Three Paper 2 outlines (Spring break work)

Paper 2 Outline 1:

Show how in one or more works of literature you have studied a character’s isolation (physical, social, psychological) within the work’s setting plays an important part in the story. How does that isolation lead to either self-knowledge or self-destruction – or both?*

Thesis statement: In both the books I have studied, The Thief and the Dogs by Naguib Mahfouz, and Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the authors characterize the protagonists akin to a lost kitten looking for their owner, but eventually just going even farther away from its owner.  All of them had objectives, but didn’t know how to get to them. Said, the protagonist in TTATD, wanted to avenge the loss of his relationship with his daughter, but ended up going even farther away from her and true love. In things fall apart, Okonkwo, the protagonist, started wanted to fit in with society as it was. He conformed to societal ideals at first, and earned a better place than his socially rejected and outcast father. However, after a certain point, things go awry, and Okonkwo finds himself isolated from his community and cultural ideals. These events that lead to isolation are the steps that the reader climbs to the goal of both the books: an accurate and purposely opinionated portrayal of society and conflict within their respective contexts. Ultimately, lead to the self-destruction and realization of self-knowledge by the protagonists along with the community they hail from. The authors construct these steps using the following tools: vivid imagery, sudden change in pace, and inclusion of context and fastidious detalis that legitimize the books and the story of the protagonists.

Topic sentence 1:

By using vivid imagery in appropriate situations, Mahfouz and Achebe develop the isolation, even from the very beginning of the book.

• Heat on Said
• The portrayal of the gathering of people outside the Sheik’s house
• By using vivid imagery in the stories, Achebe is able to establish an effective view of Okonkwo on certain aspects of his own identity such as femininity. Okonkwo would always associate stories with femininity (mosquito and ear story parallel to Okonkwo and Unoka), and hence would isolate himself from them. Hence, he indirectly began isolating himself from his own culture even though he didn't realize it.

Topic sentence 2:

The sudden changes in pace effectively allow the authors to depict plot twisting situations where the isolation of the protagonists start.

• The gun firing situation: setting is set, okonkwo is happy, everything is good, sudden twist in plot makes the isolation and downfall of the character apparent (physical isolation)
• The moment Said tries to steal from Rauf: setting, the complexity of Said as a protagonist is just starting to be explored. However, exploring his isolation in such a way allows for the exploration of bigger ideas such as the Nasserite regime. One of the major steps in the overall staircase. (psychological isolation begins from then since his best friend and mentor rejects him)

Topic sentence 3:

The fastidious details in both the novels allow for legitimization of the community around the protagonists, which enhances the effect of isolation, and builds toward it.

• Physical and social Isolation of Okonkwo from his motherland, setting converted to a lot
• The heat and people against Said enables Mahfouz to isolate him psychologically and leads to the classification of the book as psychological realism.

Paper 2 Outline 2

‘Novels and plays often tell the story of how human beings courageously attempt to survive, escape, or best of all transcend, their environment.’

Discuss such attempts in narrative texts you have studied, paying some attention to why the characters have wanted, or needed, to do that. Suggest how successful or otherwise they have been.

Thesis statement: In both the novels, the protagonists courageously attempt to survive in their community, escape from different situations, and ultimately try to transcend their physical boundaries by escaping into the metaphysical realm. This is achieved through a variety of narrative techniques such as the model stream of consciousness technique and direct and indirect narration, along with third person omniscient narration. It’s almost as if both the protagonists attempt to escape to the metaphysical realm in order to establish a moral high ground, which contribute to the novels’ purpose: to provide a viewpoint that is morally stable.

Topic sentence 1: By using narrative techniques such as stream of consciousness and third person omniscient narration, the authors are able to capture the multidimensional emotions of the protagonists.

• In TFA, the third person omniscient narrator allows for the observation of Okonkwo’s multidimensional personality and emotions. For example, the time when Okonkwo is following his daughter. His feelings of care for his daughter are clearly evident.
• In TTATD, the SOC helps to understand the Said’s emotions regarding his daughter, wife and his thoughts on revenge.

Topic sentence 2: The survival and escape of the protagonists and certain characters from their communities are a key example of the transcendence of conformity.

• TTAD: The escape of Said from his community of ‘thieves’, the escape of Rauf from the same community, and trascending their environment. This is portrayed through the fastidious inclusion of details such as Rauf’s workplace, and Said’s past.
• In TFA, the escape of Okonkwo from his fathers realm. He transcends this enviroment in order to make a name for himself, and expected his children to do the same.

