Literary Genre Sample answer 1

Literary Genre Sample answer The use of a distinctive style can make a text particularly enjoyable. In light of the above statement, compare how the distinctive style of the authors helped to make the texts, which you have studied in your comparative course, enjoyable. Literary genre refers to how an author chooses to tell his or her story. The distinctive style employed by an author helps to create an enjoyable and memorable text, as well as enhance our understanding of the themes presented. In the texts of The Great Gatsby (TGG), a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, I m Not Scared (INS), a crime thriller film directed by Gabriele Salvatores, and Foster, a short story by Claire Keegan, each of the authors use a unique, yet effective style to engage the reader. The literary techniques of characterisation, imagery and contrast are used particularly well to create a text that is both pleasurable and memorable. The characters presented by all three authors contribute greatly to my enjoyment of the texts. In TGG, Fitzgerald delays introducing us to the character of Gatsby, which creates a sense of mystery around this central character, As I didn t know Mr. Gatsby. As a reader, I find I am intrigued to discover more about this character who lends his name to the title and am compelled to read on. Conversely, there is little mystery surrounding the characters of Michele in INS and the little girl in Foster. From the beginning, both are presented as open and honest characters who are sensitive to the world. Michele displays his honestly through his brave acknowledgement to the bully Skull that it was in fact he who came last in the race, so he would pay the forfeit, I came last. I ll pay up. I admire Michele s honesty and am compelled to like him from the beginning, which adds to my enjoyment of the text. While the girl in Foster is also incredibly honest, her honesty is more connected to the fact that she is also very innocent, rather than that she knows the difference between right and wrong. She repeats to Edna exactly what she overheard from her parents conversation, which highlights her naivety and her ignorance to her parents lack of care, She says you can keep me for as long as you like. I somewhat pity the girl s ignorance, and grow attached to her as a character, which heightens my enjoyment of her story. On the other hand, Fitzgerald also presents Gatsby as quite an Literary Genre Sample answer 1

innocent character, however I have no pity for him. His complete ignorance to the social rankings of New York becomes apparent in the Sloane incident, in which he fails to realise that the upper class do not want him attending their dinner, He wanted to go, and he didn t see that Mr. Sloane had determined he shouldn t. It appears to me that despite Gatsby s best efforts, no amount of money can buy him the social status he so desires. I fail to sympathise with Gatsby as I believe his failed dream to be his own fault. I also find his ignorance to be quite annoying and it somewhat dampens my experience of the text. Unlike Gatsby, Salvatores does not portray Michele to be an ignorant character, and he quickly comes to realise his parents involvement in the kidnapping of Filippo, Why did you put him in there?. I admire Michele s acute awareness of the world around him and his ability to see people for how they really are, not how he would like them to be. This strength of character Michele shows enhances my experience of the film and makes him an appealing character. Michele and Gatsby are somewhat opposites in that Gatsby is portrayed as ignorant throughout the text, while Michele most definitely is not. The little girl in Foster falls somewhat in the middle in that at the start of the text, Keegan presents her as totally innocent, however she comes to develop a mature sense of right and wrong, I have learnt enough, grown enough. I feel a surge of pride for the girl as she mentally grows and matures, which is something I cannot say about Gatsby, who mentally seems to be stuck in the mind of a child. The girl s development greatly enhances my enjoyment of the text and compels me to admire her as a character. The authors of all three texts portray the characters through vivid images, which aids their development and creates captivating storylines. Imagery is a key aspect of each author s style which adds to my enjoyment of the text. While there are obvious parallels between some images, there are also clear differences. In all three texts, the authors present us with the image of the central character coming to a realisation, which is both engaging and fascinating for the reader. Fitzgerald s style involves using a desperately sad image of Gatsby as he waited, and about four o clock she came to the window and stood there for a minute and then turned out the light. This confirms to me that Gatsby s dream has failed, and he has failed to win the affections of Daisy. While this image doesn t necessarily add to my enjoyment of TGG, it evokes a sense of sympathy for Gatsby within me and compels me to like him as a character. This image changes my view of Gatsby, as I previously thought he was self-centred and vain. While Salvatores style in INS also involves creating an image of realisation, it is not so much sad as it is clarifying. The image of Michele realising that the cups in his house are the same as the cups in the hole where Filippo is leads Literary Genre Sample answer 2

