Discovering the role of the Imagination
artworks
Banksy. Various works. Banksy is an anonymous grafitti/street artist (or collective?) whose work has commented on themes as diverse as the Israel/Palestine wall and the definition of Art. Usually spray-painted through a stencil, his works are deceptively simple twists on the everyday which invite us to discover the world in a new way, revealing inequality and hypocrisy through humour. You can view Banksy's artworks online [https://www.canvasartrocks.com/blogs/posts/70529347-121-amazing-banksy-graffiti-artworks-with-locations] and read a "biography" at The Smithsonian [http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-story-behind-banksy-4310304/]. In addition to investigating the context of the artwork you have chosen, discuss the use of contrasting styles and his symbolic use of colour and the way the visual techniques create the landscape anew in your own mind when you view them. Advanced students might choose to discover what has happened to these artworks as they are increasingly commodified and reduced to a part of the system (right down to merchandise in a gift shop!) he originally resisted.
Novels
Baum, L. Frank. The Wizard of Oz. the famous story of four misfits on a journey to discover the qualities that will help them belong. Analyse the way each character symbolises a particular human fault and how overcoming these faults connects them so that they can defeat the wicked witch. Recommended for standard students only.
Fienberg, Anna. borrowed light. One of the most original novels about teenage pregnancy, this is the story of A-student, Callisto’s, changing relationships as she waits for her baby to be born. Discuss the way the extended metaphor of astronomy shapes the novel’s structure and symbolises the processes of alienation and belonging, but don’t forget about simple things like the way the dialogue and internal monologue shape your perception of Callisto.
Songs
Tears for Fears. (). “Destination Unknown”. [Ms Carmyn has a copy – if you find it online, let her know!] In this song, the singer is lost in a nameless place desperately trying to contact the listener. In addition to the extended metaphor of the title and emotive language, discuss the sparse instrumentation at the beginning, the constantly falling melody and the relentless rhythm. An excellent defintion of an imaginary place.
Bernstein, Leonard and Sondheim, Steven. “Somewhere” from West Side Story. [Watch online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BQMgCy-n6U].This is the pivotal moment in the Romeo and Juliet romance of the musical West Side Story – the equivalent to the balcony scene. The words are simple but heart-wrenchingly emotive, especially if you have watched the film and know exactly what happens next! Discuss the use of close-ups, the colours used to divide the protagonists as well as musical features such as the fact that it is a duet where two dinger harmonise together, the long lyrical phrases in the melody and the slight accelerandos (=speed up eg in “hold my hand and I’ll take you there”) that represent them looking forward to discover a future where they will belong together. You could also look at the way the meaning of the song changes when it’s given a political context such as the holocaust memorial video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZAHNH2FT90.
Films
Shyamalan, M. Knight. The Village. (coming soon. Ms Gregory has a copy.) A suspenseful film (think about the soundtrack here!) about social control set in a village cut off from the world by a forest full of monsters (but not a horror film). Focus and the way the camera makes the setting claustrophobic and the symbolism of the colour red as well as specific relationships between the characters. It has a great commentary which deconstructs the film techniques. An excellent analysis of the themes can be found at http://vhcook.com/film/filmthevill.htm. This review also responses to some of the criticisms about the film’s plot-twist. It would work well with As you like it or Skrzynecki’s poetry.
Sondheim, Steven. Into the Woods. [Ms Carmyn has a copy]. A musical version of the ultimate postmodern fairytale: Cinderella, Red riding hood, Rapunzel, and Jack of Beanstalk fame journey into the woods to achieve their ‘wishes.’ Like some scenes in The Tempest, the woods are dark and dangerous, but they do teach each of the characters that caring about each other is the only way to achieve happiness. Analyse the stage set and soundtrack as well as lyrics such as “You are not alone”. Recommended for advanced students who are using a feminist or psychoanalytical approach to interpretation and standard students who are looking at the archeotypes using in Life of Pi.
Picture Books
Aaron Becker. 2013). Journey. This wordless picture book charts the adventures of a lonely/bored girl with a magical red crayon that charts her way into adventures, beginning with her drawing of a door on her bedroom wall which leads to a magical forest. Unlike Where the Wild Things are, her adventures take her beyond the forest to a magical city and into the sky. Focus on how the emotions she experiences at each place are conveyed and the symbolism of the pheonix and where he leads her.
