LA Essay Revision!!!

LA Essay Revision!!!

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LOTF

MOV

Common Ideas

Common LA questions: symbolism, characterisation, themes

MOTIVATION IDEOLOGY

intro para

OMG HAHAHHA YASSSSSSSSSSSSSS ~xinlin

supporting paras

Social Context awesome but optional, only put if suitable and fits the qn

Definitions of Keywords!!! paraphrase or provide definitions

Stand

large extent only

balanced ➡ although (counter)..., (supp para) ➡ elevates response

Overview of Essay(supp arguments) optional

Evidence at least 2 per para

Point/Topic Sentence cannot be an example, must be very general

Quotes Don't spam them or the essay becomes like a narrative

Explanation break down & explain evidences, showing how they strengthen topic sentence

Link Thus...(repeat or paraphrase qn/intro)

citing of evidence is not compulsory in closed book

HEHEHEHEHE I GOT YA

EHEHEHEHEH RICA'S HERE

Gender

Women often portrayed as vulnerable, weak and submissive // Men often portrayed as strong, brave and independent

Portia: submissive, had to follow father's will even after death, turned out to be very strong, intelligent and independent // Men: dominant at first, Bassanio and Gratianio left apologizing to their wives

Dominant male characters

Act 1, scene 2: Portia objectified by her father, trapped by her father's will that she cannot marry a man of her choice

''I may neither choose whom i would nor refuse whom i dislike; so is the will of a living daughter curbed by the will of a dead father" -Portia act 1 scene 2

This evidence shows that she has no choice over her future, expectancy of following her father's will cause whatever opinion she had to be buried, men had more privileges and freedom to do as they please

Dominant female characters

"They shall think we are accomplished with that we lack" -Portia act 3, scene 4

Expected only men had the capacity to handle jobs such as lawyers which led to Portia cross dressing as a lawyer, society at that time believed women were not intelligent enough, men were expected to be proud and independent, submissive Portia became an intelligent lawyer and took over the roles that males would normally take up

Portia and Nerissa accused Gratiano and Bassanio for not taking their relationship seriously and giving away the rings, they took dominant roles as they play around with then men until the men were apologizing for their mistakes, males went from being the controlling one to being the controlled one

"What should i say, sweet lady? I was enforced to send it after him; i was beset with shame and courtesy" - Bassanio act 5 scene 1

HAI RICAZ ~da stupid me

matties here lol

Power

Overlapping

A few people wield power

MOV

LOTF

Jack and Ralph

Leading to frequent conflicts

Generally, it is men who are superior to women

there are instances where women possess power over some men

FIRE IGNITES

MAGIC GLOWS

creating light for us ☀

e.g. A1S2, P criticizes her suitors, indicating a hint of power over the suitors, who are men

In Venice, Christians (Bassanio, Portia, etc.)are deemed to be superior to Jews (Significantly, it is only Shylock)

Gender in this case

VENICE IS A PATRIARCHAL SOCIETY ⚠ , if you do not know what it is, you should probably bang your head against a wall as your LA teacher should have gone through that word 🤦‍♂️ 😑

One of the most significant is where they both often dispute the rights to speak when in possession of the conch.

Shylock is often ostracized by the Christians and called names such as "cur" and "dog"

In the trial and the scene where Antonio is arrested, Shylock does not allow any Christian or Antonio have a voice as he indicates that he will get his bond

Religion in this case

👩 👨

Never forget who you want to become ~Todoroki

The minute you think of giving up, think of why you started in the first place ~Natsu

For in dreams we enter a world that is entirely our own ~Dumbledore

We started this together only right if we ended it that way too ~Newt

Themes: Relationship of power and leadership, friendship, people treated differently, civilization vs savagery, loss of innocence, nature vs nuture

Human nature: savage by nature? born with moral compass? do we need rules and laws in order to 'tame' the savagery? when civilized society falls apart and savage and evil men are unleashed on each other

Background: LOTF was written in 1954 (after WW2), inspired by the book called "The coral island", was affected by what he experienced in war

Golding first describes the island as threateningly beautiful, this foreshadows that something bad is going to happen later on

Adventure and child's play

Pg 12 "no grown ups", pg 33 "a kind of glamour... was made happy by it", pg 45 "we can have a good time on this island" "its like in a book" "treasure island"

the boys viewed the island as paradise, no one tells them what to do, free, no authority

war and isolation: boys were evacuated from WW2, plane got shot down, sense of being cut off from the real world, pg 43 "no other people on it"

