At its very core art is the representation of the values and ideals of people and the culture that created it. In this sense art is representational of life itself. Therefore the way a person perceives art can be a subtle indication of who they are as a person. Denis Dutton and John Updike have both viewed art as an instrument that evokes spirituality and emotion. However the means by which they have gone about this contrast heavily with each other. Because of the nature of their respective texts the vocabulary used is highly different. Whereas Updike has approached his angle of art from an emotive standpoint, Dutton has been more logical and rational in a sense. The idea of an art instinct being an automatic unconscious patterns of behavior sees Dutton express himself in a far more elaborate and scientific manner of conduct, contrasting Updike s satisfaction with the cherry- reds and lemon yellows. Like any scientist Dutton has posed a question as to why art is the way it is. Updike is more simplistic in his language relying on emotions of nostalgia that fuel his piece. In a way the language of Before a Mirror is child- like in order to reflect this tone with references to the womb and fresh with no sag, no wrinkle, to emphasise his point. The titles of both pieces of text even clash. The Art Instinct, an oxymoronic concept in itself, cashes with itself despite being only three words. There is no instinct, according to Dutton, as art is learned, not innate. However Updikes s Before a Mirror has connotations of pre- birth, the womb a natural unexplained, untaught skill. The two pieces are interesting, as though their perception of art is similar, both Dutton and Updike have such differing trains of thought in how they managed to arrive to their conclusion. Yet ironically the value for the asses is dying for Updike and alive for Dutton. Updike who has shared his own experience of freshness and nostalgia of art is saying that millions who first say Picasso s Girl Before a Mirror is a dwindling population. Updike s view symbolizes the decline in the population of those who recognizes the value of high art. Dutton however expresses that art transcends humanity and the mundane facts that Darwinian theory explains. As such art will last longer than humanity will. This is further emphasized by Dutton s collection of art pieces, a timeline of sorts with Bach s Mass in B Minor, Emily Dickinson s poetry and Jackson Pollock s painting One: Number 31, 1950? This contrasts Updike s singular Picasso s Girls before a Mirror. Dutton s use of multiple pieces of art work emphasizes the idea that art has coexisted since humanity s time on earth and will continue to do so into the future, contradicting Updike s view that the art crowd is dying. Furthermore 1932 is around the end of the Dadaist influence and surrealist movement, whereas 1950 is around the middle of the modern expressionist era. The chosen pieces could therefore reflect Dutton s views on the acceptance of the new modern day art and Updike s resistance in moving past the early modernist age of art. Concepts that are especially reinforced with Dutton s references to Darwin s Theory of Evolution, in which he perceives art as evolving alongside humans. Both writers convey their appreciation for art quite thoroughly in their respective pieces. Dutton has gone for a more rational approach, The Art Instinct conveys the belief that art will transcend humanity itself, a strong force in today s world. Updike however shows a more emotive approach to art, but is cynical in his views for art appreciation in the future. Same topic, different predictions. Art in itself is always changing so it is impossible to say which is more correct. 5/8 Argument established in opening. Fluent, beginning to synthesise response Some perceptive thought substantiated and argued coherently and logically Some use of references and terminology to describe crafting, content and processes. Personal response and a degree of engagement.
