Blog #12: Mythological Allusion Poetry PowerPoint

Blog #11: Biblical Allusion Poetry PowerPoint

Blog #10: Literary Period PowerPoint

Blog #9: Literary Criticism PowerPoint

Blog #8: Summer Reading Creative Project

Text: Michael Ondaatje’s The English Patient

Essence: A change in one’s values forces a change in what he/she is willing to sacrifice.

Brief Summary of Text: The book follows the stories of four unlike people living inside an Italian villa towards the end of World War II. The book centers upon the story of an unrecognizable burn victim who is assumed to be English. However, after slowly revealing his past he turns out to be of Hungarian origin. His story is a “blank page” at first, as Hana, Kip, and Caravaggio reflect their own thoughts upon him. But the English Patient eventually recalls his memories and reveals his real name to be Almásy, uncovering every detail of his past including how he falls in love with Katherine, her husband’s death, her death, and his enduring belief that nations are useless entities and that love can take people to different times and places.

AP Prompt (2014): It has often been said that what we value can be determined only by what we sacrifice. Consider how this statement applies to a character from a novel or play. Select a character that has deliberately sacrificed, surrendered, or forfeited something in a way that highlights that character’s values. Then write a well-organized essay in which you analyze how the particular sacrifice illuminates the character’s values and provides a deeper understanding of the meaning of the work as a whole.

Thesis which addresses the prompt: In Michael Ondaatje’s The English Patient, László Almásy makes significant sacrifices for his personal value for individualism as he favors freedom by staying in the desert and holds no value for national identity; the purity that he finds in the desert, however, is clouded by the entrance of temptation in the form of Katherine Clifton, which ultimately forces him to sacrifice his greatest personal value of breaching national ties.

Iceberg View of Culture: Literature is the surface culture that is highlighted in The English Patient. Literature has the ability to connect the past to the present. Hana reads to Almásy to keep him preoccupied in present-day life, but literature also allows him to feel the love that he had for Katherine and his memories of his work in the desert in Cairo. For the characters in this novel, time and place play cannot inhibit the eternal love that they have for their loved ones, and through the medium of literature, they are able to transcend all obstacles: even death. For Almásy, The Histories by Herodotus is literature that allows him to connect to people and feelings that are now dead or gone, things that can only be reached through books.

One of the most memorable moments in the novel is when Katherine tells the story of the Lydian King Candaules showing off his wife’s beauty to his lieutenant Gyges, and Gyges killing the king to take the throne and the queen for himself. The telling of this story itself causes Almásy to be seduced by Katherine. This story parallels the love triangle between Almásy, Katherine, and Mr. Clifton. This scene reiterates the power that literature has to strengthen human connections beyond the story that is being told. There is a lot of nonverbal communication that occurs when it comes to the intimacy and the intensity that builds between Almásy and Katherine. The silence and their everlasting gaze exemplify their feelings for one another. Almásy reflects on this when he says, “All these years I have been trying to unearth what she was handing me with that look…I think she was studying me” (144). Of course, facial expression, body language, and tone of voice also imply Katherine’s motives to be rather seductive in nature. The details of nonverbal communication illustrate the nuanced suggestions that Katherine makes while telling the story.

The deeper implications of Katherine’s reading of the story are: preferences for competition or cooperation, concept of past and future, and the concept of self.  As stated earlier, literature has the ability to allow people to feel connected regardless of time and place. Discernibly, Almásy’s response to Katherine’s story will either result in competition or cooperation with Mr. Clifton. In this case the result is definitely competition, as Mr. Clifton ultimately goes mad and attempts to murder, but dies in the process. Self-concept is a psychological concept that is especially unique for Almásy in this novel. He originally stays in the desert to maintain lucidity, but this is changed dramatically by his lose of rationality as he becomes so infatuated with Katherine that he cannot control himself. Almásy addresses his feelings as she tells the story, he states, “That night I fell in love with her voice. Only her voice. I wanted to hear nothing more" (145).

Creative Project & Explanation: In Michael Ondaatje’s The English Patient, László Almásy, a man who is guilty of reprehensible betrayals, makes significant sacrifices for his personal value for individualism as he favors freedom by staying in the desert and holds no values for national identity; the purity that he finds in the desert, however, is clouded by the entrance of temptation in the form of Katherine Clifton, which ultimately forces him to sacrifice his personal value of breaching national ties.

The Left Side of the Mask: The image of the desert contains many symbolic meanings. ‎From a biblical point of view, the desert is related to a place of cleansing. God took many occasions to send groups of Jews and other religious groups into the desert for cleansing prior to sending them to the "promised land". Most notably, the Jews (led by Moses) coming out of exile in Egypt and sending Jesus into the desert for 40 days and 40 nights for the cleansing of his soul and temptation from the Devil. The general significance of the arid landscape of the desert is that it represents purity and a place free from temptation, with no distractions. The only thing that is on the image of the desert is the silhouette of a single person, which represents Almásy’s clarity with only his favorite book (Herodotus) by his side. All focus is on survival rather than satisfying personal needs. For Almásy specifically, the desert is a place where national identity is extraneous, allowing him to redefine himself freely. The irony in all this lays in Katherine, who embodies temptation, but travels to the desert—a place of spiritual cleansing.  The dove holding the olive branch in the sky (a general peace symbol) represents his freedom outside of his Hungarian origin.

