And so it starts...the adventure of writing a Lit X paper. I must admit that I've heard some contridicting opinions about this assignment from students past, yet I think the concept of devleoping my own thesis based on books I've read is an intriguing one. With my first draft due on Friday, I've decided to do this in steps begining with my intorduction.
My Invented Steps (Part 1)
1.) What proof do I have that this hasn't been answered before? What question am I exploring? Oh and umm What exactly is my topic anyway?
I wanted to do my paper on female authors exploring how they are different and alike than their male counterparts. To begin with I'll just do a free write to get my ideas flowing (essentially just bullet points)
-women haven't had roles outside the home for very long
-men given more schooling in past centuries
-European/Western focus for my paper (I don't know enough about Eastern cultures or Native American cultures to generalize that way I am above)
-Why don't women have counterparts to the famous males of different time periods?
-Do men write differently than women? Why?
-Do wome nwrite differently than men? Why?
2.) What books have I read in the past that support my topic?
I have so many favorite female authors, I'm not sure where to begin! Alice Sebold, JK Rowling, Phillipa Gregory, Judy Blume, Ann Patchett, Iris Johansen, Sylvia Plathe, Virginia Wolfe...etc. I could use any of their books, but I think it would be best to use "iconis" authors, like household names. JK Rowlings is known by large masses of the world, Virginia Wolfe has written many famous novels and Jane Austen just had a movie made about her life.
3.) What book did I just read that supports this thesis?
I just read "The Virgin's Lover" by Phillipa Gregory, and although not a critically acclaimed book I found it be be very interseting. In terms of my topic, it looks heavily into the development of a male character by a female which I find to be something I could definatly explore further.
4.) What do I need to limit? How do I limit?
I think I'm going to focus on British female authors, because I can look to past and present and compare the two time periods and how the female author role has changed in that time.
5.) Rough draft of my indroduction.
If men and women are created equal, then shouldn’t there be a female counterpart for every famous man, one with equal talents and brilliance to offer the world? History should house a female Shakespeare and a lady Locke, shouldn’t it? Although history books mention a few women here and there, the sad fact of our world is that women were not given equal chance to develop intellectually and share their ideas until just a few centuries ago. For this reason, the list of infamous male authors and storytellers quadruples the short list of notable female writers. In the United States, the SAT’s were recently revised to allow females a chance to score higher based on the widely agreed upon theory that women are better at writing than men. We know why there are fewer women in the history of literature than men, but a more intriguing question for the world is how do men and women differ through writing? Are men more violent than women? Are women more apt to write about love, loss and family? Can men write realistic female characters, can women write realistic male characters?
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Response to Part II Question
Examine the following quote: "But what was guilt these days? It was cheap. Everyone was guilty, and no one was." What is the significance of this quote in the context of Part II? For the book as a whole?
One of the main themes in this book is the question of what makes a person guilty and how does each character define guilt. In our group discussions we talked a lot about how different people deal with situations that should feel guilty in and how sometimes people do not. For example, taking money from a parent's wallet is an action I would consider stealing while others might consider it borrowing or their right as a child. Conclusively, I have discovered that guilt is a very shaky bridge that can fall in many directions depending upon the eye of the beholder. In relation to the book, Briony does not seem to feel any guilt initially for having lied about the rape, but as she ages and sees the effects of her lies, Briony begins to understand the complexity of her lie. One tiny lie told as a child ruined a man's reputation, ruined her sister's family relationship, and arguably lead to the wedding of Lola and her true rapist. Though the guilt took a long time to manifest itself, it affected Briony even into her old age. In the final pages of the book, one opf the quotes that spoke to me the most was when Briony says, "It occurs to me that I have not traveled so far after all, since I wrote my little play" (349). Though the Trials of Arabella seems lifetimes away, that summer was the most crucial time for Briony and her one small lie turned into a lifetime of guilt and regret. I think the significance of the quote above is that it symbolizes the underlying theme of the entire book. Particularly in Part II, guilt within Briony is built up even more than before and she does weird things like having a delusional "make-up" with Robbie and Cecelia. Her lack of responsibility, even as a young woman, contributes to the theme that guilt left unchecked will eat a person alive and they will feel that void of forgiveness forever. Ultimately, I think the underlying presence of guilt within Briony throughout the book comes center stage in part two and teaches the reader that guilt is like a cancer, it can be maintained for a while, but it will eventually spread uncontrollably and there's nothing to be done about it.
