104 Pride and Prejudice Essay Topic Ideas & Examples
🏆 best pride and prejudice topic ideas & essay examples, 📌 most interesting pride and prejudice topics to write about, 👍 good research topics about pride and prejudice, ❓ pride and prejudice essay questions.
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen This essay contains the analysis of the novel, including the summary, description of the main characters and themes, personal opinion about the narrative, and conclusion that summarizes the main points of the essay.
- Importance of Letters in “Pride and Prejudice” The reader observes aspects of love, hatred, and humor in characters such as Elizabeth when she reacts to her sister’s letters.
- Gardens in Pride and Prejudice In the novel, the author compares this garden to Darcy’s perception of himself. He boasts about how he knows the number and the location of each and every tree in the garden.
- Pride and Prejudice: Mrs. Bennet Bennet cares for her daughters and husband, despite the ways she chooses to show her thoughtfulness that is often improper or inconsiderate, which makes her a good wife and mother.
- Stereotypes of Women in “Pride and Prejudice” In this novel of manners, the author describes the character development of the protagonist, Elizabeth Bennet, and depicts the society of late eighteenth and early nineteenth-century England with its values and flaws. One of the […]
- Character Analysis in Pride and Prejudice From the Feminist Perspective Darcy is a character who is able to evolve over the span of the story, and eventually, he recognizes his mistakes.Mr.
- Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility Macpherson asserts, In any erotic rivalry, the bond that links the two rivals is as intense and potent as the bond that links either of the rivals to the beloved.the bonds of “rivalry” and “love,” […]
- Money, Status, and Marriage in Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” Women were under the care of the men of their families, and the search for a husband was the main path to higher status and wealth.
- “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen: Characters Analysis Pride and Prejudice is, first of all, a profoundly realistic representation of characters and tempers, albeit not of the English society as a whole, but of its privileged groups since the end of the 18th […]
- J. Austen’s “Sense & Sensibility”, “Pride and Prejudice”, and “Emma” Dwelling in the world of words and literature, one closed to the ‘fairer sex’ of her time, she earned for herself not just the fame of a good author but one widely read even to […]
- “Pride and Prejudice”: Analysis of a Passage The story, the characters, the setting, and even the speech of the characters make strong references to the environments of the beginning of the 19th century in England.
- Letters in “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen The paper will include the explanation of the letters’ primary function and the analysis of letters. Gardiner to Lizzy is significant in a way that it changes the latter’s perception of Darcy.
- The Concepts of Identity in Ibi Zoboi’s Remix “Pride and Prejudice” The surrounding atmosphere and cultural specificities influence the characters’ personalities throughout the story and change their attitude towards the particular minorities and races.
- Robinson Crusoe’ and ‘Pride and Prejudice’ by Daniel Defoe and Jane Austen In the novel, Robinson Crusoe, Defoe describes it as a history of facts that seeks to portray the social institutions and structures of the medieval British society.
- Pride and Prejudice: Critical Analysis A number of styles are hard to ignore in the second part of the screen play, which focuses solely on the characters and the plot.
- Style as Character Insight: The Use of Irony and Free Indirect Discourse in Jane Austen’s Major Works This event appears to be a seminal one in the life of the author, as the social theme of marriage plays out very much in several of Jane Austen’s novels, including Emma, and Sense and […]
- Why to Read “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen In addition to undermining the historical gender stereotypes, the novel portrays the importance of women’s social status in the Victorian era and their dependence on their husbands’ or parents’ financial situation.
- The Novel “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice can rightfully be considered one of the best works in the history of literature. But what is most striking in the book, Pride and Prejudice, is the expression of deep topics through […]
- “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen: Research Paper on the Book It is in the third chapter of the novel that Austen builds the characters of Bingley and Darcy through their manners: “Mr.
- “Pride and Prejudice” by Austen: Chapter 43 The reason for writing the piece was to explore the place of marriage in society and what is meant to women during the 18th century. In such a quote, the reader realizes that Elizabeth wanted […]
- Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith Zombies described in the book are called the unmentionables and, to the greatest extent, correspond to the classic image introduced by George A.
- Jane Austen’s Novel ‘Pride and Prejudice’ The current study explores the link between romance with the natural, the supernatural, and emotion versus reality to understand romanticism characteristics in the novel.
- Marriage in “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen In spite of the predominance of this vision of the marriage and the woman’s role in society, Jane Austen in her Pride and Prejudice proposes several possible variants of realizing the scenario of meeting the […]
- The Adaptation of Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”: A Film Analysis of the Netherfield Ball Scene
- The Ages of the Reason and the Jane Austen’s Characters in “Pride and Prejudice”
- The Allowance of the Dignity and Pride in the Novel “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
- The Representations of Femininity in “Pride and Prejudice”
- The Changes Experienced by Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy in “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
- The Changing Relationship Between the Central Character in “Pride and Prejudice”
- The Good and Bad Aspects of the Film Adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”
- Women’s Rights in “Pride and Prejudice” and Persuasion by Jane Austen
- The Literary Analysis of “Pride and Prejudice” Through an Early Renaissance Prism
- The Mannerisms of the 19th Century in “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
- The Evolution of the Relationship of the Characters of Elizabeth and Darcy in “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
- The Matrimonial Value Orientation in “Pride and Prejudice”
- A Comparison of “The Odd Women” by George Gissing and “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
- The Portrayal of the Characters in Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”
- The Pride and Prejudice of Elizabeth Bennet in “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
- Women’s Social Status and Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”
- The Problems With Marriage: The Contrasting Relationships in “Pride and Prejudice”
- Mrs. Bennet’s Relationship With Her Children in “Pride and Prejudice”
- The Representation of Civility in “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austin and in Part IV of “Gulliver’s Travels” by Jonathan Swift
- A Critique of the Regency Period in “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
- The Roles of the Bennet Parents, Elizabeth, and Jane in “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
- The Running Theme of Pride and Prejudice in Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”
- Women of Different Eras in “Pride and Prejudice” and “Bridget Jones Diary”
- The Satirization of Society’s Flaws in “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
- The Role of Property in “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
- The Significance of First Impressions in the Victorian Age Portrayed in “Pride and Prejudice”
- The Similarities Between the Novel and Film Version of “Pride and Prejudice”
- Societal Pressures and Expectations in “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
- The Theme of Happiness Demands Pride to Be Replaced by Self-Respect and Humility in “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
- The Importance of Dialogue in “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
- Satire and Comic Incidents From “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
- The Impact of Cultural Mindsets on “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
- The Themes of Class and Class Consciousness as Seen in “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austin
- The Themes of Irony, Values, and Realism in “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
- Social Hypocrisy in “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
- The Themes of Marriage, Social Class and Wealth, Love and Pride in “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
- The Use of Satire and Irony in Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”
- The Value of Letters in “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen
- The Ways the Theme of Pride and Prejudice Is Revealed Through the Characters of Elizabeth Bennet and Darcy
- Understanding the Characters Through Their Actions in “Pride and Prejudice”
- What role does dancing play in Pride & Prejudice?
- What roles do balls play in Pride and Prejudice?
- What is the hero of Pride & Prejudice?
- How wealth and class contribute to Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen?
- What is the most famous monologue in Pride and Prejudice?
- What is the role of the rain scene in Pride & Prejudice (2005)?
- How does Austen portray the theme of manners and etiquette in Pride and Prejudice?
- What is Pride & Prejudice: a latter-day comedy about?
- What could the modern version of Pride and Prejudice be?
- What does the following quote mean? “You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you”
- Why is Pride and Prejudice relevant today?
- What is Pride and Prejudice vocabulary like?
- What are the books similar to Pride and Prejudice?
- How is Bridget Jones’s Diary connected to Pride and Prejudice?
- What are examples of irony in Pride and Prejudice?
- Why did Lydia run off with Wickham?
- What are the reader’s first impressions of Darcy in the novel Pride and Prejudice?
- What is first impressions by Jane Austen about?
- What is the meaning of the quote: “I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun?”
- How does Jane Austen present women’s role in Pride and Prejudice?
- Where does Lydia live in Pride and Prejudice?
- What time period does Pride and Prejudice take place in?
- Does Pride and Prejudice reinforce or erode sexist stereotypes of women?
- What happened at the Netherfield Ball?
- How and when did Elizabeth learn the truth about Wickham?
- What is the significance of the title Pride and Prejudice?
- What did Darcy’s proposal in Pride & Prejudice look like?
- What is Mr. Pride vs. Miss Prejudice about?
- Was life easier for the young ladies of Pride and Prejudice than it is for young ladies today?
- How does Austen describe Derbyshire in Pride & Prejudice?
- Why does Darcy begin his first proposal to Elizabeth by saying, “in vain have I struggled”?
- How are the concepts of love and marriage explored in Pride and Prejudice?
- What role do card games play in Pride and Prejudice?
- What does the quote “I am so modest I can admit my own fault” mean?
- Who was the owner of the estate called Hunsford?
- Does the 1995 BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice enhance your understanding of the novel?
- Describe the first proposal scene in Pride & Prejudice
- Where did Darcy propose to Elizabeth for the first time?
- How contrasting places contribute to theme in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice?
- What are the most famous film versions of Pride & Prejudice?
- The Things They Carried Questions
- The Other Wes Moore Paper Topics
- Into the Wild Titles
- The Old Man and the Sea Research Topics
- The Most Dangerous Game Paper Topics
- Crime and Punishment Titles
- Macbeth Ideas
- Much Ado About Nothing Paper Topics
- Chicago (A-D)
- Chicago (N-B)
IvyPanda. (2024, August 23). 104 Pride and Prejudice Essay Topic Ideas & Examples. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/pride-and-prejudice-essay-examples/
"104 Pride and Prejudice Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." IvyPanda , 23 Aug. 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/topic/pride-and-prejudice-essay-examples/.
IvyPanda . (2024) '104 Pride and Prejudice Essay Topic Ideas & Examples'. 23 August.
IvyPanda . 2024. "104 Pride and Prejudice Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." August 23, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/pride-and-prejudice-essay-examples/.
1. IvyPanda . "104 Pride and Prejudice Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." August 23, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/pride-and-prejudice-essay-examples/.
Bibliography
IvyPanda . "104 Pride and Prejudice Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." August 23, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/pride-and-prejudice-essay-examples/.
![](http://sektorel.online/777/templates/cheerup/res/banner1.gif)
Pardon Our Interruption
As you were browsing something about your browser made us think you were a bot. There are a few reasons this might happen:
- You've disabled JavaScript in your web browser.
- You're a power user moving through this website with super-human speed.
- You've disabled cookies in your web browser.
- A third-party browser plugin, such as Ghostery or NoScript, is preventing JavaScript from running. Additional information is available in this support article .
To regain access, please make sure that cookies and JavaScript are enabled before reloading the page.
Pride and Prejudice
By jane austen, pride and prejudice study guide.
Pride and Prejudice is Jane Austen 's first novel, published in 1813. Some scholars also consider it one of her most mature novels.
Austen began writing Pride and Prejudice under the title First Impressions in 1796, at the age of twenty-one. She probably wrote the first draft as an epistolary novel, meaning the plot unfolded through an exchange of letters. In 1797, Austen's father offered his daughter's manuscript to a publishing company, but they refused to even consider it.
Shortly after completing First Impressions , Austen began writing Sense and Sensibility , which was not published until 1811. She also wrote some shorter stories during this time, which she later expanded into full novels. Between 1810 and 1812, Austen rewrote Pride and Prejudice for publication. While the original ideas in the novel came from a 21-year-old girl, the final version reflects the literary and thematic maturity of a thirty-five year old woman who had spent years painstakingly drafting and revising, as Austen did with all of her novels. Pride and Prejudice is the most popular of Austen's novels.
![essay questions about prejudice GradeSaver will pay $15 for your literature essays](https://www.gradesaver.com/assets/ads/lit-essays-bd63021b362793d416a01a926ffdfc592f66054137bea15c1fbc73b5f0e02a69.png)
Pride and Prejudice Questions and Answers
The Question and Answer section for Pride and Prejudice is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.
In which ways is Elizabeth different from the rest of the Bennet family? What does the contrast reveal about her character?
Elizabeth is one of the only characters in Pride and Prejudice who changes significantly over the course of the story. Her distinctive quality is her extreme perceptiveness, which she uses to assess others at the beginning of the novel and...
What are reasons that Elizabeth thinks darcy may still be interested?
Did you need more detail?
Pride and Prejudice How might Mr. Bennet's earlier actions have prevented this scandal? Is Mr. Bennet responsible for his youngest daughter's behavior?
Mr. Bennet has always been compacent when it came to the well being of his daughters. Mr. Bennet's main interest was that his daughters married into money. Wickham was obviously a pompous jerk but he was also a wealthy well connected jerk. Mr....
Study Guide for Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice study guide contains a biography of Jane Austen, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.
- About Pride and Prejudice
- Pride and Prejudice Summary
- Pride and Prejudice Video
- Character List
Essays for Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
- Theme of Pride
- Epistolary Study of Austen
- Money as Social Currency in the Society Described in Pride and Prejudice
- Discretion and Design in Pride and Prejudice
- Eloquence: The Window To the Soul and the Number One Requirement for a Successful Courtship
Lesson Plan for Pride and Prejudice
- About the Author
- Study Objectives
- Common Core Standards
- Introduction to Pride and Prejudice
- Relationship to Other Books
- Bringing in Technology
- Notes to the Teacher
- Related Links
- Pride and Prejudice Bibliography
E-Text of Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice e-text contains the full text of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
- Chapters 1-6
- Chapters 7-14
- Chapters 15-23
- Chapters 24-33
- Chapters 34-42
Wikipedia Entries for Pride and Prejudice
- Introduction
Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Books — Pride and Prejudice
![essay questions about prejudice one px](https://gradesfixer.com/wp-content/themes/essay/assets/img/1px.png)
Essays on Pride and Prejudice
Lydia and wickham: a marriage analysis, tone in pride and prejudice, made-to-order essay as fast as you need it.
Each essay is customized to cater to your unique preferences
+ experts online
Characters' First Impressions in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice
The evolution of elizabeth and darcy's relationship, the role of historical setting in pride and prejudice, feminism in jane austen’s pride and prejudice, let us write you an essay from scratch.
- 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
- Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen: Elizabeth's First Impression of Darcy
Darcy's impact on elizabeth's character transformation in pride and prejudice, the effect of pride in pride and prejudice, a novel by jane austen, the feminist perspective in austen's novel in pride and prejudice, get a personalized essay in under 3 hours.
Expert-written essays crafted with your exact needs in mind
The Satirization of Society's Flaws in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Darcy’s letter to elizabeth: analysis of "pride and prejudice" by jane austen, the interconnection between realism and romanticism in pride and prejudice, female representation in jane austen's pride and prejudice, analysis of mr. darcy and elizabeth bennet's relationship in 'pride and prejudice', man and woman' conflict - the relationsip between mr. darcy and elizabeth, the character of charlotte lukas in pride and prejudice, the problem of marriage and husband finding through elizabeth bennet's character, the original title and its resonance in the novel "pride and prejudice", the concept of "design" and calculation in in pride and prejudice, elizabeth bennet’s attitude to marriage in pride and prejudice, pride and prejudice: first impressions, relationship, and marriage, criticism of regency england through elizabeth bennet’s identity, 19th century attitudes towards marriage through elizabeth bennet's perspective, marx's ideas of society in austen's pride and prejudice, the impact of parenting on bennet sisters in pride and prejudice, characters' private and public selves in pride and prejudice, humor and insensitivity of mr bennet's character in pride and prejudice, pride and prejudice and bridget jones’s diary: comparative analysis, the concepts of love and marriage in pride and prejudice.
1813, Jane Austen
Romantic Novel; Satire, Historical Fiction
Elizabeth Bennet, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, Mr. Bennet, Mrs. Bennet, Jane Bennet, Mary Bennet, Catherine "Kitty" Bennet, Lydia Bennet, Charles Bingley, Caroline Bingley, George Wickham, Mr. William Collins, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, Georgiana Darcy, Charlotte Lucas, Colonel Witzwilliam
According to numerous sources, the book is not based on a true story and has been entirely composed by Jane Austen.
Justice, prejudice, misconceptions, love, romance, misjudgement, reputation, class relations, overcoming obstacles, true love.
As one of the most beautiful literary works and the happy ever after tales, it is one of the best romance novels that will be relevant through every decade. The book is teaching us an important lesson about making snap judgments of not judging the book by its cover. Although this book is often read by college students, it is also an important read for educators as well since college professors should not judge their learners too soon.
It revolves around the Bennet sisters called Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia. Their mother wants to see them married in a good, successful way because they won't inherit their family house since only a son can do so. So once Me. Bingle comes down, their mother does her best to help Mr. Bigley fall in love.
Jane Austen has also been rejected for not being rich enough in the past. Mr. Darcy is often made as an equivalent to a Rockefeller. The Gretna Green mentioned in the book by Lydia is the modern-day Las Vegas, which has nearly ruined the Bennet family. Jane Austen has also been very close to her sister, which has influenced her to describe the closeness of Elizabeth to Jane. The publisher has rejected "The Pride and Prejudice" even without taking a closer look or reading it at all. The title originally came from a novel called "Cecilia" by Fanny Burney. Jane Austen always worried that her novel was too frivolous and modern for her times.
“A lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment.” “There are few people whom I really love, and still fewer of whom I think well. The more I see of the world, the more am I dissatisfied with it; and every day confirms my belief of the inconsistency of all human characters, and of the little dependence that can be placed on the appearance of merit or sense.” “Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us.” “I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine.” “For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbors, and laugh at them in our turn?”
The love and marriage through the class relations is the central theme of this romantic story. It focuses on how a person can judge and break down the romantic relations. Jane Austen constantly uses good satire, detalization of her characters, and narration that helps to analyze the vocational nature of being married in the English society. One can also explore an attitude to matrimony.
This novel is an example of pride and prejudice, social relations, class challenges, and the freedom of women to do exactly what they want. It is also used as the analysis of judging something by its cover with the different examples. This romance story can be explored through the lens of any modern situation where the pride and misconception of the first impressions are coming first before a clear judgment is being made.