LOTF reflecting WW2: boys were fighting for leadership and power // in wars, everyone is struggling for more power and authority and to gain more land, this lust for power would then overwhelm order and peace

Characters

Ralph
(pg 11, 15) fair, attractive, blond, "built like a boxer", looks friendly

(pg 49) represents government, leadership, rescue, civilization and democracy, tries to maintain standards of society, gives hope to others, establishes order, ppl choose their leader base on whether the leader can provide them with what they want: Jack = food, Ralph = comfort and reassurance

(pg 138) dad is commander in the navy, thought him how to swim

at first seem irritated by Piggy but eventually becomes one of Ralph's allies

Piggy
overweight, suffers from asthma, severe myopia = wears glasses, nerdy look, proud of asthma and glasses, pale not healthy

(pg 32) most intelligent child, represents the rational world, quotes aunt, sees himself as special, embraces his differences, maturity allows him him to be realistic, "second in command", responsible ("first thing to build is shelter"), keeps referring to adults (civilization)

lived with auntie who owns sweet shop, bad grammar, father is dead, overprotected = un-atheletic

(pg 55, 56, 46, 58) ignored, overlooked by others, outcast, Ralph's 'adviser', Ralph and Piggy see eye to eye on issues, Jack antagonize Ralph and Piggy, Ralph and Piggy compliment each other (Ralph = charisma, Piggy = maturity), respects adults, ppl didn't appreciate him at first

Jack
(pg 27) ugly, freckled, red-headed, bossy ("choir! stand still!"), looks intimidating/menacing

(pg 48, 41) represents evil and violence, the dark side of human nature, eager to make rules and punish those who break them, mainly interested in hunting, charismatic, arrogant, savage, power hungry, has always been in the limelight so difficult to relinquish leadership, dictator, hates to be seen as weak

(pg 29) former choir master, "head boy" at school, has experience in exerting control over others

(pg 44) Jack is dictator, Ralph is democratic, the one that provides, choir boys voted for him with dreary obedience, strict leader

All you have to do right now is chase after your very own dreams ~Yami

Hope is like dreaming in daylight ~The promised neverland

Symbols

The island == symbolizes the 'Garden of Eden' or paradise (with its bountiful food and untouched beauty) before the arrival of the boys // untouched place where the boys try to create their own 'society' from the beginning // after boys inhabit it, the island becomes corrupted and destroyed // island degenerates because of boys

The conch == symbolizes civilization, law and order // used to call assemblies and grants the beholder the right to speak // affirms the democratic power and style in which the boys try to manage themselves in their own society // boys sense of civilization erode and they descend into savagery, the conch loses significance and symbolic power over the boys

The fire == initially represents boys' connection to human civilization // gives them hope of rescue // Ralph advocates (support) fire, that's why he represent hope // as fire goes out or loses its presence, this reflects that the boys have to let go of their desire to be rescued and have chosen savagery // is a kind of technology that threatens destruction if it gets out of control // fire at the end represents savagery and destructive violence as the boys are at the peak of their savagery as Jack's tribe hunts down Ralph // (+) hope, (-) destruction

connotation vs denotation
Connotation represents the various social overtones, cultural implications, or emotional meanings associated with a sign. feeling that word gives u − Denotation represents the explicit or referential meaning of a sign. Denotation refers to the literal meaning of a word, the 'dictionary definition.'

progress is the opp of regress

Piggy's glasses == they are used for looking, vision, a metaphor for knowledge, intelligence and rationality (realistic) that Piggy possesses // useful, can create fire, first necessity of civilization // represent science and technology, mankind's power to transform and remake their environment to best suit its needs // when boys take glasses away from him, they remove his attributes of "sight", which also reflects that he loses his sense of seeing and sight // he becomes useless as the boys lose their sense of rationality and acts more savage // gives less advice, people don't listen to him

The knife == used primarily by Jack // represents tendency for violence, savagery and blood lust // reflects tribe's growing antagonism towards Ralph and Piggy // stark contrast to Ralph's affinity with the conch which orders civilization and order, this shows the 2 different types of leadership styles and different sides of human nature // knife survives in the end

Masks == boys put paint on face for camouflage // doesn't make Jack look like something else, it actually makes him into something else // pg 80 // With pain on his face, Jack isn't the choir-leader Jack anymore, he's a savage ready to be chief // eventually most of the boys also go through this change // the masks do not disguise the boy's true nature, but reveals it instead

