Representation of women in AHWOSG

-'If the star of the something-like-a-date expresses any reservations about having Toph along, she is clearly a very bad person'
Dave has impossibly high standards for the women in his life. If they do not fit his exact, cookie-cutter shape of what they should be like, how they should feel, how they should behave, they are more than just inferior to him- they are bad people altogether and don't deserve to be in his life.

-'It means that I like her less...she is misguided, self-centered and also a bad person...that's not her place and there's no coming out of that alive'
Dave wants women to say in a certain space, somewhere he can be detached from them. He seems to view women as not having any natural curiosities or feelings, and that anything he doesn't approve of is rude and unacceptable.

-'The 29 year old, an actual woman-woman'
Hierarchy of women. Concept of 'real' women and 'fake' women. Women aren't 'real' women until they are mature and perhaps are more likely to be manipulated by him, as he thinks he knows what's going on inside every woman's head. Ageism.

-'If she would be wrinkled, prunelike, sagging...I was ready to be horrified...if I had to touch her pimpled or varicose flesh'
Naive, childish, immature. Very sexist and ageist as he assumes that anyone above his own age is old, even though the woman he is dating is only 29. Extremely inexperienced and narrow-minded when it comes to the female body.

-'Marny's breasts...are kind of uneven...June looks normal.'
Wants a woman with a 'perfect' (not real) body. Lexical choice of 'normal' shows how messed up Dave's idea is of woman as he has this ideal image in his head of what a woman's breasts should look like, and anything that is not this perfect image is abnormal, weird or disgusting.

-'She is my mother, my girlfriend, my wife.'
Reminds me of the anti-rape campaign that was to do with 'how would you feel if that was your mother? Your wife? etc' Women are only important and matter if they have some relationship with you.

-'I want Toph to be her friend and make her happy'
A girl can only happy if she has a friend who is a boy/relationship with a boy. As the girl is slightly on the larger side then it is presumed that she is unhappy.

-'I was looking to score. I expected flirting. I expected attractive single mothers.'
Thinks very highly of himself. Presumes single mothers to be attractive and desperate.

Notes: pg 166-182 (AHWOSG)

'We're all lying'
-Collective pronoun shows certainty of others around him, he believes that everyone feels the same was as he does
-Present tense of 'ongoing', suggests he is a deceiving person
-Short sentence, statement/declarative

'They have tattoos before everyone has tattoos...no cars that are not old cars...'
-Culture shock?
-Feels that he physically looks different from everyone else
-Confusion/awe

'We say nothing and complain little...we have to work 18 hours a day...we're in a certain place'
-Feels that he needs to meet high standards in order to really 'work'
-Very submissive, he's being manipulated, brainwashed?
-Blends in completely, not seen as an individual, similar to when he moved into a diverse neighbourhood

'We want them doing things that we will find interesting'
-Demanding
-Focus on 'we' shows that he's slowly becoming a part of a collective
-Selfish, manipulative, corporate

'We are obsessed with seeming diverse'
-Very racist
-Token minority individuals used to make his company look better
-Careless wording, obviously lying because of 'seeming'. Aware that it's all a lie.
-'June is our black friend....' Places huge weight on the colour of someone's skin.

'Home' essay (AHWOSG)

The first presentation we get of home in 'A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius' is the metaphor of the house being a 'factory'. Eggers used this to show that Dave was detached from his home environment and that he views his home as an artificial production line. This could be because of his mother's illness: he views it as more of a hospital setting with people going in and out. However in this case, his mother barely leaves the house so it shows that she's not getting better.

We know this from the quotation 'there was a time when she was still up and about...running errands'. This shows stagnation and that his mother's progress towards health has come to a stand still. Everything is decaying around him because his mother can no longer clean or maintain the house the was she used to. Just as her body is decaying, so is the house.

