42 marks

Many narratives have one or more significant moments of crisis.

Write about the significance of crises in the work of the three writers you have studied. (42 marks)

In the Road the crises physically threaten the characters as they continue their journey towards the coast. They are all significant to the world that McCarthy has created as they highlight the key struggles that the characters must overcome. The first of these crisis appears as the Road Rat and is significant as it is the first sight of other people in the story. The menacing appearance of the men ‘wearing canister masks’ and armed with ‘lengths of pipe’, is drawn out to add to the tension through short sentences. Tension is also held from the previous event where the man remembers the death of the woman and the birth of the boy and suspense is created as the group of men get closer. The Road Rat himself appears to be derived from references to low culture and has a strong Southern American dialect that is stereotypical of horror films. A lot is also learnt about the man during this crisis, the language he uses is very specific such as ‘colliculus and temporal gyrus’ which adds to the enigma surrounding his past. The man’s actions as he ‘dropped to the ground’ and ‘fired’ are very precise and trained, again adding to his enigma. Tension is once again created as they have to run but the sense of danger is juxtaposed by the image of the boy on the father’s shoulders. Another crisis runs throughout the book in the form of the inconsistent supply of food. At different points in the novel the man and boy find themselves starving, this crisis is different to the threats brought on by men as they can’t run away from it and the man and the boy find themselves continuing down the Road trying to find food. Food not only important for their survival but the boy believes that food should be shared and offers supplies to some of the travellers they meet, including Eli, this shows the boy’s empathy and concern for others that makes him different from the man who is reluctant to give up their supplies. While the crisis is diverted when they find food, specifically in the bunker when they were closest to starvation, it is always a problem for them.

A major crisis in the Rime of the Ancient Mariner appears at the start of the Mariner’s punishment. The ship is unable to move upon the ‘painted ocean’ after the crew justify the Mariner’s act as ‘right’. It is significant as it can be interpreted as the start of the punishment and the Mariner’s fall from grace for killing the Albatross. The lack of clean water for them to drink is linked to the symbolic nature of water as a cleanser however it is a crisis for the crew who start to die of thirst. The crisis is increased with the arrival of death and she-life in death who change the Mariner and killed the crew and starts the Mariner’s isolation as part of his punishment. This is significant because only the Mariner is left alive to witness ‘four times fifty’ dead men ‘curse me with his eye’.  These crisis are both linked to the Mariner’s punishment for killing the Albatross and continually increase the danger for the Mariner. However when the crises seem to be over and he can pray again and the ship begins to move back to land the Mariner appears to face another crisis as a voice warns that he has done penance ‘and penance more will do’ which forebodes that the punishment is not yet over and when the ship reaches land the Mariner almost drowns as the ‘ship went down like lead.’ While this relates back to the Albatross that ‘sank like lead’ it shows that part of the spell is being broken but is a crisis as the Mariner would have drown if not for the Hermit, Pilot and the Pilot’s son.

The critical crisis in the Great Gatsby is the confrontation between Tom and Gatsby which leads onto Myrtle and Gatsby’s deaths. F. Scott Fitzgerald increased the tension in the lead up to the confrontation through the oppressive heat and restricted speech as they all have lunch, the tension is mainly created between Tom and Gatsby as Daisy reveals her fondness for Gatsby, ‘you look cool… you always look cool’ and ‘we’ll follow in the coupe’ which makes Tom mad. Tom’s anger is again increased when he finds out Wilson plans to move away with Myrtle and he is losing control. The confrontation itself could be interpreted as a turning point as both Daisy is forced to pick between Tom and Gatsby and can’t do it. This is also the point where Gatsby knows that his love isn’t completely reciprocated as Daisy still loves Tom. It is when Gatsby and Daisy leave that Myrtle is hit by their car resulting in her death. Myrtle’s death endangers Gatsby who takes the blame in order to protect Daisy. Gatsby is mistaken by Wilson for Myrtle’s lover and is led on by Tom resulting in both his and Gatsby’s death. 

