your starting point, you should: Explore how Walker’s voice conveys the attitudes of the men involved in this transaction. 

This extract occurs early on in the novel and shows the level of patriarchal society that Celie has to endure in the southern states of early twentieth century north America.  Pa’s attitude towards women demonstrates the almost slave-like treatment of Celie as she is paraded in an animalistic fashion, as if almost for sale, whilst high above sits Albert on his horse metaphorically and physically high above as she is forced to turn around on 'Pa's' command and display her wares.

Walker uses the African American Vernacular to demonstrate Celie’s lack of education, naivety and vulnerability as she describes through the epistolaric structure her use of ellipsis, confusion of tense and yet effective communication:

                                    ‘Done quit’ (tense)

                                    ‘His mammy done said’ (dialect and syntax)

                                    ‘Like it wasn’t nothing’  (double negative)

This produces a realistic sense of Celie’s voice as she narrates the story and interchange between her, Pa and Albert.  The irony being that this is the very same Albert that had eyes for Nettie, once a suitor and possible husband, now being forced upon Celie.  Her mute, passive acceptance confirms that she has no choice in this business exchange – confirmed by the final remark:

                                    ‘That cow still coming’?

                                    He say ‘Her cow’

 If it wasn’t for the cow Albert would have no interest in the business deal; women are merely used for sex, work around the house and bringing up the children.

The men speak in short imperatives, confirming their dominance and patriarchy:

                                    ‘Let me see her again’. 

There is no phatic utterances, no social graces in this society.  ‘Pa’s’ reply is also a short imperative declaration:

                                    ‘Mr_______ want another look at you.

This isn’t a request but a demand for her attendance and parade.

                                    ‘Move up, he won’t bite’.

His short command demonstrates a belittling attitude, as if he’s talking to a young child rather than a woman he’s trying to marry off.  Her lack of choice is brutally clear.  This is followed by further short utterances, which demonstrate the almost animalistic manner of their transactional conversation:  ‘Turn round’; followed by her silently obeying and mute acceptance of his demands.

With the arrival of Lucious the conversation between the males now refer to Celie in the third person – as if she isn’t actually there.  Lucious is her kid brother and so hasn’t fully integrated into the male dominated society of Georgia – so he refers to her directly with the ellipsis of AAVE:

‘what you doing that for?’

But once ‘Pa’ and Albert begin the transaction, she is immediately demoted to the silent item of sale in the third person:

                                    Your sister thinking about marriage’.

The irony of the situation is notable as Celie is definitely not thinking about marriage; if anything she’s thinking about running away with Nettie, she’s hoping the marriage will be a distraction:

…he be so love struck with her I could figure out a way for us to run away.

It is this theme of the sisterly bond that introduces one of the recurrent themes in the novel.  It is Celie’s and Nettie’s weapon against the male dominated world that surrounds them, where the women work and the men pretend that they’re in control, ruling with violence and selfish orders.

The entire interchange is reflective of several decades past, where women and men were sold as slaves by white males; now the women are the downtrodden ones, the unspoken slavery of serving their menfolk without question and without hope; but Celie doesn’t even have the reward of a man who loves her, for her it is only the drudgery of a violent relationship; that is, until Shug and Sofia suggest the direction she should take.