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The expression of Identity through Art

Global Issue: The expression of identity through art

Image: 

The subject matter within the picture includes a colourful burqa with the same patterns and flowers covering the entire attire. The face is purposely hidden with a thin kitchen cheese grater and a blank background. Even though the face is not visible, we can tell that a female is behind the burqa through the social context the photo has been taken in. 

This general example of a burqa with an object covering the face of the woman fits the assemblage of the photos in the 1st series, Shadi Ghadirian’s photos include burqas with a rubber kitchen glove, a butchers knife, a sieve, a broom, a pan and an iron. This perpetuates the individuality and character of a women's role in society in Afghanistan as well as creating a stereotype for women. Through the objects being used, the artist creates this stereotype of Afghan women as the objects denote items used in stereotypical patriarchal society by women, including the cheese grater. 

Performance as an artistic technique is used in the photo, artwork is created through actions executed by the artist which identify with a context. The context in which the photo was taken seems to be making a mockery of traditional Muslim attire deeming it sexist and perhaps unfair to wear due to the connotations the attire brings. 

Anachronism is also a present stylistic feature used within the picture, the photo was published in the year 2000 although the image appears to refer to an earlier period. The objects used cleverly render the appearance of the image to that of a more stereotypical Afghan woman doing the housework and chores. Anachronism presents this notion throughout all images attaining the objective of the author which was meant to present the past and present role of women in society, particularly focusing on Arabic society.

The key aspects of subject matter, performance, and anachronism all connect to the global issue through presenting the notion of who women are perceived as in society connecting them to their identity. The author uses this to express advocacy for women’s rights and taunt the Arabic clothe ware as it is deemed by the author as something that may hurt future women’s rights. 

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Wide Sargasso Sea - Notes

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Mock Oral Exam - Outline

● Introduction to the global issue (10s) “"The expression of identity through social values". 

● A 20s description of the Frida Khalo painting: The context in which the painting was made (after Diego divorced Frida, she almost fell into this depressed state where she firstly completely changed her appearance to look more masculine). 

● A 20s description of the Bookseller text: Set in Afghanistan during the 1990s when the Taliban had power, women were frequently repressed and were often beaten and tortured (as in this fragment). 

● The link between the texts (10s): Both Saliqua and Frida expressing their identity (focusing on romantic attachments). 

2min: Literary extract discussion zooming in on examples of the author's choices in connection to the global issue 

● Main argument/claim for this portion of the IO: Saliqua tries to express her identity through romantic attachments yet social values in Afghanistan prohibit her from doing so. 

● Evidence to support the claim: “Nadim is making grand plans for the future” - evidence of romanticism. carpets. “Saliqa is first and foremost terrified that someone is going to spot them.” - evidence of her identity being hidden showing that social values of women are considered lower than men. 

● Formal literary devices used: Pathos (through the severe beating of Saliqua), Foreshadowing (terrified someone is going to spot them, someone does spot them and she gets severely beaten. 

● The whole family is involved in the matter, not just the parents. This makes it seem that Saliqua’s decision to meet with Nadim was not just any ordinary trouble but something very serious.

2min: Whole literary work discussion zooming in on larger authorial choices in connection to the global issue 

● Sultan Khan's betrayal of his current wife for a 16 year old girl (Sonya) ,doesn’t want to get a divorce with his current wife (sharifa) but wants to have another wife which makes Sharifa feel dreadful through Afghanistan's patriarchal social values.

The Global issue is further exuberated when Sharifa is forced by Khan to put the wedding ring on his and Sonyas fingers.

2min: Non-Literary extract discussion zooming in on examples of the author's choices in connection to the global issue 

● Main argument/claim for this portion of the IO: Khalo’s clothing resembles that of what a man would more traditionally wear, Frida has evidently cut her own hair with braids lying across the floor. 

● Artistic devices used: - primarily the divorce of her beloved Diego), Body Language/Gaze (Frida looking composed in the picture which hints that she is trying to withhold her emotions), Text (going into detail about her looking less pretty without hair)

2min: Whole non-literary work discussion zooming in on larger authorial choices in connection to the global issue 

● Frida Kahlo expressed her misery and resentment over the affair that happened two years ago between Diego Rivera and Cristina. In this painting, her face has no expression but tears. She cropped her hair and was wearing the European-style clothes, which style was her favorite when she was separated from Diego Rivera. And as always, she uses the physical wounds to imply her psychic injuries.

● Main message: She was heartbroken. Her huge heart lies on the ground at her feet and was pumping rivers of blood in the background landscape. Her body was pierced by a steel rod with seesawing cupids on either end, which created an accurate visualization of the sensation of pain.