1. McKeon, R. (1979). " Pride and Prejudice": Thought, Character, Argument, and Plot. Critical Inquiry, 5(3), 511-527. (https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/448004?journalCode=ci) 2. Lacour, C. B. (1992). Austen's Pride and Prejudice and Hegel's" Truth in Art": Concept, Reference, and History. ELH, 59(3), 597-623. (https://www.jstor.org/stable/2873444) 3. Austen, J. (1993). Pride and Prejudice (1813). New York. (https://link.springer.com/book/9780333801338#page=36) 4. Morrison, R. (2009). Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice: A Routledge Study Guide and Sourcebook. Routledge. (https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9780203868492/jane-austen-pride-prejudice-robert-morrison) 5. Fischer-Starcke, B. (2009). Keywords and frequent phrases of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice: A corpus-stylistic analysis. International Journal of Corpus Linguistics, 14(4), 492-523. (https://www.jbe-platform.com/content/journals/10.1075/ijcl.14.4.03fis) 6. Lau, B. (2017). Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice. A Companion to Romanticism, 237-244. (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/9781405165396.ch21) 7. Appel, P. A. (2012). A Funhouse Mirror of Law: The Entailment in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Ga. J. Int'l & Comp. L., 41, 609. (https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/gjicl41&div=25&id=&page=) 8. Wootton, S. (2007). The Byronic in Jane Austen's" Persuasion" and" Pride and Prejudice". Modern Language Review, 102(1), 26-39. (https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/427/article/825032/summary)
Relevant topics
- A Rose For Emily
- All Summer in a Day
- The Alchemist
- Bartleby The Scrivener
- A Long Way Gone
- A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings
- Harrison Bergeron
- All Quiet on The Western Front
- Animal Farm
By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email
No need to pay just yet!
Bibliography
We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .
- Instructions Followed To The Letter
- Deadlines Met At Every Stage
- Unique And Plagiarism Free
Pride and Prejudice
![essay questions about prejudice Guide cover image](https://www.supersummary.com/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fguide-covers-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fthumb%2Fpride-and-prejudice.png&w=3840&q=75)
164 pages • 5 hours read
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Volume 1, Chapters 1-3
Volume 1, Chapters 4-6
Volume 1, Chapters 7-10
Volume 1, Chapters 11-15
Volume 1, Chapters 16-18
Volume 1, Chapters 19-23
Volume 2, Chapters 1-6
Volume 2, Chapters 7-11
Volume 2, Chapters 12-15
Volume 2, Chapters 16-19
Volume 3, Chapters 1-3
Volume 3, Chapters 4-10
Volume 3, Chapters 11-14
Volume 3, Chapters 15-19
Character Analysis
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
Discussion Questions
What is Charlotte Lucas’s approach to marriage, and how does it explain why she marries Mr. Collins? How does her decision to marry Mr. Collins reflect women’s roles in Austen’s day?
What is it about Elizabeth that attracts Darcy, and how does she continue to draw him in as the novel progresses? Describe how the qualities criticized by Lady Catherine—and the qualities that make Elizabeth reject Darcy’s first proposal—are the very qualities that make Darcy fall in love with her. Describe Mr. Collins’s opinions of these same qualities.
Compare and contrast the marriages in Pride and Prejudice . Consider Mr. and Mrs. Bennet , Lydia and Wickham, Charlotte and Mr. Collins , Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, Jane and Bingley, or Elizabeth and Darcy. Which marriages are unhappy, and why? What, according, to the novel, is necessary for a happy marriage? Why does Mr. Bennet warn Elizabeth against choosing a husband she is “unable to respect” (350)?
![essay questions about prejudice blurred text](https://www.supersummary.com/_next/image/?url=%2Fblurred-text.png&w=1920&q=75)
Related Titles
By Jane Austen
![essay questions about prejudice Guide cover image](https://www.supersummary.com/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fguide-covers-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fthumb%2Femma.png&w=3840&q=75)
Mansfield Park
![essay questions about prejudice Guide cover image](https://www.supersummary.com/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fguide-covers-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fthumb%2Fmansfield-park.png&w=3840&q=75)
Northanger Abbey
![essay questions about prejudice Guide cover image](https://www.supersummary.com/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fguide-covers-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fthumb%2Fnorthanger-abbey.webp&w=3840&q=75)
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
![essay questions about prejudice Guide cover placeholder](https://www.supersummary.com/_next/image/?url=%2Fguide_placeholder_cover_orange.webp&w=3840&q=75)
Sense and Sensibility
![essay questions about prejudice Guide cover image](https://www.supersummary.com/_next/image/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fguide-covers-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fthumb%2Fsense-and-sensibility.webp&w=3840&q=75)
Featured Collections
Audio Study Guides
View Collection
BookTok Books
British Literature
Pride & Shame
Romanticism / Romantic Period
TV Shows Based on Books
![essay questions about prejudice The LitCharts.com logo.](https://assets.litcharts.com/assets/reskin/small-logo-a5f71ddf742efc8224556c5af660e50a78055adc5f4beaf27d9b589498298326.png)
- Ask LitCharts AI
- Discussion Question Generator
- Essay Prompt Generator
- Quiz Question Generator
![essay questions about prejudice Guides](https://assets.litcharts.com/assets/reskin/promo/pdf-downloads-75c06148cea63e2260e73ef26ed7f5a40621da89b65622ab42e07ba5441e8eeb.png)
- Literature Guides
- Poetry Guides
- Shakespeare Translations
- Literary Terms
Pride and Prejudice
Jane austen.
![essay questions about prejudice essay questions about prejudice](https://assets.litcharts.com/assets/reskin/mobile-menu/pdf-fan-dfd1c1a7ddc45b11f06d3dcff0a4d52c148abd2b517bf3a410f632ecb66bd51d.png)
Ask LitCharts AI: The answer to your questions
Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice . Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.
Pride and Prejudice: Introduction
Pride and prejudice: plot summary, pride and prejudice: detailed summary & analysis, pride and prejudice: themes, pride and prejudice: quotes, pride and prejudice: characters, pride and prejudice: symbols, pride and prejudice: literary devices, pride and prejudice: quizzes, pride and prejudice: theme wheel, brief biography of jane austen.
![essay questions about prejudice Pride and Prejudice PDF](https://assets.litcharts.com/pdf-fans/pride-and-prejudice.pdf.medium.png)
Historical Context of Pride and Prejudice
Other books related to pride and prejudice.
- Full Title: Pride and Prejudice
- When Written: 1797-1812
- Where Written: Bath, Somerset, England
- When Published: 1813
- Literary Period: Classicism/Romanticism
- Genre: Novel of manners
- Setting: Hertfordshire, London, and Pemberley, all in England at some time during the Napoleonic Wars (1797–1815)
- Climax: The search for Lydia and Wickham
- Antagonist: There is no single antagonist. The sins of pride and prejudice function as the main antagonizing force
- Point of View: Third person omniscient
Extra Credit for Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Silver Screen? Pride and Prejudice was first adapted for movies in a 1940 production starring Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier. It was again filmed in 1995, as a mini-series for A&E Television, featuring Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennet and Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. The most recent production stars Keira Knightley as Elizabeth and was filmed in 2005.
First Impressions: Austen's initial title for her manuscript was "First Impressions." Though the book was eventually published as Pride and Prejudice , the initial title hints at the story's concern for social appearances and the necessity of finding people's true qualities beneath the surface.
![essay questions about prejudice The LitCharts.com logo.](https://assets.litcharts.com/assets/reskin/small-logo-and-wordmark-a-plus-83548be00983d87610186203b69ca75b45d421f8322f657c1cbfcae18e35bbe3.png)
- Quizzes, saving guides, requests, plus so much more.
Discussion Questions for Pride and Prejudice
- Study Guides
- Authors & Texts
- Top Picks Lists
- Best Sellers
- Plays & Drama
- Shakespeare
- Short Stories
- Children's Books
- M.A., English Literature, California State University - Sacramento
- B.A., English, California State University - Sacramento
Pride and Prejudice is one of the most well-known works by Jane Austen . A classic piece of literature, the ever satiric Jane Austen brings us a love story that is both critical of 19th-century English society and reminds us not to take first impressions too seriously.
Still very popular, Pride and Prejudice is a great story to discuss with friends and classmates. Here is a list of questions that can be used for conversation.
- What is important about the title?
- What conflicts did you notice in Pride and Prejudice ? Were they physical, moral, intellectual, or emotional conflicts?
- How does Jane Austen reveal character in Pride and Prejudice ?
- What are some themes in the story? How do they relate to the plot and characters?
- What are some symbols in Pride and Prejudice ? How do they relate to the plot and characters?
- Is Elizabeth Bennet consistent in her actions? Is she a fully developed character? How so?
- Do you find the characters likable? Are the characters people you would want to meet?
- Does the novel end the way you expected? Why?
- What is the primary purpose of the novel? Do you find the purpose important or meaningful?
- How does the novel relate to feminist literature ?
- How essential is the setting to the story? Could the story have taken place anywhere else?
- What is the role of women in the text? How are mothers represented? What about single and/or independent women?
- Would you recommend this novel to a friend?
- 'Pride and Prejudice' Quotes Explained
- 'Pride and Prejudice' Themes and Literary Devices
- 'Pride and Prejudice' Summary
- Check Your Knowledge: 'Pride and Prejudice' Quiz
- 'Pride and Prejudice' Characters: Descriptions and Significance
- 'A Passage to India' Questions for Study and Discussion
- 'Pride and Prejudice' Overview
- Helpful Discussion Questions for 'The Necklace'
- 'The Scarlet Letter' Questions for Discussion
- The Catcher in the Rye: Questions for Study and Discussion
- '1984' Questions for Study and Discussion
- How to Succeed in Your Literature Class
- 'Alice in Wonderland' Questions for Study and Discussion
- 'Wuthering Heights' Questions for Study and Discussion
- 'Robinson Crusoe' Questions for Study and Discussion
- 'Animal Farm' Questions for Study and Discussion
![essay questions about prejudice](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/609a10dece635c5a946442ac/609a10dece635c7f53644398_iconmonstr-x-mark-7-240.png)
VCE Study Tips
English Language
![essay questions about prejudice](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/609a10dece635c5a946442ac/609a10dece635c10eb6444be_LSG_StackedTag_White.png)
Private Tutoring
![essay questions about prejudice](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/609a10dece635c5a946442ac/609a10dece635c7f076442ec_LSG_Stacked.png)
Only one more step to getting your FREE text response mini-guide!
Simply fill in the form below, and the download will start straight away
English & EAL
Pride and Prejudice
October 4, 2020
![essay questions about prejudice](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/609a10dece635c5a946442ac/609a10dece635c383764459b_new-message.png)
Want insider tips? Sign up here!
Go ahead and tilt your mobile the right way (portrait). the kool kids don't use landscape....
This blog was updated on 05/10/2020.
2. Characters
4. Literary Devices
5. Important Quotes
6. Sample Essay Topics
7. A+ Essay Topic Breakdown
Pride and Prejudice is usually studied in the Australian curriculum under Area of Study 1 - Text Response. For a detailed guide on Text Response, check out our Ultimate Guide to VCE Text Response .
Jane Austen’s 1813 novel, Pride and Prejudice , follows the titular character of Elizabeth Bennet as she and her family navigate love, loyalty and wealth.
When Mrs. Bennet hears that a wealthy, young and eligible bachelor, Mr. Bingley, has moved into the manor of Netherfield Park nearby, she hopes to see one of her daughters marry him. Of the five daughters born to Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty and Lydia, Jane takes an early liking to Mr. Bingley despite his friend, Mr. Darcy, initial coldness and apathy towards her younger sister Elizabeth. Though Mr. Darcy’s distaste soon grows to attraction and love.
While Jane and Mr. Bingley begin to fall for each other, Elizabeth receives and declines a marriage proposal from her supercilious cousin Mr. Collins, who eventually comes to marry Elizabeth’s dear friend Charlotte. While Mr. Darcy is in residence at Netherfield Park, Elizabeth finds and enjoys the company of a young officer named Mr. Wickham who too has a strong disliking for Mr. Darcy. Mr. Wickham claims it was Mr. Darcy who cheated him out of his fortune, which then deepens Elizabeth's initial ill impression of the arrogant man.
After a ball is held at Netherfield Park, the wealthy family quits the estate, leaving Jane heartbroken. Jane is then invited to London by her Aunt and Uncle Gardiner, which Mr. Darcy fails to tell Mr. Bingley as he has persuaded him not to court Jane because of her lesser status.
When Elizabeth visits her newly married friend Charlotte, she meets Lady Catherine de Bourgh’s (Mr. Darcy’s Aunt) other nephew, Colonel Fitzwilliam. While there, Mr. Darcy appears and proposes to Elizabeth unexpectedly claiming he loves and admires her. To Mr. Darcy’s surprise, Elizabeth refuses as she blames him for ruining Mr. Wickam’s hopes of success and for keeping Jane and Mr. Bingley apart. Mr. Darcy later apologies in a letter and admits to persuading Mr. Bingley not to pursue Jane, but argues that her love for him was not obvious. In the letter, he also denies Wickam’s accusations and explains that Wickham had intended to elope with his sister for her fortune.
Elizabeth joins her Aunt and Uncle in visiting Mr. Darcy’s great estate of Pemberley under the impression he would be absent. It is there that Elizabeth learns from the housekeeper that Mr. Darcy is a generous landlord. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy then have a chance encounter after he returns home ahead of schedule. Following her previous rejection of him, Mr. Darcy has attempted to reform his character and presents himself amiably to Elizabeth’s Aunt and Uncle as she begins to warm up to him.
Mr Darcy happens upon Elizabeth as she receives the terrible news that Lydia has run off with Wickam in an event that could ruin her family. Mr. Darcy then going out in search for Wickham and Lydia to hurry their nuptials. When Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy return to Netherfield Park, Elizabeth is pleased to see him though Darcy shows no sign of his regard for her. Jane and Mr. Bingley soon become engaged.
Soon thereafter, Lady Catherine visits the Bennets and insists that Elizabth never agree to marry her nephew. Darcy hears of Elizabeth's refusal, and when he next comes, he proposes a second time which she accepts, his pride then humbled and her prejudices overturned.
- Elizabeth Bennet
- Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy
- Jane Bennet
- Mr. Charles Bingley
- Mrs. Bennet
- George Wickham
- Lydia Bennet
- Mr. Collins
- Miss Bingley
- Lady Catherine De Bourgh
- Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner
- Charlotte Lucas
- Georgiana Darcy
- Mary Bennet
- Catherine Bennet
Within the text the theme of pride is ever present as it plays a major role in how Austen’s characters present themselves, their attitudes and how they treat each other. For much of the novel pride blinds both Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth of their true feelings and hence becomes something both characters must overcome. While Darcy’s pride makes him look down upon those not immediately within his social circle, Elizabeth takes so much pride in her ability to judge the character of others that she refuses to amend her opinions even when her initial judgements are proven wrong. Indeed, this is why Elizabeth despises the benign Darcy early on in the text, but initially takes a liking to the mendacious Wickham. By the denouement of the novel, both Datcy and Elizabeth have overcome their pride by encouraging and supporting each others own personal evolution. Indeed, as Darcy sheds his elitism Elizabeth comes to realise the importance of revaluation.
The tendency of others to judge one another based on perceptions, rather than who they are and what they value becomes a point of prolific discussion within Pride and Prejudice . Indeed, the title of the text clearly implies the related nature of pride and prejudice as both Darcy and Elizabeth are often shown to make the wrong assumptions; Darcy’s assumptions grounded in his social prejudice whereas Elizabeth’s is rooted in her discernment led astray by her excessive pride. As Austen subtly mocks the two lovers biases, she gives the impression that while such flaws are common faulting someone else for the prejudice is easy while recognising it in yourself is hard. While Austen’s representation of prejudice is aligned with personal development and moral growth as she wittingly condemns those who refuse to set aside their prejudices like Lady Catherine and Caroline.
The family unit that Austen displays with Pride and Prejudice becomes the social and domestic sphere as it forms the emotional center of the novel in which she grounds her analysis and discussion. Not only does the family determine the social hierarchy and standing of its members but provides the intellectual and moral support for its children. In the case of the Bennet family, Austen reveals how the individuals identity and sense of self is molded within the family as she presents Jane and Elizabeth as mature, intelligent and witty and lydia as a luckless fool. Not only this, Austen reveals the emotional spectrum that lives within every family as shown through Elizabeth’s varying relationship with her parents; the tense relationship with her mother and sympathy she shares with her father.
At the center of its plot, Pride and Prejudice examines the complex inequality that governs the relationships between men and women and the limited options that women have in regards to marriage. Austen portrays a world in which the socio-economic relationship between security and love limits the woman and her choices as it based exclusively on a family’s social rank and connections. Indeed, the expectations of the Bennet sisters, as members of the upper class is to marry well instead of work. As women can not inherit their families estate nor money, their only option is to marry well in the hope of attaining wealth and social standing. Through this, Austen explains Mrs. Bennet’s hysteria about marrying off her daughters. Yet Austen is also shown to be critical of those who marry purely for security, thereby offering Elizabth as the ideal, who initially refuses marriage as she refutes financial comfort but ends up marrying for love.
Class and Wealth
As Austen focuses much of her novel on the impacts of class and wealth, she makes clear of the system that favours the rich and powerful and often punishes the weak and poor. Characters like Lady Catherine, whose enforcement of rigid hierarchical positions often leads her to mistreatment of others. Other characters like Mr. Collins and Caroline are depicted as void of genuine connection as they are unable to live and love outside the perimeter of their social standing. In contrast, characters such as Bingley and the Gardiners offer a respectable embodiment of wealth and class through their kindness and manners. Indeed, Austen does not criticise the entire class system as she offers examples that serve to demonstrate the decency and respectability. Darcy embodies all that a high-class gentleman should as though he is initially presented as flawed and arrogant, it becomes clear as the novel progresses that he is capable of change. Always generous and compassionate, his involvement with Elizabeth helps to brings his nurturing nature to the foreground, evident in his attempts to help the foolish lydia. Ultimately, Austen suggest through Darcy’s and Elizabeth's union that though class and wealth are restrictive, they do not determine one’s character nor who one is capable of loving.
- Literary Devices
- Symbolism, imagery and allegories
- Writing style
- Three Act plot
Important Quotes
- “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” (ch.1)
When writing on any text in Text Response, it is essential to use quotes and analyse them.
Let’s take this quote, for example.
“it is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife”
This is the opening line of the novel. It is satirical, ironic and mocking in tone. Austen makes fun of the notion that wealthy bachelors must be wanting to marry in order to be valued in society. By using this tone, she subverts this “truth universally acknowledged” and encourages readers to question this societal presumption of wealth and marriage.
Have a look at the following quotes and ask yourself, ‘how would I analyse this quote?’:
- “She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me; and I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men.” (ch.3)
- "An unhappy alternative is before you, Elizabeth. From this day you must be a stranger to one of your parents. Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr. Collins, and I will never see you again if you do." (ch.20)
- “In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.” (ch.34)
- “They were all of them warm in her admiration; and at that moment she felt that to be mistress of Pemberley might be something!” (ch.43)
- “You are too generous to trifle with me. If your feelings are still what they were last April, tell me so at once. My affections and wishes are unchanged, but one word from you will silence me on this subject forever.” (ch.58)
Essay Topics
1. What do the various relationships shown in Pride and Prejudice tell us about love, marriage and society?
2. Austen shows that even those of the best moral character can be blinded by their pride and prejudice . To what extent do you agree?