Eggers uses the quotation '...inviting everyone to come and watch us in the middle of our disintegration' to show how protective Dave feels toward the house, as if it's his personal place to break down, The idea of having a party at home feels odd because for him these concepts are juxtaposed: a party is seen as fun, vibrant and full of life whereas his home feels like a 'factory', somewhere grey and dull and drained of energy. This links with Dave's uncomfortable feeling about 'everyone knowing' his family's issues because he doesn't want to invite strangers or friends into somewhere he doesn't feel they belong: his home. For Dave, there is both a physical and emotional barrier between him and the people outside. The physical barrier is the house's walls and the emotional barrier is the one he puts there himself, shown in the quotation: 'I....have developed elaborate fantasies for those who would see...our situation (as) gossip fodder.' The lexical choice of 'fodder' has connotations of a farm and animals, suggesting that Eggers saw his neighbours and anyone outside of his family as beasts waiting to feast on his bad news/situation. He uses his home to keep them away, even stating that he is 'not a proponent of the curtains being open'. This shows that he will go to desperate measures to stop anyone from seeing the truth about his home life.

The sublet that Dave describes can be contrasted with the family home, as he wants to be somewhere small in a place that is rather big eg. California. In his home, he is considered the 'big' one in some place small, which is the family home. Dave has to be Toph's big brother as well as his guardian and he has to be his mother's carer and look after her. Because of this he feels 'seen' by everyone around him, shown when Eggers uses the repetition of 'everybody knows'. Dave feels like he's constantly being watched, talked about and intruded upon because of his situation, and he wants to his home to be somewhere quite detached, temporary ('sublet') and freeing, shown in the description of the scenery around him, for example the hilltops, the sky and the sea. Later on in the memoir when Dave is searching for a new house, it's clear that he can't afford the house he really wants and this is upsetting for him as he sees home as such an important and influential part of his life. He can't afford anywhere with even a bathtub or doors, let alone a beautiful backdrop to his story. It's important to mention that having doors would be essential for Dave as he is so guarded about his home life.

On page 61, Eggers uses the exclamation marks in the living arrangements description to show Dave's excitement, youthfulness and naivety. He's almost parodying his past self by using short, exclamatory sentences that make him sound innocent and child-like. The fact that the emphasis has been placed on everything being shared, 'like a commune', shows how sick Dave is of all the constant responsibility and pressure. It shows that he feels isolated and detached from everyone else around him, and that he would appreciate being able to share his struggles to keep on top of everything he currently has control over.

When him and Toph do get their own place, Dave is adamant that Toph helps with the chores so he is not alone in doing the housework. As Eggers compares this to college, it is further reinstated that Dave wants to go back to the way he feels he should be in his early 20s: playful and not taking anything too seriously, but he is also cynical and bitter about the way he acted before he had to take on a more mature role within in the family. This is supported by the use of the diagram on page 62, as the floor plan, although it shows that Dave has awareness of the practicalities of owning a house, it indicates the perfect area to slide in socks which reminds the reader how young Dave really is and perhaps makes us feel more protective towards him. When the entropy of living conditions is made clear on page 82, Eggers uses the child-like lexical choices of 'call me bad names' to show Dave's true innocence and fragility. This has connotations of bullying, which is probably what Eggers was trying to convey: Dave feels bullied by the outside world, made to feel small by the people around him.

When Dave and Toph finally do get a house, they are surrounded by what could be considered minority neighbours. For once they are not the topic of conversation because there are so many more people around them who have their own stories to tell. They are not unusual, or pitied upon, or felt sorry for, because in this neighbourhood they are not special at all: they blend in with everyone else.

PEE paragraph on transcript and the Drummer Hodge scene

Transcript
The teacher uses interrogatives such as 'so what is the main point of the poem?' to set the agenda of the class discussion and make the class think. The lexical choice of 'so' focuses the students and adds to the fact that she wants them to come to a conclusion. Interrogatives are also used in latched talk: 'it's a kind of, of amorous play, isn't it?' 'Amorous?' 'Yes, amorous play' which shows the asymmetrical power between the student and the teacher. The teacher has more airtime which shows her expertise and makes her sound more knowledgeable. The interrogatives are also used to apply constraints to the discussion: 'is that a threat?' to remind the student, Alex, that they're in a classroom and she as the teacher has control over him. This asymmetrical power is then challenged using another interrogative 'what if I don't answer?' which shows sarcasm and a certain amount of disrespect for the teacher's authority.

