Skin_Essay_Plan

Ondaatje celebrates the story telling tradition Explore with close analysis of “In the skin of a lion” General statement: “In the Skin of a lion” is novel underpinned by the significance of the story telling tradition. Story telling for an individual represents a vehicle to express ones feelings and personal preferences from which they accumulate authority and power. Ondaatje celebrates the art of story telling as it is an opportunity to play and experiment with conventional textual forms and features. He also emphasises the importance of possessing the knowledge of language, as without a medium to express ones story that story is lost in the midst of the “grand narrative” . Paragraph 1 Topic sentence/s.... .Story telling represents power for the individual, as it is a narration of ones life. Expand... Patrick in “Skin” represents the story teller from which Ondaatje uses to uncover the suppressed stories of the migrants. He is the character responsible for intertwining initial ambiguous plot lines, e.g. Alice Gull/ Temelcoff. Quote... • “Never again will a single story be told as if it was the only one” • “He was nothing but a cube, refracting all around him” Quote Analysis • High modalility of “Never”, alliteration of “Single Story” (SSSS sound) • Patrick is likened to the spectrum of a cube, as he refracts the light of the other characters in the form of their stories(Metaphor) Link to Question Ondaatje uses Patrick to challenge the dominant figures of who traditionally construct history. Patrick is the catalyst for ensuring a power shift, giving the migrants new importance and ultimately a voice. Paragraph 2 Topic sentence The foundation of the story telling tradition is that through the non linear style the narrator chooses their own story, which is precisely why Ondaatje celebrates this notion Expand: “In the Skin of a Lion” is unique from other novels as it is not sequently or chronologically ordered. This is done to emphasis that that there is no ONE story and definitely not ONE way of thinking. Ondaatje celebrates the use of differential structure in personal stories as it reflects the creators preferences and what events that they deem to be important. Quote • “Trust me this will take time, but there is order here, very faint, very human. Meander if you want to get to town” Quote analysis: Use of “me” and “you” allows Ondaatje to relate personally to the reader. Also the repetition of “Very”, in “very faint very human” in an emotive sense consists of strong feelings, giving Ondaatje’s work credibility. This is ultimately all done to highlight the ambiguous nature of his novel, as it familiar only initially to the storyteller. Link to Question: Ultimately Ondaatje’s deliberate use of non linear structure recognises the importance of playing with features and form, straying outside the normal conventions of storytelling. This is achieved through a post modernist reading and the fact that there is no grand narrative or set way of thinking. Paragraph 3 Topic Sentence: To be able to story tell a strong understanding of language must be possessed. Without this the migrants are unable to tell their story and consequently are silenced. Expand: Ondaatje celebrates the need to story tell, through the belittlement of authority. Harris and Small, in particular are painted as, as Ondaatje quotes “Bare knuckled capitalism”, who proceed to utilise their familiarity with language to suppress the marginalised migrants. Quote • “Charles Johnson, Nick Parker…The names strange in their foreign language was remembered like a number, much like the numbering in prison." • “If they speak…in any language other than English, they will be jailed. A rule of the city." Quote Analysis: The English language is used to control the migrant workers. The workers are given English name that mock and deny their cultural heritage .Thus the migrant workers are disempowered. The fractured, abrupt sentence – "A rule of the city." – conveys the rigidity of the laws of the rich. Link to Question: Words are essential for existence of the story telling tradition, as they represent the oral means to convey ones story. Without language the migrants are left without a voice to tell their story and consequently become silenced to the dominant figures of history. Conclusion Story telling is a wonderful thing for the individual which Ondaatje highly praises and celebrates. It represents a way of gaining both authority and power whilst giving an opportunity to experiment with differential textual form and feature. The idea of language is essential however, to be able to convey ones story, from which without , the benefits of story telling cannot be possessed and felt.