How far do you agree that the Patriot and the Pied Piper are heroes?

Both the Pied Piper and Patriot could be considered heroes because of the acts they have performed for others, such as ridding a town of rats or going to war for a country, however their behaviour suggests that neither are heroes. They both appear to be amoral in their attitudes and are not selfless in their acts and could not be considered heroes.

They could be interpreted as heroes due to the acts they perform for others. The Piper introduces himself as someone who had saved many people over the world including ‘the Cham’ and the ‘Nizam’. Browning has included these to also add to the mystery surrounding the Piper as it shows that he travels a lot and makes his background even more untraceable. The Piper then goes on from saving the town from the ‘Rats!’ Also in the Patriot, the character goes to war for the people of the town who cheer him out and call him a hero and the things his does there, ‘it was I who leapt for the sun’ appear to be selfless because he suggests giving it to ‘loving friends to keep’ when he asked for it from the crowd.

However they may not be considered heroes because they don’t do anything heroic. The Patriot is being sent to death for having nothing ‘left undone’ suggesting that he has committed many crimes during the war and none of them for a heroic cause. He also appears only be interested in himself as when the crowd cheer him on he asks them to ‘give me your sun from yonder skies!” Browning also references Icarus as he ‘leaped at the sun’ this suggests his flaw is in his hubris. The Piper also has a self interest in his job, he asks for a ‘thousand guilders’ to do the job instead of being selfless. It is only when he is not given the money that he turns against the town that he had saved and take the children.

The amoral attitudes of the character show that they aren’t heroes. The Piper is amoral as he takes the children in revenge when he isn’t paid and while he doesn’t drown them he leads them far away with no concern seeing as he warning them that there would be consequences if he wasn’t paid. Alternatively the Patriot says that he will ‘harvest, what I reap’ suggesting that he knows what he has done but doesn’t care as he believes that ‘God shall repay’ him for what he has done.

Overall the characters do not appear heroic because of their intentions being self-centred and immoral. 

McCarthy's Limited Palette

Statement	Example
The limited linguistic palette and repetitive techniques echo the monotony of the post-apocalyptic world that is described.	‘Long gray dawns, the long gray dusks’ shows a sense of monotony and the lack of change across the day. McCarthy also lists methodical processes and repeats ‘and’ to show the almost ritualistic process that is continually repeated.
The pared down language of the narrative reflects the pared down life the characters have to live – essentials only.	This is show through the listing of essential items ‘Tomatoes, peaches, beans, apricots. Canned ham. Corned beef.’ Food is marked out throughout the book as essential and they are often lacking in. The language is also like this as it can sometimes be very technical, ‘glaucoma’ and other times be very simplistic.
The limited palette makes the story more universal, a fable for all time, rather than pinning it down with lots of elaborate details describing specific places	McCarthy never gives the novel a specific time period and only mentions certain events before the apocalypse allowing it to have the fable quality. If it wasn’t for the mention of the ‘state roads’ on the map and the references to American culture it would be hard to place the story in any recognisable country. This is because it is irrelevant how they got there the focus is primarily on where the man and the boy go next.
There’s something rather dulling about the style that makes it hard to read and difficult to distinguish one part of the book from the next. All the events seem to merge together	McCarthy hasn’t used chapters to separate the different events in the book and the repetition of the movements make it hard to mark out certain actions. This also shows the continuous journey along the road and how everything merges together.

2. McCarthy also uses very poetic language, such as 'pilgrams in a fable', 'gunmetal light', 'each the other's world entire, 'ashes of a late world... if only my heart were stone'. These illustrate key motif's surrounding the characters and the world and are fairly cryptic.

How does Browning tell the story in the Laboratory (21 marks)

In an apothecary a women is paying for a poison to kill a woman who she believes has ‘ensnared’ a man that she likes. She appears obsessed with their beauty in comparison with herself and fantasises death as she watches the apothecary make the potion.

