Examine the presentation of women in AHWOSG

Throughout the novel, Eggers presentation of women differentiates due to his constant judgement towards others. However, it is evident that he holds his mother closest to his heart and seeks parental figures anywhere he can. Egger uses uncommon phrases to describe his mother but nevertheless, they’re endearing words. He calls her a ‘vase, doll and prize winning vegetable’ suggesting he sees her as fragile and not to be tampered with.  The connotations of the noun ‘doll’ would be innocent like and harmless. However, he also refers to her as a ‘giant fruit’ which slightly changes the ‘delicate’ pattern because the adjective ‘giant’ doesn’t really sound flattering next to ‘fruit’.

When Eggers is at Toph’s school he writes how he is ‘looking to score’ showing his immaturity and lack of respect toward women. The lexical field of ‘sex’ is ambiguous because it may express his teenage hormones or possibly suggest he yearns to start a family of his own.  Dave talks about a woman not ‘wearing a ring’ then goes on to say how he wonders if they could ‘move in together’ hinting at the fact that maybe he just wants to recreate the family he is slowly losing. Then again, his misogynistic nature is shown slightly when he says he ‘expected’ flirting. The verb ‘expected’ makes it almost seem like he felt he deserved an abundance of ‘pretty’ women for him. Rather than ignorant, Eggers made it sound like a naïve statement as Dave was genuinely surprised he was wrong.  In the beginning of the novel, the scene where Dave’s mother is having a nosebleed seems quite intense to him. Dave says ‘we’ are having a nose bleed instead of ‘she’. The use of the pronoun ‘we’ shows that he feels the pain too and his mum’s illness is affecting him more than he’s letting on.

Dave also seems to feel a large sense of guilt towards Beth because he believes they were almost a burden on her. He says ‘Beth being as much or more owed than Toph and I’ which expresses his gratefulness towards her for caring for them all. The verb ‘owed’ emphasises how much she deserves something good after dealing with ill parents and faced with the possibility of becoming an orphan. The conjuction ‘and’ when talking about Toph and Dave links them together to convey the strong relationship between the two. Eggers also writes about the slight guilt felt towards Kirsten who is sort of helpless in the situation. Dave’s thought process screams jumbled especially when he says ‘how much should I/can I/ will I burden Kirsten?’ The use of an interrogative shows he is uncertain and confused on what to do. When Dave panics, he also tends to take a slight judgemental attitude to others. For example, after witnessing a small thing, Dave managed to use extremely negative adjectives towards the girl like ‘misguided and self centred and also a bad person’ without really knowing who she is. It seems Dave has to care for a woman a lot for him to treat them with the utmost respect.

There is quite a balance with the presentation of women in AHWOSG but it is obvious who is respected and who is not. The women Dave knows and feels he owes are the ones who he treats kindly most of the time and doesn’t degrade them whereas random women, he will feel no remorse in completely judging their character. Whether it’s because he is not in the right state of mind with everything he is going through, or it is genuinely how he is as a person, he doesn’t fail to express his thoughts about women throughout the novel.

Examine the presentation of the theme of ‘home’ in ‘AHWOSG’

The theme of home is quite evident throughout the novel but Eggers seems to use many different styles to emphasise it. Most of the home themed scenes focus on the family attempting to find comfort again but never really feeling at total ease.

We are first given a description of the house as being a ‘factory’ which immediately gives off a slightly negative, dull aura. Factories are not usually associated with ‘comfort’ or a homely feeling so for him to call it that suggests something is off. Dave later on personifies the furniture in his family room, giving them ‘clenched teeth’ and ‘sharp elbows’ to express the almost frustration felt in the room. Although some adjectives used are unpleasant, Dave says the family possess random items because they ‘see beauty within and cannot say no’. He is most likely reminiscing on all the times he thought things were useless but now have slight meaning to him. When in the hospital room, Beth points out the lack of TV to which Dave replies with ‘weird’, suggesting even the smallest of devices represent home.