One of the main themes in this book is the question of what makes a person guilty and how does each character define guilt. In our group discussions we talked a lot about how different people deal with situations that should feel guilty in and how sometimes people do not. For example, taking money from a parent's wallet is an action I would consider stealing while others might consider it borrowing or their right as a child. Conclusively, I have discovered that guilt is a very shaky bridge that can fall in many directions depending upon the eye of the beholder. In relation to the book, Briony does not seem to feel any guilt initially for having lied about the rape, but as she ages and sees the effects of her lies, Briony begins to understand the complexity of her lie. One tiny lie told as a child ruined a man's reputation, ruined her sister's family relationship, and arguably lead to the wedding of Lola and her true rapist. Though the guilt took a long time to manifest itself, it affected Briony even into her old age. In the final pages of the book, one opf the quotes that spoke to me the most was when Briony says, "It occurs to me that I have not traveled so far after all, since I wrote my little play" (349). Though the Trials of Arabella seems lifetimes away, that summer was the most crucial time for Briony and her one small lie turned into a lifetime of guilt and regret. I think the significance of the quote above is that it symbolizes the underlying theme of the entire book. Particularly in Part II, guilt within Briony is built up even more than before and she does weird things like having a delusional "make-up" with Robbie and Cecelia. Her lack of responsibility, even as a young woman, contributes to the theme that guilt left unchecked will eat a person alive and they will feel that void of forgiveness forever. Ultimately, I think the underlying presence of guilt within Briony throughout the book comes center stage in part two and teaches the reader that guilt is like a cancer, it can be maintained for a while, but it will eventually spread uncontrollably and there's nothing to be done about it.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Writing about Writing (October 17th, 2007)
What are the major content/critical thinking/writing issues that you were confronted with on this draft?
How well do you understand the content/substance of what you are writing about?
What was your plan or strategy that you used to address these issues for this draft? Was this plan similar to the plans you have used in the past? How did you go from blank page to finished copy? How, and why, did you know those steps would work?
What are your strengths and weaknesses as a writer and thinker? Are you a strong thinker but no so good at the follow-through? Are you best at the big picture or the details? Are you a last-minute writer or do you plan things out and stick to the plan? Do you start relatively early in the time frame given for completing a writing task, or relatively late? Do you go through several early drafts, or do you simply work on your text once and then turn it in?
How well do you understand the written and verbal comments that were provided to you? What do these comments tell you about yourself as a writer and thinker?
What advice did you solicit for this draft? What was/were the source(s) of this advice? What advice were you given on this draft?
What advice did you accept? Reject? Why?
Describe the major changes that you made on this draft. Provide a rationale for why you made these changes.
How has the revision process allowed you to see content, in general, in a more sophisticated way.
How has the writing and thinking that you have been asked to do in the past prepared you for the kinds of writing and thinking that you were asked to do for this assignment?
While I've never been assigned an 'exploritory' essay in any other class by specific definition I have done lots of creative pieces where I come to a conclusion while working through my thoughts in the paper. In my first draft of this paper, I did more of an annilitical paper with a majority of the writing being plot summary and then explaining the relevence of that part of the novel. My 2nd draft was not much better; i pretty much just decided to put in new quotes, correct sentence structure, but the content did not chane drastically. For my 3rd draft (the one I'm turning in today) I went back to the first draft and decided to eleborate on parts both you and peers in my writing group found confusing. By doing this, I think the changes are more meaningful than my 2nd draft and the plot proves something until the end when I make my point. Thus, I think that my expereience with creative writing in my sophomore year where I made my "moral" at the end of the story helped me to write this essay where I put my thesis at the end of the paper, rather than the beginning.
What are your goals for your next piece? Where do those goals come from?
My goal for my next piece is to condence the paper. Rewriting the paper over several nights this week I would spend about an hour on each paragraph, reworking the order, adding sentences, correcting, deleting, and so on. The result is a 4 and a half paper paper, which I think explains my point very well, but my goal is to get to my point in a more conceise, fast way.