The beast == imaginary beast, the great unknown that frightens all of the boys // pg 113 // pg 66 // pg 111 // primal instinct of savagery that exists within all human beings

The lord of the flies == represented by the severed head of a pig staked into the ground // primitive religious sacrifice, totemic god to appease the beast of the forest // boys behavior is what brings the beast into existence, (irony) the more savagely the boys act, the more real the beast seem to become // pg 177-178 // physical manifestation of the beast // symbol of power of evil that lies in every human being // devilish like //

Allegory

story with a symbolic meaning, where the characters or setting serve as an extended comparison to other ideas or concepts
LOTF is an allegory that shows the struggle between good and evil // Ralph = order, leadership, civilization // Piggy = scientific and intellectual aspects of civilization // Jack = savagery and the desire for power // Simon = natural human goodness, spiritual, non-violent and at home with nature, seen as an "outsider" for his "queer" or unorthodox behavior, reveals truth of humanity-- that evil exists within us all // Roger = brutality and blood lust at their most extreme
the boy's society = that of a political state // littleuns = common people // older boys play the role of political leaders // civilized boys like Ralph and Simon use their power and good intentions to protect the younger boys and advance the good of the group // savage boys like Jack and Roger use their power to gratify their own desires, treating the younger ones in ways they can assert their authority over them and as objects for amusement // human beings will eventually revert to their natural inclinations towards evil behavior, the boys' behavior and deepest desires reflect this descent into savagery that every human being is capable of // LOTF shows how society could become without rules and expectations that control our tendencies // not everyone admits that there could be a 'beast' within them (simon reveals about 'the beast within' is ridiculed or not addressed, naval officer failed to recognize the extent to which the boys have degenerated and descended into savagery

Nature vs Nuture

(Pg 140-143, chap 7) Ralph react after attacking Pig: he wants to be validated that he is doing a good job, he wants people to recognize his talents, wants validation and recognition for his hunting prowess

Boys suddenly turned on Robert: the reenactment turned into a real hunt when reenacting they got too caught up by it, remembered the thrill and joy of killing the pig just now, ended up treating Robert like the pig

Why is boys behavior scary: when chant is every ritualistic, as if your possessed, in a trance, its actually your true nature taking over you, boys start to kill cuz they need food but eventually they get addicted to killing, they feel satisfied when killing, love the feeling of killing, children addicted to killing = disturbing

Ralph 'uneasy': he feels guilty, aware of what he just did, conscience tells him that he just did something disturbing

'Use a littlun': don't see the littlun as one of them, treat littluns like play toys to be bullied, chilling as they should be receiving care not hate and pain, use them for sadistic pleasure

(pg 164-165) clothes = civilization // take them off = stray further from civilization // choir used to sing like an angel but after straying further from civilization they lost that angel side and demons taking over

Nurture: ur behavior is influenced by the society u grew up in (rules, family, school)

Nature: ur behavior is a result of genes/ traits that u inherit or are born with

(pg 178, chap 8) 'down there' Simon meet lotf: insights, we suppress it, afraid of rules and laws, negative things are pushed down

Why beast say Simon is not wanted, beast words evoke boys feelings: Simon knows the truth of the beast, threat to the beast, beast doesn't want Simon to tell the boys and if he tells the boys, the boys will suppress the fear of the beast and will not acknowledge it // boys do feel the same, boys see him as a weirdo, Simon doesn't belong with the boys

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(pg 181-190, chap 9) Simon find other boys: he wants to warn the boys of the inner beast and that there is no real beast out there

Jack as leader: chief king, everyone bows down to him, superiority, absolute power, dictator like, barks commands, cruel ruler, treats boys like slaves

Boys becoming more savage: use fire wood as a club to hit people, circling, chanting, they all become one savage, no individuality, no hope, they could hear little bits of Simon speaking but before they can stop themselves they get 'possessed' again and started killing Simon, all described as if they were animals leaps on prey and tears it apart (Simon was not torn hAh)

Simon's death: Simon's death signals that evil has won, killed goodness, no one to warn the boys about the presence of the inner beast, don't need beast anymore cuz the beast is the boys

LOTF savagery etc.