Topic sentence 3: By escaping to the metaphysical world, the protagonists establish a  moral high ground for the exploration of several bigger ideas

• At the end of both novels, both the protagonists commit suicide, in order to convey the standpoint of the authors. At first, it might seem that the protagonists are thrown away just like useless objects. However, they transcend even the world of the novel in order to truly connect with the reader, which is the epitome of shared humanity in both the novels. (Go on to explain each individually)

Paper 2 Outline 3:

‘Although in poems, plays and novels we meet individual characters in a range of historical, social and cultural settings, their shared humanity allows us to engage with them, despite those differences in setting.’Explore the settings of literary texts you have studied, showing how the ‘shared humanity’ of their characters allows the writing to transcend the limitations of time and place.***

Thesis statement: In both the stories,the settings are established in such a way that they contribute to the authors’ agenda. By intricately weaving in the historical context along with the day to day interactions of the protagonists, the authors are able to let the protagonists decidedly weave their own path, just like the readers. Everyone is trying to find a purpose and meaning in life, and the authors’ portrayal of the protagonists such as this legitimizes the shared humanity of the protagonists with the readers. Inclusion of cultural objects such as tales and crowded cafes also ties in with the bigger idea of finding a purpose in life, as these are some of the ‘cultural objects’ that might help one find a meaning to life.

Topic sentence 1: The authors intricately weave in day to day to life situations and dialogues that help explore and enhance the shared humanity of the protagonists, and also help explore the social setting.

• The role of Nur as a foil in TTATD. At first, the readers think that Said is mentally unstable. However, as the novel progresses, the experiences Said has and had to endure come out through dialogue with Nur. The reader is also able to establish a contrast between Nur and Said, which may help them in relating to Said as there is probably a ‘Nur’ in their life as well.
• Okonkwo’s routine of life is very straightforward and bland, just as would be many of the readers of the books’. However, Okonkwo always wants more (yams, daughter marriage, Nwoye), just like the readers, enabling the reader to relate to Okonkwo, as a majority of the readers are experiencing the same feelings in life.

Topic sentence 2: Historical context enables the readers to establish meaningful connections with the characters.

• Sheikhs house and religion allows for the readers of TTATD to relate to Said. Shared humanity not only occurs over common situations, but also over common religions
• The familal situation of Okonkwo. He has many wives, however, he keeps to himself, which is typical of the modern independent man or woman

Topic sentence 3: The inclusion of cultural objects not only legitimizes the two books, but also provides for a medium of shared humanity and the bigger picture of a meaning to life.

• Stories in TFA provide for a relatable experience of Okonkwo: Mom telling him the mosquito and ear story in order to teach him morals can be equitable to the reader of the book. Other colorful stories such as tortoise and pigeons.
• The crowded cafe in TTATD can is something that can be extrapolated to everybody’s life. It is implicitly a metaphor for the journey of life: you can just eat the food and pass by happily, although you’ll have to ignore the ‘tarzans’ of the cafe.

The Sheikh as a timeless depiction of goodwill

The word 'Sheikh' has various meanings in different language. In modern Arabic,In Islamic Sufism, a 'Shaikh' is considered to be someone who sets up a particular Sufi school guiding one to Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) (1). By using the Sheikh as one of the more enigmatic but flat characters, Mahfouz is able to bring out the true colours of Said Mahran; providing a stark contrast in between Said's rage and the Sheikh's peacefulness. Mahfouz aims to depict the Sheikh and Said as two different sides of the same coin.
Firstly, one most understand the nuanced development of the Sheikh's character. He was preaching when Said's dad was alive, and so he is now, when Said is alive. He has seen what Said went through, however bringing to the table a completely different point of view to the table. Even though the reader and the Sheikh can almost be seen feeling Said's rage, the Sheikh calmly advises him on what do next. Even if the most subtle of ways, Mahfouz engages the reader within Said's conflict with himself, while bringing the context of the novel into the picture. The goodwill of the Sheikh is enforced upon the readers from a very early stage, which is reflective from the first lines he says to Said: ..."Peace and God's compassion be upon you,"... . Mahfouz doesn't forget to keep this message prevalent throughout the text; even when Said is on the run and no one gives him comfort, he still manages to find solace in the Sheikh's house. They were so far apart, yet so close at the same time. The times Said grins to himself while the Sheikh speaks his enigmatic dialogues is dedicative of the Sheikh's similarity to Said. The author almost uses him as Said's inverse reflection.
The Sheikh is useful as a flat character because Said's flaws as a tragic hero truly emerge from their conversation. After Said's completely honest narration of the events that had taken place right after he had got out of jail, the Sheikh talks to him in a very vague manner:

