Change_Exam_Essay

Concepts of Change/Thesis- Change is inevitable, cannot control outcomes which can be positive or negative. INTRO: Change is inevitable; outcomes of change can be positive or negative. Through the study of JG Ballard’s Empire of the Sun, Animal Farm based on George Orwell’s novel and the poem, The Door by Miloslov Holub examine different concepts of change and the outcomes are able to be explored. BODY 1: Change is inevitable throughout a person’s life, events and catalysts determine the nature and degree change consists of. Jim, the protagonist in Empire of the Sun is affected by war when his hometown Beijing is invaded by the Japanese. War acts as a catalyst to Jim’s development and independent growth. Naive and unable to accept the harsh reality of war, Jim holds fast to his few possessions. The loss of his house and material items results in Jim tightly keeping hold of things in a small suitcase. Symbolism of the suitcase represents Jim’s feeling of nostalgia. An example of change is when Jim lets go of his suitcase symbolising the change where he no longer requires materialistic possessions. “The suitcase floated away like the box of a Chinese child’s coffin.” The technique of the simile further reveals Jim’s change in his language and his constant thought of death. Strong emotive language such as greasy tape, blood and pus paint a visual image of disgust and dirt which contrasts to Jim’s higher class house. The catalyst of war represents hardships in one’s life to which they become inevitable to change. BODY 2: The negative outcome of change is explored by the composer in Empire of the Sun and Animal farm. Both texts view a world on the state of collapse due to conflict. Change comes at a cost to the individual. In Empire of the Sun, Jim loses his innocent childhood. Throughout the text, food is used as a symbol as he transforms into a scavenger for hunger. Emotive language is used to describe the surrounding sight of sallow skin and protruding bones, creating empathy to even the Japanese enemy. This represents the entirety of the negative aspects of change. Another technique used is the characterisation of Basie who has benefited by the war and believes he can make money out of its negative impacts. Animal Farm examines the notion of change revealing negative outcomes of altering the dynamics of society. The film is an allegory; an extended metaphor where animals are personified and a deeper meaning about the rulings of humans are explored. Use of high camera angle when viewing the pigs creates an effect of dominance over the other animals as their egalitarian society transforms into a dictatorship. This effect is taken further when the pigs begin to walk on their hind feet displaying dominance over the other animals. Another affect is the symbolism which the pigs represent rulers over the other animals. Representation of inequity is displayed when the pigs move into the farmer’s house and begin to wear their clothes and drink alcohol. While it was necessary for a revolution, Animal Farm highlights the injustice present in society, while Empire of the Sun examines loss of control due to conflict. Both texts explore the negative aspects of change through the various degrading actions people are forced to take. BODY 3: Change can also have positive outcomes. In the prescribed text, Empire of the Sun, Jim is able to detach himself emotionally from the horrific violence around him and distance himself from common sights of death and decay. Colloquial language is used to describe death and gruesome sights revealing Jim is unaffected. This changed attitude of Jim’s ultimately allows his survival throughout the turmoil of World War Two. His changed attitude involves him appreciating everything he can. Example of this positive attitude he displays when he displays his newly acquired golf shoes using a metaphor and language more appealing than before the war. At the beginning of the text he attends a dress up party with his parents where he uses another metaphor to describe Shanghai as a “city of clowns”. This allows him to continue to follow his fantasy throughout the novel. While change is far from predictable, positive outcomes are able to arise. The Door, shows the unpredictable nature of change and how it can open a previously closed possibility. Persuasive language and repetition of the phrase “go and open the door” persuade and enforce to the audience to act on their own opportunities they are given. Symbolism of the door represents a personal barrier that needs to be overcome. The action you take with what you are given can allow a positive change into your life. The concluding line, “At least there’ll be a draft” further implies the positive nature of change with the fact that any attempt an individual will make to take the opportunity presented before them will have a positive side. CONC: The three texts explore the effects of change, being positive or negative is inevitable. Techniques enable the composer to further examine these notions of change to appeal to the emotional needs of an individual and society.