1min conclusion: 

● Return to the global issue: This global issue is significant as to a point, it defines the personality traits of humans. It empowers individuals to exercise their rights and responsibilities fairly in our modern society. 

● Return to the literary techniques used by the author: Text (in the non lit text), Pathos and Foreshadowing giving a brief summary on how they are used in the text again. 

● What have both authors done to connect the two texts to global issues? Both texts use identity through connecting to personal life choices.

[stans-english-a-portfolio]

Wide Sargasso Sea and how it links to the global issue

Global issue: The expression of identity through social values

Fragment from Wide Sargasso Sea: ‘Then why did you tell me that she died when you were a child?’ ‘Because they told me to say so and because it is true. She did die when I was a child. There are always two deaths, the real one and the one people know about.’ ‘Two at least,’ I said, ‘for the fortunate.’ We were silent for a moment, then I went on, ‘I had a letter from a man who calls himself Daniel Cosway.’

Rochester, in this passage, enacts the first dramatic change in Antoinette’s character and identity. He treats her like a corpse and when he states “There are always two deaths, the real one and the one people know about”, Rochester appears to be figuratively killing Antoinette. This results in a visible change in Antoinette's identity and brings her closer to her mothers image of a madwoman. Rochester’s social values (colonial values and language) is the primary reason for Antoinette’s madness and change in identity.

This topic is relevant in today’s world and arguably will be for the rest of eternity, most of our actions are influenced by the actions of others, including behavior as well as daily habits. This affects our identity, being impacted through the social values of others.

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Mock IO Extracts and Global Issue

Global Issue: The expression of Identity through Social Values

Non-literary fragment: Self Portrait with cropped hair - Frida Khalo

Literary Fragment - The Bookseller of Kabul (Crime and Punishment)

They sit on a bench in the park and talk for a short half-hour. Nadim is making grand plans for the future, he wants to buy a shop or sell carpets. Saliqa is first and foremost terrified someone is going to spot them. Less than half an hour after leaving home she is back. But all hell has already broken loose. Shabnam saw her and Nadim in the taxi and went and told Sharifa who informed the uncle’s wife. The aunt hits Saliqa hard on the mouth when she returns, locks her into a room and phones the mother in Islamabad. When the uncle comes home the whole family enters the room and demands to know what she has done. The uncle shakes with anger when he hears about the taxi, the park, and the bench. He grabs a piece of broken wire and beats her repeatedly over the back while her aunt holds on to her. He hits her face until she bleeds from mouth and nose. ‘What have you done, what have you done? You’re a whore,’ the uncle screams. ‘You are a disgrace to the family. A stain on our honour. A rotten branch.’ His voice reverberates throughout the house, in through the neighbours’ open windows. Before long everyone knew of Saliqa’s crime. The crime that caused her to lie locked in her room, praying to Allah that Nadim will propose to her, that her parents will allow her to marry, that Nadim will get work in a carpet shop and that they can move away. ‘If she can sit alone in a taxi with a boy, I’m sure she is capable of other things,’ says Nasrin, a friend of the aunt, and looks haughtily over at Saliqa’s mother. Nasrin shovels sweetmeats into her mouth with a big spoon, and waits for answers to her pronouncement. ‘She was only in the park, there is no need to beat her within an inch of her life,’ says Shirin, who is a doctor. ‘If we hadn’t stopped him we would have had to take her to the hospital,’ says Sharifa. ‘She was out in the courtyard all night praying,’ she continues. In her sleepless state she had caught sight of the wretched girl. ‘She was there until the call for prayer early this morning,’ she added. The women sigh, one mutters a prayer. They all agree that Saliqa made a big mistake by meeting Nadim in the park, but they cannot agree whether she was merely disobedient or had committed a serious crime. ‘What a disgrace, what a disgrace,’ Saliqa’s mother wails. ‘How could a daughter of mine do something like that?’

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Frida Khalo

Memory the Heart, 1937

Global Issue: Art, Creativity and Imagination

This painting represents Frida’s state of mind after she got cheated on by Diego with her sister, Kristina. This was described as the worst time of her life as she both had very strong relations with both of them. In the picture, she has two dresses symbolising two different identities. The blue dress seems to be her school dress whereas the second dress seems to be her Tijuana dress. Next to her right foot is her heart, it depicts her state of mind how her heart is broken although it is very large which may also depict that she really loved both Kristina and Diego. This is relevant to the global issue of art, creativity and imagination as Frida is expressing her feelings and emotions through her current state of mind which I find appealing as expression through art can be depicted and analysed in multiple ways which gives everyone their own opinion of someones behavior, attitude or what they’re thinking.