3. Elizabeth Bennet holds a radical view of marriage for her time . What impact does this attitude have on the other characters' lives and relationships ? Discuss.
For more sample essay topics, head over to our Pride and Prejudice Study Guid e to practice writing essays using the analysis you've learnt in this blog!
- Essay Topic Breakdown
Whenever you get a new essay topic, you can use LSG’s THINK and EXECUTE strategy , a technique to help you write better VCE essays. This essay topic breakdown will focus on the THINK part of the strategy. If you’re unfamiliar with this strategy, then check it out in How To Write A Killer Text Response because it’ll dramatically enhance how much you can take away from the following essays and more importantly, to then be able to apply these in your own writing.
Within the THINK strategy, we have 3 steps, or ABC. These ABC components are:
Step 1: A nalyse
Step 2: B rainstorm
Step 3: C reate a Plan
Character-based Prompt: Elizabeth Bennet holds a radical view of marriage for her time. What impact could this attitude have on the other characters' lives and relationships? Discuss.
The following comes essay topic breakdown comes from our Pride and Prejudice Study Guide:
Step 1: Analyse
Elizabeth Bennet holds a radical view of marriage for her time . What impact could this attitude have on the other characters' lives and relationships ? Discuss.
A character based essay prompt is pretty self-explanatory as the prompt will have a specific focus on one character or a group of characters. While they may look relatively simple and straightforward, a lot of students struggle with character based questions as they find it is hard to discuss ideas in a lot of depth. With that in mind, it's important that we strive for what the author is saying; what is the author trying to convey through this specific character? What do they represent? Do they advocate for specific ideas or does the author use this character to condemn a certain idea and action?
Step 2: Brainstorm
This question is looking at the attitude Elizabeth Bennet has in regard to the expectation and institution of marriage and how her view could impact the lives of the people around her. As always, we want to make sure that we not only identify our key words but define them. I started by first defining/ exploring the attitude Elizabeth holds towards the institution of marriage ; as marriage was not only an expectation in the times of regency England but a means to secure future financial security , Elizabeth’s outlook that an individual should marry only for the purpose of happiness and love was not only radical but dangerous . Her outlook, while noble, could and did put her family at jeopardy of being cast out from their estate as without a union between one of the Bennet daughters and Mr. Collins, Mr. Collins would have every right to do so as the only male inherent. I also looked at the wider implications Elizabeth’s outlook could have on the lives of the other characters such as Charlotte , Darcy and Bingley .
Step 3: Plan
Contention : Your contention relates to your interpretation of the essay prompt and the stance you’re going to take – i.e. are you in agreement, disagreement, or both to an extent.
While radical for her time, Elizabeth's progressive view of marriage can be seen to advocate for the rights of women and love and happiness but also, can jeopardise the livelihoods of those around her as Elizabeth is guided by selfish motives.
P1: The radical view of marriage Elizabeth holds can be viewed as selfish and guided by her own self interest which is shown to negatively impact the lives of her family.
P2: As Elizabeth diverts from the traditional approach to marriage, she encourages her friends and loved ones to follow their own hearts and morals rather than society's expectations.
P3: Because Elizabeth is depicted as a bold and beautiful woman, she is unable to recognise that her radical view is a luxury that not all characters have access to.
If you'd like to see an A+ essay on the essay topic above, complete with annotations on HOW and WHY the essays achieved A+ so you can emulate this same success, then you'll definitely want to check out our Pride and Prejudice Study Guide: A Killer Text Guide! In it, we also cover themes, characters, views and values, metalanguage and have 4 other sample A+ essays completely annotated so you can kill your next SAC or exam! Check it out here ."
The Ultimate Guide to VCE Text Response
How To Write A Killer Text Response Study Guide
How to embed quotes in your essay like a boss
How to turn your Text Response essays from average to A+
5 Tips for a mic drop worthy essay conclusion
Get our FREE VCE English Text Response mini-guide
Now quite sure how to nail your text response essays? Then download our free mini-guide, where we break down the art of writing the perfect text-response essay into three comprehensive steps. Click below to get your own copy today!
![essay questions about prejudice](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/609a10dece635c5a946442ac/609a10dece635c507b644475_Text%20Response%20Mini-Guide%20-%20Lisa%27s%20Study%20Guides.png)
Access a FREE sample of our Pride and Prejudice study guide
- Learn how to brainstorm ANY essay topic and plan your essay so you answer the topic accurately (no more going off-topic!)
- Apply LSG's THINK and EXECUTE strategy across annotated sample A+ essays
- A dvanced discussions like structural feature analysis, views and values, different interpretations and critical readings - all broken down into easy-to-understand concepts that are easy to replicate!
![essay questions about prejudice](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/609a10dece635cbb106442ae/609a10dece635c1d3c644e8d_LSG_Pride%20and%20Prejudice_Cover%20-%20min.png)
MAIN CHARACTERS
Margo Channing played by Bette Davis
As the protagonist of the movie, Margo Channing is a genuine and real actress raised by the theatre since the age of three. She is a vulnerable character who openly displays her strengths and weaknesses; Mankiewicz showcasing the life of a true actress through her. Initially, we see Margo as mercurial and witty, an actress with passion and desire (not motivated by fame but the true art of performing). She is the lead in successful plays and with friends like Karen and Lloyd to rely on and a loving partner, Bill, it seems that she has everything.
However, Margo’s insecurities haunt her; with growing concerns towards her identity, longevity in the theatre and most importantly her relationship with Bill. Eventually, in a pivotal monologue, Margo discusses the problems that have been plaguing her. She battles with the idea of reaching the end of her trajectory, the thought that ‘in ten years from now – Margo Channing will have ceased to exist. And what’s left will be… what?’ By the end of the movie, Margo accepts the conclusion of her time in the theatre and understands that family and friends are what matters most, not the fame and success that come with being an acclaimed actress.
Eve Harrington played by Anne Baxter
Antagonist of All About Eve , Eve Harrington (later known as Gertrude Slojinski) is an egotistical and ambitious theatre rookie. With a ‘do-whatever-it-takes’ attitude, Eve is first introduced to the audience as a timid and mousy fan (one with utmost dedication and devotion to Margo). However, as the plot unfolds, Eve’s motive becomes increasingly clear and her actions can be labelled as amoral and cynical, as she uses the people around her to climb the ladder to fame.
Margo is her idealised object of desire and from the subtle imitations of her actions to infiltrating and betraying her close circle of friends, Eve ultimately comes out from the darkness that she was found in and takes Margo’s place in the theatre. Mankiewicz uses Eve’s character to portray the shallow and back-stabbing nature of celebrity culture; Eve’s betrayal extending beyond people as she eventually turns her back on the world of theatre, leaving Broadway for the flashing lights of Hollywood.
Addison DeWitt played by George Sanders
The voice that first introduces the audience to the theatre, Addison DeWitt is a cynical and manipulative theatre critic. Despite being ambitious and acid-tongued, forming a controlling alliance with Eve, Addison is not the villain.
The critic is the mediator and forms a bridge between the audience, the theatre world, and us; he explains cultural codes and conventions whilst also being explicitly in charge of what we see. Ultimately, Addison is ‘essential to the theatre’ and a commentator who makes or breaks careers.
Bill Simpson played by Gary Merill
Bill Simpson is the director All About Eve does not focus on Bill’s professional work but rather places emphasis on his relationship with Margo. He is completely and utterly devoted to her and this is evident when he rejects Eve during an intimate encounter. Despite having a tumultuous relationship with Margo, Bill proves to be the rock; always remaining unchanged in how he feels towards her.
Karen Richards played by Celeste Holmes
Wife of Lloyd Richards and best friend and confidante to Margo Channing, Karen Richards is a character who supports those around her. During conversations she listens and shares her genuine advice, acting as a conciliator for her egocentric friends. Unfortunately, Karen is also betrayed by Eve, used as a stepping stone in her devious journey to fame.
Lloyd Richards played by Hugh Marlowe
Successful playwright and husband to Karen Richards, Lloyd Richards writes the plays that Margo makes so successful. However, as Margo grows older in age, she begins to become irrelevant to the plays that Lloyd writes. Subsequently, this causes friction between the two characters and Mankiewicz uses this to show the audience the struggles of being an actress in the theatre; whilst also adding to the Margo’s growing concern towards her age.
Lloyd is unwilling to change the part for Margo and thus Eve becomes a more attractive match for the part. An unconfirmed romance between the budding actress and Lloyd also adds to the drama within All About Eve .
MINOR CHARACTERS
Birdie played by Thelma Ritter
A former vaudeville actress (which means that she acted in comic stage play which included song and dance), Margo’s dresser and close friend, Birdie is not afraid to speak the truth. Initially she sees right through Eve’s story and she warns Margo to watch her back. Despite not being in much of the movie, Birdie’s critical eye is a foreshadowing for the audience towards what is to come.
Max Fabian played by Gregory Ratoff
Producer in the theatre, Max Fabian is involved in theatre just to ‘make a buck’. He is a hearty character who adds comic relief to a dramatic plot.
Miss Claudia Caswell played by Marilyn Monroe
Aspiring actress, Miss Caswell is seen briefly throughout the movie to show the audience the shallow nature of the world of show business. Unlike Eve, she relies on her appearance to ‘make’ it rather than talent; as seen during her encounter with Max and the unsuccessful audition that followed.
Phoebe played by Barbara Bates
The next rising star to follow in Eve’s footsteps, Phoebe is featured at the end of the film. In this scene there is a foreshadowing of the future, which suggests a repeat of the past, thus, making Phoebe an interesting character to observe. She is a manufactured construction of an actress and illustrates how replaceable a character is in the world of theatre.
The White Girl is usually studied under the Text Response component of the Australian curriculum. For a detailed guide on Text Response, check out our Ultimate Guide to VCE Text Response .
In The White Girl, author Tony Birch introduces a new generation of young readers to the lived experiences of countless Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people throughout Australia’s racist and colonial history. The novel (which documents the perils, hardships and injustices of life for Aboriginal people in the 1960s) champions the values of pride, resistance, compassion and love, all while condemning the legacy of systemic oppression and subjugation which continue to stain Australia’s national identity to this day.
To better understand the key ideas at the heart of the text, we’ll be breaking down the historical and cultural context surrounding the novel and introducing some of its more tricky concepts.
- Institutional Racism and Oppression - What Is It?
- Colonisation and Dispossession
- Forced Removals and The Stolen Generation
- Law and Justice
Institutional Racism and Oppression - What Is It?
Virtually every conflict that the protagonists of The White Girl confront is in some way or another a manifestation of the pervasive racism which underlies Australian history. At its core, the novel is a response to an enduring legacy of racial inequality and the resultant trauma that Aboriginal people continue to suffer.
There are certainly many instances throughout the novel where characters demonstrate overt acts of what is often called individual or interpersonal racism . This is what students often imagine when they hear the word racism, and it refers to individual interactions in which one person might harass, abuse or intimidate others based on their race. You might remember, for example, the school children who paint Henry Lamb’s face black while shouting racial slurs, or Bill Shea’s sister who throws stones at Odette. However, this isn’t the only kind of racism that exists, and for the most part, it’s not the main focus of The White Girl . Beyond just individual acts, Birch directs us to consider a more insidious, wide-scale and deeply embedded type of discrimination: that is, institutional or systemic racism . In an article for the National Indigenous Television Channel at SBS , Indigenous journalist Bronte Charles defines the term as follows:
Institutional racism, also known as systemic racism, describes the existence of racism in the structures that make up modern society. It manifests when institutions, organisations and governments directly or indirectly discriminate against an ethnic group. It systematically disadvantages those groups and further marginalises them within society.
In speaking to contemporary readers, it is clear that Birch wants us to redefine our understanding of racism beyond the bounds of individual beliefs and actions, and instead consider the ways in which societal and cultural systems of authority systematically oppress people based on their race , leading to far more devastating and long-lasting impacts. In The White Girl , these authorities can be seen in the federal government, the Aborigines Welfare Board, the police and the Church - all of whom represent either a direct threat to Odette and Sissy’s continued happiness or play some role in the broader historic injustices perpetrated against Aboriginal Australians. Systemic racism and its effects play out in several significant ways throughout the text, some of which we will explore below.
But first, some context: how did we get here in the first place?
Colonisation and Dispossession in The White Girl
As you might have learned in History class, Australia was first invaded by British settlers in 1788, beginning a long history in which the invaders captured and occupied Aboriginal lands to establish colonies, appropriated natural resources and killed many Indigenous peoples, either directly or indirectly (for example, through the introduction of new diseases). This process was justified by the racist assumption that Aboriginal people and their culture were inferior to the British, therefore permitting the British to do what they wished without consequence. Today, we refer to the process by which these colonists seized control as colonisation and use the word dispossession to refer to the fact that Aboriginal people had their lands systematically stolen from them.
As with all modern Australian history, the events of The White Girl play out in the wake of these brutal processes, and their effects can be felt throughout. As early as the first page of the novel, Birch establishes that even in the 1960s, the legacies of colonisation and dispossession continue in and around Deane, fundamentally shaping the environment in which Odette and Sissy have lived their entire lives. For example, let’s consider the following quote:
[Odette] watched as the kite hovered above Deane’s Line, a narrow red dirt track skirting the western boundary of town. The Line, as the track was commonly known, had been named in honour of the early squatter and land speculator, Eli Deane. Deane carried the blood of so many Aboriginal people on his hands it could never be scrubbed away, not from the man himself or the town that carried his name. The Line had been drawn a century earlier to separate the Aboriginal people incarcerated on the nearby mission from the good white settlers of Deane. A government regulation deemed that any Aboriginal person living west of Deane’s Line was a resident on an Aboriginal reserve. (p. 1)
This quote immediately illustrates the deep and fundamental chasm which separates (in this case, literally) the lives and experiences of Aboriginal and white Australians, both in terms of their rights and treatment by the government, and how they are framed in the public consciousness. Not only do the white residents of the area possess freedoms that their Aboriginal neighbours are denied, but they are also viewed as deserving of this unjust privilege. Notice Birch’s use of sarcasm, as he refers with italics (formatted in bold on this blog) to the ‘good white settlers’ of the area. We know from this passage that Deane was “settled” through violence and the unjust incarceration of the local indigenous people and yet, as becomes clear throughout the novel, these injustices are rarely acknowledged or condemned. Instead, again and again, the violence and subjugation exacted by white perpetrators and institutions of authority against Aboriginal people is normalised, excused and sanctioned. This is echoed in the words ‘good white settlers’, which satirise the way that many people in power have historically utilised language to minimise the violent harm that these same ‘settlers’ committed.
The various inequalities referred to in this passage are examples of both systemic racism in action and continuations of the same racist beliefs that justified Australia’s colonisation. In fact, Deane itself, with its legacy of violence and inequality, can be considered a symbol of this same deeply rooted racism throughout the country. Just as Deane is marked by the stains of its founders’ violence, the various systems of authority and control which Odette and Sissy must navigate throughout the novel (most notably, the police and the welfare system) have also been built upon racist ideology; they, too, have blood on their hands.
The White Girl also considers the impact of land dispossession from an Aboriginal perspective, as in the quote below, where Odette reflects on the loss of the native lands around Deane.
[…] Sissy stopped to look down at the riverbed. ‘I wish there was water in this river, Nanna,’ she said. ‘When the weather is warm I could swim the same as you used to do in the old days.’ ‘Oh, I wish you could too. That water here was once the clearest you would ever see,’ Odette lamented. ‘The fish and eels would be swimming with us. The old people, they knew the river and its stories from the time it had run free. All along this way the water overflowed into the old billabongs. Now all we have is the muddy bottom and the frogs,’ Odette said. ‘There’s hardly a drop of water left for them.’ ‘What happened to all the water?’ Sissy asked. ‘Tell me that story.’ ‘There’s not much to tell. White people got even greedier than we thought possible. That’s what happened.’ Over the years Odette had witnessed local government officials seizing more and more land and then filling in old billabongs and covering the muddy ground with screening from the mine before selling off the land. ‘Between the farmers and the politicians we were left with nothing. Our people have been hurting since, […] Because the river, all the rivers, we need them. And they need us .[…]’ (pp. 51-52)
Birch suggests that the harm that colonisation has wrought on both the land and First Nations people is inherently intertwined, drawing a link between land dispossession and widespread trauma. For Aboriginal Australians, connection to Country is deeply cultural, spiritual and personal, and this quote reflects both how this connection once flourished in ‘the old days’ and how its forced severance has left great scars on Odette’s people and the land itself. Without the wisdom and respect of its traditional caretakers, the land has starved and wasted away under the greed of the white authorities. This decay mirrors the suffering and trauma of Indigenous peoples, who have been similarly controlled, brutalised and commodified under colonialism.
Now that we’ve considered the background behind the novel, let’s take a look at some of the main forms of institutional racism it tackles within its pages.
Forced Removals and The Stolen Generation in The White Girl
By far the biggest source of tension throughout the text is the ever-present threat of Sissy’s forced removal from Odette. From the mid-1800s to the 1970s, both federal and state governments forcibly removed thousands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families and communities, resulting in what we now call the Stolen Generation. It is estimated today that during this time, between one in ten and one in three Aboriginal children were stolen. In particular, mixed-race children like Sissy who had some white ancestry, often referred to as “half-castes”, were disproportionately targeted and often placed in white families where it was hoped that they might be assimilated into white society. These removals were predicated on racist assumptions and beliefs about the supposed superiority of white society and culture and further marginalised Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across the country.
This process was naturally deeply traumatising to all affected, and its effects still live on to this day. Child victims of the Stolen Generation were culturally dispossessed, losing connection to not only their families and communities but also to Country and their culture, spirituality, language and identity. This has resulted in a long legacy of alienation and isolation for not just the stolen children, but their descendants, many of whom deal with intergenerational trauma as a result of the policies. The families and relatives of the stolen children also experienced significant trauma at the loss of their loved ones, with many never recovering after their children were taken. Overall, the effects of these policies have touched virtually every Aboriginal Australian, leaving an indelible scar. Birch himself is quoted as saying, ‘I’ve never met an Aboriginal person who doesn’t have a story of that sort of loss [through the stolen generations] somewhere in their family. No Aboriginal person I know is completely intact because of that…Everyone is missing someone, and someone in that family has got to carry that repository of memory.’ (Daley, 2019).