What are your over-arching goals for yourself as a writer? Why are these your goals?
My goal as a writer this year is to understand each style of paper in a way that makes me get the paper right the first time. By this I mean that I want to understand the assignment and be able to give a great draft on my first draft, instead of having to work until my 3rd to get a product I'm sincerely proud of. This is a goal of mine because if I'm able to produce a wonderful first draft that follows the assignment then my final draft ought to be extremely thoughtful.
What do you think your main goals should be as writer and thinker, given what you have experienced so far in AP English?
I think my main goal should be exaiming the text in a meaningful, thought-provoking way that makes me analyze a novel or portion of a novel in a way that I would not have if I had just read it. I feel that in class discussions bring out new points and thoughts that I never had considered on my own before and thus by pushing myself to do further examinations on my own will help me to be a deeper thinker and a better writer.
What is your criteria for quality work?
My criteria for quality work is very ambugious because I think every paper has its own expectations and its individual goals that I need to acheive as a writer. For this paper, I wanted every part of my paper to support the thesis I got to in the end and thus the criteria for any sentence I wrote was for me to ask the question, "how is this relevent?" and "do I need this?"
What was the most important thing you learned while working on this piece?
The most important thing I learned while writing this paper was that I need to focus less on what happens in the book and how it relates to my thesis and more on how my thesis relates to the book. By this I mean, instead of looking for parts in the book that are true to my thesis, I tried in this draft to instead look into my thesis and brainstorm instances in the book where the thesis is true. By doing this I found that my orginial thesis was not always true, so I twiched it to make it more relevent to the story. Essentially, I learned that the thesis needs to be crafted before I look for text that supports it, which in the past I have done.
How well do you understand the content/substance of what you are writing about?
What was your plan or strategy that you used to address these issues for this draft? Was this plan similar to the plans you have used in the past? How did you go from blank page to finished copy? How, and why, did you know those steps would work?
What are your strengths and weaknesses as a writer and thinker? Are you a strong thinker but no so good at the follow-through? Are you best at the big picture or the details? Are you a last-minute writer or do you plan things out and stick to the plan? Do you start relatively early in the time frame given for completing a writing task, or relatively late? Do you go through several early drafts, or do you simply work on your text once and then turn it in?
How well do you understand the written and verbal comments that were provided to you? What do these comments tell you about yourself as a writer and thinker?
What advice did you solicit for this draft? What was/were the source(s) of this advice? What advice were you given on this draft?
What advice did you accept? Reject? Why?
Describe the major changes that you made on this draft. Provide a rationale for why you made these changes.
How has the revision process allowed you to see content, in general, in a more sophisticated way.
How has the writing and thinking that you have been asked to do in the past prepared you for the kinds of writing and thinking that you were asked to do for this assignment?
While I've never been assigned an 'exploritory' essay in any other class by specific definition I have done lots of creative pieces where I come to a conclusion while working through my thoughts in the paper. In my first draft of this paper, I did more of an annilitical paper with a majority of the writing being plot summary and then explaining the relevence of that part of the novel. My 2nd draft was not much better; i pretty much just decided to put in new quotes, correct sentence structure, but the content did not chane drastically. For my 3rd draft (the one I'm turning in today) I went back to the first draft and decided to eleborate on parts both you and peers in my writing group found confusing. By doing this, I think the changes are more meaningful than my 2nd draft and the plot proves something until the end when I make my point. Thus, I think that my expereience with creative writing in my sophomore year where I made my "moral" at the end of the story helped me to write this essay where I put my thesis at the end of the paper, rather than the beginning.
What are your goals for your next piece? Where do those goals come from?
My goal for my next piece is to condence the paper. Rewriting the paper over several nights this week I would spend about an hour on each paragraph, reworking the order, adding sentences, correcting, deleting, and so on. The result is a 4 and a half paper paper, which I think explains my point very well, but my goal is to get to my point in a more conceise, fast way.
What are your over-arching goals for yourself as a writer? Why are these your goals?