[stans-english-a-portfolio]

A Dry White Season - Symbolic Scene

Section 2 

“Sunday the townships looked like a military camp, overrun by armored trucks and tanks and squadrons of riot police with automatic rifles, while helicopters surveyed the scene from the air”

Global Issue: Culture, Identity and Community

The description of a township (which draws similarities of a ghetto) identifies with the global issue in a negative context. Those people within the same community, that sometimes share the same culture and identity are persecuted, imprisoned and live a harsh life within the township. The description of a township in this fragment during a Sunday is exactly that of what you would hear from a high security prison, yet the black community are in a high security prison for simply wanting to live an equal life. I find this example relevant to life today and possibly in the distant future, racism is very widespread across the world and especially in countries that seem to have a white majority such as Eastern Europe, where I’m living. This is one of the reasons why I find this fragment very relevant. 

[stans-english-a-portfolio]

Brink - A Dry White Season Notes

● This section deals with the description and reaction of Gordon’s funeral. ● Bus incident (paragraph 3 section 2), random police violence. 

● People were told to get out of the bus and run a line of gauntlet whilst police laid into them, beating and whipping them. (no pretext or excuse for the violence). 

● As soon as one township fell quiet, the noise would arise from another township as police target the black community. 

● Last sentence of section 2: Dr Hassim was detained.

Part 2 Section 3

● Opening, a moment where Ben is going through some internal change as he can’t handle the society he lives in anymore. 

● Ben tries to prolong his mental stability. 

● We can see they are trying to use the best advocate in Johannesberg, Stanley explains money isn’t a problem but at the same time he says it’s no use. 

● The verdict of the court is that Gordon has committed suicide.

Section 4 - Deals with the inquest into the death of Gordon

● Ben isn’t the narrator in this section.

● This chapter has court proceedings, an account of the proceedings, medical testimonies.

Part 2 Section 5

● Brink uses juxtaposition, brink offers a slower moment and introduces another character/motif into the book. We meet Bens romantic interest. 

● This chapter is therefore quite slow, there’s a lot of building of intimacy, a break from the violence in the book. 

● Description of Emily “fierce, unsettling, compromising, stern”.

● (Brink had himself questionable politics of his own romantic life, marrying 5 different females some of them being a couple of decades younger than him) 

● Many moments within this chapter where we see that Brinks personal love life infiltrates into this chapter. 

● Indications that Ben still believes that there is hopefulness in the fall of the system 

● Stanley is a smuggler. 

● Emily and Ben have a discussion on the court order, Emily tries to convince Ben there was nothing that he could do. 

● Ben doesn’t want to be without her, he shouts “where are you going” to Emily after she starts to walk home 

● Ben again is seen flirting with young girls in this section. 

● Ben really likes chess, symbolisation. 

● Ben feels complete when he enters Melanie’s house, this is the life he wants to have. They become intimate. 

● Talks about rape and how she has a lot of distance towards it. 

Section 2 Part 7

We gain knowledge the colonel will encounter claims that he beat up Gordon.

The policeman asks Gordon to stay ignorant for his own sake (reality of apartheid).

Questions surrounding Susan's stance on racism arise

General Notes

Stanley’s car shows his persona (white car with pink plastic butterfly on the bonnet).

Indirect characterisation of Stanley through his space (description of Stanley’s behavior in the car).

Stanley’s stealth and fighting spirit are explained later on in the book.

Stanley treats Ben as a privileged man who knows nothing about his life. (motif)

A metaphor of Susan and Ben’s relationship going downhill was used (the beds separated by a chest).

“Oh well, we knew it was going to happen” Stanley on a black person getting picked up by the secret police. This shocked Ben as he thought he thought Stanley was not being conscious enough of black people.

Sharpesville Conflict

Black township, massacre occurred on the 21st of March 1960 at a police station.

Around 69 black people were killed, 50 of them being women and children.

Between 5,000 - 10,000 people protested for having to carry passbooks. 

[stans-english-a-portfolio]

Notes from Advertising

Visual techniques to make adverts appealing: 

Rule of thirds: The photograph should be divided into three with the dominant part of the image positioned on the intersection.

Salience: Making the dominant part of the image more appealing by adjusting features such as placement, colour and size.

Camera Angle: A certain angle may emphasize a specific part of an image or suggest similarities between other objects.