MOV prejudice etc

Chapter 8

Effect created by the description of the sow, diction and imagery contributed to its effect

relaxed, peaceful environment, juxtapose the violence that happens later = makes violence feel even more sickening, makes us feel injustice (pigs look innocent, sow and piglets together)

atmosphere created when boys first descended on pigs

chaotic, fear, panic, contrast to how peaceful it was in the beginning, action verbs (crashing/rushed/scattered) shows how messy the situation is

imagery when jack tracking sow

similar to animal predator, knows how to read where the tracks lead to, wolf-like, animalistic

describe weather in chapter

humid, sweltering, muggy, makes us feel uncomfortable, atmosphere becomes suffocating, aggressive = hot blooded, passionate, when after pigs with aggression

way boys are described, images evoked from it

refused to let her get away, blood thirsty, blood lust, excited, kinda sexual, frenzy, crazed, hysterical, driven crazy by the smell of blood, killing for pleasure instead of sustenance, lust = pleasure, sadistic, relentless = don't give up,

the place where the sow died (AKAME GA KILL REFRENCESSSSSSSSSS)

bright flowers and butterflies = beautiful and peaceful, juxtapose its death, emphasis is the island is evil men are the ones that are evil, island is beautiful and pure, beautiful place for it to die

(YOU DISGRACE YOU FORGOT ABOUT HUNGER GAMES LE GASPPP)

atmosphere when boys killed sow

sudden, dreadful, thrash = struggle violently, air was heavy with negative thing, sow was badly violated, air was more suffocating

boys' characters when slaughtering

roger stabbing pig anywhere there is skin, when stabbing puts entire weight in it, unnecessary cruel, Jack trying to dominate the pig, he deals the last blow to the pig = power hungry, absolute power, took away another life,

boys behaved after they killed the sow

disturbing, inhumane, no remorse, extending the humiliation of her death, killed for pleasure of the kill

Simon
skinny vivid boy, bright eyes, always fainting, in choir

understands men are evil, timid, compassionate, wise, mature, insightful, artistic and religious visionary, introverted, never takes part in hunting, doesn't speak unless necessary, mind of his own, contributor, enlightened one, knows morals

(pg 71) stands up for Piggy

Roger
(pg 29) kept to himself with avoidance and secrecy

represents the sadist, mark his impulses, killer, no sense of decency, most savage

choir, part of Jack's tribe, throws rocks at littleuns, helps Jack control tribe

Conch
(pg 22) deep cream and fading pink, 18 inches, spiral twist

tools of power are fake it's the meaning that people give them that matters, represents law and order and power, associated with Piggy (first one to recognize it, dies with it), democracy

(pg 115) only powerful when boys remember civilization (conch used less over time), loses power and control, the boys do not give the conch power at the end

give people the power to speak, assemble everyone, commands attention and respect

death of piggy --> shattering of conch --> death of civilisation on the island

Leadership

Ralph

Ralph represents elected leadership, almost unanimously everyone agrees that he should be leader, boys gravitate towards Ralph as he is the one who called them with the conch, at the beginning he was the most respected character

(pg 31) long term focus, main goal is to be rescued, his very first act as leader is to figure out the best way to do this // 'Listen, everybody. I've got to have time to think things out. I can't decide what to do straight off. If this isn't an island we might be rescued straight away. So we've got to decide if this is an island.' //

his next focus is to keep the fire going, built fire on top of the mountain to increase chances of being seen, his single minded approach (keeping the fire going) increases the likelihood of rescue and is of far greater benefit to the group than Jack's desire to have fun

(chapter 5) throughout the story, even when the main power shifts to Jack, Ralph continues to hold on to the idea of rescue, and to try and keep this fire going. The demand to keep the fire going versus just having fun and doing other things is one major difference between Ralph and Jack. 'The trouble was, if you were a chief you had to think, you had to be wise.' As a result, he was always thinking of the future.

open minded, Ralph defends Piggy (weakest of the group) and listens to his advice, at first dislike Piggy but he came to tolerate him and appreciate the usefulness of his intellect, Jack only sees Piggy's weaknesses!!only survivor that didn't descend to savagery, (unintentionally) killed Simon but afterwards felt ashamed

too trusting, judged everyone by his own fair standards, delegating tasks to inappropriate people, eg. Jack is obviously preoccupied with killing pigs and cannot be trusted to keep the fire burning, thus partly Ralph's fault for their late rescue as he trusted Jack with such an important job that Jack could not fulfill

Ralph's tribe is the one that collapses not Jack's, fair leader isn't always a good leader, his fairness could have also played apart his downfall, he only listened to others and did not make major decisions himself

Jack

dictator, rules the tribe with an iron fist, uses fear and punishment to maintain order, sense of entitlement born out of his days as head boy, (chap 8) 'He's not a hunter. He'd never have got us meat. He isn't a prefect and we don't know anything about him. He just gives orders and expects people to obey for nothing.'

