The History Boys: Hector, Dorothy and the Headmaster
Intro:
Summarise the extract
Patriarchal school system symbolism
Headmaster: Short, simple declarative sentence 'I want them to do you proud'
Para 1:
Vocative of 'Headmaster', Mrs Lintott, Dorothy
Informal/formal tone of voice
Power imbalance
Para 2:
Stage directions
Shift in lexical field: Educational to social 'pizza'
Contrast of discourse with Hector and the Headmaster
Impersonal professionalism as Mrs L doesn't like the Headmaster but pretends to
Taboo language
Collective pronoun 'our fearless leader'
Hyperbole
Para 3:
Nickname vocative 'Hector'
Sarcasm, taboo language
Vocative 'darling', context of calling him out on inappropriate behaviour, patronising?
Mrs Lintott and the position of women in society
Intro:
Symbolism
Lack of female representation in the play
Mrs L as a literary tool for women in the education system and women in the 1980s
Women as a sexual conquest (Fiona)
Lexical field of war and achievement
Older women (Hector's wife) is scarcely mentioned
Women in 3 categories: Sexual object, unnecessary woman and old woman
Para 1:
Declarative sentences communicate passion and frustration
Interrogative sentence 'why do you think there are no women historians on TV?'
Irony as very few female characters in the play
The play as a 'mock society', mimicking it's prejudice
Para 2:
Key interviewing episode
Interrogative 'Dorothy, have you anything you'd like to add?'
Dorothy's experience and expertise is belittled
Low-frequency lexis 'lest' to remind all of intelligence
Para 3:
Aphorisms 'history's not such a frolic...'
Humour, hyperbole
Relatable to female audience members
Para 4:
Colloquial verb 'legged it to Dumfries'
Sudden openness is brushed aside by Hector
Women's suffering is pushed aside and belittled by men
Society's attitude towards unmarried women (kept her last name)
Heartbreaking
Intro:
Context of orphanage
Playful side to Dave and Toph's relationship as well as serious
Overstepping boundary
Repetition of 'please, don't. Please...please, please don't'
Open House as an opportunity to score
Para 1:
Dave as an authority figure
Inappropriate responsibilities for Toph eg. going to the ATM, making dinner
Very protective of Toph eg. new babysitter
Overactive imagination, blurring the lines of reality and fantasy
Asyndetic listing 'handcuffs, floorboards...' hyperawareness of the bad things that could happen
Lexical field of murder
Para 2:
Interrogative of 'were they cute?'
Dave's desperation for Toph to have a 'normal' childhood
Living vicariously through Toph?
Could be trying to extend Toph's childhood by making him relive it
Collective pronoun of 'our age'
Para 3:
Beth and Bill's 'uninvolvement' in their lives
Christmas episode, Bill's intellectually inappropriate books
Lexical field and academic register suggests Bill's lack of knowledge of children, or trying to make up for Toph's poor education/childhood?
Toph 'ingests breakfast with the cartoons', Dave 'forgets' the all-important interview
Para 4:
Dave comes across as a rather reliable narrator until we find out that Beth is actually much more involved in their lives as he leads the reader to believe
Beth's decision to get rid of their parents' ashes
Collective pronoun 'we' (don't want the ashes')
'You don't.' Personal pronoun
'You just-' aposiopesis expresses anger
Dave's 'lattice' metaphor 'the connective tissue...a vast matrix, an army, a whole, each one of us responsible for one another'
Dave's control of his parents taken away
Para 5:
Sibling relationships are important
Memoir shows the bond of siblings and how these relationships change
The gains of loss eg. Dave 'gains' Toph as his soulmate
Both have become successful , the past as a tool for success, not a barrier