"And the door of Heaven? How have you found that?" "But there is nowhere on earth for me to go. And my own daughter has rejected me." "How like you she is!" "In what way, Master?" "You seek a roof, not an answer."

This is when Mahfouz truly starts to draw the curtains open on Said's tragic flaws. He isn't looking for an answer, rather he is looking for materialistic things that will instead increase the doubt and conflict in his mind, just like his daughter. As the Sheikh is established as almost a mirror but inverse reflection of Said's traits, the readers find this discourse trustworthy, and start to realise the incorrectness of their thought processes. The Sheikh not only brings out the tragic flaws in Said, but rather also in the readers. At first, Said was considered as the person who had justifiable reasons for his revenge, just as the readers do for certain actions in their life. However, the dialogues of the Sheikh evokes a general sense of guilt and anxiety in the reader's mind and how they ought to be ashamed of making such rash decisions, just like Said.
A last important factor to be considered in the complexity of the Sheikh's usage. The Sheikh is not specifically used and developed as a character solely because Said's dad knew him; however, the title 'Sheikh' was used as such dubious dialogue could be justified. In Mahfouz's words,  "This was the language of old times again, where word had a double meaning". Only an old religious person could justify this choice.
In the end, Mahfouz uses the Sheikh as a flat character who reflects Said's flaw. He acts as an inverse reflection, which allows the readers to evaluate their own actions from a different perspective, almost like considering what it would be like if the reader themselves had an inverse reflection, enforcing in what is my view one of the ancillary interpretations of this book.

1:  Muslim communities of grace: the Sufi brotherhoods in Islamic religious life pg 94, Abun-Nasr, Jamil M. Columbia University Press. (2007)

Said Mahran passage analysis blog post

Passage:

You wish to recall the sound of the bullet and the screams of Nabawiyya, feeling happy again that you did not hear Sana scream. You'd better greet the Sheikh, but your voice is too weak to say, "Peace be upon you!" There's this feeling of helplessness, as if you were drowning. And you thought you were going to sleep like a log as soon as your skin touched the floor!

How the righteous and God-fearing would have shuddered, turned away from him in fright--until recitation of the name of God had made them less particular, less hard of heart. When would this strange man go to sleep? But the strange old man now raised his voice and began to sing: "In my view, passion is nothing but ingratitude unless it issues from my witnesses." And in a voice that seemed to fill the room, he said: "The eyes of their hearts are open, but those in their heads are closed!" Said smiled in spite of himself. So that's why he is not aware of my presence. But then I too am not fully aware of my own self.

The call to the dawn prayers rose above the quiet waves of the night. It reminded him of a night he'd once spent sleepless until the same call to the dawn prayers, excited over some special joy promised for the following day. On that occasion, he'd got up as soon as he heard the call, happy at release from a night of torment, had looked out of the window at the blue dawn and the smiling sunrise, and had rubbed his hands in anticipation of whatever it was he'd been about to enjoy, something he had since completely forgotten. And therefore he loved the dawn, which he associated with the singing of the prayer-call, the deep blue sky, the smile of the approaching sunrise, and that unremembered joy.

It was dawn now, but he could not move from exhaustion, not even to shift his revolver. The Sheikh rose to perform his prayers. Showing no awareness of Said's presence he lit the oil lamp, spread out the prayer mat, took up his position on it then suddenly, asked, "Aren't you going to perform the dawn prayers?"

Said was so exhausted he was incapable of giving an answer and no sooner had the Sheikh begun his prayers than he dropped off to sleep.

Analysis

The passage reveals Said's conflict that he develops within himself. Mahfouz depicts this conflict in a very metaphorical and vivid manner, through the use of extremities and images that help the reader understand the emotions Said is going through. This conflict of Said with himself repeats throughout the text, as this conflict acts as one of the major contributors to Said's want for revenge.