Section B: Shakespeare manages to explore realistic characters within realistic, complex and dramatic situations. The Bard is known for having some of the most iconic characters of all time; characters stemmed from truth but rich in fantasy and imagination. Given that Shakespeare s most compelling characters are those who achieve things that are often taboo by social norms, the few characters that end up in situations that are similar to the audiences are made that much more engaging. A sense of excitement, pathos, camaraderie that comes with seeing characters that manage to resolve such problems is often paired with the engaging complicated dramatic affairs that Shakespeare is well known for. From innocent Cordelia in King Lear, to hot- headed Coriolanus and even the vile Richard 111, these characters are skilfully explored when faced with realistic, complex and dramatic situations in order to engage the audience even more so. Personified innocence and truth Cordelia suffers a tragic fate by unwilling circumstances. Lear s initial test of love saw Cordelia unable to heave my heart into my mouth. Sparking anger from the foolish king. Although many would argue that a parent wouldn t ask their child for their professions of love in order to dictate their will, the realistic view here is Cordelia s act of truth telling. Her unwillingness to resort to empty flattery like her tiger sisters, Goneril and Regan, can be seen as her love and respect to her father. Cordelia, who loves Lear according to my (her) bond can engage audiences that may have been asked to flatter someone in order to get ahead in their real live. Her actions result in her becoming a bastion for truth and purity even through her banishment. Her death is both complex and dramatic in the sense that it may not have been necessary. Shakespeare warrants the explanation for Cordelia s death leaving this open to interpretation. Lear s remark that heaven s vault should crack shows the brutality and redundancy of her death. The King who has resorted to howl, howl, howl, howl voiced onomatopoeia which reduces him to an animal, dies as well. With Cordelia s death comes two lives. An interpretation that I feel is justified is that Cordelia s death served as an atonement of sin. The play s events were hideous and evil and therefore, only through the death of one so noble and pure, can the Kingdom be saved and prosper. Cordelia, a character who died an unwarranted death for the future of her father s country. Therefore the polar opposite of Cordelia must be Richard III. A character so vile who had sought to prove a villain as he cannot prove a lover. His physical deformity, a dramatic device to represent his evil within, is ironic in this sense as without his deformity, he faces issues and contradictions within himself. Throughout the play Richard III has been an elvish marked, abortive, rotting hog. His multifaceted character revealing all via his soliloquys, depict to audiences his true evil nature. His willingness to prove a villain as he cannot prove a lover makes no attempt to evoke sympathy from audiences rather enraging and polarizing audiences as he is willing to disregard the values that we as a society cherish. To me, Richard III became a more valid and realistic character after his visitation by the ghosts. His anxiety and questioning of is there a murderer here? is self- answered No, Yes I am. This is symbolic of inner turmoil and a conscience, a concept all audiences know and understand, but Richard III had not exhibited prior. His renewed fear of himself is realized when he contemplates fleeing What? From myself?, as he realizes he is the worst person to be alone with and that he is unable to flee from himself. His conclusion of I am a villain is no longer prove a villain showing his realization he is the monstrosity, a very realistic situation when we as audiences are left to ponder about all of the wrong doings we have done. Richard III a man exiled from society who therefore turns against it to avenge himself. This is similar to Coriolanus, often considered one of Shakespeare s fourth great tragedy. Coriolanus as a character is arguably Shakespeare s most realistic creation, due to his many faults. Coriolanus is hard to call a tragic hero, by Aristotelian standards, as he has many tragic flaws: unyielding pride, uncontrollable anger, unquestioned obedience to his mother and many more. Coriolanus s exile from Rome can be traced to an ongoing conflict between his pride and sense of self preservation. Granted that if he was a better politician and yielded to the demands of the plebeians he may have lived. However, his pride is rooted in his status as a
god of war and even his upbringing by his puppeteer mother who would have rather had eleven sons die nobly than one voluptuously surfeit out of action. His dramatic switch to the Volscians to wage war on Rome is a concept that audiences are all familiar with; revenge. But his final act of obeying his mother, a biblical concept that was lived by at the time of the play, saw him die of treason. This produces inner conflict between audience members who is left to wonder whether blind following of your parents is correct. Personally Coriolanus is one of Shakespeare s most engaging characters as he proves both hero and villain but also a tainted and flawed hero that doesn t look down on others. It was the other characters that his doings unmasked. Given that Shakespeare s plays are often rich in unfathomable situations for many, audiences are still able to find realistic points in many of his plots. Within these are characters that behave in ways that are understandable yet often frowned upon. It is easier to judge and without ever being in some of these situations, some of us might be shocked at how many similar things we do to the characters if the events ever occurred. 5/8 Stance taken at start with reference to whole question Develops argument simply with references to plays Suitable references interwoven Some synthesized response Structured and generally coherent response Personal response and a degree of engagement.