Indeed, in The White Girl, the impacts of the Stolen Generation are visible around every corner, and the threat of Sissy’s removal drives the central narrative. In the course of Odette and Sissy’s journey, Birch presents us with various victims of the policy, all of whom display the scars of their ordeal.
One example of such a character is Delores Reed, the mother whom Odette meets at a church in Gatlin. Delores’ two daughters are stolen from her and placed first in a church in Gatlin, and then in white families. Their removal causes their mother significant psychological distress, leading her first to a period of hospitalisation and later to suicide, as we can see in the following quotes.
Odette observed Delores gripping the edge of the table with both hands, her eyes sharp and her cheeks reddening.
‘The first time the Welfare lady set eyes on my babies,’ Delores said, ‘I knew I had no hope of keeping them.’ She took one hand away from the edge of the table and slammed it against her chest, alarming Odette. ‘From that day on, that bitch followed us around like a bloodhound. My eldest girl, Colleen, she was the first to go. […]’ (p. 80)
‘[…] After Iris was taken away I was put into one of those hospitals. You know? For sick people? And by then I was mad.’ Delores had exhausted herself. She could hardly look at Odette. (pp. 81-82)
‘The church authorities, about eight years ago, they decided to move a group of the girls away, including Mrs Reed’s daughters.’ […] ‘She wasn’t told what had happened to them until after they’d gone. It was more than a week after when the priest came to her. It was too late by then. There was nothing she could do.’ ‘Taken? Where to?’ Odette asked. ‘To the city. A long way to travel for a woman without means.’ […] ‘She lay in the room there for days on end, unable to move. It broke her, what they did to her.’ Odette dreaded her next question, but had to ask. ‘What happened to Delores?’ Robert looked up to the sturdy limb above his head. ‘Delores took her own life.’ (p. 85)
Along with other characters like Wanda and Jimmy Brown, Delores demonstrates the human cost of systemic racism, representing the untold damage that the Stolen Generation wreaked upon countless Aboriginal families. In many ways, she is also a narrative foil to Odette, representing what could befall her if Sissy were to be successfully taken by the authorities.
Speaking of authority, …
Law and Justice in The White Girl
Throughout the novel, Birch makes it clear that in 1960s Australia, the law and legal system were designed to marginalise and control Aboriginal Australians while upholding the pre-existing systems of power that benefit white citizens. In other words, law and justice - and the authorities who enforce them - represent institutional racism over order and protection.
The White Girl demonstrates that the law denies even basic rights and freedoms on the basis of race: not only are Aboriginal Australians not considered citizens, but under the Aborigines Protection Act, they are unable to move freely from place to place and are denied legal custody of their children. Instead, this custody is afforded to the Aborigines Welfare Board and to guardians like Sargeant Lowe, who could at any time threaten to remove children from their families without consent. To even be considered for an exemption from these rules, Aboriginal residents must in some ways give up even more of their freedoms and subject themselves to often humiliating and degrading conditions, as we can see in the following conversation between Jack and Odette:
‘[…] This is a certificate of exemption. It means that I can go anywhere I like, when I like. Even across the border. With some rules, of course,’ he offered as a cautionary note. […] Jack listed the orders he was subject to, counting on his fingers as he went. ‘To start with, to get the certificate I needed to provide testimonials to the Welfare Board from reputable people. White people. I can live where I want and I can have a drink,’ he added, winking at the smiling Sissy. ‘But I can’t give grog to a blackfella. That’s rule number one, just about. And ...’ Jack hesitated and looked at Sissy. ‘And what?’ Odette prompted him. ‘And ... I can’t fraternise with Aboriginal people,’ he said, lowering his voice. ‘Unlawful association, they call it.’ He looked away, unable to hide his sudden shame. (p. 138)
Although an exemption from the Act ultimately helps Odette save Sissy, the exchange above demonstrates that even this exemption is built upon certain restrictions which function to further dispossess and disconnect Aboriginal people from their communities and identities. In a fundamentally unjust and unequal society, the law punishes marginalised people, even when it claims to help them.
The police are another clear example of this point throughout the novel. Both Sargeant Lowe and Bill Shea demonstrate the police’s systemic failure to protect and serve Aboriginal Australians, either through active persecution or neglect. Although Lowe is the far more obvious antagonist of the two, Birch is careful to demonstrate that the threat he poses is representative of a far larger systemic issue in wider society. As the following quotes indicate, it is his steadfast commitment to doing his job properly that makes him so dangerous:
He’d been in Deane for only a week, and with little to distract him he’d had time to examine the information on each Aboriginal person under his control, young and old. The station records revealed that in the decades following the town’s foundation, the blacks had been kept on a tight rein. The log book for the police cells indicated that a week rarely passed without an inmate from the nearby mission being locked up, from a period of twelve hours to several weeks, and for matters including trespassing, drunkenness, absconding and co-habitation with those of a superior caste. Lowe also noted that in recent years the cells had rarely been used, and punishment more generally was almost non-existent. He had little idea of how Officer Shea spent his working day, but he was clearly not concerned with policing. Lowe was determined to bring about change. He would begin with auditing each of the Aboriginal children under his guardianship, with a view to deciding the best outcome for their future welfare. (p. 28)
Lowe straightened his back. ‘As the representative of the state, and as there is no longer a Justice of the Peace serving this district, all Aboriginal children come under my direct care. I am their guardian. It would be negligent of me to allow the child to travel outside the district.’ He leaned across the desk. ‘I’ve been meaning to talk to you about the ongoing welfare of the child. In fact, I will be speaking with all remaining coloured people under my control.’ Lowe glanced across at Bill Shea. ‘The whole business of native welfare has been neglected in this district for many years. I will not allow it to continue. Your people need certainty, just as we do, as officers of the Crown. (p. 104)
Although Odette, Sissy and the other Indigenous characters face hardship and adversity in many forms, ultimately the most consistent barriers to their freedom, self-determination and happiness are the very culture, systems and institutions of control in which they find themselves embedded. Through their stories, Birch paints a powerful picture of the harm that colonisation and continued widespread systemic racism have wreaked upon Aboriginal Australians and illustrates the importance of challenging systems that uphold inequality and marginalisation, even today.
Further Reading for The White Girl
If you’d like to read more about some of the topics discussed in this blog, here are some of the resources I referenced and/or used to deepen my own understanding of the text:
Bringing them home: Report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families.
Institutional racism is at work in Australia. How does it affect Indigenous People?
Tony Birch on The White Girl: ‘No Aboriginal person I know is intact ’
Updated on 11/12/2020
Nine Days by Toni Jordan is currently studied in VCE English under Area of Study 1 - Text Response. For a detailed guide on Text Response, check out our Ultimate Guide to VCE Text Response .
- Main Characters
- Themes, Ideas and Values
- Essay Topics
1. Summary
Jordan’s novel traces the tumultuous lives of the Westaway family and their neighbours through four generations as they struggle through World War II (1939-45), the postwar period of the late 1940s and 50s, the 1990s and the early 2000s. Composed of nine chapters and subsequently nine unique perspectives of life, their family home in Rowena Parade, Richmond, becomes the focal point for Jordan’s exploration of femininity, masculinity, family and Australian society.
2. Main Characters
Kip westaway.
'Mr. Husting always says first impressions count' (p. 5)
'Mr. Husting holds his other hand out flat and instead of an apple there’s a shilling.' (p. 6)
'I own the lanes, mostly. I know the web of them, every lane in Richmond.' (p. 21)
'When they put me in the grave, I know what it’ll say on the stone, if I get a stone, if they don’t bury me like a stray cat at the tip' (p. 29)
'I didn’t say goodbye to Dad! On account of a book' (p. 158)
'This photo won’t be out of my sight from now on. You’ve given me my sister back, Alec.' (p. 260)
Francis Westaway
'THE SHADOW CANNOT BE DEFEATED!' (p. 145)
'The toughest gang in Richmond! And they want me, Francis Westaway!' (p. 155)
'I see a purple jewel hanging on a gold chain. It’s a beaut, the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen…There’s no way I’m sharing this. It’s mine.' (p. 174)
'Do you understand how sensitive a reputation is? It’s up to me to be respectable. I’m the eldest. It’s my responsibility.' (p. 200)
Connie Westaway
'Ma sitting with her dress lifted up to her face, Connie on her knees beside her, holding her arms, cooing soft like Ma is a baby.' (Kip, p. 35)
'We women do what’s expected. You [men] can do almost anything you care to think of.' (p. 280)
'It seems that all my life I’ve had nothing I’ve desired and I’ve given up having desire at all. Now I know what it feels like to want and I will give anything to have it' (p. 285)
'I thought we’d have more time than this. We’ve only just made it.' (p. 290)
Jean Westaway
'Those moments, when [Kip] reminds me of Tom. I have to leave the room. The fury rises up my legs and up my body like a scream and it’s all I can do not to let it out.' (p. 212)
'We all die alone' (p. 212)
'This is not how I imagined it to be. Children. Mothering.' (p. 212)
'And for things like this, for girls like Connie and saving her future, there is a respectable woman who runs a business in Victoria Street' (pp. 221-222)
'I’d never of done it with boys but Connie, she was different.' (p. 239)
'we’re respectable people.' (p. 218)
Tom Westaway
‘Kipper’s old man…dropped off the tram in Swan Street somewhat worse for a whiskey or three and hit his head. Blam, splashed his brains all over the road. A sad end.’ (Pike, p. 24)
‘As a girl I had plenty of suitors, but none like Tom. Best behaviour in front of my father, children all brought up in the church by him.’ (p. 212)
Stanzi Westaway
‘The parcel is for Stanzi: inside is an old-fashioned coin, dull silver, with a king’s head on one side. It has a silver chain threaded through a hole in the middle. Stanzi looks like she’s about to cry.’ (Alec, p. 254)
‘She doesn’t mean to be hurtful. She is worries for me, that’s all…if she really thought I was in terrible trouble, she would be gentler.’ (Charlotte about Stanzi, p. 126)
‘the oblivious insouciance of the entitled’ (p. 51)
Charlotte Westaway
‘I say the question over and over: should I keep the baby?’ (p. 142)
‘The herbs are evidence of an understanding of our place in the universe…an acknowledgement of the delicate balance in our bodies…’ (p. 116)
‘There was only one place I could go: my sister’s’ (p. 124)
‘They contain all the hopes of the human spirit, all the refusal to quit, to keep believing people can feel better’ (p. 116)
Alec Westaway
‘Yet here I am. Away from home in a world of strangers. Alone. Forgotten.’ (p. 241)
‘This waiting for my life to start, it’s driving me mental.’ (p. 244)
‘I don’t sketch. Instead I concentrate on the scene the scene in front of me so I can remember it later.’ (p. 251)
Libby Westaway
‘All the things I remember, everything about my life, our family, my childhood: it’s all real because Libby knows it too.’ (Alec, p. 273)
Jack Husting
‘I can see both sides.’ (p. 80)
‘Just let me kiss you, Connie. I’d die a happy man.’ (p. 284)
Ava and Sylvester Husting
‘If we have to send boys to fight…it’s layabout boys with no responsibilities, the Kip Westaways of the world, who ought to be going.’ (Ava, p. 102)
‘That shilling. Our little secret. Gentlemen’s honour.’ (Sylvester, p. 8)
Annabel Crouch
‘You’re a good girl, Annabel.’ (Mr. Crouch, p. 177)
‘I’d like to compliment their dresses, but I don’t know what to say.’ (p. 190)
‘He is killing himself, I know that. I won’t have him for much longer.’ (Annabel, p. 207)
‘No mother, no brothers. Working your youth away, looking after an old man.’ (p. 179)
3. Themes, Ideas and Values
‘Family house, family suburb, family man’ (Charlotte about Kip, p. 140)
‘Stuck here…looking after your old man. You should have a family of your own by now.’ (Mr. crouch to Annabel, pp. 178-179)
The theme of family is a recurring one that develops over time. Jordan’s inclusion of other families such as the Crouches, the Churches, the McCarthys and the Stewarts stands in contrast to the Westaways. The juxtaposition of family life in this way allows the reader to see how such factors like wealth, class and reputation can affect the family dynamic especially within the war period. The idea of family is strained by the pressures of war because with many families' sons and husbands away it left the other family members to adopt other roles - not only physically, but the conventional emotional roles of traditional families of the time are redistributed, specifically within the Westaway household. Jordan postulates that the role family plays in providing emotional/physical support is of far greater importance than the necessity to abide by society's idea of what family should look like.
Women and Reproductive Rights
‘I tell her about shame and the way it’s always the women who wear it. I spare her nothing. I say loose women and no morals and I say bastard and I say slut.’ (Jean, p. 220)
‘You don’t have to have it, you know.’ (Stanzi, p. 132)
‘Your body, your choice…That’s what our feminist foremothers fought for’ (p. 134)
‘What if he wanted to know his child, doesn’t he have the right?’ (pp. 133-134)
Jordan highlights the controversial issues of premarital sex, abortion and the rights of women within the mid 20th and early 21st century. Indeed, it is this theme of women that becomes inextricably linked with the effect of a damaged reputation. When Connie falls pregnant, Jean implores that she has an abortion, in secret of course, in order to preserve her and her family’s reputation within the small community. The issue of abortion is later revisited when Charlotte becomes pregnant in the 1990s, where the contrast between the time periods becomes evident; while unplanned pregnancy is greatly stigmatised in the 1940s, the 1990s offers Charlotte a far wider array of options. It is through Jordan’s depiction of the two cases – Connie’s horrific backyard abortion, and Charlotte’s adjustment to parenthood – that she suggests the perceptions and attitudes towards morality, reputation and women have shifted over time, emphasising the importance of reproductive rights in the development of women.
Masculinity
‘I remember coming home from school once, crying. I would have been around six or seven. I was picked last for some team. That was me, the kid without a father.’ (Alec, p. 262)
‘”Westaway,” Cooper says. “Get in. For once in your life, do not be a pussy.”’ (p. 267)
Within the parameters of her text, Jordan articulates how men conform or reject masculine tropes in an effort to fit into society. Toughness, bulling and unsavory activity are presented as the characteristics of a man through such depictions of Mac and his gang. In its connection to the war period, the novel partly focuses on the notion that in order to be classified as a man he must first go through struggle and hardship as presented in the group of strangers taunting Jack, ultimately bullying him into certain ideals of masculinity which prove toxic and consequential - Jack dies as a result. It is Jordan who advocates for a balanced personality of both ‘masculine’ and 'feminine’ characteristics as suggested in the character development of Kip; evolving, learning and devising a true meaning of what it means to be a man outside of its conventional brutality.
Attitudes Towards Asia
‘She is with a customer or sweeping the floor with a broom made from free-range straw that died of natural causes or singing Kumbaya to the wheatgrass so it is karmically aligned.’ (Stanzi, p. 50)
‘The fear of the Nips coming made him a better man.’ (Annabel, p. 178)
‘always wanted to go to India [to study yoga] at a proper ashram.’ (pp. 132-133)
‘She makes her eyes go big and round like some manga puppy’ (p. 264)
Through both overt and subtle language, Jordan makes reference to the attitudes towards Asia which were prevalent at the time, specifically within the war period that saw many Australians ‘[fearing] the nip’. The derogative slang used for the Japanese represents a lack of understanding and fear (the bombing of Darwin and attack on Sydney left many feeling particularly vulnerable to the Japanese). Exacerbated by the fact that Japanese culture was not widely understood and was often misrepresented, the Japanese were stereotyped as brutal and inhuman. Over the course of the novel, attitudes towards Asia dramatically shift especially within the early 1990s of Stanzi and Charlotte's generation. The philosophical ideas of the east are often referenced by characters like Charlotte as she draws on them to make sense of her own complex life. The novel sees another shift in ideology represented through Alec as his generation's perception turns to a more commercial view. Asian culture has earned a place in mainstream media and western life without such gruesome and violent connotations as were previously held during the time of World War II.
By the way, to download a PDF version of this blog for printing or offline use, click here !
- Throughout her perspective driven text, Jordan makes many references to classic novels which help create a literary context for the narrative and lend themselves to the evolution of the characters throughout the course of the text.
- Alexandre Dumas’ The Three Musketeers – Kip’s characteristic trait of heroism when he sees the gang waiting for him and says ‘on-bloody-guard, d’Artagnan’ (p. 22)
- Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations and Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn – both coming-of-age stories about young men struggling within a tough world, only getting by on their wits and strength.
- Brontë sisters' Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights – their reference is used in discerning a customer’s knowledge on the texts, but reveals only a surface level understanding due to the novels carrying a certain cultural value.
- Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels – referenced by Jack Husting in relation to his adventures in the country. Its use pertains to how Jack feels out of place in his home town after leaving a boy and returning a grown man.
- A historical novel that plays with ideas of placing invented characters into a reconstructed world of the past.
- Uses elements of both realism and impressionism to create the text.
Realist Elements:
- A strong focus on everyday life within a particular society with reference to real historical detail.
- Incorporates a logical and strong foundation of context that can be easily digested and believed by the reader.
- Can use an omniscient narrator (all-knowing).
Impressionist Elements:
- Each chapter offers detail and presents a vivid interpretation of specific events.
- Sensory experiences are emphasised by the use of descriptive and poetic language.
- The linear flow of the narrative is disrupted by its construction in a non-chronological order, thereby forcing the reader to piece the whole narrative together at the end.
- Varied depending on the character’s perspective and time of perspective.
- Language is used to historicise each chapter through use of slang, colloquialisms, formal and proper English.
- The novel revolves around the Westaway’s family home in Rowena Parade, Richmond over the course of four generations.
- Rather than them move or the location change it evolves, paralleling the growth and evolution undergone by each of the Westaway family members.
- Inspired by a photograph in the collection of Argus war photos held at the State Library of Victoria, Jordan uses this image capturing a private and intimate moment to establish the premise for each of the book's chapters.
- Titled Nine Days and composed of nine unique perspectives on life at a given time, Jordan offers insight into the emotional livelihood of each narrator and attaches both intimate and historical significance to their stories.
5. Essay Topics
- Toni Jordan’s Nine Days describes a world in which life in the 1930s and 40s was much harder than life in the 21st century. Do you agree?
- In Nine Days , older Kip’s point of view is very unrealistic. To what extent do you agree?
- Toni Jordan’s Nine Days shows us people can choose whether they end up happy or not. Discuss.
- The mood by the end of Nine Days is ultimately uplifting and positive. Do you agree?
- There is more tragedy in Nine Days than there is joy. To what extent do you agree?
- Nine Days , by Toni Jordan, shows the best and worst of Australian culture. Discuss
- Jordan suggests that appreciation of family is integral to personal happiness. Discuss.
- 'Your body, your choice.' What do the different experiences of Connie and Charlotte reveal about changing societal attitudes towards women?