The first few lines, that make use of the indirect interior monologue style, announce to the readers Said's thoughts about the shooting that had taken place at Ilish's house. He 'wanted to recall' the sounds of the bullet, but he couldn't because he was too tired. These thoughts of Said characterise him as someone vengeful and stubborn. He will do whatever it takes to get revenge. The usage of this narrative technique almost gives the reader a flashback to when Said broke into Illish's house to kill him. By contrasting Said's tired state now and how he felt happy that he hadn't heard Sana scream, Mahfouz establishes Said's character as one who acts as a puppet master: one who wants everything to go according to plan just because he deems himself and his ideals righteous.

But now, after the whole incident, Said is feeling tired and helpless. A parallel can be drawn in between the situation of Said then and the innocent family he attacked unknowingly before. Mahfouz uses the readers association with Said to subtly turn the readers against him. This further leads to Said's characterisation as a vengeful person. Further, he can't even muster strength to greet the people who have been good to him since the beginning, further contributing to his dastardly character.

The next paragraph describes how Said smiles at the Sheikh's clever words. Such an action gives the reader a glimpse of a sane and intelligent Said. However, Said quickly stops smiling, and understands that this is why the Sheikh is not acknowledging him. He then realises that he wasn't too aware of himself at that time, and this juxtaposition of him not being too aware of himself may also refer to him not being aware of the happiness he has in this world. This is another instance where Said is characterised as an antagonist.

A sudden shift in tone in the next few paragraphs is also an important technique that Mahfouz employs in order to show the readers the true colours of Said. Said is thinking about the beautiful morning he had woken up very early and how he saw the beauty of the dawn. However, from this nostalgic, relaxed and happy tone, a sudden change to an urgent and depressing mood is observed. This is obvious due to the deliberate mention of the revolver, meaning that Said still has some good left in him. However, he ends up ignoring it just as he ignores the Sheikh's call to him for prayer, and goes back to sleep in ignorance of the Sheikh and symbolically his 'good' side.

This is why I believe is one of the most important passages in this book. Said's true colours are slowly shown to the reader, and a more holistic version is formed for the reader. No longer is Said just a vagabond who wants revenge for his betrayal, but a once innocent and happy man, who is now enforced by circumstances to extract revenge for his sake.

Narrative structure in The Thief and the Dogs

Naguib Mahfouz uses a large array of narrative techniques in his book The 'Thief and the Dogs'. By alternating between techniques such as stream of consciousness, direct or indirect interior monologue, and soliloquy, Mahfouz enriches the character development in this text and allows the reader for a more holistic approach than usual for developing a perception of the character.
Mahfouz's objective with this text was to depict the changes that the Egyptian middle class had gone through. It wasn't simply a narration of a story set in post-revolutionary Egypt. It's purpose goes much more beyond that. By using such a variety of styles, Mahfouz is able to establish the characters the readers are supposed to sympathise with, and hence achieve the goal of the book: to show his dissatisfaction with the current state of Egyptian society then.
Mahfouz draws the readers in and encourages them to take the side of Said Mahran, by using a stream of consciousness narrative technique. For example, when Mahfouz writes Said's thoughs as "Nabawiyya. Ilish. Your two names merge in my mind. For years you will have been thinking about this day, never imagining, all the while, that the gates would ever actually open. You’ll be watching now, but I won’t fall into the trap. At the right moment, instead, I’ll strike like Fate.", the readers are forced to sympathise with Said. This example of stream of consciousness technique is smattered with instances of imagery. When Said thinks of the two faces of Nabawiyya and Ilish merging together, the readers think the same. When he thinks about how they will have been thinking for 'years' that the gates would never actually open, the readers are perturbed by Nabawiyya and Irish's existence and are cajoled into having the same view of the situation as Said. Imagery and personification of Said as Fate, as well as the capitalisation of the f in fate solidifies Said's rage, and provides the reader something to associate with. The readers almost certainly have been a situation like this, and Mahfouz making use of this fact achieves his objectives by using narrative techniques such as this.
Sometimes, the narration includes phrases that are very vague. Indirect interior monologue like"What love he’d had been the exclusively property of that other, unfaithful woman. He’d been made of stone. There’s nothing more heartbreaking than loving someone like that." makes the reader appreciate Said's struggles. The struggle of the woman he loved could also refer to his love for Egypt. He'd devoted his heart to the country he considered his best love; however he never could do anything about it. This made him forget himself, forget that he himself had had a heart at one point. His love for his 'country' turned his heart into stone. When his love for his country is described as heartbreaking, the real situation is depicted accurately. He wanted to make his country a better place because he loved 'her'. However, he couldn't do anything about it, and hence his heart broke. By using such narration here that makes Saids thoughts sound vague in terms of whom he is referring to, Mahfouz is given place in the text to express his disdain with the current state of Egypt then.
However, this usage of stream of consciousness has some drawbacks as well. One must remember that this technique is drawn from other languages, and isn't native to English. This makes such a narration seem rather exotic and not relatable, since the reader understands that the text isn't written in English initially. It also makes the reader take a specific point of view, which is later very hard to change. It might not always be disadvantageous, but a rigid perspective always drags down the credibility of certain literature.
Hence, through the usage of the stream of consciousness technique, Mahfouz ensures that he tells the story in accordance with his objective, and develop conflict that is perceived from only side of the argument. The adoption of such techniques from other languages, however, is only how literature can keep being evolved and bettered.

