'For me, education was power.'
- Michelle Obama
As I was meant to be sitting my A Levels this May and June, which obviously have been cancelled due to the Coronavirus, I thought it would be interesting for me to rank the set texts which I studied for my A Level English course. For context, I took AQA combined English Language and Literature A Level, and I had coursework that ordinarily would make up 20% of my final grade.
I have tried to avoid spoilers where possible, however there may have been some included due to the more academically leaning stance my overview of these texts does take. So, going in reverse order:
6. Anthology of Paris texts
This anthology, although having some engaging texts, on the whole was the most tedious collection to study. This is due to the varying lengths of texts, the number of different texts, and also the application of the anthology within questions, wherein we had to compare two extracts from the anthology, focusing on the representation of Paris as well as the target audience, text type and the purpose of the text.
While this was my least favourite set text to study, it was interesting as an exploration of French culture, however I feel while there were various text types, there was not as wide of a variety in the content of these texts. On the whole, I see why this is valuable in a combined Language and Literature course due to there being a large focus on English Language as a result of the extensive presence of non-literary texts, however the study of this anthology for me became tedious and overly repetitive rather than overall an engaging experience.
5. Poetry from Mean Time by Carol Ann Duffy
I largely enjoy poetry, especially from a writing point of view as I do have a distinct interest in the crafting of poetry from different writers. However, Duffy was not one of my favourite poets that I have studied, and I did find more enjoyment from the 'Power and Conflict' poetry I studied at GCSE.
That being said, the depiction of love and relationships in Duffy's work is interesting, and distinctly unique when you look at much of the imagery in poems such as 'Valentine' with "I give you an onion" as a symbol of romantic interest. Furthermore, the depiction of childhood memories as well as the memories of past relationships, and therefore the effects of these on the persona, within Duffy's work is engaging and captivating, to relay the significance of mundane experiences in hindsight. Leading on, however, I found with many of the poems what you saw on the surface is what you got, whereas I enjoy poetry that enables you to grasp alternative meanings through imagery and simile, not just that which is the subject of the poem. While I enjoyed the depictions of personas such as in 'The Biographer', for the majority of poems selected I felt that I could not connect with the persona which lessened my personal enjoyment.
4. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Arguably the level of enjoyment and engagement that accompanied this text is disproportionate to the ranking. 'The Kite Runner' was an emotional roller coaster, and for anybody who hasn't read it, there is an observation of the human destruction of humanity; the power of brotherhood; the creation of self in independence of family.
This novel has a large emotional and mental impact, with there being a lot of sensitive topics touched upon, and the almost cyclical nature of the experiences within the book, found to occur to child after child, elongates the true destruction of each other that humans are guilty of perpetrating. However, this is also a story about redemption and the power of righting past wrongs to give yourself a second chance, as well as provide second chances to others. Another key idea touched on by Hosseini is that, while it is important for the people we have wronged to forgive us, we will never release the guilt of our own actions unless we forgive ourselves.
3. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
'Great Expectations' was the text which I studied for my coursework, where I analysed the presentation of female criminals in 'Great Expectations' compared to an a newspaper article on the same topic. In this novel, Dickens explores what it means to care for another person, even when recognition does not come alongside that caring; the roles of gender and class in Victorian society, and the impact of class in romantic involvement; and Dickens also observes the difficulty of the transition between city and country life and the differences between inherited and acquired wealth.
My focus was specifically on female criminals, and how the character of Molly is portrayed within 'Great Expectations' while also exploring the expectations placed on women within the Victorian period, where respectable women were expected to exist within the private sphere of the house while marrying husbands who go out into the public sphere to work. 'Great Expectations' provided an insightful look into the nature that is expected from women, and how often women can be see to evade these with their strength and ruthlessness.
2. A Streetcar Named Desire by Tenesse Williams
One of my favourite thing about 'A Streetcar Named Desire' was the symbolism and the distinct timeline of watching a character unravel. The title of the play brings to light a main source of conflict which is desire, specifically the correlation between desire and death, as Blanche takes a streetcar named desire to reach Elysian Fields, which in Greek mythology is a type of after life, therefore indicating that desire can directly lead to death.
Furthermore, the exploration of family relationships, specifically whether loyalty should lie with your birth family once you are married or whether this loyalty should be relayed to your spouse, intrigued me - especially when enhanced by the conflict of Blanche and Stella's origins from the Old South and Stanley's embodiment of New America, as well as the economic position of women which often led to the reliance on husbands when observing financial means. Therefore the social observations surrounding class, gender and sexuality create an engaging landscape for the exploration of familiar relationships and the decline in Blanche's perception of reality.
1. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
There is a reason that 'The Handmaid's Tale' has such a huge hype surrounding it, and that is because it is an engaging and well crafted novel, with an interesting narrative structure that invests you in the character of Offred and therefore in turn the people that she knows. To anyone who studies 'The Handmaid's Tale', I highly recommend that you read 'The Testaments', the sequel novel, as this provides intriguing contextual knowledge and background to the formation of governance within Gilead. However, when reading, the themes of feminism, resistance and rebellion of the spirit were some of my favourite depictions, as well as the vivid imagery enhanced by the continuous reference to the colour coding within Gilead.
As a dystopian novel, the society of Gilead is grounded in reality, and acts as an important social message at what could occur if we take the fights of generations previously for granted, and allow complacency to blow out our passion flames. Therefore, anybody who is distinctly interested in the effect of feminism on society through the observation of what could occur if the progressions of the feminist movement were revoked, I recommend you read 'The Handmaid's Tale'. Not only does it indicate the potential of the reversing of equality, but also the contrast between what once was reality for Offred, compared to what is now the reality. Furthermore, there is a distinct message that it is never too late to use your voice, or your spark of rebellion - you just have to decide how to utilise the impact that you can have most effectively.
I hope you enjoyed my overall thoughts on these books. If you've read any of them I'd love to know what you think.
Enjoy it all
Hollie x