The voice used is very specific to the dramatic monologue form. The character is the only speaker but responds to the reactions of an implied auditor, in this case the apothecary. While the implied auditor never speaks the reaction is implied through the use of a dash and a response from the woman, ‘- I am not in haste’. This adds to the enjambment to allow the speech to resemble a natural rhythm however underneath the hidden iambic pentameter controls the mimics the background sound of the apothecary’s pester and mortar. As the woman appears to get more excited as she imagines the deaths of the other woman the pace of the monologue increases to emphasis the character’s psychotic nature.

Browning has characterised the woman as being an obsessive, insecure and psychotic. These traits are evident when she is case building against killing the woman. Her obsession stems from the man mentioned in the story; ‘He is with her’ and she appears jealous of the woman who has ‘ensnared him.’ However she is also obsessed with beauty, first with the things around her such as the ‘soft phial’ and the ‘exquisite blue’ then her insecurities appear through the comparison of her to the other woman as ‘she is no minion like me’ and ‘her head and her breast and her arms and her hands’. The continual uses of ‘and’ are typical of case-building but could also be obsessive thinking. Her psychotic nature can be inferred through her romantic views of death and the lack of remorse she shows even though she is planning to kill. She relates ‘pure death’ as an ‘invisible pleasure’ we she can carry with her and although she imagines her ‘shrivelled’ she even tells the apothecary  to not ‘spare her the pain’ and to leave ‘proof’ and scars which suggests a very violent character. The only remorse she appears to feel is in self-preservation, ‘besides, can it ever hurt me?’ and it can be inferred from this that she is an immoral person.

The setting emphasises the sin the character is committing, or going to commit, as it is described as a ‘devil’s smithy’ which refers to the Christian attitudes of the time and shows commitment the woman has made. This is also shown through the way she romanticises the setting through the mysterious ‘smokes curling whitely’, ‘treasures’ and ‘soft phial’ which reflects her views on death being an ‘invisible pleasure.’ There are many colours also mentioned, ‘whitely’, ‘gold oozings’ and ‘exquisite blue’, which suggest a rich and seductive atmosphere. 

The Roadrat

 

What element of foreshadowing is employed in this section and why?	The boy’s toy truck foreshadows the coming of the men and their truck. “The truck tooled along slowly.” This directly mimics the movement of the truck that appears and the inevitability of its appearance. Structurally in the novel these are the first other people met and they pose a large threat to the man and the boy, this helps to create tension and suspense.
What does the description of the men teach us about them?	The appearance of the men is very menacing and implies that they are a threat to the man and the boy. They are dressed in “canister masks” and one in a “biohazard suit” which both looks threatening but is another suggestion that there is something wrong with the air. This is brought up as they are “coughing” just like the man. The equipment appears to be very specialist however the weapons; “clubs in their hands, lengths of pipe” shows they are not completely equipped. The description of the men “shuffling” and “casting their hooded heads from side to side” is similar to the creature dreamt of at the start that “swung its head from side to side” making the men look like animals.
McCarthy describes the truck as “Lumbering and creaking like a ship.” Why?	The ship could be reference to Noah’s Ark however instead of being a symbol of salvation it is a threat to the man and the boy. It also shows how disjointed this world is, the ship on the road doesn’t fit and neither do the men.
Why does McCarthy describe the Road Rat in such detail	The description fits into the low culture reference in the book and is over the top in some instances such as the “blood bubbling from the hole.” It could also be interpreted as mimicking the man’s reaction to the threat as he watches the Road rat. The Road rat is a significant character, being the first person the man and boy have met face to face in the story.

Why is the Road Rat’s character so explicit whilst the man is so implicit?

The free indirect speech used in this section as the man takes control of the situation. The man therefore is more explicit about what he is seeing and not focusing on himself.

What do we learn about the man through his exchanges with the Road Rat?

An enigma surrounding the man’s past is formed as he shoot the man. Prior to this he talks about the impact of a bullet on the man’s brain so that ‘they’ll just be soup’. This is very detailed and while the man doesn’t confirm that he’s a doctor it does suggest that he had a specialised job. The way he shoot also suggests this as he manages to hit the man in the head, and missing his son, while turning which suggests training.