took up the role of hunter-gatherer showing the others his bravery and strength, promised to protect them from the beast and did not deny its existence, his initial inability to kill a pig shows that he is not entirely evil merely flawed

cruel leader but that doesn't mean he was a bad one, provides the group with meat even though it maybe for his selfish reasons, his own tribe constructed a fort in less time it took Ralph to build the huts on the beach, Jack's tribe is much more united than Ralph's

inconsiderate of the feelings of others, dismissive of the weak, tells Piggy to shut up, unlike Ralph he does not listen to others, (chap 6) "it's time some people knew they've got to keep quiet and leave deciding things to the rest of us", brings fear and disorder to the group when discussing the beast, uses the littleuns' fear as an opportunity to undermine Ralph and seek glory for himself !! cares more about his ego than the welfare of the boys, more determined to make up for failing to kill the pig than he is to be rescued (abandons fire missing out on a chance to be rescued), he wants to be a leader as he is used to being right and winning, he wants to be in charge for the sake of being in charge and not because he thinks that his leadership could increase the likelihood of rescue

Jack dominates a tribe while Ralph is the figurehead of the community Ralph's leadership strives to uphold the rules of British civilization (rescue fires, meetings), Jack's leadership is one that is much more atavistic (traditional) using rule of force and might (steal fire, murder pigs/beasts)

RED: GOOD SIDE

ORANGE: EVIL SIDE

BLUE: SYMBOLS

Friendship

Society

Nature vs Nurture

Mercy

Justice

DO NOT PUT IT IN A MECHANICAL FORM

Act 4

Duke feels sorry and sympathetic towards Antonio while he is disgusted with Shylock, he loathes him // Duke is bias towards Antonio, wants Shylock to be forgiving and show sympathy towards Antonio

Shylock's hatred for Antonio is deep rooted and is difficult to get rid of // Shylock feels that he needs no mercy as he did not commit any crime, he bought his right to his pound of flesh and will not be denied

Antonio feels hopeless and resigned to his fate // Shylock malicious = he sharpens the knife ready to kill Antonio and satisfy his revenge // Shylock is portrayed as inhumane as he is compared to an aggressive and wild lamb

Loophole: drop of blood, Shylock wants to strictly follow the bond, but the bond says that no blood should be shed // it is fair in the eyes of the law, it is Shylock's fault for insisting so much in the bond // its is also not fair, as he lent money to Antonio and should at least get his money back

Act 2/3

Morocco is aware that he is being judged by his skin color, darker = discriminated against more // Portia trapped by father's will and has no control over her situation // her tone is sarcastic and insincere, only pretending to be nice to Morocco // Morocco is sincere for Portia's love, desperate to prove his love = boastful and arrogant

Shylock regards Antonio's pound of flesh as useless // Shylock's speech: if christians take revenge on the jews then the jews shall learn from the christians and take revenge as well // Jessica traded the invaluable and priceless ring for a trival and useless money, mocking Shylock //

Portia is obedient as she is true to her word and does not break her promise to her father // she is also sly = the lyrics of the music that was playing when Bassanio was choosing the casket last word rhymes with lead // Bassanio is materialistic = borrowed money from Antonio just to look impressive to Portia // Gratiano and Nerissa's love is just infatuation and superficial

Shylock is very vengeful (bloodthirsty), he would rather have a useless pound of flesh than have a huge sum of money just to kill Antonio

Pg 59: Shylock wants the jailer to guard Antonio carefully as he is worried that the christian jailer will let Antonio free without Shylock knowing // Shylock is very single minded and just wants revenge // he doesn't give Antonio time to speak as he does not want to turn soft by Antonio's begging, does not want the court to side with Antonio

Venice prioritizes its "trade and profit" over anything else showing that Venice is a cold, harsh and business like place

RICA'S IDEAS ON POSSIBLE EOY QNS

Venice VS The island: how it affected the behavior of the people living at each place

Last year EOY qns: do you think the victim deserves their fate

Practise qns: Do you agree that all the characters in MOV or LOTF exercise power in unjust ways?

TO BE BRAVE IS TO GO ON IN SPITE OF FEAR ~ KEITH KOGANE

lead them to savagery cos no civilisation/rules/whatever to guide them along the way )children won't listennn(

sometimes you must hurt in order to know, fall in order to grow, lose in order to gain, because life's greatest lessons are learnt through pain ~Pain, Naruto

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