My goal as a writer this year is to understand each style of paper in a way that makes me get the paper right the first time. By this I mean that I want to understand the assignment and be able to give a great draft on my first draft, instead of having to work until my 3rd to get a product I'm sincerely proud of. This is a goal of mine because if I'm able to produce a wonderful first draft that follows the assignment then my final draft ought to be extremely thoughtful.
What do you think your main goals should be as writer and thinker, given what you have experienced so far in AP English?
I think my main goal should be exaiming the text in a meaningful, thought-provoking way that makes me analyze a novel or portion of a novel in a way that I would not have if I had just read it. I feel that in class discussions bring out new points and thoughts that I never had considered on my own before and thus by pushing myself to do further examinations on my own will help me to be a deeper thinker and a better writer.
What is your criteria for quality work?
My criteria for quality work is very ambugious because I think every paper has its own expectations and its individual goals that I need to acheive as a writer. For this paper, I wanted every part of my paper to support the thesis I got to in the end and thus the criteria for any sentence I wrote was for me to ask the question, "how is this relevent?" and "do I need this?"
What was the most important thing you learned while working on this piece?
The most important thing I learned while writing this paper was that I need to focus less on what happens in the book and how it relates to my thesis and more on how my thesis relates to the book. By this I mean, instead of looking for parts in the book that are true to my thesis, I tried in this draft to instead look into my thesis and brainstorm instances in the book where the thesis is true. By doing this I found that my orginial thesis was not always true, so I twiched it to make it more relevent to the story. Essentially, I learned that the thesis needs to be crafted before I look for text that supports it, which in the past I have done.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Response to pages 34-37, Homework Oct. 9th
Today in class we covered pages 34 through 37 in teh text which focus on Briony's thoughts about her play and her sister's bizarre encounter with Robbie Turner. During class, I noticed that most people were focusing on the wording of what was bring said and the specific lines, while I thought of it in a broader sense. Briony talks about two things most prevelently in this section...a. not understanding other people's needs and desires within her play...and b. viewing a scene from a bird's eye view in which she can interprete the actions in any way she sees fit.
A. In the first few paragraghs, the feeling that stuck out most in my mind was Briony's inability to focus and understand other people's needs. While I don't think Briony is willingly selfish, I think she's been allowed to grow up in an enviroment where she's only needed to access her own needs. Being the youngest by a huge gap, Briony isn't used to working with children her own age, such as her cousins, and thus she's inpatient with them during play practice. As a character I cannot assume certain things, such as Briony being selfish due to the way I think she was raised, but I do think her actions prove a self-centered little girl who is unaware of the individuals around her. Her thoughts may be grown up and her stories may prove brillance for a child her age, but the way she interacts with other people makes Briony seems somewhat immature.
B. As Briony watches the scene between Cecelia and Robbie from above, she gets the unique oppurtunity to make her own assumptions about the situation since she isn't able to hear the dialogue. Instead of allowing her to access the situation rationally, Briony just uses it to fuel her hate for Robbie by making the entire scene seem to revolve around something he did, when in actuality she knows nothigna of the sort. I think that during this short part of the book, readers learn that Briony's imagination isn't as creative as we might have previously thought, but rather she uses it as a tool of manipulation to make situations ideal in her mind.
A. In the first few paragraghs, the feeling that stuck out most in my mind was Briony's inability to focus and understand other people's needs. While I don't think Briony is willingly selfish, I think she's been allowed to grow up in an enviroment where she's only needed to access her own needs. Being the youngest by a huge gap, Briony isn't used to working with children her own age, such as her cousins, and thus she's inpatient with them during play practice. As a character I cannot assume certain things, such as Briony being selfish due to the way I think she was raised, but I do think her actions prove a self-centered little girl who is unaware of the individuals around her. Her thoughts may be grown up and her stories may prove brillance for a child her age, but the way she interacts with other people makes Briony seems somewhat immature.
B. As Briony watches the scene between Cecelia and Robbie from above, she gets the unique oppurtunity to make her own assumptions about the situation since she isn't able to hear the dialogue. Instead of allowing her to access the situation rationally, Briony just uses it to fuel her hate for Robbie by making the entire scene seem to revolve around something he did, when in actuality she knows nothigna of the sort. I think that during this short part of the book, readers learn that Briony's imagination isn't as creative as we might have previously thought, but rather she uses it as a tool of manipulation to make situations ideal in her mind.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Examination of Briony Homework 10/5
Is Briony credible? Could she actually be a living, breathing human being? How does McEwan make the character seem so real?