“A single round left in the revolver. You will not face the truth. You will not” Who is the man echoing here? How do you believe these words are uttered?

The woman is echoed here as she earlier said ‘you wont face it.’ And ‘you have two bullets left.’ The idea that the bullets were to protect them and also to kill them along with the woman’s voice shows here the temptation of death. The words appear to be said in a tone of disgust and anger towards the man.

Why don’t the other men chase after the boy and the man following the shooting

Later in the story the man and boy find the remains of the roadrat, ‘the bones and the skin’ that show the cannibalism that the group have resorted to. This is one reason why the men didn’t chase the man and boy. However the group would have not known that the man and boy only had a pistol and may not have chased in fear of being shot themselves especially seeing as they were only armed with clubs and pipes.

It is not until page 77 that the man finally cleans the “gore” and “dead mans brains” from the boy’s face. Why?

In the world the novel is set in being clean is not a priority. Instead the man focuses on food and warmth and makes sure that they are secure before he washes the boy.

Write about the ways Browning tells the story in ‘My Last Duchess.’ 21 marks

Write about the ways Browning tells the story in ‘My Last Duchess.’ 21 marks

My Last Duchess involves the Duke of Ferrara recounting memories of his last wife and her perceived flaws. He is showing her covered portrait to a servant who is there to arrange his next marriage.

The Duke is characterised through his obsession with power and beauty. His obsession with beauty is depicted through the art work that he is surrounded by and the many references to the physical appearance of the Duchess such as the ‘half-flush that dies along her throat. However this could also be interpreted as a confession to killing her, although this isn’t confirmed in the poem the Duke says several other confusing lines; ‘looking as if she were alive,’ ‘I gave commands,’ and case builds. The obsession with power comes across when he believes she is being disrespectful to him and calls on his ‘nine-hundred-years-old name’ and when he is angry he doesn’t talk to her about it because he would see that as her ‘stooping’ instead he ‘gives commands’ to stop her smiling at others. The Duchess however is characterised in her portrait, the idea that she is ‘looking as if she were alive’ could be a reference to her beauty but could also related to the way the Duke describes that ‘she liked whate’er she looked on’ which is why he has to keep her behind ‘the curtain’ and hide the picture. This connects back to the Duke’s obsession with controlling her by painting her ‘on the wall’ but he can’t stop her ‘looking’ and so has to cover it up.

Browning’s use of voice, typical of a dramatic monologue, focuses on the Duke and could be reflective of his power and status. While the Duke suggests that he has no ‘skill in speech’ he is the only voice and the language, aimed to mimic natural speech, points to a relaxed and confident character. The Duke is made more powerful through his voice as he is dominant over the implied auditor, in this case a lower class servant who does not speak. The punctuation and use of enjambment quickens the pace of the voice to imply a growing anger towards his wife and to allow the Duke to case build which is another technique used in dramatic monologues.

The subtitle of the dramatic monologue; ‘Ferrara’ shows that the poem is set in Italy. This is significant to Browning as the Victorians were obsessed with foreign places. There is however representations of Victorian collectivist behaviours in the Duke who has surrounded himself with artwork from famous artists. The idea that the Duchess is ‘painted on the wall’ was one of the ways that the Duke tried to control her and the statue of ‘Neptune… Taming a sea-horse’ also connects to the obsession of power and control.

Post- Apocalypse

The Road's Post-Apocalyptic setting is typical of many others post- apocalypse novels.