The Right side of the Mask: The circular image is one of King Candaules of Lydia who is letting Gyges see his wife naked. Gyges is shot with Cupid’s arrow in this image as he has fallen in love with the queen through the mere display of her beauty. This image is associated with blindness and bewilderment through the thick black swirls around the right temple of the mask. This detail symbolizes Almásy being clouded by the temptation of Katherine. The two quotes are words spoken by Candaules’ wife, which allude to the death and destruction that Almásy and Katherine also cause through their relationship.

The backside of the mask is divided into two halves like the front. Directly behind the left side with the desert, the mask is blank because Almásy is not concealing anything significant about himself when he is solely invested in his work in the desert. Directly behind the right side with the black swirls, there is a skull as well as a World War II map of Hungary, which represents the repercussions of his relationship with Katherine. He must conceal the death and destruction that his iniquitous relationship with Katherine causes and also his Hungarian background that is eventually revealed. This is the sacrifice that Almásy makes for Katherine; he sacrifices upholding his value of breaking national ties. Essentially, the left side of the mask represents who Almásy was before he met Katherine and the right side of the mask (as well as what is behind it) represents who he is after he meets Katherine. 

Blog #7: Summer Reading Comparison/Contrast Paper

Summer Reading: The Five Elements of Mis En Scene in "The Namesake"

Settings and Props: The opening scene of the film is set in the hustle and bustle of the Calcutta train station; a railway porter is carrying a large suitcase (and larger bundle is stacked on top of it) over his head that reads “A. Ganguli” and “Calcutta” in smaller letters underneath of it.  Once inside the train, the interior of the train appears old and worn; the seats are wooden. Ashoke is seen placing his four-layer tiffin carrier in the bunk above. The woman seated next to him is fanning herself with a hand fan (conveys an uncomfortable environment with the heat and mugginess) and her daughter holds a porcelain doll. Ghosh takes out a bottle of cologne and carelessly puts some one his neck. Ashoke is then seen holding a tattered copy of The Overcoat by Nikolai Gogol and the woman is reading as well as Ghosh engages in conversation with Ashoke. There are short nature shots of the rural land that the train passes by. Later on Ghosh is carrying a toothbrush and a washcloth as he makes his way back to his seat. He is later seen holding a flask and takes a big drink out of it. When the accident occurs we see a light flashing, Ghosh’s flask, and belongings tumbling down.

Costume, Hair, and Makeup: All the railway porters are dressed in red tunics and light colored turbans. Everyone else including Ashoke is dressed in casual clothing. On the train, the woman seated by Ashoke is wearing a red sari with yellow, brown, and light colored stripe and Ghosh is wearing business casual clothing (and some wire-rimmed glasses)—signifying his status as a businessman. The woman is wearing a modest amount of jewelry (a single bangle, a watch, and a few rings) and minimal makeup. Ashoke appears to be dressing for comfort as his shirt and trousers are loose fitting and made of a soft fabric. Ghosh, although of a higher status, does not appear to be concerned with his appearance as he undresses to his undershirt and some loose fitting pants later on in the evening revealing his potbelly.

Facial Expressions and Body Language: Ashoke holds a mild facial expression for the most part, however, at some points, he faintly laughs in response to Ghosh’s questions and remarks. The woman seated next to Ashoke has a blank expression (as she puts her hand on her daughter’s shoulder, this is the intimate zone reserved for family) probably due to her daughter’s feelings. Her daughter is lying down with her head rested on her mother’s lap and her expression conveys boredom, tiredness, and despondency. Ashoke sits upright and cross-legged at first as he is reading his book, but lies down on his side later on in the evening to get more comfortable. Ghosh and Ashoke speak rather loudly because the sound of the train is overwhelming. Later on in the evening, Ghosh leans in closer as he talks to Ashoke (when Ashoke is lying down) and uses his hands as he talks (widening the space between his hands as he talks about England and America). As he says, “it was like a dream” he turns his head off into the distance and the audience sees a glimmer of light in his eyes, appearing dazed by his memories. He smiles occasionally as he speaks and Ashoke looks at him in astonishment. As he says “to each his own” he raises his flask to show courtesy. As the accident occurs, everyone is screaming and struggling to escape, thrashing and flaying their bodies.

Lighting and Color: The lighting used is low-key lighting as the entire clip consists of Ashoke’s flashback to a horrible accident.  The lighting becomes even darker as night falls (there is sharp contrast between light and dark areas), foreshadowing the impending accident.  As the accident occurs, the lights flash and chaos ensues, then suddenly, there is silence and the scene cuts to black signifying the end of the flashback.

Positioning of Characters/Objects within the Frame: The opening scene is a point of view shot from Ashoke’s view as he is walking in the crowded train station with the porter walks in front of him, holding his luggage. Then there is a medium shot of Ashoke to show his struggle to makes his way around the huge crowd that surrounds him. Throughout the train ride, there are frequent long shots of the rural land that the train is passing through. Inside the train, the audience sees a medium shot of the seating area and then a subsequent close up of the little girl who is falling asleep. During the dialogue between Ghosh and Ashoke, a combination of medium and close up shots are used. A medium shot interrupts the scene as Ghosh as is walking through the aisle on the train (probably making his way back from the bathroom). A shot of a different surrounding outside is seen, as the train is moving quickly, the lights outside are flashing by in the night. There are frequent over-the-shoulder shots of Ashoke during his conversation with Ghosh. As the accident occurs, the camera switches angles multiple time from close ups of the ceiling light, to Ghosh’s flask, to medium shots of Ghosh, and Ashoke. The swift changes between angles as the train is shaking feverishly helps capture all the chaos.