McEwan creates Briony to be a very realistic person in the sense that her actions and emotions embody many of the errors of the human way. Some of the most basic human flaws are seen in Briony, the biggest bring jealously. Her jealousy of Robbie and Cee's budding relationship turns into her own vengeful hunt to find something to accuse Robbie of, which she finds to be the rape. By developing these thoughts in a young adolescent, McEwan allows Briony to become reliable and therefore more a living, breathing human being. His ability to give Briony realistic thoughts and irrational actions, makes her seem more like a flawed human. As humans, we all do things that are unexplainable to others and Briony's actions are just that, therefore she is easily seen as more like a real person.
What, then, is McEwan’s opinion of Briony?
I didn't find that McEwan offered his opinion of Brinoy very much, but rather he explained her in a light that showed readers what he was thinking about her. Briony's actions are self-serving and careless, thus making her appear in a negative light. I think that McEwan makes Briony a selfish little girl who grows into an unsure young woman with a lack of focus towards her dreams. Thus, the end result is that McEwan doesn't literally say his opinion of Briony but the way her portrays her is in a neutral, yet leaning towards the more negative side. Although McEwan doesn't give his opinion of Briony it seems as though he is saying he doesn't agree or condone her actions.
What is your reaction to Briony? Are you sensitive to her and to her situation? Do you feel empathy toward her? Does she deserve what she “gets” in the story, or is her fate undeserved?
My reaction towards Briony varied based on the different parts of the story, but in general I was disappointed by her lack of initiative to fix things in the end. At first, I related to Briony's situation of feeling unimportant because its a cycle every young child goes through as they are growing older. Yet as she grew up I didn't understand her lack of accountability and felt regret for her family. Her actions towards Robbie and Cecelia are not justified by her feelings of jealously and unimportance as a child and they situation was worsened by her lack of remorse.
Does Briony say anything to you personally? How do you relate/respond to her? Why do you respond the way that you do?
Briony's thoughts don't intrigue me particularly, but I think there is meaning in her actions. The fact that she waited until several years after the rape incident, time in which the rape defined Cecelia's and Robbie's life, to apologize and set the record straight says a lot about waiting. A theme I gathered from this book was that an apology can loose its effectiveness and meaning if the issue is life ruining, like accusing someone of rape. The way I can respond what I've found most interesting is that I now know that time is of the essence and that childish mistakes need to be rectified. I think I respond this way because in the entirety of the book, an entire lifetime of Briony is examined and the end result is almost tragic. Brinoy may have made it to live a long life, but at a very young age she lost the family unity and all the blame of that situation lay on her lying shoulders.
McEwan creates Briony to be a very realistic person in the sense that her actions and emotions embody many of the errors of the human way. Some of the most basic human flaws are seen in Briony, the biggest bring jealously. Her jealousy of Robbie and Cee's budding relationship turns into her own vengeful hunt to find something to accuse Robbie of, which she finds to be the rape. By developing these thoughts in a young adolescent, McEwan allows Briony to become reliable and therefore more a living, breathing human being. His ability to give Briony realistic thoughts and irrational actions, makes her seem more like a flawed human. As humans, we all do things that are unexplainable to others and Briony's actions are just that, therefore she is easily seen as more like a real person.
What, then, is McEwan’s opinion of Briony?
I didn't find that McEwan offered his opinion of Brinoy very much, but rather he explained her in a light that showed readers what he was thinking about her. Briony's actions are self-serving and careless, thus making her appear in a negative light. I think that McEwan makes Briony a selfish little girl who grows into an unsure young woman with a lack of focus towards her dreams. Thus, the end result is that McEwan doesn't literally say his opinion of Briony but the way her portrays her is in a neutral, yet leaning towards the more negative side. Although McEwan doesn't give his opinion of Briony it seems as though he is saying he doesn't agree or condone her actions.