Protected bastions of humanity in a sea of inhospitable waste or wilderness or danger, such as enclosed cities, underground caverns, and bunkers	The man and boy find themselves alone in the wildness constantly hiding from the dangers presented by other humans. The cities are said to have been taken over by scavengers and too dangerous to venture into yet there are bunkers (p. 146) preserved that suggests that people were preparing for this eventuality even if many have not survived.
Marauding gangs of bandits	P. 96 ‘An army in tennis shoes’ force the man and boy into hiding where they notice the weapons, ‘three foot lengths of pipe with leather wrapping’ and the slaves, ‘slaves in harnesses and piled with goods… women’ and a ‘consort of catamites.’ The boy asks if they are the ‘bad guys’ and the man confirms it.
‘Apocalypse’ derives from the Greek word for ‘revelation’	The characters go through many revelations in the book however for the reader very little is revealed. For the man he realises to let go of the past when he is forced to leave the pictures of his wife on the road, he also realizes that he needs to distance himself from the boy. The boy is a revelation in himself as he refers to himself as ‘the one’ which suggests a saviour like role which creates a sense of hope, he also brings a moral message as he tries to help all of the travellers they see.
Fall of civilization	Through the man’s flashbacks there is a sense of a civilisation and of a world before the one the book is set in. This suggests that in some way that civilisation has fallen and has been replaced with this new world. The man hears ‘low concussions in the distance’ and when the woman gives birth to the boy the ‘cities burn.’
Mythologizing of the past	The past is rarely mentioned in this novel that focuses on minute by minute survival. The few mentions of the past are done so through the man’s eyes with flashbacks and memories as well as his actions. In some ways the past is mythicized by this vagueness however to the man it is still alive and part of him, shown when he rings his father’s number even though the phone wouldn’t work. To the boy there is no past as all he has ever known is this world and any stories from before would all be legends to him.
The thoughts and actions of the survivors are what counts	Here the actions and thoughts of the man and the boy are the main drive of the story. However the thoughts and actions of the other characters are also relevant. The man splits the survivors into ‘good guys’ and ‘bad guys.’ The ‘bad guys’ are the ones who created tension through their actions causing conflict. Eli is the only name in the book and his thoughts emphasis the hardship the man goes through with the boy. The boy’s thoughts and actions are unique because he is very humanitarian whereas the man is more conservative.
Humanity has always imagined its own destruction. Each generation believes the end is somewhere round the corner, and our catastrophic fantasies are a good barometer of what’s currently troubling us	There is no confirmation of how the world was destroy however it can be interpreted as a manmade apocalypse. The low concussions could suggest bombs. However the bunker is specifically related to this point as it shows that people were prepared for the end of the world. McCarthy may have taken inspiration from the nuclear scares of the Cold War specifically in the 1950’s and 1960’s.
Post-apocalyptic novels are a dark, bleak and often illuminating genre	McCarthy’s simplistic writing style depicts a world drained of colour, with only the mention of ‘gunmetal silver’ ‘grey’ and ‘black’. There appears little hope for the characters who are surviving for the sake of survival and there appears to be no good outcome. It is also illuminating in the way it shows the new societies that have formed in place of the old one. Most of the people the man and boy encounter come under the name ‘bad guys’ that makes the reader question human questions and the fragility of morals especially as it is only the boy, who hasn’t known the world before, who still has moral ambiguities to help other.
Punishment for our wicked overreaching	McCarthy has made many references to American Low culture, such as movies and Cola. The cola and the shopping cart that reflects ‘Dawn of the Living Dead’ suggest society’s obsession with consumer goods and brands. The idea that people over shop and over reach is overturned in the novel because the man and boy constantly have to eat as much as they can because there is no room to take it with them only for them to run out.
A chaotic dark age, in which robber bands, bizarre millenarian religious sects, nomads, hunters and foragers of all sorts are found.	The man and boy encounter a lot of different characters, from fellow travellers to cannibals, victims and militia-like groups. Each one presents a different sort of threat to the man and boy. While the boy wants to help the fellow travellers the man is conscious of their supplies but doesn’t want to upset the boy while the cannibals and armed gangs pose a more physical threat.
The remains of the industrial society – its rotting industrial plants, its collapsed cities – litter the landscape, archaeology rather than evidence of recent catastrophe.	While the novel doesn’t explore industrial society as much except to mention the abandoned cities where scavengers and thieves live. The houses that they visit are in very bad disrepair, mostly raided and broken down for firewood and other survival essentials.