him to conclude that his parents are involved in the kidnapping. The image of Gatsby s realisation changed my opinion of Gatsby himself, however Michele s discovery changed my opinion of his parents. Michele s realisation allows him to understand that his parents are not being honest with him, and somewhat changes his view of the world. This is somewhat similar to how Gatsby s realisation changes his view of the world of Daisy. Salvatores style of using the simple image of the cups reveals to me how crime may be happening right under our nose, yet we fail to realise it. Michele s realisation furthers my understanding of the text and makes his parents involvement in the kidnapping clearer. This clarity is something I appreciate and makes the text more engaging and exciting. Unfortunately, the images of realisation presented in both INS and TGG involve the central characters coming to a somewhat negative realisation, however this is not the case in Foster. Keegan s style of creating a simple image that pulls on my heart strings forces me to become emotionally invested in the girl s story. As the girl and Kinsella walk hand in hand, she realises that my father has never once held my hand, and she comes to know what having a loving father feels like. This image greatly adds to my enjoyment of the text, unlike the image of Gatsby s realisation in TGG. I am genuinely thrilled for the girl that she was able to experience fatherly love, while I feel sad for both Gatsby and Michele that they had the misfortune of discovering that not all is good in the world. I gain a further understanding of Michele s bleak world through the image of him having nothing but a tomato for dinner. By presenting the poverty in Michele s town in such a clear way, Salvatores manages to shock me and awaken me to the injustices in this world, which contribute to making the text more memorable. Keegan presents the poverty in Foster through a similar image of Edna feeding the girl Weetabix because she is malnourished, She hands me one, then another and watches as I eat them. These images of poverty in both texts highlight the lack of food in the characters worlds and serve to create storylines which are both raw and engaging. However, the complete opposite is seen in TGG where Fitzgerald uses vivid imagery to portray Gatsby s wealth, shirts of sheer linen and thick silk and fine flannel, which lost their folds as they fell. Fitzgerald s style which involves creating bold images is most effective as it allows me to create a clear image in my mind of Gatsby s world. Although Gatsby s wealth is somewhat vulgar, the image doesn t fail to captivate me and increase my interest in the text. While the images of poverty in INS and Foster greatly contrast the image of wealth in TGG, the unique style of each of the three authors doesn t fail to arouse my interest in their story and allows me to paint a mental picture of the worlds they are portraying. It is undeniable that all three texts greatly contrast each other, however each author also uses contrast within their own text to create a story which is both enjoyable and entertaining. Literary Genre Sample answer 3

It takes great skill to create contrast within a text, however it is clear that this skill is something that none of the three authors are lacking in. In TGG, Fitzgerald presents the contrast between the rich and the poor through his portrayal of the Valley of Ashes, A fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens. The Valley of Ashes symbolises everything that was wrong with American society at the time, including the enormous economic divide. Fitzgerald s style of using setting to contrast the different social classes further reveals the corruption in this world and gives for some excellent reading. In a similar style, Keegan uses setting to contrast the different social classes in Foster. While the economic divide in Foster is nowhere near as great as in TGG, Keegan plainly shows the effects of differing economic backgrounds through her depiction of both life in the Kinsellas house, Under the smell of baking there s some disinfectant, some bleach, and the girl s own family home, the house feels damp and cold. As I watch the girl grow and develop, It was my perfect opportunity to say nothing, Keegan s relatable style allows me to begin to appreciate the difference that having a stable economic background can make to a person, and this lesson greatly enhances my experience of the text. Conversely, the contrast Salvatores creates within INS reveals how a person doesn t need money to be a moral person. Michele s impoverished background of rural Acqua Traverse greatly contrasts Filippo s home of wealthy northern Italy, however Michele s poverty does not stop him from doing the right thing. While the economic divide is clearly a source of contention in both TGG and Foster, Does she skimp on things or is she allowed to spend?, Salvatores uses this contrast to bring characters closer together. Michele doesn t care that Filippo is from a wealthier background and continues trying to help him like he would any other boy. Salvatores style of showing how children don t care about differences in wealth is quite thought provoking and makes the text more noteworthy. Michele s attempts to help Filippo reveal another contrast in this text that between the moral and the immoral. This contrast of morals is something which all three authors use, as it contributes to making the text more diverse and appealing. While Michele recognises that kidnapping is wrong and tries to help Filippo, Look what I brought you [cake]. It s crumbled but, his parents fail to see beyond the financial benefits of the crime they have committed, Two ears we ll cut off. Two. Money similarly leads to contrasting morals in TGG, where Gatsby, Daisy and Tom are all blind to what Nick can see so clearly it is wrong to use power and wealth to get away with breaking the law, they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money. One the other hand, in Foster the contrasting morals between characters regarding what is right and what is wrong is not only based on money. Keegan s style involves revealing the characters different mind sets through their behaviours, as we can see when Mildred interrogates the girl about the Kinsellas, What were they selling the lines for? Do ye say the rosary. Mildred s evident Literary Genre Sample answer 4

jealousy greatly contrasts the Kinsellas generosity and reveals that she has no moral conscience. However, this contrast allows both the girl and I to learn that all people are different, but we must always try to do the right thing, conclude that there are huge differences between people. This style of using contrasting behaviours aids my understanding of the text and makes reading it a more pleasurable experience. It is my opinion that in all three texts, the authors unique styles greatly contribute to making the texts more entertaining and pleasurable for the reader. The use of characterisation, imagery and contrast in different ways highlight the authors individuality, as well as making me appreciate the differences between the texts. While I enjoyed the style used by the authors in INS and TGG, I found Keegan s style in Foster to be captivating. Through using a simple, relatable style, Keegan managed to portray a thought provoking world which taught me many valuable life lessons. Her depiction of loveable characters, vivid imagery and stark contrasts greatly enhanced my experience of Foster and changed the way in which I view the world. Keegan was most successful in telling her story through the eyes of a child, and my experience of studying Foster is somewhat I will always carry with me. Literary Genre Sample answer 5