Next Session: 23 March 2023
Text response:
World of the text (Setting):
Many of the texts we read depict characters who question the social, cultural and political status quo. In such texts, there are depictions of contrasting characters. Some characters represent stereotypical views and values about race, identity and gender. There are those who try to dispel prejudice and dislodge stereotypical assumptions. There are those who expose the stigma that surrounds certain taboo topics such as mental health and sexuality.
In your text response essays, you will typically refer (or embed references) to the social, cultural and political status quo in your first body paragraph.
In your own creative/personal response essays, you must consider how your own characters respond to, and negotiate, the “world of the text”.
Blue Book:
See “The Language of Stereotypes”; we are familiarising ourselves with ways of analysing and evaluating stereotypes and their deeper meanings.
- p. 26: Holden Caufield questions the stereotypes surrounding symbols of sporting prowess
- p. 20: Scout Finch questions Aunt Alexandra’s obsession with “my attire”
- p. 39; 40: In her letter to Christopher, Mrs Boone tries to expose the stigma surrounding people with a disability
See “The Language of Symbols”: authors use multiple symbols throughout their text which are developed an explored in various ways. These are a clue to the author’s key ideas and their imaginative worldview.
- p. 20: the symbols of the feminine
- p. 24: the symbols of the mouse/pup
- p. 26; the symbols of the advertisements
- p. 28; the symbolism of the intertextual reference to the “catcher”
- p. 34: the symbolism of the setting (the two different rooms) as a reflection of a character’s mindset
- p. 36: the symbolism of Scrooge’s room as a reflection of character
- p. 42; the symbolism of the poster of Big Brother (stereotypical representation of authority)
- p. 55; the symbolism of the car crash (as a reflection of a life running out of control; escape)
- p. 58: the symbolism of the Valley of Ashes; and the context (T S Elliot’s famous poem: “The Wasteland”
- p. 61; the symbolism of the title/the wallflower
- p. 64: the symbolism of the bug
We will also cover the similarities and differences between characters, as revealed in the stereotypes and the symbols.
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