Understanding Cultural Context in Texts: A Comparative Approach, Lecture notes of Religion

Download Understanding Cultural Context in Texts: A Comparative Approach and more Lecture notes Religion in PDF only on Docsity! Introduction v 1. The Cultural Context 1 2. Theme or Issue 44 3. Literary Genre 86 4. The General Vision and Viewpoint 127 iii CONTENTS scts comparative studyx:scts comparative studyx 08/02/2007 13:11 Page iii Overview The cultural context is the world or society of the text. It refers to when and where the story is set, the type of society that is represented in the text, its way of life, its values and its day-to-day rituals. We look for evidence of what is important to the author and characters. The social, political, religious and economic structure of society is considered here. The different roles of men and women, the notion of race, violence, social class, customs, rituals and the importance of work can also be included in an answer on cultural context. Many of these aspects of cultural context will overlap and intertwine at times. Studying cultural context in your texts When you are reading a Leaving Cert novel or play (or watching a film), begin by examining the setting. The time and place in which the story is set provides a good starting point for understanding the unique ‘world’ of the text. As you become more familiar with your comparative texts, you can examine them under key aspects of cultural context, such as class, family, power, attitudes, violence, religion, money, freedom, gender, values etc. What kind of society exists in the text? Which scenes or moments best illustrate the social setting? Always remember that aspects of cultural context will overlap at times. This is true of the following two social features. Family What types of family are found in your text — modern nuclear or traditional extended or some other structure? Is a close friendship a substitute for family life? Are there parents or guardians? Are there brothers or sisters? Or is the main character an only child? What sort of relationships exist within the family? Are they functional or dysfunctional? Does the family provide security or does it put pressure 1 1 THE CULTURAL CONTEXT scts comparative studyx:scts comparative studyx 08/02/2007 13:11 Page 1 ‘But I know now, father,’ said Eppie. ‘If it hadn’t been for you, they’d have taken me to the workhouse, and there’d have been nobody to love me.’ ‘Eh, my precious child, the blessing was mine. If you hadn’t been sent to save me, I should ha’ gone to the grave in misery. The money was taken away from me in time; and you see it’s been kept – kept till it was wanted for you. It’s wonderful – our life is wonderful.’ Silas sat in silence a few minutes, looking at the money. ‘It takes no hold of me now,’ he said, ponderingly – ‘the money doesn’t. I wonder if it ever could again – I doubt it might, if I lost you, Eppie. I might come to think I was forsaken again, and lose the feeling that God was good to me.’ Note how the tender atmosphere of this scene highlights the close relationship between Eppie and her surrogate father, Silas. It reflects the special ‘world’ they have created for themselves. It is much more valuable to them than material possessions could ever be. The author makes it clear that Silas’ values have been radically changed by the power of love. He has now become part of the local community. All these aspects of cultural context are evident within the extract. In exploring cultural context, the following exemplar uses the Silas Marner key scene to answer this Leaving Cert question: Careful study of a key moment can provide worthwhile insights into the cultural context of a narrative text. Discuss this statement in relation to the texts you have studied for your comparative course. Near the end of ‘Silas Marner’, the weaver has clearly come to appreciate the importance of family love. All through the story, family life is seen as the centre of human relations. A similar idea is present in ‘My Left Foot’ where Christy Brown goes up in the world but still shows his appreciation for his mother by becoming the artist she always knew he could be. Silas is equally proud of Eppie, his adopted daughter, and their lives have been transformed by the love between them. He sums up his feelings for Eppie with the words: ‘the blessing was mine.’ Silas is more than grateful for the ‘wonderful’ life he and Eppie share. As the story ends, he lets Eppie know that he is no longer interested in gold: ‘It takes no hold of me now’. This emotional scene also shows us how Silas has become part of the Raveloe community where the ordinary villagers place more importance on human relationships and love of God. Just as Christy’s family love him for himself, we can see that appearances count for nothing in both texts. Within the world of the novel, greed and selfishness have only brought loneliness and misery – especially during Silas’ first fifteen years when he devoted his life to saving money. Because of Eppie, he eventually realises that ‘God was good to me’ and he cannot imagine living without his daughter. 