Darkness and love

Today we looked at the first 2002 Close Reading, about music. Iin my opinion this is the most difficult passage there has been in recent years, mainly because many students whose work I marked that year didn’t really have the background knowledge (about the Dark Ages, Guido Monaco, Gregorian plainsong and so on) to make them feel comfortable with the topic. Also, there’s that rather odd image of the 1000-year-long corridor with those Dark Age people cowering from the sun (why the sun rather than our bright lights and music?) at the other end.

Anyway, the questions are normal enough, and this is homework for the next class. Remember that there’s no class next week, since it’s the February holiday, so can I suggest that you do a literature essay on “Valentine” as well as this as next week’s homework? See below.

The only other thing we covered in this class was Carol Ann Duffy’s “Valentine”, a mainly very unromantic view of love. Though it’s in free verse (ie unrhymed and with irregular rhythm) it does have a structure, pivoting round the central “I am trying to be truthful”. We noticed that the first half is similar in many ways to the second half, but that the second half is extremely unromantic and indeed quite sinister, with the word “Lethal” suggesting the deadly nature of the offered love (if it’s later spurned?) and the last word lingering uneasily in the memory: “knife”.

The poem’s effect depends largely on its imagery - mainly about the onion - and that balanced structure that we noticed. Do bear in mind that the “voice” isn’t necessarily that of Duffy herself – she’s not known for killing her former lovers, despite her rather alarming appearance above.

I’d suggest as a poetry essay - though feel free to choose another question/poem/play/novel

Choose a poem which deals with some unpleasant or sinister issues. Show how the poet communicates these unpleasant or sinister ideas and comment on what final impression is left in the mind of the reader.

In brief

This is going to be quite short as the janitor will shortly be at the door, rattling his keys. Life is getting away from me this week.

Today we read “Glasgow 5th March” by Edwin Morgan, which I personally don’t think has quite enough to write about in the exam, and Philip Larkin’s “Poetry of Departures”, which certainly does.

We read part of Act 2 of “View”, in which Catherine and Rodolpho look set to marry; Eddie comes home drunk to find them coming out of the bedroom and tells Rodolpho to leave; Eddie goes again to Alfieri to ask for help from the law – none is forthcoming; Eddie decides, in desperation, to report the cousins to the Immigration Bureau and is seen doing so by Louis. Eddie then arrives home to find that the cousins have moved upstairs to the neighbours’ house, where there are other immigrants too – and he becomes very angry.

Homework: 2002 Close Reading, passage 2. This is slightly unusual because it’s very colloquially written – therefore very easy to read, though it doesn’t mean that the questions are any easier than usual.

Tent pegs and paper dolls

This evening we looked at a student’s “Patchwork Planet” critical essay about how the ending of a novel was prepared for earlier on. We admired the way in which this student actually discussed how various earlier bits led on to the end. This is better than just commenting on incidents which might have been shown to lead on to the end – but actually were.

We then looked at my version of this question and I reiterated the tent peg metaphor. It may seem like overdoing to keep referring to the questions, but a marker at this level likes to have the relevance to the question of what you’re saying made obvious. Remember that the markers want clear, relevant points in that SECT sort of way. If your tent shows signs of flying away on an enthusiastic gale, to land in some distant field, far from the question, then pin it down by adding sentences such as: “This leads on to the ending when…”.

We discussed Norman MacCaig’s “Hotel Room, 12th Floor”, full of imagery which is reasonably easy to discuss in the exam. The main, extended, metaphor is that of darkness as the enemy, seen specifically as a band of Red Indians riding into town and being shot at – ineffectually – by the light. Darkness is shown to bring violence to New York, despite the trappings of civilisation: helicopters, tall buildings, tv, radio, light. As he says, “And no stockades/ can keep the midnight out”. We may imagine that we’re civilised, but we’re never far away from violence, or potential violence – it’s there in human nature.