Section C: Words have great power in the hands of those who wield them. To those who can appropriately wield them words are a medium to which many great ideas can be communicated effectively. Literature in the form of novels and plays and poetry has somewhat been shunned by the new age of technology. The next generations are more akin to watching a movie adaptation than the book itself. It is due to ease of simplicity and laziness on our parts that movies have a greater impact on the latest generation. However a brilliant director and or producer would be able to convey the same messages in these movie adaptations and change it to suit their audiences, ever so subtly, producing engaging films. William Golding s Lord of the Flies is a classic tale of forewarning in a novel form. The novel tells of a group of boys stranded on an island and forced to survive without relapsing into savagery. A fat boy named Piggy becomes the voice of reason and society, with his glasses, a symbol of civilization and intelligence that give the boys access to fire, a symbol for progress and life. Piggy s antitheses Jack however is a savage and brutal boy, leaving his assigned designated roles and tasks to go hunting. The conflict between these two is symbolic of society s inner conflict between intellect and emotion. Although we may pride ourselves on being civil and post- barbarianistic, the potential for us to revert to kill the pig, spill his blood, bash his head. Is present. Golding s novel is therefore one of warning. A warning about the Lord of the Flies, the beast the savage within all of us. This is also fairly reminiscent of Kubrick s 2001: A space Odyssey. This film sees a computer, HAL 9000, go against its human masters, a warning about technological advancement. This message is so much more relevant today as we live in a world of technology, hence the decline in literary print. The artificial intelligence portrayed in the film sees machines do everything for the humans, form life support to meal preparation. Kubrick s film also presents a lack of words between characters. This may have been an artistic choice in order to emphasise the breakdown in communication between people, due to the aid of machines. The seamless cut between the ape men and their throwing of the bone to the sky with the space station could be interpreted as a metaphor for the rapid technological advancements we face. Much like the film, there may be unforeseen circumstances to technological advancements and therefore this film acts as a warning for the evolution and coexistence of man and machines. Closer to home New Zealand has produced many film adaptations of novels that deal with the Maori race, Lee Tamahri s Once were Warriors tells a tale of Beth, a Maori woman trapped in her marriage with an abusive drunkard Jake. The tale portrays Beth as a powerful strong woman who in the end leaves Jake with her children, a revolutionary idea. Strong women are hardly ever portrayed with the Whale Rider and even the Hunger Games being some of the few works that provide these independent women. :Once were Warriors however is a film that to me shines a light on issues facing New Zealand as a whole, that are taboo and difficult to talk about so are sometimes ignored; alcohol abuse, domestic abuse. One scene sees Beth being beaten by Jake and raped while their children were in the other room aware. This happened amidst a party which saw all of its members leave when the violence began. This emphasizes the behind the closed doors aspect of the film, [prevalent in today s society. Along with the swearing, scenes like this are uncensored, unfiltered and raw. This has been done to shock audiences, sparking a response or evoking some action hopefully. Once were Warriors also deals with the issues of culture loss. Jake is told by Beth Our people once were warriors who had mana, not just mindless violence. This loss of culture is another important issue facing our society today. An issue also addressed by Taika Waititi s Boy. Although Boy deals with many similar concepts present in Once were Warriors ; alcoholism, loss of culture, Boy is told through the perspective of a child. Waititi may have chosen to do this as a child s mind is pure and innocent. We see Boy idealise his father, who had been absent from his life, comparing him to Michael Jackson. One scene sees Boy s father
dance on light up panels and wearing clothing reminiscent of Michael Jackson s Billie Jean music video. This is ironic as a lyric in the song goes the kid is not my son, metaphorical of Boy and his father s relationship. By telling this story through the perspective of a child with child- like delusions and references the story is made more comedic and light hearted. The same messages as Once were warriors could be communicated but by using humour, this engages the audience more, whom is undoubtedly younger that the Once were Warrior audience. Therefore more influence may be gained this way, a mark of a true director that understands his audience. Words are very powerful. They are able to convey things in novels and such that are unacceptable to be spoken about in real life. However with rapid technological advancement, movies and films are the new modus operandi, by which writers convey their messages. A good director or producer is now the equivalent of a good writer. With a good understanding of their target market mere words can be powerful weapons. 4/8 Argument outlined but a little tenuous Texts and references suitable for purposes of statement Interwoven references Mostly coherent structured response.