4 THE COMPARATIVE STUDY LEAVING CERTIFICATE HIGHER scts comparative studyx:scts comparative studyx 08/02/2007 13:11 Page 4 EXAMINER’S COMMENTS As part of a full essay answer, this A grade comparative paragraph makes very good use of the key scene from Silas Marner. The importance of family love is also referred to in a second text. Apt quotations are used to show that Silas’ world has been completely changed by the power of love. This, in turn, has brought him much closer to the local people. Overall, a very well-managed paragraph. EXERCISE In response to the same question above, choose a key scene from one of the texts you are studying and use it as the basis of a practice paragraph (at least 150 words). EXAM TIP Remember that key moments are simply the episodes or incidents in the text that best exemplify important points you wish to make. There is usually no need to describe the moment in enormous detail. It is more important to explain what the chosen moment signifies and how it manages to do this. Effective Paragraphs To write successful examination answers, you have to engage with the given task and use focused references from your chosen texts. You will also be expected to structure the points you make in clearly written and coherent paragraphs. Study the exemplar that follows to see how an effective paragraph can be written. 5 THE CULTURAL CONTEXT scts comparative studyx:scts comparative studyx 08/02/2007 13:11 Page 5 6 THE COMPARATIVE STUDY LEAVING CERTIFICATE HIGHER Sample Paragraph: Power (in Macbeth and Wuthering Heights) Compare the way in which the cultural context is established by the authors of the texts you have studied. The world of ‘Macbeth’ is dominated by the pursuit of power. From the very start, Macbeth himself seems obsessed with ‘the imperial theme’. After the murder of Duncan, the new king is soon corrupted by his ‘vaulting ambition’ for power. Shakespeare introduces us to a power struggle which leads to Macbeth’s evil reign and chaos in Scotland. In the scene before attacking Macbeth’s castle, Macduff and Malcolm both refer to Scotland as their ‘poor country’. Ross describes his homeland in this way: ‘Alas! Poor country. Almost afraid to know itself’. The repetition emphasises Shakespeare’s view of the fear and tyranny Macbeth has created. I was also aware of a similar atmosphere of corrupted power in the world of ‘Wuthering Heights’ – especially when Heathcliff returned to take his merciless revenge against Hindley Earnshaw and Edgar Linton. Emily Brontë presents readers with a monstrous character who used his own strength and every trick he could think of – including an arranged marriage to Isabella – to bring misery to Thrushcross Grange and the Heights. It did not take him long to destroy Edgar and Catherine’s marriage, cheat Hindley out of his home and ruin Isabella’s life. In these two texts, both authors create worlds where power is seen as an evil force, destroying order and civilised life. EXAMINER’S COMMENT As part of a full answer, this confidently written A grade paragraph addresses the question directly by comparing how the cultural context is created in two classic texts. The informed references and quotations show how both authors establish the importance of power as a negative force through the two central characters. EXERCISE Write a well-focused paragraph showing how the author of a text you are studying establishes the cultural context of one of the following: 1 power (within a family, in society, in a relationship, etc.) 2 authority (government, community, family, work environment, etc.) 3 political corruption (abuse of power, fraud, etc.) scts comparative studyx:scts comparative studyx 08/02/2007 13:11 Page 6 9 THE CULTURAL CONTEXT severe difficulties coping with the world around him. The plot revolves around Christopher’s investigation into the death of his neighbour’s dog. Christopher’s father loves his son but often loses his temper with him. This family pressure affects Christopher badly. In the same way, Alfredo in ‘Cinema Paradiso’ is a father-figure for Toto, but he also is angry with him at times. Toto’s biological father has been killed in war and this makes life difficult for the young boy. Because he has no father to look up to, he admires Alfredo, the old projection worker who takes over the father’s role. Toto loves hanging about the cinema and he sometimes gets in Alfredo’s way. Christopher Boone’s mother has left the family and he also has fights with his father. He feels isolated, especially as his father is also away at work. When his father finds Christopher’s diary, he loses his temper and hides it from him. He also stops his son from continuing his investigation into the dog’s death. Christopher also struggles to