Juxtaposition: The contrast of two unrelated objects which can represent the images in two completely different lights. This could help promote the positive differences between the objects or suggest one object is superior to the other.

Advertising Checklist:

1. Ethos - pathos - logos

2. Advertising techniques used (such as association, bandwagon and such)

3. Given-new (horizontal axis) (also: diagonal axis, sometimes vertical axis)

4. Slogan - image - copy - signature - fine print - contact info  

5. Depiction of problem - analogy - appeal to fear - facts and statistics  

6. Use of space - use of white space

7. Background - layout - fonts - para-language - type of image used (photo, drawing, comic) - use of colours

8. Language: chatty vs. formal - features of spoken/ interactive language - types of support (statistics,  human interest story - specific story of a victim, that helps to go beyond statistic and often creates a striking, shocking effect)  

9. Rhetorical devices used (possible on both visual and lexical level) - metaphor, analogy, juxtaposition etc.

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The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad (notes)

This book displays the inequalities between men and women in Afghan society focusing on this perspective through family life. The authors intention of this book is to bring light on the past and current culture of Afghanistan mentioning life before Taliban, during the occupancy of the Taliban and after the occupancy of the Taliban and how its effect has contributed to life currently in Afghanistan.  

Asne’s digging into Afghan culture has put her in controversy, many believed that Asne exploited her subjects “privacy and trust in the portrayal in Afghan life”. This made her a controversial figure since the breach in privacy may have affected the personal life of Sultan Khan (the bookseller) financially and morally. 

Notes on Sultan Khan: 

Opposes activists and fundamentalists, has multiple wives including a wife under the age of 18 for mainly sexual pleasure, has 4 children fitting into the stereotypical large Afghan family, the bookseller.

General book notes: 

Chapter 7 is purely based on rules what was forbidden in Afghanistan during the Taliban's reign which was used to compare the amount of religious conservatism then and now.

In chapter 12, a girl is killed by her brothers for falling in love with a boy and going on a date with him illegally.

Women are typically treated like slaves in most chapters, doing housework, cleaning and especially cooking. Men and women are mainly separated from each other in a household. 

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Internal Oral Outline

● Introduce the texts and present the global issue (1)

● How do themes of patriarchal societies tie in with the texts + examples (2)

● Females perspective from a patriarchal society (3)

● Short conclusion on patriarchal societies with links to fragments (4)

● Reactions from society to discriminated women (5)

● Rhetorical devices used related to the inequality of women (6)

● Inequality still widespread with evidence from these texts regarding location and time period (7)

● Zoom in on specific example of Afghanistan vs USA (location) (8)

● Zoom in on specific example again of Afghanistan vs USA (time period) (9)

● Summary/Conclusion of all points discussed, it must refer and reflect on the  global issue (no new arguments involved) (10)

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Internal Oral Fragment Choices

Fragment 1 - The Handmaids Tale - Chapter 28 - Margaret Atwood

“They've frozen them, she said. Mine too. The collective's too. Any account with an F on it instead of an M. All they needed to do is push a few buttons. We're cut off. But I've got over two thousand dollars in the bank, I said, as if my own account was the only one that mattered. Women can't hold property anymore, she said. It's a new law. Turned on the TV today? No, I said. It's on there, she said. All over the place. She was not stunned, the way Iwas. In some strange way she was gleeful, as if this was what she'd been expecting for some time and now she'd been proven right. She even looked more energetic, more determined. Luke can use your Compucount for you, she said. They'll transfer your number to him, or that's what they say. Husband or male next of kin. But what about you? I said. She didn't have anyone. I'll go underground, she said. Some of the gays can take over our numbers and buy us things we need. But why? I said. Why did they? Ours is not to reason why, said Moira. They had to do it that way, the Compucounts and the jobs both at once. Can you picture the airports, otherwise? They don't want us going anywhere, you can bet on that. Iwent to pick my daughter up from school. I drove with exaggerated care. By the time Luke got home Iwas sitting at the kitchen table. She was drawing with felt pens at her own little table in the corner, where her paintings were taped up next to the refrigerator. Luke knelt beside me and put his arms around me. I heard, he said, on the car radio, driving home. Don't worry, I'm sure it's temporary. Did they say why? I said. He didn't answer that. We'll get through it, he said, hugging me. You don't know what it's like, I said. I feel as if somebody cut off my feet. Iwasn't crying. Also, I couldn't put my arms around him”

Fragment 2 - Why Afghanistan is Wtill the Worst Place in the World to Be a Woman - Lauren Bohn

“I am not alive, but I am not dead,” Khadija told me later that week, crying and gripping the hands of her sister, Aisha. “I tried running away and I failed.” Like the majority of Afghan women, Khadija was a victim of domestic abuse. For four years, she said, her husband beat her and told her that she’s ugly and dumb – “a nobody.”