Then we read on in “View”, finishing Act 1 and just beginning Act 2. We saw Alfieri in the dual role of narrator (reminding us of the fact that he’s telling us a story) and lawyer (advising Eddie). The two roles merge seamlessly together – he turns from the audience and is apparently mid-conversation with Eddie, who has come to consult him. Eddie wants the law to help him against Rodolpho who, he says, is “not right” – he’s implying that Rodolpho is gay. Alfieri has to tell him that even if he were, marrying Catherine would not be illegal. The only illegal thing is that the cousins are illegal immigrants and Eddie says, “I wouldn’t do nothin’ about that…”. Then Alfieri gently suggests that sometimes “there is too much love for the daughter, there is too much love for the niece”. Eddie reacts “furiously”.

Alfieri tells the audience that he “could see every step coming, step after step… I knew where he was going to end”.Then, at dinner, Catherine is clearly very excited by Rodolpho’s stories of sailing to Africa and picking oranges off the trees in Italy.

Eddie is much less impressed. He points out that American girls aren’t as “free” as Rodolpho thinks; Rodolpho protests that he has “respect” for Catherine. She and Rodolpho dance to “Paper Doll”, though he, “in deference to Eddie” (stage direction) at first demurs. She, however, is “flushed with revolt” and dances with him. Here, Miller is reminding the audience that Eddie wants to keep Catherine as a "doll that other fellows cannot steal".

This is the Mills Brothers' version, which I think is probably the one that they're listening to.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=n2m8VZBfRYo&feature=PlayList&p=AA3233A397B67272&playnext=1&index=13

She, however, is “flushed with revolt” and dances with Rodolpho. Beatrice tries to divert Eddie's attention by talking about the cousins’ fishing expeditions, but Eddie’s worst fears are confirmed by hearing that Rodolpho is a good cook: “He sings. He cooks. He could make dresses…”. He suggests that Rodolpho would be better suited to working in a dress shop than as a longshoreman. This is not a compliment.

He suggests teaching Rodolpho to box and starts to do so. He punches Rodolpho lightly and makes him stagger, alarming the others. Marco then demonstrates his superior strength by challenging Eddie to lift a chair by one leg, with one hand. Eddie can’t do it but Marco can, and the act ends with Marco holding the chair high with a “smile of triumph, and Eddie’s grin vanishes as he absorbs this look”.

I'm sorry that not all my paragraphs have missed lines between them. They do when I type them, but then Blogger removes them. Bad Blogger.

Homework: this poetry question on "Hotel Room" - or choose your own question/poem.

Choose a poem which says something about human nature. By referring closely to the poet's language, show what message the poet is conveying about what human nature is like and how he gets this message across.

Trouble with women

Yesterday we began our study of poetry with Thomas Hardy's "The Voice", in which the poet imagines that he hears the voice of his dead love (actually his wife of many years). The rhythm is very important here - it bounces along at first as if the poet is hurrying excitedly to catch sight of the woman, but then gradually slows as he begins to doubt what he hears. Then it changes completely to an irregular beat in the final verse, which mirrors his stumbling to a halt, discouraged - before the last line, when he seems to hear her again.

There's also a lot of alliteration and asssonance in this poem - choose an example and tell us the effect, as you see it. We also noticed the feminine rhymes, which give an echoing, rather chanting effect.

At the beginning of chapter 9 of "A Patchwork Planet" there's an abrupt turning point in Barnaby's fortunes when Sophia's aunt accuses him of theft.
He's terrified when a policeman comes to interview him - he presumably thinks that his past record may count against him.

We noticed his childish reactions to this unfair accusation - what does he do? - give an example in a comment.

However, Martine persuades him to come out to work (what does she say, exactly?) and tells him her plan that he should sell the Corvette and buy Everett's truck with her.

And then, apparently to Barnaby's surprise, they start kissing and end up in bed together. Afterwards, Barnaby remembers an occasion when he was married to Natalie and she was angry at him for being late home when - for once - it wasn't his fault. His attitude then was, "If you think I'm such a villain, just watch: I'll act worse than you ever dreamed of." What is the relevance to his current situation?

The chapter ends wonderfully well, with Mrs Dibble telling him that all his clients support him and that she wants him to buy the business off her when she retires. He then contacts Sophia to apologise for... not returning her calls. At the end of the chapter, rather like at the end of the previous one, he feels that "I really might have moved on in my life". So this turning point in the structure seems to have been reversed and he's on course again.