communicate with his father and he is also terrified of him, so much so that he eventually runs away from home to find his mother. In both these two texts, life is hard for Toto and also Christopher because of family pressure. EXAMINER’S COMMENT This is a reasonably well-focused paragraph which addresses the shared experiences of the two boys. The response to the question is grounded in specific moments where family pressures affect the lives of the two central characters. The comparative link is effectively made, but points are not underpinned by close reference – particularly in dealing with the film. Overuse of the word ‘also’ weakens the expression. A good C1 standard. EXERCISE Based on the texts you have studied, write a well-illustrated paragraph in response to the same Leaving Cert question about the effects of family life on the individual. scts comparative studyx:scts comparative studyx 08/02/2007 13:11 Page 9 10 THE COMPARATIVE STUDY LEAVING CERTIFICATE HIGHER EXAM TIP Discussing the Role of Family The questions below will help you examine the family structures in your texts:  What type of family is represented in your text? Is it nuclear or extended?  Are there parents or guardians? Are there brothers or sisters, or is the main character an only child?  What kind of relationships exist within the family? Are they functional or dysfunctional?  Does the family unit promote harmony or put pressure on individuals?  Has the family an active or passive role in society?  Do the children honour or reject the family?  Are different types of family represented in your texts? List them. Are some more successful than others? Why? How?  What insight do you gain from an examination of the family structures in your texts? Sample Paragraph: Religion (in Silas Marner) In assessing Comparative Study answers, examiners sometimes find that not enough attention has been given to the actual wording of the question. This usually leads to unfocused work and lower marks. In the exemplar that follows, a key element of the question (‘sharpens our awareness’) has not been addressed. The paragraph that follows was written in response to the question: ‘The comparative study of texts sharpens our awareness of many important aspects of cultural context.’ Discuss this view, basing your response on at least two texts you have studied as part of your comparative course. Support the comparisons you make by close reference to the texts. In ‘Silas Marner’ at the begining, Silas belongs to the Lantern yard, a narrow-minded religious church. He seems happy in this awesome religion where he obeys their strict laws without thinking. The old preacher is strict and some of the group are totally scts comparative studyx:scts comparative studyx 08/02/2007 13:11 Page 10 hypocrytical like William Dane. When Silas is so blamed in the wrong for stealing, we see this weird religion isn’t really Christian at all. The drawing of lots is just superstition which leads to Silas going to Raveloe where the community’s religion is not strict. Raveloe religion is more a part of the social life and Dolly Winthrop has a blind faith in ‘them up high above’ this brings Silas back to church. Religion starts off having a very bad effect on Silas but in Raveloe it is for his own good. He takes up his faith in God and he is fullfilled. In the second book, it is set in 1990 in Dublin, The Homesick Garden. But religion plays no part in the lives of the characters. It is secular. This is so the modern world and they have no interest in religion. Silas only became interested in religion because Eppie had to be christened. He is more aware of religion because Dolly kept asking him to come to church. This makes Silas a happy man and is completly different to Antonia and her secular family. Spellcheck! beginning hypocritical fulfilled completely EXAMINER’S COMMENTS While there is a focus on religion as it affects the characters in both texts, there is little focus on how texts sharpen our awareness of cultural context. Points lack development and are largely implicit. The expression is awkward and the quotation is imprecise. While some attempt is made at comparison, the reference to the second novel is vague. Spelling errors would also be penalised. As part of a full answer, the standard here is D1. EXERCISE Based on the texts you have studied, write an effective paragraph (about 200 words) on either the presence or the absence of religious belief in sharpening your awareness of cultural context. Note: before you begin, think about the nature and effect of religion in your texts – strict, avenging, insignificant, supportive, compassionate etc. How is religion presented? What are the ceremonies and rituals like? Are there contrasting forms of religion in the texts? Is there a secular (non-religious) culture? How does this affect characters? 11 THE CULTURAL CONTEXT scts comparative studyx:scts comparative studyx 08/02/2007 13:11 Page 11