This post is a great read for anybody, but it will be especially intriguing for:
Teachers of Unit Four VCE English, Area of Study One
Students studying these texts as a part of VCE Reading and Comparing Texts
Those who enjoy either of the novels and would like to read something new.
To what extent can an individual have true freedom?
To what extent do we as human beings need authority and government? How reliant are we on those who are entrusted to protect us and what happens when those entrusted with that power abuse it?
Both Never Let Me Go and Stasiland provide a unique insight into the impact of controlling structures and the struggle for individuals to take ownership of their own human experience.
Ishiguro speaks to us through his narrator, Kathy H, who gradually reveals to the reader her experience as one of the “lucky” Hailsham students created to ultimately become a “donor” and live out her purpose by eventually “completing”. She speaks fondly of her time at the school, with great affection for some of the guardians who cared for her as a child. Ishiguro is able to create a naivete around Kathy’s narration which gives readers a sense that, although she knows her fate, Kathy is uncomfortably accepting of her purpose in life. Her childhood tales about experiences at Hailsham allow readers to further understand this conditioning as Kathy, Ruth and Tommy move into their adult worlds and their destiny as donors.
Funder, through her examination of “a land gone wrong”, conveys to the reader the experiences of those who lived through the years of the GDR. Funder interviews both those in power, former Stasimen, some of whom long for their halcyon days of complete control, and those who were impacted by the regime in the most awful ways. The victims of the surveillance state bear scars from the past and Funder is able, through her thoughtful role as narrator, to convey the absurdity of the situation. So desperate for control, so thorough in their methods, the Stasi are portrayed as an overbearing, ever-present force in the lives of the East Germans. Readers are left horrified at the violation of people's personal spheres and the extent to which individuals can be so traumatised by a governing body.
When comparing these worlds, it’s clear that both contain individuals who are powerless to the powers that dictate their lives. In their struggle for individuality, characters reach different understandings and acceptances of their worlds and what has been set out for them. Each character (from both texts) has a different relationship with authority. Some rebel, some idly accept authority and some struggle to see themselves as individuals at all, but rather a part of the larger society. A sense of worth is found in contributing to this society, be it through helping the common cause or fulfilling the ghastly fate of living purely as a human donor.
It is also worth exploring the different reasons as to why the authorities in either novel act in the manner they do. What motivates them to treat those who they control in such a fashion? Power is exerted over citizens in both brutal and more subtle ways, however the lasting impacts of this power is felt by all that it touches.
WIth both texts told largely in retrospect, the role of memory in one’s life is also examined by both authors. For characters of each text, memories bring pain, they bring comfort and they also can take the form of spaces from which characters either cannot escape or do not want to. Kathy admits that she “shouldn’t” get lost in her memories as often as she does, but she relents to doing so often. All description of her present life includes her physically searching for Hailsahm or finding similarities in her surrounding landscape. Her memories of her upbringing are a sanctuary which helps her make sense of her awaiting fate.
Contrastingly, Funder portrays the past as a place of pain from which some citizens struggle to escape. Our initial impression of characters such as Miriam and Julia are that they are somehow trapped by their pasts. The impact of what has happened to them still manifests in their present life, and both speak with great pain and anguish of what they were forced to endure in the past. However, the reader is offered some sense of closure by the end of the text as we hear of both of these women being able to somewhat move on. This can be seen in contrast to the Hailsham students whose bleak futures plague them from the outset of the novel and no sense of moving beyond their fate is ever experienced.
These are but a few of the concepts that make these two such an intriguing pair to study or enjoy. The broad range of characters, coupled with the unique experiences of those who exert power versus those who are at the mercy of it, leads to a fascinating study of what it means to be truly human and an individual within a world of others. Whilst Stasiland offers some sense of resolution, it is the uncomfortable questions raised by both texts which will engage readers. It is also the exploration of the concepts examined through these questions which will lead to the richest comparison.
Ben Taylor - The English Lab
If you have any comments or queries about this pair or anything else related to VCE English, be sure to contact us at ben@englishlab.com.au
Our Reading and Creating workshops have finished for this term, but are still available as webinar replays. Two hours of great PD in your own time, at your own pace for $90!
Head to the resources section to purchase the booklet and receive the link for the webinar recording.
Here’s what some of our attendees of the live webinars had to say:
"A really practical-based session, provision of effective strategies and teacher support on how to implement these to get the best out of every student. This has to be the best Comparative PD yet! Highly recommend it!"
- Caitlin, Elisabeth Murdoch College
"These resources feel immediately useful, and collated in a meaningful sequence...I feel as thought I could confidently give the the workbook to use as the 'unit plan'. It's a huge weight off my shoulders and a wonderful way to begin a unit."
"Being in a regional area meant being able to access this online was actually a real bonus. I also really appreciate the fact that I can go back over the presentation again as I need to."
- Kath, King's College
In this presentation, teachers will be provided with a booklet of resources which push students to think about the texts in a conceptual manner. You'll be introduced to new ideas and points of comparison, before being taken through worked examples which utilise lessons about writing succinct, insightful and comparative pieces.
Comments