The Drummer Hodge scene
The techniques used during this scene show how Hector and Posner are both very isolated and lonely characters. The use of latched talk makes Posner sound eager: 'How old was he?' 'If he's a drummer...' 'No. Hardy.' and shows that the poem has made an impact on him. As well as this, the adjacency pair of 'not being in the swim. Can you see that?' 'Yes, sir. I felt that a bit.' shows that Posner feels comfortable with Hector and this is also a co-operative overlap. However, Hector quickly puts constraints on this situation as he says 'shall we just have the last verse again and I'll let you go.' which reminds both the characters and the audience that they're in a professional, classroom setting and that there is an asymmetrical power between the two characters. Hector shows his expertise through utterances like 'it's a turn of phrase he has bequeathed to Larkin, who liked Hardy apparently' which Bennett uses to show how knowledgeable, fluent and passionate he is. This is also shown in the longer airtime Hector has compared to Posner: the audience can tell that this is an important scene between the characters and that Posner is learning something from Hector who is shown as being wise but vulnerable,

Donnie Darko film review

Donnie Darko film review

Considered a cult classic by many, misunderstood by others, there’s no arguing that Donnie Darko (2001) is one hell of a film. Is it a horror film? Is it a psychological thriller? Critics have been trying to label this film ever since its release but it is difficult. The film does deal with some quite horrific ideals but it’s not scary in the sense of jump scares and popcorn flying out of buckets. With its irresistible misery and twisted plotline, it’s a film that can be rewatched over and over again whilst still finding more things to love and understand. The casting choices are great, with Jake Gyllenhaal taking the title role as a schizophrenic teenager who is told by a grotesque-looking rabbit (called Frank, naturally) that the world is going to end in 28 days. As the film progresses, you can see Donnie gradually becoming more disturbed and him trying to understand the meaning behind his troubling visions. Not for the faint hearted, his journey ends up becoming a chilling experience for both Donnie and the audience.

Richard Kelly (director) expertly uses the artificial exploitation of the American-dream lifestyle to emphasize Donnie’s inner turmoil: houses with white picket fences and carefully mown lawns contrast perfectly with Donnie’s unnerving hallucinations and a darker, more twisted side to time travel. There is a kind of beauty in nothing making sense at first glance, but by the end of the film, it all clicks into place. In particular, some of the more distressing scenes are filmed in such a way that the audience feels like they’re hallucinating and this adds to the dissociation and oppressive intensity of the film. It would also be fitting to mention the incredible choice of music to accompany the film. In fact, I would argue that in many of the scenes in the film, it’s the chilling music that makes the atmosphere so downright creepy.

What’s so enthralling about this film is the way it manages to combine so many different topics whilst still having a distinct purpose. Kelly manages to combine romance, reality, the future, time travel, mental illness and horror into nearly every scene which is important and necessary for the conclusion of the film to be understood. This perhaps explains why it has so much of a cult following and why it continues to maintain such a respected cinematic status. Despite its somewhat puzzling ending, this doesn’t take away from the rest of the film; it instead adds to it and makes you want to watch the whole thing again: the definition of a brilliant film. You are left with so many questions that all you can do is sit in silence as ‘Mad World’ plays in the finishing sequence and press replay. Overall it’s a film that will stay with you long after the final credits roll. Donnie Darko has a concept and plot surrounding it that is so unique I doubt you will ever see anything like it again.