Rebecca Young and Matt Ottley.(2015). Teacup. This lyrical but sparsely-worded story can be read as a tale about migration or the process of imaginative creation. The words are deceptively simple, relying on contrast and the accumulation of images to tell the story. Look at the symbolism of the items he takes with him (especially the teacup) as well as the sea, the boat and the tree. The illustrations are equally symbolic, using space, proportion and 'camera angles' to enrich the text. Better responses would also discuss the way the text and illustrations interact in the readers mind to discover the role of imagination and memory in creating identity.
Poetry
Rilke, Rainer Maria. “The Gazelle” in The Rose Window, trans. C F MacIntyre, 1940. This poem, translated from German, attempts to capture the “essence” of a gazelle in words. Focus on the enjamebment, word choice and the extended metaphors and the way the narrator begins to resurrect the gazelle through his imagination. This reflects the mystical role of the tiger in Life of Pi (his poem “The Unicorn” would also work in this way) and could also be used to analyse Prospero’s appropriation of nature in The Tempest .
Dickinson, Emily "Much madness is divinist sense" online at Schmoop [http://www.shmoop.com/much-madness-is-divinest-sense/poem-text.html]
Dings, Fred. (1996). Letter to genetically-engineered superhumans critiques the human fantasy of perfection, specifically our drive to "perfect the ladder of genes" without considering how this might affect the individuals born of such technology. Read this text at the Poetry foundation. This text would match especially well with The Tempest if you are writing about Prospero's role as creator.
Hughs, Ted. (). Crow goes Hunting" online at the beckoning [http://www.thebeckoning.com/poetry/hughes/hughes2.html] describes what happens when Crow "decides to try words". The words he throws at Hare are in fact slippery beasts changing form constantly, leaving Crow "speechless with admiration". This poem is a deceptively simple account of the power of language, and a depiction of postmodern understandings of Truth as mutable and uncontainable. It would work very well with an analysis of Prospero's power (through language) over the Island in The Tempest or as an interpretation of the tiger's role in Life of Pi (who is who?). It couold also be used to unpack the way the director controls our reactions in reality TV series such as Go back to where you come from.
Poe, Edgar Allen. "Dreamland". Poe is well-known as a master of suspense, creating creepy gothic landscapes and characters which could grace any horror film. This poem celebrates the power of the imagination to create adn transform our emotions - in this case through eeie chasms filled with ghouls and other horrific creatures. Look for chains of metaphors and the emotions they evoke and compare these to the symbols in texts such as Life of Pi and The Tempest. You can find the poek online at Schmoop [http://www.shmoop.com/dream-land-poe/]
Whitman, Walt. Leaves of Grass (1855). This book-length poem is an American classic. Although it is a tough read, if you sit back and let the language wash over you, you will find lots of relevant bits which link with your set text. At the heart of the poem is the insistence that the poet and his world/landscape are one, and that “with the twirl of my tongue I encompass worlds and volumes of worlds”, something which could equally well be said about Prospero in the Tempest (who also “knows well [his] own egotism”!) or the semi-mystical experiences in Life of Pi. Focus on the conscious use of language to discover new ways of looking at the world, as well as the way the the reader gradually comes to identify with the “I” of the poem. An analysis if this text can be found at Schmoop]
Thomas, Dylan. Under Milkwood (1956). [Ms Carmyn has a copy]. This wonderfully lyrical radio play is a gentle journey of discovery as the audience is led through very personal moments in the life a Welsh town’s inhabitants. There is no story; instead the audience moves from character to character, discovering their secret dreams and desires: Miss Price and Mr Edwards’ unspoken courtship, Ms Ogmore-Pritchard’s OCD obssession with cleanliness, Mrs Rose Cottage’s daughter Mae discovery of her sexuality, Mr Pugh’s wish to murder his wife, Captain Cat’s snooping on his neighbours, all interwoven together by the highly narratorial voice that creates a lush poetic wordscape. This text would suit a talented standard student and would fit extremely well with The Tempest. It is overflowing with innovative language forms and features.
Critical Writings (Theoretical engagements with the concept of discovery)
McLeod, John. “Theories of Colonial Discourses” in Beginning Postcolonialism (pp. 17-23). Postcolonialism is a group of literary theories that views texts from a critical perspective on Western colonisation and it’s aftermath. These theories have been applied many times to The Tempest (English colonisation of the USA was just beginning in Shakespeare’s time), so some academic definitions could be a useful related text. For more detail, look at the chapter on Edward Said’s theory of Orientalism “Reading Orientalism” (pp39-50). If you are also using a related text from a once-colonised country which can be read through this lens, read “the Empire writes back” (pp 25-29).
