Sir Anthony exerts power and control over his son. This is done by making his - Sir Anthony's, offer to his son of money and an estate on the condition that he - Jack - marry the woman of Sir Anthony's choosing. 'The fortune is saddled with a wife.' The metaphorical term 'saddled' is used to emphasis burden and weight. And perhaps communicates Sir Anthony's misogynistic attitudes. Likewise in Blake's The Songs, parents and guardians have control over the children in their care. Children are sold into employment by their parents. The children have no rights or power to choose their fate, ' my father sold me while yet my tongue // Could scarcely cry 'weep weep weep weep.' Blake's use of onomatopoeia is used to create a vivid and sympathetic view of the young chimney sweeper. Who is a representative of a whole new and growing underclass of workers, drawn to the city for work and shelter, as a result of the great social upheavals brought about by the industrial revolution.
- Red - topic sentence
- Blue - quotation
- Light blue - literary comment
- Green - theoretical perspective comment
- Purple - contextual comment
- Make clear references to the different genres of the two texts. Identify some of the key technical features of the two texts.
- There are degrees of complexity in the comparisons between the texts but it may be better and perhaps more effective to make simple comparative observations. Such as children being sold into employment - clearly stated rather than manipulated by religion - a much more subtle and complex notion - a position not easily argued.
- Writing long complex sentences can be confusing and can muddle the writer as they write. I think it is better to write shorter sentences. This will help keep the essay focused and clearly anchored in the text and on the topic.
- Both Sheridan and Blake were writing during George III reign. Be very clear about the contextual ideas associated with this period. Make sure you read the support materials in the texts I've recommended - in the play and poetry collection, but also the essay I've photocopied for you and the links to documents on the OCR website. And don't forget the post I made to the three episode series on BBC 4 on The Georgians. But just so we know here are some key dates.
- George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 1738[1] – 29 January 1820) was King until his death in 1820. During the later years of his reign he suffered from mental illness and his son - George became Prince Regent whereby he took on many of the responsibilities of kingship. He became King George IV after his father's death.
- Richard Brinsley Butler Sheridan (30 October 1751 – 7 July 1816) was an Irish playwright and poet and long-term owner of the London Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. He is known for his plays such as The Rivals, The School for Scandal and A Trip to Scarborough.
- The Rivals is a comedy of manners play by Richard Brinsley Sheridan in five acts. It was first performed at Covent Garden Theatre on 17 January 1775.
- William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English painter, poet and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age
- Songs of Innocence and of Experience is an illustrated collection of poems by William Blake. It appeared in two phases. A few first copies were printed and illuminated by William Blake himself in 1789; five years later in 1794 he bound these poems with a set of new poems in a volume titled Songs of Innocence and of Experience Showing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul.
- Avoid making comparisons between Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience. The primary comparisons should be between The Songs - collectively and The Rivals. Try and draw general similarities between The Songs I think. Or refer specifically to a named collection - either The Songs of Innocence or The Songs of Experience.
- Please write your essays using a formal academic register throughout the essay. This means writing in fukll sentences and blocked paragraphs. Avoid using contractions or colloquial language. Do not refer to yourself in the first person - 'me' or 'I'. Instead refer to 'the reader.' Or use the collective pronouns - 'we' or 'us.'
- Writing a number of comparative paragraphs - at least one comparative paragraph for each of the nine topics we have identified as relevant to comparing these two texts. Use the comparative paragraph at the start of this post as a model for this work.
- Continue to read and browse through the play and the poems identifying good quotations you can use for the essay. Remember the 4 points that make up a good quotation. These are;
- Quotations should be short
- Quotations could be used for more than one purpose
- Quotations should contain strong literary - poetic and dramatic - features to comment on in the essay
- Choose quotations where you can make contextual, theoretical and literary links.