- There are many characters who are largely hidden figures within the text. What significance is produced by including and excluding different perspectives?
![](http://sektorel.online/777/templates/cheerup/res/banner1.gif)
6. Essay Topic Breakdown
Whenever you get a new essay topic, you can use LSG’s THINK and EXECUTE strategy - a technique to help you write better VCE essays. This essay topic breakdown will focus on the THINK part of the strategy. If you’re unfamiliar with this strategy, then check it out in How To Write A Killer Text Response because it’ll dramatically enhance how much you can take away from the following essays and more importantly, your ability to apply this strategy in your own writing.
Within the THINK strategy, we have 3 steps, or ABC. These ABC components are: Step 1: A nalyse Step 2: B rainstorm Step 3: C reate a Plan
THINK How-based prompt: How does Nine Days explore the relationship between the past and the present ?
Step 1: Analyse
This is a ‘how’ essay prompt, so in our planning, we need to identify the ways in which the author accomplishes their task. When analysing your question it is important to know what the question is asking of you, so make sure you highlight the keywords and understand their meaning by themselves and in the context of the question. For example, this question is not just asking about the past and present, but rather the connection between the two - so if you discussed the past and the present separately you wouldn’t be answering the question.
Brainstorming is different for everyone, but what works for me is focusing on the key idea, which here would be the relationship between the past and the present, and listing my thoughts out. Not all the ideas will be as equally relevant/good, but I like to have things written down to then improve or simply not use in favour of other ideas.
Past → Present: Westaway family home, the house changes as the family grows Past → Present: Connie’s tragic abortion compared to Charlotte’s options in the 1990s, women’s rights evolving over time Past → Present: Melbourne becoming more multicultural, Alec’s chapter reveals how Melbourne has changed compared to chapters set in earlier times Past → Present: Kip teaching Alec to cherish those in front of us after seeing Connie’s picture Past → Present: Second World War contrast to 9/11 and war in Afghanistan
Now that I have all my ideas listed out I choose my strongest three to flesh out. There are different things that make an idea strong, but the things I consider are: - Do I have enough evidence to support this idea? - Is the idea substantial enough to turn into a whole paragraph? - Do I have an author’s views and values statement? - Can I include context or metalanguage into this idea?
Using the questions above, I decided to use the following ideas: - Westaway family home, the house changes as the family grows (symbolism) - Kip teaching Alec to cherish those in front of them (focus on characterisation) - Melbourne becoming more multicultural (can talk about historical context)
Step 3: Create a Plan
Contention: Through the use of setting and characterisation, Jordan’s Nine Days reveals how the past and present are interconnected. P1: Westaway home embodying the familial connection P2: The past is not completely separate from the present, it teaches us lessons that are pertinent to contemporary life (Alec) P3: Melbourne becoming more multicultural
If you found this helpful, then you might want to check out our A Killer Text Guide: Nine Days ebook which has an A+ sample essay in response to this prompt, complete with annotations on HOW and WHY the essay achieved A+! The study guide also includes 4 more essay topic breakdowns and sample A+ essays, detailed analysis AND a comprehensive explanation of LSG’s unique BBT strategy to elevate your writing!
Download a PDF version of this blog for printing or offline use
- Introductions
- Themes in Ransom and The Queen
- Similarities and Differences
- Literary and Cinematic Techniques in Ransom and The Queen
- Essay Topics for Ransom and The Queen
- Resources for Ransom and The Queen
1. Introductions
Set during the Trojan War, one of the most famous events in Greek mythology, David Malouf’s historical fiction Ransom seeks to explore the overwhelming destruction caused by war , and the immense power of reconciliation . Drawing on The Iliad , the epic poem by Homer, Malouf focuses on the events of one day and night, in which King Priam of Troy travels to the enemy Greek encampment to plead with the warrior Achilles to release the body of Priam’s son, Hector. Maddened by grief at the murder of his friend Patroclus, Achilles desecrates the body of Hector as revenge. Despite Achilles’ refusal to give up Hector’s body, Priam is convinced there must be a way of reclaiming the body – of pitting new ways against the old, and forcing the hand of fate. Malouf’s fable reflects the epic themes of the Trojan War, as fatherhood , love , grief , and pride are expertly recast for our times.
To learn more, head over to our Ransom Study Guide (which covers themes, characters, and more).
Set in the weeks leading up to and after the infamous death of Princess Diana in 1997, The Queen captures the private moments of the monarchy's grief and loss , and Queen Elizabeth II's inner conflict as she attempts to keep her private and public affairs separate.
The film opens with Tony Blair's "landslide victory" in the election as the "youngest Prime Minister in almost two hundred years", preempting viewers of the "radical modernisation" that's to come as he takes the reign. Juxtaposed with Blair's introduction is the stoic Queen Elizabeth II, residing in Buckingham Palace serenaded by bagpipes, in a ritual unchanged since Queen Victoria, immediately establishing the entrenched traditional values she represents. Princess Diana’s sudden death at the hands of relentless paparazzi results in turmoil in both the lives of those in the monarchy and adoring British citizens who mourn for the loss of the “people's princess". As days ensue with no public response from the Royal Family, the British people grow in disdain towards the authority , demanding a more empathetic response. Caught between the people and the monarchy is Blair, who sees the Royal Family’s public image suffer as a result of inaction.
Despite heavy resistance from the Queen, he eventually encourages her to surrender old royal protocols and adopt a more modern approach to meet public expectation: to fly the flag at half-mast, hold a public funeral, and publicly grieve for the loss of Princess Diana – all in all, to show the people that the monarchy cares. The Queen’s decision to accept Blair’s advice ultimately reconnects her with the British people and restores the Royal Family’s reputation amongst the public.
Together, Ransom and The Queen showcase the challenges involved in leadership roles : the inner conflict that leaves these individuals torn between their private and public demands . More on this in the next section.
2. Themes in Ransom and The Queen
Parenthood and leadership.
In both texts, deaths act as a catalyst for both Priam and the Queen’s personal change – Priam’s son Hector, and the Queen’s, ex-daughter-in-law, Princess Diana.
In Ransom , we learn of the familial sacrifice Priam has needed to make as a leader . His separation from loved ones is expected as he has been ‘asked to stand…at a kingly distance from the human, which in [his] kingly role…[he] can have no part in'. Up until Hector’s death, Priam has been removed from paternal experiences, a sad truth when he admits that his relationships with his children are merely ‘formal and symbolic,’ and a part of the ‘splendour and the ordeal of kingship'. Unlike his wife Hecuba, whose grief is assailed by intimate moments with her children as she recalls, ‘Troilus was very late in walking…I was in labour for eighteen hours with Hector', Priam is unable to recall these private memories . Despite what would ordinarily be experiences shared by both father and mother, Priam cannot echo his wife’s grief to the same extent as these experiences have not been ‘in his sphere’ and he is even ‘unnerved’ by them. Malouf demonstrates how Priam’s royal obligations have suffocated his role as a father, and consequentially, he has been unable to connect with his family in the way he would desire to.
While Priam’s overt expressiveness in his limitations as a father may sway empathy from Ransom readers, Queen Elizabeth’s stoicism at first makes her appear cold-hearted and unfeeling. Her reaction to Prince Charles’ desire to fly a private jet to see Diana in hospital (‘Isn’t that precisely the sort of extravagance they always attack us for?…this isn’t a matter of state.’) is one from a leader's mindset - she's more concerned of the media’s reaction, rather than offering familial care and concern. However, as the film unfolds, viewers come to understand that her stoicism doesn’t necessarily come about because of her own personal choice , but rather, because her leadership role demands it of her.
TIP: Save the words ‘stoicism’ and ‘stoic’ to use in your essay. These words describe someone who experiences suffering but doesn’t openly express it.
We see the Queen’s quiet intentions to protect her grandchildren – ‘I think the less attention one draws to [Diana’s death], the better…for the boys’ – yet her silence is the inadvertent cause of public scorn. As such, Frears doesn’t make a villain out of the Queen, someone who on the outside may seem unfeeling and apathetic, but encourages viewers to see her from a unique perspective – a woman who struggles to manage her identity in both the private and public light.
It is only when Priam and the Queen detach themselves from their traditional roles that we see a change for the better in both of their personal journeys. Priam’s removal of his ‘jewelled amulet [and] golden armbands’ is symbolic of his shedding of the royal weight, and paving way for his step into a paternal role. Likewise, the Queen’s physical distancing from Buckingham Palace, an iconic symbol for tradition , into the public sphere where she mingles with the British people enables her to finally play the role of a grandmother. Both texts show how parenthood can lead to a more enriched human experience. Malouf finally portrays Priam as a happy man when he has the vision to be remembered in his legacy for his role as a father first, then as a king. Likewise in The Queen, her highness’ public mourning connects her with her people , and brings her joy and delight at last.
Tradition, Change, and the New
Both texts explore the challenging tug and pull between upholding traditions and making way for the new.
As humans, we cherish traditions because they are customs or beliefs that have been passed on from generation to generation. They have sentimental value, and by continuing on these traditions, our actions show that we respect the path our elders have laid for us. Tradition is not necessarily depicted in a negative light in either texts, but rather, shown to have its place. The Queen’s resistance against sailing the flag at half mast is out of deference for her elders. Even Somax’s casual storytelling about his daughter-in-law’s griddlecakes is customary, as each time his son would ‘set up the stones’ and her ‘quick and light…flipping’ of the cakes. However, Frears and Malouf both assert that adaptability in upholding tradition is also needed in order for us to grow and develop as humans.
The new is not depicted as an experience one should fear, but rather, an experience one should approach with curiosity . As Malouf writes, ‘[Priam] saw that what was new could also be pleasurable'. The following positive expressions from the king ‘chuckling’ and ‘smiling’ echo the sentiment that while humans naturally resist change, embracing it is often beneficial to our lives. To be meta, Ransom is the retelling of the Trojan events, but Malouf adds to this tradition with a fresh perspective on the story.
Frears and Malouf both demonstrate that change is often propelled into possibility through the support and urging of others . Priam’s vision for his journey is instilled by the goddess Iris, who comes to him in a dream. His consequential journey is supported by Somax, whose ordinary everyday experiences teach Priam more about fatherhood than he had learnt as a father himself. Meanwhile, Achilles drags Hector’s body day after day, with no intention of change until Priam suddenly appears in his camp. Both texts highlight the influence those surrounding us can have on our personal change.
3. Similarities and Differences
At LSG, we use the CONVERGENT and DIVERGENT strategy to help us easily find points of similarity and difference. This is particularly important when it comes to essay writing, because you want to know that you're coming up with unique comparative points (compared to the rest of the Victorian cohort!). I don't discuss this strategy in detail here, but if you're interested, it's worth checking out my How To Write A Killer Comparative ebook to see how you can really set yourself apart and ace Comparative writing. I use this strategy throughout my discussion of themes above and techniques in the next section. To help you get started, here are some questions to get you thinking about the similarities and differences between the two texts:
- Public vs. Private Spheres: how is public vs. private life portrayed in either texts?
- Stories and Storytelling: who tells the story in either texts? Is there power in storytelling? Why do humans share stories?
- Grief, Death, and Loss: How do humans deal with death? What emotions do we experience?
4. Literary and Cinematic Techniques in Ransom and The Queen
Opening portrayals of queen elizabeth and priam.
![essay questions about prejudice essay questions about prejudice](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/609a10dece635cbb106442ae/609a10dece635c338c644e6a_photo%201-min.png)
When Charles consoles Prince William and Harry after informing them of their mother’s death, Queen Elizabeth peers inwards from outside the room, distant and removed from her family. The enclosed frame of the door only serves to heighten her isolation from her family as she is pained by the ‘unrestrained intimacy and affection’ between the boys and their father, something she is unable to partake in. Her face half-covered by the shadows stresses how her familial experience only occurs from afar as she prioritises her role as her highness. Internal change, at least at this point in the film, has yet to begin.
![essay questions about prejudice essay questions about prejudice](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/609a10dece635cbb106442ae/609a10dece635c9e07644e6b_photo%202-min.png)
Meanwhile in Ransom , Priam’s journey of personal change is established immediately as he realises that he needs to move beyond this ‘brief six feet of earth he moves and breathes in'. The finite space he has become accustomed to now almost represents (and this may be an intense interpretation) a jail cell in which he as a father, as a human being, has been incarcerated in. He is ready to pursue a new identity beyond just that as a king. Both Ransom and The Queen showcase the sacrifices made by both leaders, and the rigid, almost-dehumanising expectations that are set upon them when they take reign. Both texts encourage their audience to empathise with the leaders , for the challenges they face in their unique positions.
The Queen Film Techniques
I created an in-depth video on the first 20 or so minutes of The Queen you'd might find helpful. Have a watch and see whether you missed out on any film techniques:
[Video Transcription]
To begin with, we have this quote that is displayed at the very start of the film, and it says,
"Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown,"
and it's spoken by Henry IV Part II. So, the Part II gives me an indication that this is a quote from some way in Shakespeare's texts. If I then go on Google and actually have a look and type up this quote, then I know for sure that it is indeed from Henry IV Part II, a text and play that was written by William Shakespeare. So, I'm telling you these things because this is actually how I would go on to learn information about the film. I don't just automatically know for sure that it is from this particular text that Shakespeare wrote up. So, I want to ensure that I'm right by going and having a look at Google.
Quotes at the start of any film, at the start of any book, usually have importance to them and they usually should give you an insight as to what's to come. And, for me, I find when I look at this particular quote, it definitely links to the themes of leadership, of motherhood, parenthood, and of perhaps the sacrifices that the queen has needed to make in order to lead her nation. So, with this particular quote, I would write it down somewhere and keep it in mind as you're watching the remainder of the film, because you'll see those themes come to life and have a better understanding of what this quote is talking about.
So, immediately, this film opens up with a news presenter talking about Tony Blair going to the election polls. It's displayed as footage on a TV screen. This gives us insight into a couple of different things. Firstly, it gives us context. The second thing is that it's displayed on a TV and it's broadcasted by a news channel. And, as you probably know, the media, the paparazzi, and just the entire culture of representing news during this time is something that will be heavily explored throughout this film. Especially because it may or may not have led to the death of Princess Diana.
So, again, contextually, it gives us an idea that around this time, the news media was quite overwhelming and omnipresent, which means that it was sort of just everywhere. It was always around. It's sort of no different from today, but there's a reason why they establish it as an opening shot. And that's just sort of give us as viewers an understanding that the news has a big play in what's going to happen in the remainder of this film.
So, I really liked the quote,
"We're in danger of losing too much that is good about this country, as it is,"
that's spoken by the painter, who's drawing a portrait of the queen. This, again, sort of establishes that idea of change immediately at the beginning of the film, or should I say, resistance to change. So, it's already sort of outlining the path that this film is about to take.
Again, I really like this quote,
"The sheer joy of being partial."
So, from the onset with the queen, I think it's important to understand that we don't villainise her, or at least the director doesn't villainise her. He portrays her as a human being, as somebody who is in this position of the queen, which has a lot of weight upon it. And you can tell that she's all glammed up and she's fulfilling her role as the queen, but she's admitting that she envies us as everyday citizens being able to vote, to be able to have an opinion, and just go to the booths. To me, this establishes her as somebody who I empathise with, or sympathise with even.
I think this part with the music in the background and how the queen breaks the fourth wall. So, the fourth wall is basically when any character inside a film actually looks directly at the camera, at you, as the audience. And, to me, this gives me a sense of joy. It makes me feel like it's quite funny, the way that she's looking at us, especially with the...and again, this sort of reiterates my idea that we're not supposed to look at the queen as some evil or some cold-hearted person who is unfeeling for Diana's death later on, but that she's just like one of us and she can participate in a joke and we come to see this in a little bit.
So, in the next scene, we have a wide shot of Buckingham Palace, and in the background, you can hear bagpipes playing. This is something called diegetic sound. Diegetic sound is when you have sounds that come directly from the world in the film. So, the bagpipes sort of establish this sense of tradition. Everything in the scene represents tradition. Buckingham, Palace, the flag, the bagpipes, and that as an early shot of this film sort of shows us the entrenched tradition that exists. That nothing has changed as of yet, and things as sort of going on as they've always had.
Again, Frears is trying to show us the human side of the queen. And so that's why we've got the shot of her waking up in bed. She's all cuddled up and snuggled up in warm and comfy bedding. And it shows that she's vulnerable, in a way. And this is important for us as viewers, as we come to understand her inner thoughts and feelings later on.
So, immediately when the queen wakes up, she has a pile of newspapers in front of her. That adds, again, to that sense of omnipresent media. It's all around us, at least in that period of time.
This time, we have archival footage. So, archival footage is footage that has been taken from that period of time and placed into this film. It adds to the film's sense of authenticity, the fact that it's based off historical offense.
I really like this shot as the queen and Robin walking down the hallway to meet Tony Blair. This is a great snapshot and a great mise-en-scene. And mise-en-scenes, basically, to me anyway, it's when you pause the screen and it's everything that's inside that shot from props, in the foreground, in the background, what the person is wearing, or what the characters are wearing. So, with this particular art, we can not only see the two characters, but we can also see everything that's in the background.
And again, this really adds that sense of tradition because you've got all these paintings from probably famous people back in the day, or ancestors of the monarchy, and then you've got Robin saying he's promising a constitutional shake up, the first one in 300 years, and the queen saying, "Oh, you mean he's going to try and modernise us?" This is a great juxtaposition between the new coming in versus the old.
When Robin makes the joke about Tony Blair's wife having a curtsy that's described as shallow, it's humorous, it's funny, and the queen laughs as a result. The humor that's speckled throughout this film, I think really helps to lighten up the situation, but also to again, show us that the queen is human and that she can enjoy a joke.
I think this is a great snapshot as well. So, we've got the camera looking down at Tony Blair and his wife. When a camera does look down at an object or character, it gives us, as the audience, a sense that that person or character is inferior or they're not in a position of control. And it ties in with the fact that this is Tony Blair's first day in Buckingham Palace as a prime minister and he's only just onboarding the role.
So, in terms of him versus the queen or the monarchy, which is symbolised by everything around him, the setting that he is encompassed in, it shows that he really isn't the one who's playing the field here. He's not the one who is in charge. I love that we've got one of the queen's men giving them rules on what they need to do.
So, we're slowly walking up the stairs towards the queen who is in position of power. So, the staircase is quite symbolic.
Another important thing to know is that Mrs. Blair is actually accompanying the prime minister this first time round that he goes to Buckingham Palace. It shows that he is nervous, he said it himself, but he's not entirely comfortable with his role yet. So he needs the support of his wife. This is in comparison with later in the film at the very end, actually, where Tony Blair goes to Buckingham Palace himself and conducts a meeting with the queen, very similar to the one that he's doing now.