“Women never have any choices,” Khadija said last December in the hospital, as tears streamed down her face, a barely recognizable charred patchwork of fresh scars. “If I did, I wouldn’t have married him. We’re all handcuffed in this country.”

Khadija’s decision to set herself on fire prompted her husband to be arrested on charges of domestic violence, an unusual situation in a country where abuse against women is rarely criminalized. But even while he was serving his prison sentence, Khadija felt more trapped than when she tried to take her own life. Her husband’s parents, who were looking after her son, issued Khadija an ultimatum: If she would tell the police that she lied—that her husband didn’t actually abuse her—and if she returned home, then she could see her son. If she refused, she would never see him again.

In a country racked by decades of war and a dearth of resources, Khadija’s story shows how women in Afghanistan are struggling to live with dignity. It also highlights how, in the face of little governmental support and dwindling international aid, women are stepping in to help one another.

“It hurts me to say this, but the situation is only getting worse,” said Jameela Naseri, a 31-year-old lawyer at Medica Afghanistan, an NGO established by German-based Medica Mondiale, defending women and girls in war and crisis zones throughout the world. Naseri oversees Khadija’s case, as well as the cases of dozens of other women who are seeking refuge or divorce from allegedly abusive husbands. In the face of what she calls “a war against women,” she is leading an informal but determined coalition of female psychologists, doctors and activists in Herat who take on cases like Khadija’s.

Source: https://time.com/5472411/afghanistan-women-justice-war/

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My perception on the Handmaids tale after a greater understanding of context

After attaining a greater understanding about the context of various real life issues in this book, it helped me look at this book slightly differently and it also filled any gaps with context that I either haven’t noticed yet or haven’t understood very well. 

My perception hasn’t changed much as I still believe forcefully being a handmaid was a tragedy, however, since learning greater context on the heirarchy posed in the Handmaids tale, it proves only greater the point under the supression the Handmaids were under. Another feature I learned from the lesson was the way even means of commiting suicide, such as taking any nets away, were taken away from the Handmaids as the commander was scared of the thought that they would commit suicide. 

The way this information was fed to me seems that the situation of the Handmaids was worse than me initially seeing this from my first perspective although my main perception remains the same: the Handmaids were brutally supressed. 

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Obama DNC Speech Obamas goals: To convince the audiences around the world to vote for John Kerry in the 2004 election, to maintain his own popularity amongst the democrats. The way he sets out to achieve them is by standing down to the level of his voters, making Americans one equal body. Rhetoric devices used:  Obama uses analepsis when talking about his father and grandfather living in Kenya before moving to America referring to America as a beacon hope. Obama uses anaphora when describing who John Kerry is Metonymy: “The pundits like to slice and dice our country into red and blue states, red states for republicans and blue states for democrats.” Chiasmus: “Do we participate in the politics of cynicism or politics of hope?” An inverted relationship between the syntactic elements of parallel phrases Metaphor: “In the end, that is God's greatest gift to us, the bedrock of this nation; the belief in things not seen; the belief that there are better days ahead” How Ethos, Pathos and Logos was used:  Ethos: He earns speaker credibility by speaking to the voters level, he makes them feel that he is the same as them. Obama through his speech is incredibly sympathetic which creates an understanding between people Pathos: Through this speech, you can feel Obama having emotions for others and their wellbeing. He speaks out about different humanitarian crisis such as in Iraq, he mentions having sympathy for people with disabilities, he includes in his speech talking about different races and sexes.  This helps us identify that he has values for everyone Logos: Obama uses reality in his speech to make the audience understand the current situation America faces before John Kerry's election to boost his chances of winning the election.

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Notes on The Lost Art of Oratory

Returned oratory to one of the tools of 21st century politics

Amphoric tripling used frequently in Obama's speeches

Pritoritio - Talking about something by pretending you're not talking about it

America's troubled history of oratory

Most political rhetoric is weak since most politicians avoid trying to say anything and what makes political rhetoric powerful is when you have something to say

Reason why Martin Lurther King's speeches were so powerful was because of perfect diction and storytelling.

Speeches should have a musicality within it, a rhythm which plays with your emotions

The importance of christianity in oratory

Ensures speeches should overcome any emotions, the speech from Col Tim Collins before his soldiers fought in Iraq