The Power of literature in translation

There are the usual literary texts, the ones that are found on the best-selling shelves of big bookshops, and then there are translated works. These, even thought usually dense with knowledge and new cultural information, are hidden away as works that are studied by courses in schools examining the relation between culture and literature. Sounds familiar? Well, the reason these books are chosen are because of their power: the Power to spread different ideas and raise different questions all throughout the world. Notice how the word Power is capitalised through this text; it is an attempt to give Power to translated literature.
The first aspect of the uniqueness of these texts is their Power in raising questions we could never think of. If texts in English raised the question of 'pursuing a specific career path solely in order to delay marriage in Egypt', they would be considered backward, and would receive a lot of criticism. Some might even go as far as calling it cultural appropriation. However, when an Arab text does so, it'd be considered organic, and answering questions that are relevant to it's culture. Hence, the context of reception matters a lot, and translated texts hold this power of influencing the reader's mind; to ensure the spread of ideas in an as transparent manner as possible.
The next Power is the use of translated literature itself as a medium to propagate literature continually. Literature has evolved throughout the century, and keeps on doing so. However, without translated texts, literature would be analogous to a sea with only one type of fish. It would eventually become bland. Translated texts bring another dimension to literature, and ensures that literature is diverse, just as it is supposed to be.
However, there are certain drawbacks as well. As the phrase goes, some texts are 'lost in translation'. This is especially true with Arabic texts, since the dialect of arabic spoken usually helps in establishing a setting. However, when it is translated to English, all speech appears to be the same. Arabic is depicted as a single strand when translated to English, when it is in reality a collection of a bunch of different smaller strands. Literature loses its power sometimes, and there is very less one can do to prevent this. However, an overview of the context of the book gives a very good idea of the culture and the setting of the book. This is because the context can affect the interpretation of the book, and is a major factor in how the readers see the chronological position of the book.
As explored above, the Power literature has is immense. It can turn even the most stubborn of minds to a much more flexible one, and provide a platform for topics of debate that are nonexistent. However, with great Power comes great responsibility, and one mustn't forget the responsibility the authors and translators have over the perception of their culture.

Perfect Paper 1: "Why Fight for Russia?"

Poster propagating propaganda (Caring)

Rationale:

This propaganda poster aims to present ‘Caring’, one of the essential IB learner profile ideals as the most important. The poster has been created using propaganda appeals such as card stacking which involves testimonials, glittering generalities and transfer device.

The transfer device takes the form of an image where a dog is feeding milk to a goat using a bottle. Since most people will agree that the picture is cute, they will also identify the fact that the dog and the goat are from 2 different species and this gives an essential realization that we as one species should take care of each other. The quote from Mahatma Gandhi has been provided to contribute to the ethos of this propaganda just as the picture of the caring dog has been used to apply to the pathos of the viewer in a subtle way.

The testimonials provide physical evidence on the importance of being caring, and solidify the message being conveyed.

The glittering generalities (...Strive to be EXCELLENT at...) provide a new dimension to the poster. It showcases an IB learner as one who shines even amongst the most clean of mirrors.

The visual language contributes to the importance of caring for each other as the bold font emphasizes the ideal. The background picture also provides a general overview, as the heart sign made using the hand is a mainstream thing and it can be easily identified. The picture of the globe within the heart has an obvious connotation, to love and take care of the world around us.

Poster