Jameel's Online Journal

I am currently on part 3 of Kazuo Ishiguro’s “Never Let Me GO” and I am no sure on my choice of Marxism as the theme my coursework will be based upon. I am particularly interested in the theory of how it is the way we are brought up and the surroundings and soicety we live in that shapes our views, opinions, actions and overall being as we get older. This is particularly specific within Ishiguro’s novel as it seems that the key decisions the protagonists make within the novel are based on how much they are told by their teachers with Hailsham and this is particularly established by the characters Madame and Miss Lucy. However, in this sense what is fascinating is that class is not a reliant aspect within the story as it is eliminated by Ishiguro by creating a type of unity as each student is a clone and all have the same purpose in life, these being there donations. Although, this unity is removed as the students move to the cottages and eventually when they become carers as instead of a class system Ishiguro has created a differentiated society through where they grew up and what care homes they went to.
This theme is also significant within George Orwell’s 1984 as ultimately it is Winston Smith’s vague memory of a past before the Party took over which inspires him into taking the actions he does within the nove. He knows of a past reality where things were better and this is effectively contrasted through the character of Julia. Winston is somewhat honourable in the sense that he is fighting against an oppressive force and would do so even with no support whereas Julia is somewhat selfish, interested in rebelling only for the pleasures to be gained.
It is these aspects I will want to explore in my upcoming coursework.

Currently, I am in the last remaining pages of George Orwell’s 1984 and in all honesty at the beginning it was very much a struggle, specifically in terms of interest. However once Orwell has fully introduced his new world upon the reader it becomes more and more interesting. The themes of Marxism are clear, and feminism also to a certain extent so this is one of the books I plan to use in my upcoming coursework.
After finishing the novel I plan to read Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel Never Let Me Go and also John Steinbeck’s The Pearl.

Currently, I am reading George R.R. Martin’s book “A Game of Thrones”, the first novel of the franchise which was used as the base of interpretation for the first season the hit HBO television franchise. On first glance a fantasy thriller which involves dragons and magic does not seem to even come close to coming under the views that will be studied in this coming year in class, however I disagree. Feminism is a highly debated topic which can reach in most echelons of society and it has become a topic of thought in many different environments and, as a result of our developments as a society, it is very much discussed in television.

I myself am a huge fan of the Game of Thrones franchise, finding it very much worthy of its awards and critical acclaim. I was so engrossed with the world created by the writers that by the time I finished watching the last of episode of season 4 I started reading the first book . So far I am very much enjoying the book and its small, yet significant difference in interpretations of its many characters as it provides depth that I otherwise would not have found by just watching the show on its own.

What I found very much intriguing was the positions of female characters within the novel. Leading characters such as Cersai Lannister, Daenerys Targaryen and Catelyn Stark provide very different representations of powerful women, all coming from different journeys but each suffering more pain and heartbreak than most characters in the novel and the fact that they all come from “noble birth” is highlighted both in the novel and the television show itself, female characters that lacked noble birth even more so.

This positioning as very much interested me and led to me thinking of other hit television programmes and novels and where their female characters are placed, for example, in “Breaking Bad”, characters such as Skyler and Marie who are often very powerful in terms of the storyline, are also portrayed as nuisances to the journey of the protagonist anti-hero Walter White. On the other hand, in “Suits” the women characters such as Rachel and Donna are very much powerful whatever their stature and are seen as a makeshift backbone for the two leading characters of Harvey Spectre and Mike Ross.

I very much plan to explore this further in the upcoming school year.

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