Family Diversity

Does divorce mean that the family is in decline?

OBJ: To know what divorce is, to examine why it happens and to consider the consequences.

What is divorce?
 Divorce is the legal separation between husband and wife.The termination of a marriage.
But there are different types of divorce, such as empty shell marriage which is them married by name only, Desertion where one partner leaves the other and legal separation, where the court separates financial dealings but still married.

divorce statistics are presented in three main ways:

1. The total number of divorce petitions per year (The number of people applying for a divorce but not necessarily gone through with it.
2. The total number of decrees absolute granted per year
3. The divorce rate

Reasons for divorce:

• Law:
• divorce has become accessible to women in 1923
• Divorce law reform act 1969 (first actioned in 1971)
• Divorce on the grounds of 'irretrievable breakdown'
• 1949 saw the introduction to money being available to help, but had to have a 3 year period of reconciliation
• The period of reconciliation was reduced to 1 year from 3
• Stigma and changing attitudes:
• Stigma is a negative label
• Churches condemned divorce
• Mitchell & Goody saw in the 1960s saw that divorce is more acceptable
• Couples now get divorced, which became a normality, it was no longer considered negatively but instead was treated as a misfortune.
• Secularisation
• 34% of Christians follow the traditional rules
• Churches don't want to lose followers so they have soften their views
• IN some religious communities, it is still shunned to get a divorce
• Rising expectations of marriage
• Marriage is no longer considered a binding contract
• Lower expectations of people of being married has led to increase in divorce
• A change in the paradigm of love, it is considered Romantic and that if you no longer love each other, there is no point of marriage.
• Higher expectations makes couples today less willing to tolerate an unhappy marriage.
• Changing potions of women
• Radical feminists argue that the cause of divorce is due to the dissatisfaction with patriarchal society which less women want to tolerate
• Women have greater success in education and get better life prospects
• Developments mean that women are more likely to be able to support themselves in the event of divorce
• The availability of welfare benefits means that women no longer have to remain financially dependant on their husbands.

Creative critical response coursework

OBJ: To know the itches second set of prophecies. To understand what is expected in the creative critical commentary coursework.


"Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! beware Macduff; Beware the thane of Fife. Dismiss me. Enough."

Shakespeare establishes the power of the supernatural.

"Be bloody, bold, and resolute; laugh to scorn The power of man, for none of woman born Shall harm Macbeth."

The equivocation allows for the superstition linked to caesarian birth were thought to be blessed.

"What is this That rises like the issue of a king, And wears upon his baby-brow the round And top of sovereignty?" 

 Juxtaposes prelapsarian innocence with Macbeth's iniquity. The idea of a "barren sceptre" and "fruitless crown"

"Macbeth shall never vanquish'd be until Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill Shall come against him."

The implausibility of this makes him feel entirely invincible.

"That will never be Who can impress the forest, bid the tree Unfix his earth-bound root?"

Macbeth acknowledges that there is a force greater than that of man (the force of nature which is a pagan idea.) The shallow absurdity of these prophecies is exposed later on.

Braggadocio

OBJ: To deploy our critical language effectively to “review” a scene (AO1)
To explore and probe AO2

Word of the day: Braggadocio (boastful or arrogant behaviour.)



In a good review, you should be able to evaluate different productions, you also need to show your own interpretations of the character. It is important that you add some well placed judiciously placed quotes, in addition it is good to add a layer of what of other critiques have said about the production.

Critique of Polanski's adaptation of the Macbeth banquet scene:

Finch's portrayal of Macbeth in this scene conveys a Macbeth who, despite his best efforts, cannot maintain his façade of being innocent and is being crushed by his mind “full of scorpions”. Finch's performance shows none of the braggadocio of Stewart's performance and presents himself as more human than Stewart's interpretation of a 'starlinesque' Dictator.

Arguably, Shakespeare wanted Macbeth to be presented as a noble king mildly affected by the death of the King, and then broken by the vision of Banquo's ghost.

Section A

OBJ: To recap which AOs you should address for each part of the unseen poetry questions and how  to respond to unseen poetry in the AS exam.

AS Paper is two hours and 15 minutes long;

Unseen Poetry = 20 marks

Home poetry = 50 marks

Part A: 5 marks – JUST AO1 is marked (come up with 5 'answers' and embed quotes – keep it short and sweet)

Part B: 5 marks – JUST AO2 is marked (in this answer, focus on language, structure, form analysis of quotes and ideas in the poem. You can literally pick and explore quotes for this one.)

The use of sibilance in 'Shepard's swains shall dance and sing' enhances the euphonious mood of the poem. The use of repetition shows a sense of urgency which creates resolution at the end: 'Then live with me and be my love.' the use of euphony ('melodic tone to intensify the dynamic symbolism between nature and his lover. The use of rhyming couplets give the poem a steady rhythm, perhaps to symbolise the stability of their relationship. Assonance is also used to emphasize the pastoral theme of the poem and the many elements of nature mentioned throughout ('Valleys, groves, hills, woods...')


1. with close reference to 1 or 2 examples, explore the imagery which has been used in the poem.

'And I will make thee beds of roses / And a thousand fragrant posies'
by this point in the poem, Marlowe has used many clichéd images of the idea of love. The hyperbole of 'a thousand fragrant posies' may symbolise the strength of his love for her and nature. Perhaps Marlowe uses the image of these flowers to symbolise his conquering of the finite aspects of love. Where one flower blooms, wither and dies, his 'thousand' flowers seem eternal.

Unseen Poetry

OBJ: To explore how to respond to the 10 mark question in unseen poetry in the AS exam.


Analysis of The Passion Of The Shepard To His Love

'There will I make thee beds of roses And a thousand fragrant posies' - Nature is seen as idyllic in pastoral poetry

'Come live with me and be my love' - Idyllic language used to depict nature represents idyllic aspect of love.

'pretty lambs we pull; Fair lined slippers for the cold, With buckles of the purest gold' - Celestial imagery insinuates transcendence of his love over normality. The regal representation gives gravitas.

'The shepherd's swains shall dance and sing For thy delight each may morning' - Symbolic of Spring, new beginnings, fresh starts.


Shared writing of first PEE:

Marlowe's divine depiction of the celestial imagery insinuates transcendence of his love over normality. This intimates the regal representation of their love which gives their love gravitas;
"Our pretty lambs we pull;
Fair lined slippers for the cold,
With buckles of the purest gold;"
The vivid imagery of the 'buckles of the purest gold' emphasizes the pastoral conventions of the poem. Specifically, 'purest' relates to his lover's innocence and purity of self. The 'pretty lambs' provide an eschatological reference to Jesus and his purity also. Lambs also suggest new life as they are a symbol of Spring and new beginnings. Marlowe's representation of the lovers goes beyond metaphysical; he presents much imagery of a holy or celestial form within this pastoral poem.