When Dave and Beth begin house hunting, Dave feels a deep sense of guilt due to the constant disappointment occurring. However, he soon describes his ideal home in the style of listing because it’s always been his dream to live in a loft. The neighbours also seem to be a vital factor when moving because they don’t feel comfortable or at home when everyone is distasteful. A new home also proves difficult because of the ages of the two. It’s hard enough without a mother but when landlords refuse them because of the difficulties, the idea of home seems to be getting further away. We know Dave senses something is wrong before even being told due to the ‘stricken’ look of the man upon seeing the two. The short, simple sentences express defeat and almost impatience, due to the time waste on a lost cause. Even after moving from house to house, none of them contain the homely feeling they crave. They feel like ‘house sitters’ or ‘vacationers’. This may be down to the lack of household appliances and possessions they hold dear to them.

Dave often refers to himself as the ‘parental figure’ but only when it suits him, and sometimes Toph. He worries often that others will notice the laziness in the household and report it. When house hunting, Dave always checks for the household appliances mainly due to the responsibility he doesn’t want to have. Without all the technology, they live messily, only sometimes motivated to clean when someone points it out. However, forgetting about responsibilities and letting loose seems to be almost therapeutic to them because they feel innocent and child-like again. To them, home really is where the heart is and is not in a house but in fact in the family. 

Drummer Hodge Scene

Hector sets the agenda by using an interrogative, ‘what have we learned this week?’ to which Posner replies with the answer. This is also known as an adjacency pair. When Hector is giving his feedback and input towards the poem, he constantly uses ellipses, expressing his hesitation. We know prior to this discourse, Hector had had a meeting with the headmaster about his inappropriate actions so it feels as if Hector is referring a lot to himself when talking with Posner. The odd utterance Hector makes is used as a sign of praise because he is not really a negative person. Hector also seems to ramble on a bit, mainly on topics he’s passionate about. His repetitiveness of ‘he has a name’ shows subtext to himself as we know Hector wants to be a memorable teacher. He wants nothing more than to seek the approval of others and make sure he’s unforgettable. Posner doesn’t seem to be the dominant participant in the discourse even though he went for help; nevertheless it doesn’t hint that he was unhappy about it. Hector’s use of short sentences at the end show his dampened mood as he refuses to take any of the boys on his bikes, mainly because he knows not to ruin his reputation further.

Teacher and Student transcript

Teacher and Student transcript

Analysing the transcript gives us more of an idea as to why certain linguistic features are used. For example, the teacher beginning with ‘so what is the main point of the poem?’ immediately sets the agenda and shows dominance. Line 4 uses an example of co-operative overlap between the teacher and student when the teacher continues Petros’ sentence with ‘his desires’, adding more information to his words. When a student says ‘amorous?’ and the teacher answers with the meaning of the word, this is known as an adjacency pair. The two people are making meaning together with a question and answer. Latched talk is used a lot during the discourse which also shows a form of dominance because the teacher hits back with ‘answer my question’ when the student challenges them. Asymmetrical power could also link to this as it shows one participant has more power than others, in this case the teacher. The teacher continues to prove this when constraints are used, specifically when they tell Alex they ‘haven’t asked’ them. Although Alex chooses to challenge asymmetrical power in certain parts, it is clear who the dominant participant is in the transcript. It could be argued that the discourse went slightly off topic but it could all also have been very relevant. The amount of airtime each person receives seems to be slightly equal but as it is a lesson, the teacher clearly receives the most. Nevertheless, the teacher ends it with ‘so as we said earlier’, again setting the agenda and showing who is leading the discussion.

Irwin and Posner exchange

Discuss how Irwin and Posner’s relationship is presented in this exchange.

Irwin and Posner’s relationship is presented in many ways throughout this exchange but a lot also seems to be revealed about both characters.

When describing one of his attributes, Irwin uses the word ‘meretricious’ then continues on to define it as ‘eyecatching,showy;false.’ The use of asyndetic listing reveals more about Irwin and suggests he knows his own personality but is not too worried about what others think of him. However, it seems Posner is the focus of this exchange as he is not the Posner Irwin and the readers knew from school.  Posner’s constant inclusion of simple sentences during the discourse is an attempt to provoke a reaction out of Irwin. Simply using a declarative sentence ‘you liked him’ in reference to Dakin could affect Irwin greatly but he chose to stay mute. Although he did not receive a comment back, Posner continues on to say ‘he liked you..didn’t he’? The ellipses being the linguistic feature here shows hesitation and uncertainty but also gives Irwin a chance to possibly finish the sentence.  The subtext included simply hints at Irwin’s previous infatuation with Dakin.