What is your reaction to Briony? Are you sensitive to her and to her situation? Do you feel empathy toward her? Does she deserve what she “gets” in the story, or is her fate undeserved?
My reaction towards Briony varied based on the different parts of the story, but in general I was disappointed by her lack of initiative to fix things in the end. At first, I related to Briony's situation of feeling unimportant because its a cycle every young child goes through as they are growing older. Yet as she grew up I didn't understand her lack of accountability and felt regret for her family. Her actions towards Robbie and Cecelia are not justified by her feelings of jealously and unimportance as a child and they situation was worsened by her lack of remorse.
Does Briony say anything to you personally? How do you relate/respond to her? Why do you respond the way that you do?
Briony's thoughts don't intrigue me particularly, but I think there is meaning in her actions. The fact that she waited until several years after the rape incident, time in which the rape defined Cecelia's and Robbie's life, to apologize and set the record straight says a lot about waiting. A theme I gathered from this book was that an apology can loose its effectiveness and meaning if the issue is life ruining, like accusing someone of rape. The way I can respond what I've found most interesting is that I now know that time is of the essence and that childish mistakes need to be rectified. I think I respond this way because in the entirety of the book, an entire lifetime of Briony is examined and the end result is almost tragic. Brinoy may have made it to live a long life, but at a very young age she lost the family unity and all the blame of that situation lay on her lying shoulders.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Atonement Part 1 Prep 10/3
Definitions of "Realism": teh tendancy to see things are they really appear and are.
Definitions of "Intertextuality": the whole network of relations, conventions, and expectations by which the text is defined; the relationship between texts
Definition of "Prolepsis": the assigning of a person, event, etc., to a period earlier than the actual one; the representation of something in the future as if it already existed or had occurred
(Definitions were taking from www.dictionary.com)
What are Briony's limitations?
-what defines Briony
As a little girl Briony is defined as a unique child who is often times "in her head" meaning she thinks and analyzes situations more than the average child. This is seen most prevelantly when she writes her stories, which have very adult thoughts despite being authored by a child. She is essentially, a wise soul. (Until of course, she lies about Robbie, yet even at that age I think she knew the implications of her crime.)
-how Briony defines and uses her imagination
Her imagination is used both in her writing and how she precieves people. As a little girl, she keeps her thoughts about people to herself yet she seems to assume things about people that aren't real. She imagines Robbie to be attacking Cee in the library, when in actuallity, at her age I think she would understand they were having sex. Witnessing Robbie and Cee justified to others what Briony wanted to think about Robbie because she wanted to confirm that he was a danger to Cee.
-how prolepsis affects her
Above when I spoke of how Briony wanted to think of Robbie as a danger, she had it in her mind that he was so she had assigned him that role ahead of time. She saw Robbie as a threat even before he "attacked" (i don't think Cee would call it that) Cee.
-her view of the vase scene
She was looking out a window while she saw that and to her it was all very confusing. At first the thought of seeing her sister take off her blouse and skirt might have been thought to be a sexual act when really she was just going swimming. Also, since Briony only saw the silent version of what was going on, she didn't hear the dialouge which would have clarified the situation. Due to the fact, that her view of it was from above, in silence, she was able to make her own assumptions, most of which were wrong.
-her reaction to Robbie's note
Briony was simply asked to take the note to her sister, the wrong note at that, but instead of delivering it, she read it. The situation was about as bad as it could have been. A little girl was reading a (i'll call it...) "questionable" note that was never suppose to be sent in the first place, and her child's mind didn't process the meaning of it all. Her reaction was actually more adult than I would expect, as most children would have ran to their parents straight away with a note like that. Briony didn't do that childish expectation, proving she has a cunning side, which leads me to believe she knew Robbie didn't rape Lola all along.
Intertextuality
-What purpose does the novel's epigraph, a quotation from Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey serve?
Upon finishing the book, I went back to the epigraph because I never understoof its purpose until I was done with the novel. I think that Jane Austen's quote serves the basic idea for which "Atonement" lays on. After rereading the quote the last new words echoed most to me, "...and with tears of shame she ran off to her own room" and it made me think back to the night of Lola's rape. I pictured Briony running to her room with tears, not for her cousin, but for the lie she knew she told. Also, when Austen talks about suspicions that people entertain I think McEwan is forshadowing how the Tallis' later precieve the entire rape scene.