This shot where we've got Mrs. Blair sitting opposite the guard at quite a distance adds to the sense of awkwardness, and it's paralleled with the sense of openness between the queen and the prime minister as well. So, it shows that we've got the old and the new sort of coming together and sort of not really gelling.
Something to keep an eye on is parallels in the film. It's always a really good idea to compare the start and end of this particular film, because we've got such similar scenarios in meaning at the start of the film and in meaning at the end of the film. What you'll notice in this particular scene is that they don't appear in the same shot. They sit opposite one another and one shot on Tony Blair, one shot on the queen, and it sort of goes back and forth. And that's to heighten that sense of distance between them. That sense of unfamiliarity. This is in comparison with the end of the film when we see the two of them walking down the hallway together, out into the garden as equal.
Here's another great shot. So, to add on the idea of the queen having more power versus prime minister, it's quite clear here as he sits down and asks for her hand.
I love the way that Mrs. Blair walks. She's sort of like half...I don't know how you would explain her stride, but it's obviously not one that is aligned with how the queen walks, which is quite poised and quite together. Rather, Mrs. Blair's walk is sort of frumpy, it's sort of bouncy, and her arms are sort of flailing around a little bit, and so adds to that sense of new, of change, of difference. And so that adds to the story of Tony Blair and his family and what he represents as something new and different and probably unwelcome for the queen.
So, that's it, that's my analysis of the first 10 minutes or so of this film. If you're interested in a more detailed film technique analysis, I've just written a killer comparative based on Ransom & The Queen. In this, I show you film techniques that I pick out throughout watching the film, how to analyze them, and also then go on to show you how they are used in A-plus essays. I'm so confident that this study guide will be able to help you improve your understanding of both texts and get you towards that A+ for your SAC and exams.
If you're curious about what's inside the study guide and want to see if it's right for you, head on over and read a free sample to see it for yourself. I hope it gives you something to launch off. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the description box below. I have plenty of resources for you guys down there as well if you needed help for your SAC and exams and I'll catch you guys next time. Bye.
Historical Footage and Context
![essay questions about prejudice essay questions about prejudice](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/609a10dece635cbb106442ae/609a10dece635c3776644e6c_photo%203-min.png)
Based on historical events, The Queen is interspersed with real archive television footage leading to, and following Princess Diana’s death. Frears incorporates these clips to help provide viewers insight on the politics, media culture, and public reaction in 1997.
Princess Diana’s introduction through archival clips at the beginning of the film highlight her as a vulnerable individual at the mercy of oppressive and intrusive tabloid newspapers. The sweeping pan of paparazzi on the night of Diana’s death serves to emphasise the obsessive media, who at the time, were paid in excess of one million pounds for taking photos of her. Moments of her kissing on a boat are revealed to the world without any respect for her privacy. This archival footage helps viewers understand the distressing omnipresence of the media, and the turn of the public against the paparazzi and media following Diana’s death.
Likewise, Malouf uses parts of The Iliad as foundations for his novel. The original tale, written during the 8th century BC, explores in detail Achilles’ refusal to fight for his leader Agamemnon, Patroclus’ role in the war, and also the disputes between the gods as they argue over the fate of mortals. By offering a retrospective of this historical story, Malouf invites readers to better understand the Trojan War and Greek mythology, and the impact the gods had on Trojans and Greeks.
For more discussion on literary and cinematic techniques, have a look at my A Killer Comparative Guide: Ransom & The Queen . In this in-depth study guide, Angelina Xu (ATAR 99.6, 46 English study score) and I also break down 5 essay topics, providing you explanations on how to brainstorm and plan each of these essays, then convert these plans into A+ essays complete with annotations! I've dropped some sample essay topics below for you to try at home yourselves:
5. Essay Topics for Ransom and The Queen
"I told him he shouldn't change a thing." ( The Queen ) Compare how Ransom and The Queen explore resistance to change.
Compare the ways the two texts explore the efficacy of different leadership types.
Compare the ways the two texts explore the importance of storytelling.
'Wordless but not silent.’ ( Ransom ) Ransom and The Queen explore how silence can be louder than words.
"Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.” ( The Queen ) “...the lighter role of being a man.” ( Ransom). Compare how the two texts show the burden experienced by those in leadership positions.
6. Resources for Ransom and The Queen
Ransom Study Guide
[Video] Ransom Themes (Revenge, Grief, Forgiveness) and Essay Topic Tips!
The following resources are no longer on the study design; however, you might still pick up a few valuable tips nonetheless:
Ransom and Invictus
Ransom and Invictus Prompts
[Video] Invictus and Ransom | Reading and Comparing
[Video] Ransom Literary Devices & Invictus Film Technique Comparison
Photograph 51 & The Penelopiad are studied as part of VCE English's Comparative. For one of our most popular posts on Comparative (also known as Reading and Comparing), check out our Ultimate Guide to VCE Comparative .
We've explored themes, characters and literary devices amongst other things over on our Comparing The Penelopiad and Photograph 51 blog post. If you need a quick refresher or you’re new to studying this text pair, I highly recommend checking it out!
Here, we’ll be breaking down a Photograph 51 and The Penelopiad comparative essay topic using LSG’s THINK and EXECUTE strategy , a technique to help you write better VCE essays. If you’re unfamiliar with this strategy, you can learn about it in our How To Write A Killer Text Response study guide.
Step 3: C reate a Plan
Without further ado, let’s get into it!
The Prompt:
‘You heard what you wanted to hear.’ ( Photograph 51 )
‘Now that all the others have run out of air, it’s my turn to do a little story-making.’ ( The Penelopiad )
Compare the ways in which both texts suggest there is power in storytelling.
The first step is to deduce what type(s) the essay question is (for a refresher on the 5 types of essay prompts, check out this blog ). I usually find that a process of elimination is the easiest way to determine this. The prompt doesn’t explicitly include the keyword ‘How’, so it isn’t how-based. There are also no characters mentioned in the prompt, so we can rule out character-based. There’s no metalanguage included, so it isn’t metalanguage-based either. However, the prompt does mention the themes of ‘power’ and ‘storytelling’, so yes, it is theme-based. There are also two quotes (one from each text) included as part of the prompt, so it’s also quote-based.
Now that we’ve determined what types of essay prompt are relevant here, the next step is to identify its keywords: ‘the ways’ , ‘both texts ’, ‘power ’ and ‘storytelling’ .
The inclusion of ‘the ways’ tells us that we must consider different examples from ‘both texts’ where Ziegler and Atwood show us there is ‘power in storytelling’ . The thematic words ‘power ’ and ‘storytelling’ are especially important in your selection of evidence and also your three distinct paragraph ideas, as singling out the thematic keywords will make sure you do not go off-topic.
Let’s look at the common themes of ‘power’ and ‘storytelling’ that are central to the essay topic, and more specifically, how there is power WITHIN storytelling. In the case of Photograph 51 and The Penelopiad , a common representation of storytelling that is present in both texts is that truthful storytelling is subjective. This means that both Atwood and Ziegler posit that those in power throughout history have been afforded the ability to shape the historical narrative to best fit their interests. Both texts are also set within patriarchal societies - 1950s Britain and Ancient Greece. Therefore, our overall contention in response to this topic can be:
Both texts suggest that the ability to control the subjective nature of storytelling is a power that has predominantly been afforded to men throughout history .
This opening line addresses ‘power in storytelling’ in a specific way that brings in the contexts of both texts. Each of your paragraphs should fall somewhere under this umbrella of thought - exploring the dynamics of the patriarchal systems within both texts in relation to storytelling. Who tells the story? How does it benefit them? Why not others?
It is now time to develop the three main ideas that will form your essay structure. It is important to remember that each paragraph should include a discussion of converging and diverging ideas. Try to only use one or two examples from each text in a paragraph, as this way, you will have more time and space in your paragraphs to analyse your literary techniques and quotes. As the old saying goes, show don’t tell!
P1: Both texts give women a voice through the retelling of their stories from a different perspective.
Convergent Ideas:
- Photograph 51 serves as a correction to the history of the discovery of the helix structure.
- The Penelopiad inserts the female perspective into the famous myth of The Odyssey , giving reasoning and depth to the female voice.
Divergent Ideas:
- Rosalind’s story is primarily told by the male scientists as the play retells the events, injected with commentary from the male scientists.
- The Penelopiad is a first-person recount from Penelope herself, therefore she is given more agency and control of the narrative.
P2: However, women still lack authority in the shaping of their own narratives as their subjective truth and perspective is often undermined.
Convergent Ideas:
- Predominantly, the narration is told from the male perspective as male scientists narrate Rosalind’s life. Her story is still subject to male opinion.
- The Maids interrupt Penelope’s first-person narrative through the 10 interludes from the maids’ perspective. In doing so, they cast doubt on Penelope’s retelling of the narrative and offer a more truthful perspective.
- Rosalind’s story is often interrupted by other male scientists, therefore more directly illustrating that men have more control over the subjective truth. Despite Rosalind’s story being central to the novel, Ziegler still demonstrates the difficulty women face in being believed and accredited for their contribution to history.
- Penelope’s story is not interrupted by men like Rosalind’s is. Therefore, there is a lack of male dominance in this aspect of the tale. However, the theme of patriarchal dominance is instead illustrated through the lack of authority that the maids have. Despite their account of the events in the tale being the most accurate, their low social status limits the power of their voice in a patriarchal society.
P3: In patriarchal societies, the men ultimately control their own narrative and how they are remembered, amplifying their own greatness by omitting the potential blemishes on their character.
- The male scientists deflect the blame for discrediting Rosalind by instead blaming her cold personality instead of their own deception and inability to cooperate with a woman.
- The execution of the maids is dismissed in the trial of Odysseus as Odysseus’ actions are justified in the patriarchal society of Ancient Greece.
Divergent Ideas:
- The male scientists’ reputations remain untarnished at the conclusion of the narrative, aside from personal guilt and shame. They achieved the scientific success they set out to achieve and were remembered as heroes.
- Unlike the untarnished reputation of the male scientists, the maids curse Odysseus at the conclusion of the narrative.
The ability to control the subjective nature of storytelling is a power that has predominantly been afforded to men throughout the retelling of history (1) . This is a result of the dominance of patriarchal systems, which inherently give men more agency in society to dictate the narrative for the next generations to remember (2) . Both Atwood’s The Penelopiad and Ziegler’s Photograph 51 criticise this power imbalance in historical storytelling and deliver the female perspective in two different eras of history. Each text recognises that the lack of voice women are granted in society undermines and suppresses their contribution to history (3) . Ultimately, both authors question the objectivity of the legacies that men have left behind, casting doubt on the narratives that they have shaped by introducing the underrepresented female perspective (4).
Annotations (1) A ‘universal truth’ or broad thematic statement is a great way to start an essay. This is your overall contention that does not mention the specifics of the texts - it purely deals with the themes of the topic.
(2) As seen here, your second sentence can be used to back up the universal truth in a way that is more specific to the texts and the ideas you’re going to discuss. In my second sentence, I’ve included more information about the societal power structures that are present within the texts and how men have more power to dictate historical narratives.
(3) Then, you signpost the three ideas that you’re going to discuss within your essay in a clear, precise and summarised way. Here is where you can mention textual details such as the titles, authors, forms and setting (i.e. 1950s Britain and Ancient Greece).
(4) I have finished off my introduction with an ‘Ultimately’ sentence that discusses the authorial intent of both authors. This offers a broader in-depth look at the topic as a whole, as it acknowledges the author’s intentional decisions about the text.
By writing narratives that focus on the female perspective in history, both texts afford the female protagonists power through the representation of their voice. Atwood and Ziegler address the imbalance of female input in history and aim to rectify that through representing the contributions women made in both narratives. Photograph 51 , through the form of a play that retrospectively reenacts the events leading up to the discovery of the helix structure, cements Rosalind Franklin as the true genius behind the 'secret of life'. This honour has been credited to Watson and Crick solely throughout history, with them being given recognition of the 'Nobel' and having their names 'in textbooks'. Ziegler firmly details how the key to their success is the 'photograph she took of B', which Watson exploits to eventually win the race to construct the model. Similarly, The Penelopiad is also a societal correction to the lack of female representation in the narratives presented (4) . Written as a first-person narration, Penelope’s aim as a narrator is to be given the opportunity 'to do a little story-making' in this retrospective novel, inserting her perspective into the well-known myth of Odysseus and The Odyssey (5) . The characterisation of Penelope is subverted in Penelope’s retelling, as the generalisation of her character being only recognised for her 'smart[s]', '[her] weaving', and '[her] devotion to [her] husband' is challenged. Atwood contends that Penelope is also determined, self-sufficient and tactile through the narrative voice she grants Penelope as the main protagonist of the text. Rosalind in Photograph 51 is not the narrator of her story, which limits her agency in the telling of her truth in comparison to Penelope, who is able to shape her story the way she wishes (6). Underpinning both of these texts is Atwood and Ziegler’s authorial intention to contend that there is an underrepresentation of female contribution to history, and therefore utilise their texts to give power to female characters in patriarchal systems (7) .
Annotations (4) The transitional sentence between texts can be less jarring and clunky if you introduce your example from Text B in a similar vein to the discussion of Text A. As seen here, I have used my discussion of how Ziegler represents Rosalind in a manner that is seen as a historical correction to then transition into how Penelope also serves the same purpose.
(5) The explicit stating of the first-person narration style in The Penelopiad directly addresses the keywords of 'the ways' from the essay question. By incorporating different textual examples like narration and characterisation (as seen in the following sentence), I’m able to analyse multiple ways that the authors suggest there is power in storytelling.
(6) It makes it easier to discuss your divergent idea if it is directly linked to the converging ideas you’ve already mentioned, just as I have here in pointing out the difference in protagonists and narration. This means you don’t have to waste time re-explaining things from the texts!
(7) I conclude with a more broad statement that references the authors’ intentions in order to finish with a more in-depth exploration, just like the end of the introduction.
Women still lack authority in the shaping of their own narratives as their version of the truth is often undermined. Despite the main motivator for the texts being to empower the women by giving them a voice, both texts also recognise the limitations of a patriarchal society by illustrating the challenges the protagonists face in having their voices heard. By viewing the past through a retrospective lens in The Penelopiad , Penelope is finally able to deliver her perspective, encapsulated in the opening line of 'now that I’m dead I know everything'. (8) The notion that Penelope had to be dead and free of the restraints placed on her voice whilst she was alive in patriarchal Ancient Greece demonstrates the complete lack of authority the voices of women have in establishing themselves in history. This is echoed in the same retrospective retelling of Rosalind’s story in Photograph 51 , as the play begins with Rosalind stating that 'this is what it was like', establishing that the events that follow this initial line are a snapshot into the limitations she had to face as a woman in the male-dominated scientific field. It also references that the interjections of the male scientists as they commentate on her life were 'what it was like', as male opinion majorly shaped the suppression of Rosalind’s success throughout the play. On the contrary, (9) Penelope’s recount of the story is less interrupted by interjections of other characters, specifically those from men. However, the maids deliver ten interludes throughout The Penelopiad . These interludes are another example of female voice being represented in the text, but often being dismissed due to their crudeness or sarcastic nature in their casting of doubt over both Penelope and Odysseus, as they taunt Penelope’s decision to 'blame it on the [...] poxy little sluts!' and blemish Odysseus’ name by characterising him as the 'artfullest dodger' or 'blithe lodger', in reference to his infidelity. Despite the maids being the most authoritative in terms of true Greek theatre, (10) as they deliver the truest and most objective judgement of events, they are 'forgotten' and are not served true justice as a result of their low social status and gender that limits their voice in a patriarchal society. The female perspectives in the texts are truer representations of history in both contexts, yet because of limitations regarding their gender in the two patriarchal systems, they are overshadowed by the male recounts of history.
Annotations (8) To strengthen your essay, it is important to also use evidence that is not strictly dialogue or themes from inside the text. In this line, I use a literary device - retrospective storytelling - to back up the analysis I am talking about.
(9) Starting your discussion of the divergent ideas is easy with the use of phrases such as ‘on the contrary’, ‘unlike this…’ and ‘however’. You don’t want to spend unnecessary time on filler sentences. Be efficient!
(10) By further strengthening my analysis with a range of examples (e.g. mentioning the historical importance of genre, such as Greek theatre in this instance), I’m able to demonstrate a deeper knowledge of not only the texts and their context .
In patriarchal societies, the men ultimately have more control over their own narratives and shape them for their own personal glorification of character. The omission of immorality and emphasis on male achievement by the men narrating the story is a clear indication that despite the selfish choices they make, men are still able to shape their legacies in their favour. Watson and Crick in Photograph 51 are depicted as 'arrogant' and duplicitous as they extort their 'old friend[ship]' with Wilkins for personal gain, pressuring him into 'talking about his work' to further progress towards notoriety. The conclusion of the play, with Watson and Crick accepting the honour of the Nobel Prize and claiming it as the 'finest moment' of their lives, illustrates that the motivation of personal success justifies the immoral actions of men as they are remembered fondly as scientific heroes without the blemishes of their characters. Similarly in The Penelopiad , Odysseus is revered as a hero through the intertextual reference of The Odyssey, a myth detailing the legend of Odysseus and his 'cleverness'. Penelope’s recounting of the 'myth of Penelope and Odysseus' sheds light on her ingenuity in the tales of Odysseus, showing that she 'set the whole thing up on purpose', referring to the deceiving plan that Odysseus had been awarded all the credit for in the original retelling of their story. Additionally, in the 'trial of Odysseus', Odysseus’ character is evaluated in the setting of a court, as the maids have demanded justice for Odysseus’ unjust execution of them. However, the judge overturns this decision as it would serve as a 'blot on an otherwise exceedingly distinguished career', encapsulating the idea that men in a patriarchal society will omit personal errors in favour of presenting themselves and other men as heroes of their narratives. However, unlike the untarnished male success of Photograph 51 , the maids curse Odysseus so he would 'never be at rest' in the conclusion of the narrative, as Atwood makes the final statement that men throughout history should be held accountable for the immoral actions they make (11) .
Annotations (11) By concluding with a specific reference to the authorial intent of this specific idea explored throughout the paragraph, you ‘zoom’ back out and show your reader the bigger picture.
At the end of each text it is evident that, regardless of the representation and voice that is given to the female characters, the deeply entrenched patriarchal systems in both timelines negate this power in favour of the male voice (12) . Ziegler’s play asserts that Rosalind’s 'groundbreaking work' should 'cement her place in history', and aims to give her recognition from a relatively more progressive, feminist society. Atwood’s conclusion also is representative of giving women more recognition for their achievements, like giving credit for Penelope’s 'intelligence' as an esteemed character trait in contemporary society. Both characters cast doubt over the previously revered male heroes in both texts, and further criticise the lack of female representation in those heroic stories. In conveying both Penelope and Rosalind’s stories, the authors call for a further critique of past and future accounts of human achievement.