Towards the end of the exchange, the relationship between Irwin and Posner seems to take a more negative turn. When Irwin finds out Posner is miked he calls him out and says ‘how did you come to this?’ This interrogative is important because everyone knew how obedient and innocent Posner was so for him to do a job like this is saddening. Saying this, when Irwin refuses to write ‘to David’ as requested by Posner, we see traces of Irwin as a teacher and the blatant disrespect he is not afraid to expose. Not using the correct vocatives suggests Irwin is almost treating Posner as if he were still one of his pupils. Although Posner’s initial motive was to secretly interview Irwin, he still addresses him as ‘Sir’, showing that he is in fact still polite as ever. Just before signing the book, Irwin tells Posner to ‘fuck off’ which, although taboo, doesn’t seem that big of a deal as we are used to Irwin speaking like this. Then again, it’s still Posner he is talking to and Posner was never a ‘delinquent’, so for him to talk to him in that manner can come off slightly rude.

Irwin and Posner’s relationship is presented in both positive and negative ways during their discourse. Irwin shows a hint of concern towards Posner’s well-being but soon becomes irritated with him and wants him gone immediately. We know this because of the dismissal of Posner’s requests. Compared to Irwin and Posner’s previous exchanges, this one can be considered pretty brutal.

How does the article inform and entertain its reader?

How does the article inform and entertain its reader?

We are immediately intrigued when we see the idiomatic headline used to draw attention and start off with a sense of positivity. It talks of how Bake Off champ Nadiya Hussain ‘made her cake and ate it too’ suggesting she defeated the impossible and made it possible. The use of a paragraph set out in bold usually advises the reader that this information is important or useful. As we read along the humour intended to entertain us starts to become clear and adds to the already playful tone. For example the pause in the sentence introducing Nadiya says how she is now famed as much for her ‘facial expressions as her delicious bakes’.  The mention of the Prime Minister, David Cameron, expressing his support for Nadiya reminds the British readers just how popular this series as a whole has been.
The article takes on a slightly more serious tone and writes about Nadiya’s struggles throughout life and the series, giving us an insight as to how the whole experience has been for her. Although emotive language is not necessarily used, we can still feel for her and appreciate her dedication and commitment despite her self-confessed ‘lack of confidence’ in her abilities. A quote from Nadiya herself gave us an actual idea of how her time in the tent left her feeling and it is nothing but great. She told the interviewer she’d gone into the tent the ‘smallest baker’ but walked out ‘feeling a giant’. During a specific bake, the change in her mannerisms from quiet to outspoken shows her distaste towards the challenge and how even though she’d progressed throughout the weeks, there was a downfall that she’d believed could affect her deeply. However, after adding one of the many facial expressions Nadiya made, into the article, the text is now joyful again.

About me

About me

I very much enjoy learning about the world and am a strong supporter of social justice. As an intersectional feminist, I make sure to always keep on top of the improvements and downfalls of the movement. Anything political related, I will always be listening and ready to debate or learn. I also enjoy socialising with my friends when I can because we always have a good laugh. The music industry is also another important part of my life, simply because I like talking to others who have similar interests to me. Reading is another important hobby of mine and I make sure to do it everyday. From literature to just simple news articles, I'm always looking for new language techniques and styles.

The book I read over break was Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The whole series is a favourite of mine and I will never get tired of the books. Although they are quite big books, it never takes me longer than two days to complete them because I am so intrigued by the story line. The originality of the series and the entertaining prospect that comes with it truly amazes me. Anything supernatural or fantasy related immediately gets me hooked.

I find that I learn easier when someone is explaining it to me rather than repeatedly reading notes or textbooks. If I'm attempting to memorise something I also find that writing it over and over again eventually helps me keep it in my mind. Criticism also helps me greatly. For example, if I were to get certain feedback on an essay, I would write it up maybe a few more times so I can achieve the best possible outcome.