Discuss how Irwin and Posner's relationship is presented in this exchange

Discuss how Irwin and Posner’s relationship is presented in this exchange

Throughout this discourse, we see how Irwin has impacted on Posner’s life and how his teaching has affected his future. The audience sees Irwin as a successful historian presenting on the BBC using lots of elevated lexis (‘venerate supine antiquity’)to show his high intelligence contrasted with Posner’s failure in life after leaving Cambridge unable to cope and being stuck with a lot of regret and cynicism, arguably as a result of Irwin’s attitude to the boys’ learning.

Bennett uses the interrogative to express Irwin’s curiosity and disbelief in Posner, saying ‘what happened in Oxford? …And did you write it yourself?” to highlight Irwin’s intrigue into what has become Posner’s life. This could come across as being quite genuine, but at the beginning of the scene Irwin has already stated that ‘disability brings with it an assumption of sincerity’ which suggests that his relationship with Posner is quite strained and not as it seems from the very beginning. This is also supported by Bennett having both characters use ellipses to show that the characters are treading carefully in their dialogue and are suspicious of each other, which Irwin is proved right to be as the audience finds out later in the scene. It is revealed in his sudden urgency (‘tell me, sir. I need to know’) that Posner is recording their conversation in order to catch Irwin out and sell the story of him and Dakin’s presumed inappropriate relationship for money.

The use of the declarative and simple sentences also makes the atmosphere between Irwin and Posner feel tense and uncomfortable. Posner says things in a very short, clipped manner such as ‘I have a counsellor... It didn’t work out…you’re a celebrity’ which gives the impression that there is a lot of subtext: things aren’t being said and there is no room for argument. Compared to the Posner we see in earlier scenes: shy, eager to please, sensitive…it makes him come across as having this cynical confidence which is emotionally distressing for the audience to see. Along with this, Irwin’s use of asyndetic listing (‘Saner, wiser, more rational…’) puts across that he doesn’t have time for Posner, that he is trying to rush their discourse and that full explanation of what Posner is asking isn’t worth his time, which is an entirely different story to the one we saw when Posner admitted to Irwin that he thought he might be homosexual and Irwin was a lot more understanding.

In addition, Posner seems to feel more equal to Irwin now he is 5 years older, although he does still resort to using the vocative ‘Sir’ to signify that he’s not all grown up yet. Their relationship is still teacher-student in Posner’s eyes and this is supported by Irwin refusing to sign his book to David, which is Posner’s first name. As Irwin only called Posner by his last name, it shows that Irwin doesn’t really respect him as an older adult now and still sees him as the struggling, sensitive teenage boy he taught years ago. As well as this, Irwin uses taboo language (‘I wasn’t like Hector. Now fuck off’) towards Posner which also shows that he doesn’t have a lot of respect for him. Their relationship is clearly a complicated one, tainted with blame and a history that has already damaged Posner and could damage Irwin in the future.

Dystopian novel opening

‘Write the opening to a dystopian novel where you imagine your school many years in the future’

It wasn’t a surprise to anyone when it happened. The world had slowly become so artificial that it was almost like natural progression for students to not only be graded on their intelligence but also on their looks. It started with the appearance ratings from 1 to 10 whispered between friends and giggled over. This led to modelling, beauty pageants and apps that allowed you to publicly rate people that you’ve dated. Until  society reached a point where just as letters were stamped onto our brain capacity, numbers were burned onto our skin.

When I went back to school a few days ago for research purposes, the outside hadn’t changed much, but the atmosphere was completely different. I felt like I was being judged the second I walked through those towering black gates, that eyes were scanning me from my head to my toes in order to place me in some messed up social ranking. Immediately I felt extremely self-conscious and wrapped my arms around my waist as if to hide away people’s looks.

But what shocked me the most was how students were taught. Lessons like PE and PSHE were now more like ‘Muscle Building’ and ‘How to wear make-up’ lessons and alongside students’ target exam grade was a target appearance grade. As well as this, some teachers have been replaced by YouTube videos and online lessons. This shocked me in a way that I hadn’t expected, because the concept of being judged on your appearance would have caused riots in 2015, but here in 2025 it doesn’t seem odd at all, as if it had always happened. Maybe it had, and we’d just never noticed it before.