Non-fiction Fitzgerald, Dr Jason. (ed.). Urgent.(2003) [Ms Carmyn has a copy] When Dr Fitzgerald found Albert Thompson dead in his shack, he realised the dead man was holding a packet of papers marked “urgent”. Reading this text is a constant process of discovery as we encounter letters, photographs, news items and poems that construct a picture of the devastating impact of the “stolen generation” on an Aboriginal family. There is no conventional narrative here, just a collection of found documents through which the reader can discover a picture of the key characters and the abiding ties of family relationships. This is an excellent text for a strong student who is interested a postcolonial reading of The Tempest.
Speeches
King, Martin Luther. (19). “I have a Dream”. The speech demonstrated the need for black American solidarity to discover a path to equality in the United States where King made the speech. It was so significant to the civil rights movement! King is calling black Americans to unite to achieve equal rights/belonging in their own country.
Scroll through this page to get general notes on King: http://www.e-rudite.net/speeches.htm
And this to get a deconstruction of the speech for techniques: http://www.e-rudite.net/speeches_deconstruction.htm
Aung San Suu Kyi, “The Need for Solidarity among Ethnic groups” in Freedom from Fear and Other Writings (1995). This speech seeks to unite the various Burmese ethnic groups in a fight for democracy. Using simple analogies (eg threatening parenting styles/dictatorial politicians) and historical references (courage and self-sacrifice in WW II), as well as the first person plural (“We”) which includes the reader/listener, she outlines a path to a new understanding of humanity. This text would work especially well to unpack Prospero’s changing leadership role in The Tempest and could also be used with Life of Pi. If you are particularly interested in Politics and wish to focus on Prospero/Caliban/Ariel, you could also look at “In Quest of Democracy”.
Plays
French, Jackie. Hitler’s Daughter (A822 FRE) this play begins with a group of school children discussing the fate of Heidi, Hitler’s hypotheitical daughter, and takes us into WWII Berlin.It examines the impact of social fears and prejudices on an individual’s experience of belonging. Although this play is aimed at young people, the structure and staging give you lots of techniques to talk about in your essays. Further information about the Monkey Baa production can be found at http://www.monkeybaa.com.au/hitlers-daughter.html .
Guare, John Six Degrees of Separation (822 GUA) When Paul turns up to New York art dealer’s flat with a stab wound, they accept him as their son’s friend. However, as the play continues, they discover friends with the same story. This play explores the idea that all people on earth are connected by six degrees of separation – someone knows someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows the original person. As an ex-HSC text, it is useful for advanced students, but be aware that your markers are likely to know the play well (so don’t just watch the film). The Study guide at http://npproseminar.pbworks.com/f/Guare+Resource+Guide.pdf has useful references you could follow up through Auburn library. The theory is tested at Indya.com at http://www.slideshare.net/bharathi26/six-degrees-of-separation .
Morris, Mary. Two Weeks with the Queen: The Play. (A822 MOR). One of the funniest plays you will ever read about death and illness. When Luke’s brother is diagnosed with terminal cancer he is sent to England to live with his uncle. Together with his over-protected cousin and the help of Griff, whose partner is dying of Aids, Luke finds ways to save his brother and come to terms with the concept of death. This play is written for children, so you will need to discuss the way humour, stereotypes and hyperbolic characterisation are used to describe the patterns of belonging established between Luke, his family, his uncle’s family and Griff. Recommended for ESL and standard students
Thomas, Dylan. Under Milkwood (1956). []. This wonderfully lyrical radio play is a gentle journey of discovery as the audience is led through very personal moments in the life a Welsh town’s inhabitants. There is no story; instead the audience moves from character to character, discovering their secret dreams and desires: Miss Price and Mr Edwards’ unspoken courtship, Ms Ogmore-Pritchard’s OCD obssession with cleanliness, Mrs Rose Cottage’s daughter Mae discovery of her sexuality, Mr Pugh’s wish to murder his wife, Captain Cat’s snooping on his neighbours, all interwoven together by the highly narratorial voice that creates a lush poetic wordscape. This text would suit a talented standard student and would fit extremely well with The Tempest. It is overflowing with innovative language forms and features.
Shakespeare, William. Much Ado About Nothing http://shakespeare.mit.edu/much_ado/full.html While Hero and Claudio are courting, they tell prickly personalities Benedick and Beatrice into believing they are in love with each other – with hilarious results. Look at the way certain metaphors are extended through the play to establish their “discoveries” about one another and pay particular attention to Beatrice and Benedick’s witty repartee. A film version is available in the library.