Preliminary English July Lecture Thread

[BellaLN]

Hey, everyone!

This thread has been created for those who will be attending my Preliminary English lecture on Tuesday the 14th. Post either your thesis/introduction OR one body paragraph here for feedback by Thursday 16th July 11:59 pm. The question that was on the slides is below!

Good luck, and I hope you enjoyed the lecture! 

Question:

Our world communicates and strengthens its paradigms by manifesting them in narrative form, made for mass consumption.

To what extent is this true?

In your answer, make close reference to the prescribed text(s) you have studied in Module A. (20 marks)

[Satvik678]

Text that explore our world’s socially accepted paradigms allow for the audience to reflect upon  the world they currently live in. Indeed, through reading such narratives, composers may challenge our accepted paradigms, deeply strengthen our beliefs and prompt the audience to respond. William Shakespeare’s, Othello, was written in Venice which was a supposed melting pot of cultures and the construction of "the other" was mostly accepted. However this was a particular moment in history where the paradigms of outsiders were shifting and racial/religious ideologies were coming into being. Othello's blackness is seen as a threat to some of the characters as they try to manipulate him to use this blackness against him and bring his jealousy out in order to commit himself to his downfall. Such narratives with shifting paradigm challenges our ideologies and strengthens our beliefs.

[sienaleck]

Body Paragraph
Through Shakespeare’s play and Sax’s filmic adaptation of Othello, both composers have made social commentary through different narrative forms on racist beliefs and views, causing members of both audiences to reflect on the values that they or the people around them may hold, connecting them across time. In Shakespeare’s play, Othello is referred to by these characters several times as a “Moor” – an offensive racial epithet used derogatively in 17th century England. Additionally, Shakespeare has employed hellish imagery when Iago refers to Othello as “the devil,” associating the trait of dark skin with having an evil nature like the devil. Through this, Shakespeare is able to convey the way in which people of colour had been treated in Venice, despite Othello’s position of eminence and respect that he held from the Venetian court. This enables Shakespeare to comment on the unnecessary racial views held by his Jacobean audience where racism was especially prominent, prompting the audience to reflect and consider their own views as they are conflicted on whether to pity Othello, the tragic hero, or take side with the antagonist, Iago, who has a far more evil nature despite being a white man. Similarly, in Sax’s film, the setting of the 1981 Brixton riots is used to make commentary on systemic racism in industries. After John Othello’s promotion, he makes a speech following the death of Billy Coates saying that there will be “zero tolerance for racism,” in his police force. In this scene, Sax has employed multiple panning and long shots of the audience to which Othello speaks to, made up of mostly white men with some women, highlighting racism within industries as so far through the film, Othello is the only coloured police officer shown. Additionally, in the mis en scene of tiered seating, despite the fact that Othello is their leader and a powerful figure, he is placed below the people he is speaking to, displaying the way that not only those in the film, but a early 21st century society may not respect or treat coloured leaders the way they obey white leaders. Therefore, although racism is not as extreme as it was in Shakespeare’s audience, Sax has still made commentary on systemic racism which is one of the most prevalent examples of racism in our modern society and world. Like Shakespeare, Sax has engaged audiences to reflect on this and how they may treat leaders or even coworkers differently due to not just their race but to think further on perhaps gender, religion or ethnicity. Thus, in their different narrative forms of play and film, composers Shakespeare and Sax have communicated their values and beliefs on racist paradigms held by their audiences, prompting them to reflect on their own views.

[tash9104]

Stories and narratives that are meant for mass consumption often communicate paradigms to connect with audiences and strengthen their ideas. These ideas are incorporated into the story, often as key themes throughout the text, and force the audience to reconsider their own beliefs. Gwen Harwood’s sonnet poem ‘In the Park’ discusses the idea of motherhood, taking the common misconception that motherhood is a happy and positive part of life and twisting it to reveal the unseen reality faced by mothers. The text also emphasises the role of women in life and the concept of change, where the use of these paradigms further emphasise these opposing ideas to what is socially accepted. The first stanza emphasises the rough state of the mother, and it is made clear throughout the text that the responsibilities of motherhood have led her to that stage. She is run down and unable to do much for her children. The second stanza emphasises change, where the past-lover is the symbol that represents the concept of change. The past-lover’s view of the mother represents that of society, where mothers are expected to be able to care for their children well. The final stanza emphasises the further concept of change and the role of women as nurturers, those that have to make sacrifices to care for their children. The text captures the mother as run-down and struggling, putting an emphasis on the opposing ideas of the known paradigm surrounding motherhood. Harwood’s ‘In the Park’ argues against the common paradigms surrounding motherhood, thus making the audience reconsider their beliefs about motherhood. It creates a paradigm that is based on reality rather than what is socially accepted and strengthens it through the use of narrative form.

[0447940204]

Introduction

Narratively formed texts choose to weaken or reinforce the paradigms of our world, as they contract man’s philosophies and reveal their flawless or detrimental character by manifesting them in a storyline structure. Though contrasting in macro forms and date of publishing, Morton Rhue’s novel ‘The Wave’ (1981) and Theodore Melfi’s cinematic text ‘Hidden Figures’ (2016) likewise relate to historical events and accentuate humanity’s inherent paradigms. By formulating key antagonists, both works narrate the concept of world dominance, emphasizing personalities who ill treat others for their own benefit and consequently deteriorate multiple aspects of our lives. Likewise, Rhue and Melfi’s narratives follow a plot where human prejudice is eminent as countering perspectives contradict one another and prove inefficient to both aggressor and victim. Conversely, both texts embody mankind’s notion of self-determination, by depicting persons as encountering extreme tribulations, yet intrinsically motivating themselves to attain ultimate fulfillment. Narrative form texts destabilize or strengthen the paradigms of our world depending on the concept and its outcomes.