Annotations (12) In this conclusion, I have chosen to focus on comparing the authorial intentions of Atwood and Ziegler in relation to the topic. In doing so, it can summarise my contention that I introduced earlier in the essay. By starting my conclusion with an overall statement regarding the ending of the two texts, I draw on the readers’ preexisting ideas of how they felt at the end of each narrative.
If you’re studying Photograph 51 and My Brilliant Career, check out our Killer Comparative Guide to learn everything you need to know to ace this assessment.
You can find the VCAA exam 2009 here .
Have a go at analysing it yourself first, then see how I've interpreted the article below! For a detailed guide on Language Analysis including how to prepare for your SAC and exam, check out our Ultimate Guide to VCE Language Analysis .
Information
Author: Voxi
Type of article: Opinion piece
Publisher: Clt Alt
Date of publication: 23rd of May, 2009
Contention: We should embrace the digital technology as it has, and will continue to revolutionise our lives in regards to intelligence, convenience, communication and more.
Number of article(s): 1
Number of image(s): 1 (not disclosed on VCAA website due to copyright laws)
Source: VCAA website
Note: Persuasive techniques can be interpreted in many ways. The examples given below are not the single correct answer. Only a selected number of persuasive techniques have been identified in this guide.
Persuasive technique: Imagery
Example: ‘Keyed In’
Analysis: The term ‘keyed in’ depicts an image of keys on a laptop or computer – one of the important inventions in regards to digital technology as well as the idea that those who are ‘keyed in’ are ‘up-to-date’ with its progression. This invites support from the reader since it is desirable to be ‘up-to-speed’ with the latest developments and trends – especially since new technology allows such accessibility.
Persuasive technique: Type of publication
Example: Online journal
Analysis: By publishing the article on an online platform, Voxi aims to target ‘tech-savvy’ readers who are more inclined to appreciate technology than those who read other publication avenues such as newspapers.
Persuasive technique: Acknowledging the opposition
Example: ‘Some people are naturally afraid of the new, challenged by the discomfort of being dislodged from the known, the safe, the predictable, the tried and the tested – in short, their comfort zone.’
Analysis: Voxi invites readers to view him as someone who is considerate and rational by displaying an understanding front towards those opposed to the use of technology, ‘some people are naturally afraid of the new.’
Example: ‘…maybe they have a point – sometimes it’s good to take time out and just enjoy what you’ve got.’
Analysis: Through admitting that perhaps those opposed to the development of technology may ‘have a point’, Voxi aims to manipulate readers into trusting him since he appears genuine and fair towards the issue.
Persuasive technique: Positioning advocators in a positive light
Example: ‘They see possibilities for making things better where other people want to chill, just responding to the pleasure of the moment.’
Analysis: By positioning technology advocates as people who ‘see possibilities for making things better,’ Voxi attempts to coax readers into support since readers tend to respect and admire those who take action, rather than someone who is static and merely wants to ‘chill.’
Persuasive technique: Characterisation of supporters as heroes
Example: ‘History’s full of moments though, when human beings have been moved forward by people who have been like the grit in an oyster. Gritty people produce pearls.’
Analysis: Though the characterisation of technology advocators as ‘gritty people,’ Voxi urges readers to view those people with admiration as their determination and dedication has lead to the ‘produc[tion of] pearls’ or in other words, valuable inventions.
Persuasive technique: Colloquial Language
Example: ‘Well, sort of.’
Analysis: The use of colloquial language, ‘well, sort of,’ is intended to position Voxi as a someone who appears to be a ‘friend’ as he attempts to display a light conversational tone. As a result, readers may be more inclined to support his opinion since they are more likely to listen to a ‘friend’ than a formal authority figure.
Persuasive technique: Characterisation of advocates as hard workers
Example: They’re the ones who ask questions, who tinker away in the garage, who turn up on ‘The Inventors.’
Analysis: By characterising advocates of technology as hard-working, ‘tinker[ing] away in the garage’, , Voxi relies on the readers’ compassion to embrace modern technology as it is clear that much effort and time has been placed in these inventions and therefore shouldn’t be immediately disregarded.
Persuasive technique: Appeal to a sense of failure
Example: ‘In our lifetime we haven’t had a Copernicus or Galileo reorganising the cosmos, or a Darwin challenging us with a radically new theory of evolution.’
Analysis: Voxi tries to influence readers to step up to past generations’ successes such as ‘Copernicus [and] Galileo reorganising the cosmos, or a Darwin challenging us with a radically new theory of evolution’ through the depiction that the current population has failed to produce any great intellectuals.
Persuasive technique: Repetition
Example: ‘…revolutionise…’
Analysis: The repeated word ‘revolutionise’ is an attempt to instill into readers’ minds that there is a dramatic change currently occurring in society and as a result, they should try to keep ‘up to date’ with ‘the new world’.
Persuasive technique: Rhetorical question
Example: ‘Why wouldn’t you want it in your life?’
Analysis: The rhetorical question, ‘why wouldn’t you want it in your life?’ urges readers’ support since it is apparent that there is no reason why people should not accept technology, especially since in the future, readers will be able to ‘lead happy, safe and fulfilling lives in a free and peaceful world’ – something that would result in satisfaction.
Persuasive technique: Appeal to a sense of youth
Example: ‘It’s older people who are less familiar with it who are suspicious about it, or even
Analysis: By creating a dichotomy between the ‘older people’ and the younger generation, Voxi aims to manipulate readers into believing that only the elderly are ‘suspicious…or even afraid’ of technology, whereas all other generations should have no issues and welcome the ‘digital world’ with open arms.
Persuasive technique: Reference to modern activities
Example: ‘Global shopping, online banking, working out the itinerary for your holiday, looking up Google Maps and Street View to check out where your friends live, and that’s not to mention Facebook.’
Analysis: Through referencing to everyday, modern activities such as : ‘Global shopping…looking up Google Maps and Street View…not to mention Facebook’, readers may be compelled to join the population in using technology since they are aware that many people do find these digital advances convenient and applicable to their daily lives.
Persuasive technique: Use of logic and reasoning
Example: ‘Sure, some people stress about privacy issues, but these can be resolved. Google is not allowed to film defence sites from Google cars and Google bikes. Let’s face it, the pictures we see are not real-time images. You can protest about them anyway and get them removed or pixellated if you’re really worried.’
Analysis: Readers are encouraged to support Voxi’s stance since his use of logic, ‘you can protest about them anyway’ and reason, ‘let’s face it, the pictures we see are not real-time images’ makes clear that ‘privacy issues’ is not a valid point to denounce technology.
Persuasive technique: Humourous tone
Example: ‘Besides, the hot air balloon people are always hovering over my back yard and looking into my windows too.’
Analysis: Through adopting a humourous tone in pointing out the irony of people’s concerns about ‘privacy issues’ when ‘hot air balloon people are always hovering over my back yard and looking into my windows too,’ Voxi attempts to assure readers that online privacy is no less risky than their privacy at home.
Persuasive technique: Appeal to convenience
Example: ‘Why go to a library when you can sit at your desk and look up Wikipedia or Google Scholar, or Ask Jeeves?’
Analysis: Through posing the rhetorical question, ‘Why go to a library when you can sit at your desk and look up Wikipedia or Google Scholar, or Ask Jeeves?’, Voxi appeals to readers’ sense of convenience since the benefits of merely ‘sitting’ at home clearly outweighs the effort of travelling to a library.
Persuasive technique: Inclusive language
Example: ‘Let’s be excited – keep being excited.’
Analysis: The incorporation of inclusive language, ‘let’s’ urges readers to feel as though they are directly part of the issue or somehow responsible for the outcome and thus, may lead readers to become advocators of technology.
Persuasive technique: Juxtaposition
Example: ‘We’d still be swinging in the trees or huddling in caves if we’d taken the view that new things are harmful or dangerous or unpredictable.’
Analysis: Through the juxtaposition of current society and history when ‘we…sw[u]ng in the trees or huddl[ed] in caves’, Voxi intends to demonstrate that without taking some risks and disregarding that ‘new things are harmful or dangerous or unpredictable’, society would not have come as far as it has now, and thus, readers should continue to push forward with the new digital age.
How can the context of a film be utilised to add complexity to an analysis?
Writing a film analysis can be daunting in comparison to analysing a written text. The task of dissecting a motion picture consisting of dialogue, camera shots and dialogic sound is challenging, but an understanding of a film’s social, cultural and political background can elevate your analysis from standard to spectacular. Thus, before analysing Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 thriller ‘Rear Window’, it is important to consider its cultural, political and social context:
Cultural Context
- The Greenwich Village setting of ‘Rear Window’ is located in Lower West Manhattan, New York, and was known as America’s ‘bohemian capital’ during the 1950s, in which avant-garde artists freely explored unconventional lifestyles.
- Hitchcock’s decision to use Greenwich Village as the backdrop of the film links its image of human suffering to the failed vision of American progressivist culture.
- Despite acting as the main location of progressive culture, such as the beginning of the international gay rights movement, Greenwich Village was also the setting for the broken dreams of its eclectic residents.
- This cyclical nature of hope and defeat can be observed in the film, as the audience can perceive the frustrated songwriter destroying his latest work, and Miss Lonely hearts desperately seeking true love in the seedy bars and gloomy alleyways of the ‘bohemian heaven’.
- Additionally, it is this social radicalism of Jeff’s neighbours that provides the basis for his voyeuristic habits; by portraying their individual eccentricities though their respective apartment windows, Hitchcock offers to Jeff a range of human peculiarities, which he eagerly observes through his ‘portable keyhole’.
Political Context
- ‘Rear Window’ encapsulates the rampant Mccarthyism, and subsequent suspicion, at the time of its release in 1954.
- The fear of Communist influence in the USA led to heightened political repression from the government, and Americans could only prove their loyalty to the country only by offering others’ names to the government.
- As such, Jeff’s insubstantial speculation about Thorwald murdering his bedridden wife is disturbingly reflective of the social strife in 1950s America, as thousands accused their neighbours for treason or subversion without concrete evidence.
- Along with heightened political surveillance followed the allure of voyeurism; just as Jeff is contained to his wheelchair, and can merely gaze through his rear window into his wider world - the courtyard, so were Americans during the Cold War; expected to only ‘gaze’, and leave all the ‘involvement and engagement to the politicians’.
Social Context
- The suburban setting of‘Rear Window’ reinforces the sense of confinement and suspicion rampant during the 1950s.
- After WWII ended in 1952, millions of US soldiers returned to a multitude of suburban homes built using mass production techniques, all overwhelmingly close to another. The Greenwich Village of ‘Rear Window’ is an example of one of these suburbs.
- The crowded Greenwich Village apartment complex of the film acts as an effective narrative device, as Hitchcock employs the physical proximity of the apartments to reinforce the overwhelming sense of voyeurism and paranoia amongst neighbours.
How to Analyse a Scene
The Film’s Opening Sequence:
As the blinds roll up to reveal the apartment complex, a medium shot of the wide-open windows of each apartment immediately convey to the audience an environment of an uncomfortable openness. However, despite this, the separation of each apartment by brick walls as a separate entity on its own serves as a symbol of the widespread suspicion characteristic of the McCarthyian era. Within the frame of the main window, the windows of each apartment act as mini frames within the big frame, multiplying the sense of voyeurism present in the shot.
![essay questions about prejudice essay questions about prejudice](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/609a10dece635cbb106442ae/609a10dece635c521f644da4_jamie%20blog%201-min.png)
Although seemingly insignificant, the brown tabby cat that runs across the steps of Greenwich Village represents freedom and individual autonomy, later comparable to the character of Lisa in the film. The compounding sense of surveillance during the 1950s add more meaning to the freedom symbolised by the cat, which can then be contrasted to the suppressed independence of the protagonist, who is seen invalid in a wheelchair in the next shot:
![essay questions about prejudice essay questions about prejudice](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/609a10dece635cbb106442ae/609a10dece635cc7e8644dcf_Jamie%202-min.png)
By this extreme close-up shot of Jeff sleeping in his wheelchair during the opening sequence, Hitchcock immediately places the viewer in an uncomfortable position as the original and ultimate voyeur, surpassing the intimate boundaries of the protagonist. The camera’s focus on the beads of sweat on Jeff’s forehead signify the intense heat of summer in Greenwich Village, confirmed by the following close up shot of 94F on the thermometer:
![essay questions about prejudice essay questions about prejudice](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/609a10dece635cbb106442ae/609a10dece635c4891644d95_jamie%203-min.png)
The stifling temperature of the season foreshadows imminent tension about to unfold in the film, as does the following close-up shot:
![essay questions about prejudice essay questions about prejudice](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/609a10dece635cbb106442ae/609a10dece635c03b9644dd9_jamie%204-min.png)
The slow panning from Jeff’s head to his broken left leg in a cast, in tandem with the ominous, epitaph-like words, ‘Here lie the broken bones of L.B Jefferies’, increase the impending sense of tragedy.
![essay questions about prejudice essay questions about prejudice](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/609a10dece635cbb106442ae/609a10dece635c4982644db7_jamie%205-min.png)
Jeff’s profession as a photographer becomes gradually more evident, as the camera slowly pans from focusing on Jeff’s injury to around his room. This close shot of a destroyed, seemingly irreparable camera, literally reflects the cyclic nature of broken dreams characteristic of Greenwich Village, and also signifies that Jeff too has been hurt (literally) by radical pursuits in his progression. It is important to note that Jeff’s room is plain and lacks any decorative sophistication, establishing his character as a simple, ‘everyday’ American man.
![essay questions about prejudice essay questions about prejudice](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/609a10dece635cbb106442ae/609a10dece635c2f66644db3_jamie%206-min.png)
The only things adorning Jeff’s small room are his many photographs, all taken by himself. Despite varying in size and setting, they all share a single point of similarity; they all focus on sights of destruction, such as the race car crash or the remains of a volcanic eruption. The framed nature of these photographs signify Jeff’s appreciation for tragic devastation, establishing further doom in the film by lending a darker note to his voyeuristic tendencies.
![essay questions about prejudice essay questions about prejudice](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/609a10dece635cbb106442ae/609a10dece635c67a7644dca_jamie%207-min.png)
The last photograph the camera focuses on in the opening sequence is the picture taken by Jeff of an elegant woman, who bears a striking resemblance to Lisa.
![essay questions about prejudice essay questions about prejudice](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/609a10dece635cbb106442ae/609a10dece635cf3fc644d9e_jamie%208-min.png)
This image of ‘Lisa’ in the negative literally symbolises Jeff’s negative perception of his girlfriend Lisa at the beginning of the film. In contrast, the following shot of ‘Lisa’ in the ‘positive’ foreshadows the development of the film, as he begins to perceive Lisa as a possible life partner:
![essay questions about prejudice essay questions about prejudice](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/609a10dece635cbb106442ae/609a10dece635cbbf0644dad_jamie%200-min.png)
Want to save this for later? Download a PDF version of this blog here .
Get exclusive weekly advice from Lisa, only available via email.
Power-up your learning with free essay topics, downloadable word banks, and updates on the latest VCE strategies.
latest articles
Check out our latest thought leadership on enterprise innovation., walkthrough of a full scoring vce oral presentation.
![essay questions about prejudice](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/609a10dece635cbb106442ae/6597d25fd6c5efae977b34f8_Nanami%20Zen.jpeg)
How To Incorporate Sunset Boulevard's Cinematic Features Into Your VCE Essay
![essay questions about prejudice](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/609a10dece635cbb106442ae/6596b70356806075ae1bd870_Menara%20Rathnayake.jpg)
VCE Creative Writing: How To Structure Your Story
![essay questions about prejudice](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/609a10dece635cbb106442ae/65a4c46c9266029aee75e997_Amber%20Dwivedi.png)
Keep in touch
Have questions? Get in touch with us here - we usually reply in 24 business hours.
Unfortunately, we won't be able to answer any emails here requesting personal help with your study or homework here!
![essay questions about prejudice](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/609a10dece635c5a946442ac/609a10dece635c10eb6444be_LSG_StackedTag_White.png)
Copyright © Lisa's Study Guides. All Rights Reserved. The VCAA does not endorse and is not affiliated with Lisa's Study Guides or vcestudyguides.com. The VCAA provides the only official, up to date versions of VCAA publications and information about courses including the VCE. VCE® is a registered trademark of the VCAA.
03 9028 5603 Call us: Monday to Friday between 3pm - 6pm or leave us a message and we'll call you back! Address: Level 2 Little Collins St Melbourne 3000 VIC
Pride And Prejudice - List of Free Essay Examples And Topic Ideas
Pride and Prejudice is a classic novel by Jane Austen that explores the themes of love, class, and social norms. It follows the story of Elizabeth Bennet, a young woman who finds herself at odds with Mr. Darcy, a wealthy and aloof gentleman. If you’re tasked with writing an essay on the topic, it’s critical to check out essay examples on Pride and Prejudice before beginning your own paper. Our experts have prepared a collection of free literary essays about Pride and Prejudice, featuring an in-depth analysis of the book’s theme, protagonists, and titles.
Consider exploring themes such as the rights and roles of women, the relationship between characters, or the impact of social class on the story. You can use the essay topics and research paper topics on Pride and Prejudice in our collection as inspiration for your own writing.
Remember to include a clear thesis statement and an outline in your introduction and a thought-provoking conclusion that ties together the key ideas you’ve explored. With the help of our essay samples, you’ll be on your way to crafting a compelling paper.
Women’s Rights in Pride and Prejudice
Do not consider me now as an elegant female intending to plague you, but as a rational creature speaking the truth from her heart."(Austen 94). Woman's rights have been a popular and important topic for the past three centuries, and will continue to be in the future. Jane Austen is widely known and praised for her controversial ideas and opinions in her literary fiction novel,Pride and Prejudice. Much before the time of the fight for women's rights, Jane Austen brought […]
Irony in Pride and Prejudice
One line that highlights Jane Austen's wit is primarily the first line of the novel ""It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of good fortune must be in want of a wife."" Austen uses verbal irony here, almost sarcasm since it means quite the opposite. The main purpose in life of underprivileged women in Austen's era is to marry a well-off husband and not vice versa. This is because if a young woman did not […]
Jane Austen and Social Class
The British class system put individuals in a country in groups based on various factors which wealth and their occupation played a significant role, the individuals didn't have the same jobs or the same social status in society. Society was divided into different social class to separate everyone. There were many positives from social class, the individuals in 'upper class' had better access to healthcare and were more likely to marry someone who was in a higher social class, they […]
We will write an essay sample crafted to your needs.