-What is the difference between intertextuality and a source?
The difference ist hat intertextuality is a small connection between two texts that make them able to relate to each other, while a source is just used to help define a thought within another text.
-Arabella is the name of Clarissa's sister in Clarissa by British author Samuel Richardson. Why might this be important?
I've never read the book Clarissa, but if I were to take a guess, I would think that maybe the books have similar themes or that perhaps McEwan is a fan of Samuel Richardson. I couldn't find a plot summery for Clarissa to get a general idea of what its about, but my best thought is that the themes about lying, the truth, love vs. war, and acceptance are themes of both books.
Definitions of "Intertextuality": the whole network of relations, conventions, and expectations by which the text is defined; the relationship between texts
Definition of "Prolepsis": the assigning of a person, event, etc., to a period earlier than the actual one; the representation of something in the future as if it already existed or had occurred
(Definitions were taking from www.dictionary.com)
What are Briony's limitations?
-what defines Briony
As a little girl Briony is defined as a unique child who is often times "in her head" meaning she thinks and analyzes situations more than the average child. This is seen most prevelantly when she writes her stories, which have very adult thoughts despite being authored by a child. She is essentially, a wise soul. (Until of course, she lies about Robbie, yet even at that age I think she knew the implications of her crime.)
-how Briony defines and uses her imagination
Her imagination is used both in her writing and how she precieves people. As a little girl, she keeps her thoughts about people to herself yet she seems to assume things about people that aren't real. She imagines Robbie to be attacking Cee in the library, when in actuallity, at her age I think she would understand they were having sex. Witnessing Robbie and Cee justified to others what Briony wanted to think about Robbie because she wanted to confirm that he was a danger to Cee.
-how prolepsis affects her
Above when I spoke of how Briony wanted to think of Robbie as a danger, she had it in her mind that he was so she had assigned him that role ahead of time. She saw Robbie as a threat even before he "attacked" (i don't think Cee would call it that) Cee.
-her view of the vase scene
She was looking out a window while she saw that and to her it was all very confusing. At first the thought of seeing her sister take off her blouse and skirt might have been thought to be a sexual act when really she was just going swimming. Also, since Briony only saw the silent version of what was going on, she didn't hear the dialouge which would have clarified the situation. Due to the fact, that her view of it was from above, in silence, she was able to make her own assumptions, most of which were wrong.
-her reaction to Robbie's note
Briony was simply asked to take the note to her sister, the wrong note at that, but instead of delivering it, she read it. The situation was about as bad as it could have been. A little girl was reading a (i'll call it...) "questionable" note that was never suppose to be sent in the first place, and her child's mind didn't process the meaning of it all. Her reaction was actually more adult than I would expect, as most children would have ran to their parents straight away with a note like that. Briony didn't do that childish expectation, proving she has a cunning side, which leads me to believe she knew Robbie didn't rape Lola all along.
Intertextuality
-What purpose does the novel's epigraph, a quotation from Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey serve?
Upon finishing the book, I went back to the epigraph because I never understoof its purpose until I was done with the novel. I think that Jane Austen's quote serves the basic idea for which "Atonement" lays on. After rereading the quote the last new words echoed most to me, "...and with tears of shame she ran off to her own room" and it made me think back to the night of Lola's rape. I pictured Briony running to her room with tears, not for her cousin, but for the lie she knew she told. Also, when Austen talks about suspicions that people entertain I think McEwan is forshadowing how the Tallis' later precieve the entire rape scene.
-What is the difference between intertextuality and a source?
The difference ist hat intertextuality is a small connection between two texts that make them able to relate to each other, while a source is just used to help define a thought within another text.
-Arabella is the name of Clarissa's sister in Clarissa by British author Samuel Richardson. Why might this be important?
I've never read the book Clarissa, but if I were to take a guess, I would think that maybe the books have similar themes or that perhaps McEwan is a fan of Samuel Richardson. I couldn't find a plot summery for Clarissa to get a general idea of what its about, but my best thought is that the themes about lying, the truth, love vs. war, and acceptance are themes of both books.
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