Cultural Context Q

“The cultural context within a text often dictates the crises or difficulties faced by characters and their responses to these difficulties.” (a) Discuss to what extent this statement applies to at least one central character in one of the texts you have studied for your comparative course. (30) (b) Compare the extent to which the above statement is applicable to at least one central character in each of two other texts you have studied on your comparative course. (70)

To consider… Which text to use in Part A, and consequently which two to discuss in Part B – For Part A, choose the text that has most relevance to the question Which characters to focus on in each text What crisis/crises/difficulties each character faces How these crises/difficulties are related to the cultural context How each character’s response to their problems is related to the cultural context

Points to Note NB: ONE text ONLY to be discussed in Part A Text used in Part A NOT TO BE DISCUSSED in Part B unless specified in the question Comparative links MUST be used in Part B Quotes required throughout answer Each section of answer should clearly address the question asked Do not tell the story of the text – use KEY MOMENTS to illustrate your points Part A (30 marks) – 2 ½ pages (minimum), Part B (40 marks) – 3 ½ pages (minimum) Titles of texts must always be in inverted commas

Part A “The King’s Speech” – Main character: Bertie – Crisis/Difficulty: Fear of public speaking due to speech impediment (stammer) – Relationship between crisis/difficulty and cultural context public perception of Royal family (values, social structures) pressures of becoming King (values, social structures, power) psychological issues as a result of authoritarian upbringing in unsupportive family environment (values, power, time setting)

How response to difficulty is dictated by cultural context: – Treatment by Logue must be kept confidential (values, social structures, power) – Becomes more urgent when David (Edward VIII) abdicates, pushing Bertie into the far more public role of George VI (values, social structures, power) – The importance of public perception of the King makes it vital that the impediment is dealt with (values, social structures, power) – His success as King depends on successful public speaking (values, power)

Key moments??

Structure Clearly number the question, eg Q. 2 Part (a) Opening – name text and author/director, main character, and take a position on the question One text that I have studied for my comparative course is “The King’s Speech”, directed by Tom Hooper. In this film, the main character, Bertie (later King George VI) faces a huge personal difficulty due to a speech impediment. His response to this difficulty is strongly influenced by the cultural context within the film.

Three to four paragraphs, each focussing on how a particular aspect of the cultural context impacts on Bertie’s difficulty (see points above) NB – in each section/paragraph, address the question clearly Conclusion, again directly referencing the question eg It is quite clear that Bertie’s speech impediment is exacerbated by his role as a member of the Royal Family, and later as King, and the pressures placed upon him by the cultual context within the film, and that this cultural context also dictates his response to the problem.

Part B Texts: “Never Let Me Go” and “A Doll’s House” Main characters: Kathy H and Nora Crisis/Difficulty: – Lack of personal freedom (both characters) How cultural context affects this: – Kathy H is part of a cloning programme and her life is mapped out for her – school, carer, donor (values, social structures, personal freedom, power) – Nora must abide by the strict social code of her time which dictate her role as a wife and mother (values, social structures, personal freedom, power, gender roles)

How response to difficulty is dictated by cultural context: – Social structures and the values evident in the cultural contexts of the novel and the play influence both Kathy’s and Nora’s responses Kathy cannot have a normal life due to society’s attitude towards the clones, while in Nora’s case, strict Victorian mores limit her choices in life – when she decides to leave Torvald, she must leave her entire life behind as she has broken the code

– Nora’s response is also dictated by the perception of gender roles in the society of “A Doll’s House” – as a wife, she is no more than a plaything for her husband, and when she chooses to leave him, she must leave her children also as she wouldn’t be seen as a fit mother Her choices in life are limited by her gender In “Never Let Me Go”, gender roles do not influence Kathy’s response to her difficulties, but her lack of power does She has no power over her own destiny and unlike Nora, accepts her situation rather than continuing her brief struggle against it

– The lack of personal freedom evident in the worlds of both texts dictates the responses of the main characters to their difficulties Nora cannot have money of her own so she is forced to borrow illicitly and faces a domestic crisis when her husband discovers this There is no real, mature love evident in her relationship with Torvald, but by marrying him she has secured her future – unmarried women do not have pleasant lives (ref. Mrs. Linde) Eventually, in order to establish her own identity, she must take the dramatic step of leaving her husband and family – a very difficult move to make in the society of this text

– Kathy’s personal freedom is similarly limited in “Never Let Me Go” As a clone, she has some personal freedom in her day- to-day life, but cannot marry, have children, get a job, go to university – some similarities with Nora’s limitations Like Nora, she faces a relationship crisis when she and Tommy discover that they cannot get a ‘deferral’ (key moment), but such are the limitations of her world, she does not have the option to just walk away from what is expected of her However difficult that might have been for Nora, it appears to have been impossible for Kathy

Structure Clearly number the question, eg Q. 2 Part (b) Opening – name texts and authors/director, main characters, and take a position on the question

The other two texts that I have studied for this area of the course are “Never Let Me Go”, a contemporary novel by Kasuo Ishiguro, and “A Doll’s House” by Norwegian playwright, Henrik Ibsen. Both of the main characters, Kathy H. and Nora respectively, face the difficulty of a lack of personal freedom, directly related to the cultural context within each text.

Three to four paragraphs, each focussing on how a particular aspect of the cultural context impacts on both Nora’s and Kathy’s lack of personal freedom. NB – in each section/paragraph, address the question clearly Each section should feature BOTH Kathy and Nora Conclusion, again directly referencing the question eg It is quite clear that both Nora and Kathy must deal with severe limitations on their personal freedom due to the cultural contexts they inhabit. That their responses are different in the end, with Nora rebelling and Kathy succumbing, illustrates the differences between the worlds of these texts – Nora has at least the choice to take ownership of her own personal freedom, whereas Kathy has none.

Comparative Terms Meanwhile, in (other text), we see a similar example of.... Meanwhile, in (other text), we see an equally worrying but quite different example of limited personal freedom when… Likewise, in (other text)... Similarly in (other text)... There is also a particularly striking example of the value placed on duty in (other text) as...

Comparative Terms A key moment which has a similar effect occurs in (other text) when... In contrast to this, in “Never Let Me Go”, Kathy has absolutely no option. In stark contrast to this,... In complete contrast, we see... In “Never Let Me Go” however, the value placed on family is far lower than in “A Doll’s House”.