Social and Cultural Contexts in “Pride and Prejudice”
Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice written in the Georgian era is a well developed book that demonstrates the societal and cultural views of the time she was living in. The original name of the book was called ""first impressions""which incorporates with the novel's main themes such as marriage, social class, prejudice, pride and how the characters of this book can be portrayed through their point of view in this era. Throughout the book the author shows how one's judgement based […]
“Pride and Prejudice” Satire
Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is famous for satirizing society's rules and for exaggerating the extent to which they impact people. Although Austen is parodying the class structure in society throughout the whole novel, she is also enforcing the importance of self-awareness. Austen exaggerates the interactions between high and low status people because it ridicules society's rules. She condemns characters like Mr. Collins and Lady Catherine because of their inability to reject society's norms, and rewards Elizabeth because she is […]
Jane Austen’s Clever Use of Gracechurch Street
Historically, Gracechurch street has been a center for business and fashion in London. It has housed a great shopping district while also functioning as a neighborhood for many middle-class families throughout London's history. Gracechurch street also serves as the dwelling place for the Gardiners in Jane Austen's novel Pride & Prejudice. Gracechurch street is perfect place of residence for the Gardiners as they are not of the gentry class and must do some kind of trade to make money. It […]
Three Different Views of Marriage in “Pride and Prejudice”
In Pride and Prejudice Austen distinctly shows three different views of marriage, Neoclassical view, Romantic view, and Middle ground. Austen has the novel revolving around the idea of marriage incorporating these three ideas. You see them shown throughout two different classes. The noble class and the middle class. The idea of the fissure in the Neoclassical View shows through Charlotte, Mr.Collins, and Mrs.bennett. Neoclassical View is taking a more logical approach towards marriage. Charlotte Lucas is an example of the […]
Examination of 19th Century English Society and Realism in Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice, a novel set in the early 19th century, can be used to study British society in the era when it was written. The aspects of life in the early 19th century that can be examined are historical context, marriage and gender roles, class, income, land ownership, and reputation. Pride and Prejudice, a novel by Jane Austen, was written during the turn of the century, which was one of the most transformative eras in European History. This novel […]
Freedom and Social Constraints in Jane Austen’s Persuasion
Anne Elliot's persona in Jane Austen's Persuasion subtly criticizes the effects of imposing culture and class distinction that middle-class women face in 19th Century England. These self-limiting ideals define the identity and social functions of women at the time. By addressing Anne's perceived proper place in society, Austen exposes women's vulnerability to the constraints of social order. She also illustrates how women, judged by their social conduct, ultimately do not have the freedom to choose their own happiness. Many of […]
Pride and Prejudice Book Vs Movie
Jane Austen, one of England’s most famous authors, wrote many novels including, Pride and Prejudice, and Sense and Sensibility. These novels have continued to inspire generations past her own even three hundred years later. Her novels have been adapted in productions ranging from Hollywood to Bollywood and each drawing the attention of her fan base. One of her most famous novels, Pride and Prejudice follows the story of a couple, separated by their economic statuses, and how their differences, one’s […]
Character Foil between Darcy and Wickham in the Novel Pride and Prejudice
In order for a reader to connect to the characters in a book and understand each of their individual qualities, authors decide to use characterization. In Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, she uses both direct and indirect characterization; this being, telling the reader exactly how she wants to portray a certain character, but also including characters who contrasts with other characters, most often the protagonist, in order to bring out certain qualities. This also known as character foil. One example […]
Jane Austen Review
Jane Austen wrote six novels throughout her career. Throughout those six novels, she had incorporated the way the society was and how the British culture was. Jane Austen was an influential British author who had made an impact on British history and culture. Jane Austen had a unique writing style within all of her six novels, including her narrative style, her use of irony, her use of communicating emotions in her stories, and lastly, the use of double-meanings in her […]
Pride and Prejudice Analysis
The Indifference of the Gentry ""Lizzy,"" cried her mother, ""remember where you are, and do not run on in the wild manner that you are suffered to do at home."" ""I did not know before,"" continued Bingley immediately, ""that you were a studier of character. It must be an amusing study."" ""Yes, but intricate characters are the most amusing. They have at least that advantage."" ""The country,"" said Darcy, ""can in general supply but a few subjects for such a […]
Pride and Prejudice Literary Analysis
Jane Austen portrays Mr. Collins in Pride and Prejudice with many different characteristic traits. He is a lot more than an awkward little man. Mr. Collins is confident, well-connected, arrogant, prideful, and he has a false sense of humility. He has a lot of layers and is not just a two-dimensional character, but a complex character who cannot be summed up into one word. Mr. Collins is first mentioned in the novel when he sends a letter to Mr. Bennet […]
Elizabeth is not Tamed by the End of Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice was incredibly far ahead of its time. The novel comments on gender roles and female independence, featuring a radical protagonist, Elizabeth Bennet, and a rather forward-thinking love interest, Mr. Darcy. Austen challenges the typical passage of wealth through the male line and how this puts an unnecessary amount of stress on the women of Victorian families. The struggle for the women of the Bennet family to find suitable husbands in due time is what ultimately […]
Expressing Feminism in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Background Information Jane Austen was an English novelist born in Hampshire, South of England on 16th December in 1775. She was very close to Cassandra, her sister. When together, the two would share a bedroom but when apart they would write to each other almost every. After Jane's death on 18th July 1817, her sister testified how the two loved each other, ""she was gilder of every pleasure, the sun of my life, and the soother of sorrow"" (Bendit 245). […]
Jane Austen Sense and Sensibility
Numerous of people are familiar with the name of Jane Austen, who is famous for most of her romantic novels. Austen rarely uses figurative language, but she did address the theme, which is feminism in the novel called Sense and Sensibility. Sense and Sensibility, a romantic novel written by Jane Austen, reflected the roles of a lover and a spouse during the Regency Era. Austen's Sense and Sensibility is a romantic novel. The novel contains a secret engagement, broken engagements, […]
Conflict in “Pride and Prejudice”
In order for a novel to become credited and well known, and for the authors audience to stay interested and engaged in the storyline, there needs to be a conflict of some sort, or a contrast that creates conflict. This can be achieved through a foil. A foil is a minor character who contrasts the main character so greatly, that the main character's traits are emphasized even further. A foil doesn't have to be an antagonist that plots against the […]
Wealth and Social Status in Great Expectations and Pride and Prejudice
Throughout Great Expectations by Charles Dickens and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin the themes of wealth and social status play a significant role, but the notions of love and friendship overcome this in both novels. The authors work of fiction show how wealth and social class influenced the characters personalities, human motives and actions. A connection can be made between the two characters Pip and Elizabeth Bennet. Even though Elizabeth is higher in class status than Pip, both characters […]
The Impact of Feminist Undertones in Pride and Prejudice
During the eighteenth century, feminism was a subject that was scarcely considered in society, as it was defined the theory of the political, economic and social equality between the sexes. The aspect of feminism did not gain the comprehensive structure until the late 20th century. As not being widely known for during her time period, Jane Austen uses the concept of feminism to be portrayed in a discreet technique in her novel "Pride and Prejudice". Furthermore, she displays her perspectives […]
Concept of Marrying for Love in “Pride and Prejudice”
The classic literature that I have selected is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and was published in 1813. I am interested in this topic to understand that the concept of marrying for love and marrying for wealth still exists even in today's society. An example from my life that relates to this story is not giving up my happiness to please my family. That if and when I choose to marry, I would marry for love and marry whom […]
Women could Dare be Independent
Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775, in Hampshire England. Her father, Reverend George Austen worked as Steventon's rector and encouraged his children to embrace learning. Jane Austen was the last born of the family of eight children – she had one sister and six brothers. She lived with her family and never married. Jane commenced writing as a child, and it was her unique way of keeping the family entertained. Even though she had finished authoring Pride and […]
About the Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The English literature was enhanced in December 1775 with the birth of Austen Jane. She is categorized as one of the best authors in the literature Field. No doubt she is my favorite author of all ages. I love reading her books and even enjoy watching movies based on her books. Even though Jane Austen was the author of the eighteenth century, her collection is still feted in our modern literature world. Most of her books are classics even though […]
First Impressions “Pride and Prejudice”: Exploring Entailment
Introduction Entail (en-tail) – A restriction, especially of lands, by limiting the inheritance to the owner’s lineal descendants or to a particular class thereof (Merriam-Webster). In Pride and Prejudice, the entailment was owning a piece of land that is kept in one family and made them more wealthy and of a higher class. The oldest, closest male in the family must be next in line to inherit the entailment, and in the case of the book Mr. Collins was the […]
A Review of the Film Adaptation to Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Jane Austen is the renowned author of the classic novel ‘Pride and Prejudice’. Her work is known across the world and praised for its uniqueness and attention-grabbing plot. Born in the late 1800’s, at that time period women were merely seen as housewives and child bearers, having a set of specific skills and talents added further to how attractive and useful they are deemed. Knowing how to play the piano, painting, reading, knowing how to dance and having a resourceful […]
Jane Austen the Author and Feminist
Jane Austen is not an author who can write phenomenal novels, she is a woman who at a young age pick up a pen, a few sheets of paper, and began to write her thoughts and imaginations on paper. Her intelligence and wit had left readers of her work empowered and strive for the rights of women; she turned the men-dominated literature all around for the better, for women and girls like her to have a platform in that time […]
Life and Times of Jane Austen
It is a truth universally acknowledged that Jane Austen was born on December 16th, 1775. She lived during the times of significant changes in England—socially, politically, and economically. During the rule of George III, England became unstable with constant struggles between the King and Whigs. Simultaneously, the French Revolution had begun. Between 1804 and 1814, (the period in which Austen did most of her writing) England was at war with France’s Revolution leader, Napoleon. Austen was very much aware of […]
The Issues of Gender in Jane Austen’s Novels
When it comes to writing stories, poems, and essays it is easier to write about your experiences and the way that you perceive the world around you. Jane Austen did exactly this. She took the things that were happening around her and incorporated them into her writing. Austen uses this artistic vision in each of her novels to bring forth and challenge the issues with gender and class within her time. In Jane Austen's 1st published novel, Sense and Sensibility, […]
The Effect of Jane Austen
Jane Austen was a well known English novelist that lived from 1775 to 1817. Her novel; Pride and Prejudice is well known in the United States, but it was Jane Austen's novel Northanger Abbey that had the most influence on Ian McEwan's book Atonement. If you are familiar with Austen's work, when you read McEwan's book Atonement, you can see the influence that not only Austen's life but also her work on McEwan's book. Briony Tallis, the main character in […]
Love Marriage and Arranged Marriage: from Business to Affection
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and Gurinder Chadha’s Bride and Prejudice provide a thought-provoking perspective on marriage, suggesting that marriage is a form of business. Since both mediums are mostly about marriage, it is intriguing to wonder whom or what establishes the idea that marriage is not as simple as falling in love and living happily ever after. Although the two mediums are spanned nearly two hundred years apart and the film is a more cultural heavy adaptation of the […]
Originally published : | January 28, 1813 |
Author : | Jane Austen |
Characters : | Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, Elizabeth Bennet |
Genres : | Romance novel, Satire, Historical Fiction, Historical romance, Novel of manners |
Additional Example Essays
- Personal Narrative: My Family Genogram
- Gender Roles in the Great Gatsby
- Comparison Of Introverts VS Extroverts
- The Cask of Amontillado Literary Analysis
- Colonism in Things Fall Apart
- The short story "The Cask of Amontillado"
- Hamlet Madness
- Reasons Why Hamlet Is Not Insane
- Analysis of Antigone by Sophocles
- Marriage and Symbolism in "A Doll's House"
- Is Medea a Tragic Hero?
- Sympathy for Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart
How To Write an Essay About Pride And Prejudice
Understanding 'pride and prejudice'.
Before writing an essay about 'Pride and Prejudice,' it is crucial to have a deep understanding of the novel. Authored by Jane Austen, 'Pride and Prejudice' is a classic work in English literature, widely admired for its wit, social commentary, and exploration of themes such as love, marriage, class, and, as the title suggests, pride and prejudice. Start your essay by outlining the plot and the setting of the novel, which takes place in early 19th-century England. Familiarize yourself with the main characters – Elizabeth Bennet, Mr. Darcy, and others – and understand their roles and relationships within the story. It's also important to grasp the historical and social context in which Austen wrote, as this influences the novel's themes and characters.
Developing a Thesis Statement
A strong essay on 'Pride and Prejudice' should be centered around a clear, concise thesis statement. This statement should present a specific viewpoint or argument about the novel. For example, you might argue that the novel critiques the class system of Austen's time, or you might analyze the development of Elizabeth Bennet as a character. Whatever angle you choose, your thesis will guide the direction of your essay and ensure a focused and structured analysis.
Gathering Textual Evidence
Support your thesis with evidence from the novel. This involves closely reading the text to find relevant quotes, dialogues, and narrative descriptions that align with your argument. For instance, if you are discussing the theme of marriage, identify and analyze key conversations and events that revolve around this theme. Use these examples to build your argument and provide depth to your analysis.
Analyzing Austen's Techniques and Themes
Analyze how Austen uses literary techniques to develop themes and characters in the novel. Discuss her use of irony, dialogue, and free indirect discourse. For example, explore how Austen uses irony to critique social norms or how the narrative style contributes to the development of Elizabeth's character. Your analysis should demonstrate a deep understanding of Austen's writing style and how it contributes to the themes of the novel.
Concluding the Essay
Conclude your essay by summarizing your main arguments and restating your thesis in light of the discussion. Your conclusion should tie together your analysis and emphasize the significance of your findings. Reflect on the broader implications of the novel, such as its relevance to contemporary readers or its place in the canon of English literature.
Reviewing and Refining the Essay
After writing your essay, take time to review and refine it. Ensure that your arguments are coherent, your evidence is clearly presented, and your writing is free of grammatical errors. Consider seeking feedback from teachers or peers to help improve your essay. A well-written essay on 'Pride and Prejudice' will not only demonstrate your understanding of the novel but also your ability to engage critically with literary texts.
1. Tell Us Your Requirements
2. Pick your perfect writer
3. Get Your Paper and Pay
Hi! I'm Amy, your personal assistant!
Don't know where to start? Give me your paper requirements and I connect you to an academic expert.
short deadlines
100% Plagiarism-Free
Certified writers
- International
- Education Jobs
- Schools directory
- Resources Education Jobs Schools directory News Search
![essay questions about prejudice IGCSE essay style questions on Pride and Prejudice](https://d1e4pidl3fu268.cloudfront.net/79e3a54f-9b20-4505-8fb1-eba021537b2c/PrideandPrejudice.crop_503x377_0,115.preview.png)
IGCSE essay style questions on Pride and Prejudice
Subject: English
Age range: 14-16
Resource type: Other
![essay questions about prejudice Violet Hope's CIE IGCSE and A level Literature shop](https://d2w4qhtqw2dbsq.cloudfront.net/profile_live/640928/small.jpg?_=1725017935583)
Last updated
24 August 2024
- Share through email
- Share through twitter
- Share through linkedin
- Share through facebook
- Share through pinterest
![essay questions about prejudice essay questions about prejudice](https://d1e4pidl3fu268.cloudfront.net/79e3a54f-9b20-4505-8fb1-eba021537b2c/PrideandPrejudice.crop_503x377_0,115.preview.png)
Creative Commons "Attribution"
Your rating is required to reflect your happiness.
It's good to leave some feedback.
Something went wrong, please try again later.
This resource hasn't been reviewed yet
To ensure quality for our reviews, only customers who have downloaded this resource can review it
Report this resource to let us know if it violates our terms and conditions. Our customer service team will review your report and will be in touch.
Not quite what you were looking for? Search by keyword to find the right resource:
![](http://sektorel.online/777/templates/cheerup/res/banner1.gif)
COMMENTS
Looking for a good essay, research or speech topic on Prejudice? Check our list of 147 interesting Prejudice title ideas to write about!
Pride and Prejudice study guide contains a biography of Jane Austen, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.
Looking for a good essay, research or speech topic on Pride and Prejudice? Check our list of 104 interesting Pride and Prejudice title ideas to write about!
Study Help Essay Questions. 1. Examine Austen's use of irony throughout the novel. Give examples of structural irony as well as irony within the narrator's descriptions and characters' dialogue. 2. Explore the developing relationship between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. How do they misunderstand each other, and when do they reach accord?
Pride and Prejudice. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Suggested Essay Topics PDF Cite Volume One Chapter 1 1. The first title Jane Austen chose for this work was First Impressions. What are your first impressions of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet?
Topic #5 Write an essay to show how the first impressions of major characters influence the plot and character relationships in Pride and Prejudice. Outline
Pride and Prejudice study guide contains a biography of Jane Austen, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.
Looking for ideas to write an essay on Pride and Prejudice? 🔷We have a great solution for students who are tired and just want to get high marks for their work.
Pride and Prejudice continues to be the author's most popular novel, perhaps because readers share Darcy's admiration for the "liveliness" of Elizabeth Bennet's mind.
Pride and Prejudice. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
The best study guide to Pride and Prejudice on the planet, from the creators of SparkNotes. Get the summaries, analysis, and quotes you need.
Here is a list of questions that can be used for conversation. What is important about the title? What conflicts did you notice in Pride and Prejudice? Were they physical, moral, intellectual, or emotional conflicts? How does Jane Austen reveal character in Pride and Prejudice? What are some themes in the story? How do they relate to the plot ...
To what extent do you agree? 3. Elizabeth Bennet holds a radical view of marriage for her time. What impact does this attitude have on the other characters' lives and relationships? Discuss. For more sample essay topics, head over to our Pride and Prejudice Study Guide to practice writing essays using the analysis you've learnt in this blog!
Pride and Prejudice published in 1813, is Jane Austen's second, and probably best known novel, though it was originally published anonymously. Austen began Pride and Prejudice in 1796 under the ...
If you're tasked with writing an essay on the topic, it's critical to check out essay examples on Pride and Prejudice before beginning your own paper. Our experts have prepared a collection of free literary essays about Pride and Prejudice, featuring an in-depth analysis of the book's theme, protagonists, and titles.
Report this resourceto let us know if it violates our terms and conditions. Our customer service team will review your report and will be in touch.
Pride and Prejudice develops other characters skillfully if less fully. Charles Bingley and Jane Bennet fall in love quickly and tastefully at the novel's outset.
The document provides 10 essay questions about themes and topics in Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice. The questions address Mr. Collins' character, Austen's political views, how the novel tricks readers, the idea of responsibility, whether Austen was a feminist, the influence of the French Revolution, comparisons to Romantic poets, the role of money and marriage, the significance of the ...