English Comparative Study 2013 Cultural Context

Here is a sample answer on cultural context of the comparative study.


Leaving Cert English – Comparative Study 2013 – Cultural Context
The texts that I have studied as part of my comparative course to answer this
question are The Road, a typical dystopian novel written by Cormac Mc Carthy,
Children of Men, a film directed by Alfonso Cuarôn based on a book written by P.D.
James and the Great Scottish tragedy Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare.
When we look at the issue of cultural context , we are simply looking at the world in
which the action of the text takes place. There are four areas that link our texts
under cultural context. Each writer, director and playwright crafts a believable world
through the use of vivid images and believable characters. They use tension and
drama to draw us into these worlds. We care about what happens to the characters.
It's almost like we have a personal reaction to what the characters face in each text
and how we feel about the different challenges that they face throughout each text.
I have outlined below the different characteristics of each of these worlds. I have
based these four general areas on questions asked in previous years.

1. Broken, disjointed, dark worlds
In each case, we are introduced to broken, violent worlds where the rules, laws and
morals of the ordinary world have been replaced by violence, lawlessness and on
the surface, a complete breakdown of normal moral behaviour. It is worth noting,
that in each case the damage seems to have been caused by mankind. Decisions
made by us. This is hinted in 'The Road' and is clearly seen in 'Children of Men' and
'Macbeth'. When the witches in 'Macbeth speak of a world turned on its head where
“fair is foul and foul is fair”, they perfectly summarise the dark world of my three
texts. We see this darkness clearly in (choose two examples from each text and
explain).
Examples:
The Road:
Children of Men:
Macbeth:

2. There is in each of our texts: hope and goodness
On the surface, the worlds exposed in each text seem to be an evil place where
greed, violence and murder are rewarded. The more cruel, greedy and violent you
are, the greater chance you will have to survive and thrive in each of our three texts.
These seem to be values that most hold.
However, by the time we finish each text, we see that even in the seemingly twisted
worlds of each text, the good and those with hope and morals are rewarded and the
heroic and bad will be punished for their behaviour. This is particularly true in
'Macbeth', but can also be seen in all three texts. In each of our texts, we see that
even though the cultural context seems totally twisted, there is always hope and
there are always people who do the right thing. For each of our writers their worlds
are not totally damned and hopeless. There is a sense of optimism in each of our
texts. True, there is fear, violence and un-controlled ambition, but there is also love,
bravery, mortality and loyalty. (choose two examples from each text and explain).
Examples:
The Road:
Children of Men:
Macbeth:

3. We are all shaped by the worlds in which we live and the characters in each of
our texts are no different.
So how are each of our characters shaped by the world and circumstances that
they face? Within each text, we see that not all characters respond in the same way
to the world in which they find themselves. Ask yourself this. Do the male and
female characters in each text respond differently to the challenges and
opportunities placed before them? In each of our three texts, the men definitely
seem to shine. Some characters, like the mother in 'Children of Men', simply fold
and give up.
In Shakespeare's 'Macbeth', Lady Macbeth seems driven by a lunatic desire for
power. Others choose to do the hard thing and carry on. The father and son in 'The
Road', Theo in 'Children of Men' and Macduff in 'Macbeth' are all examples of
individuals that look at their twisted worlds and instead of just going with the flow,
they choose to do the right thing and “swim against the tide”. As we are told in 'The
Road', some choose to “carry the light”, whilst others choose selfishness, greed,
murder and even cannabalism. (choose two examples from each text and explain).
Carrying the light
Examples:
The Road:
Children of Men:
Macbeth:
Those who choose greed, violence and evil
Examples:
The Road:
Children of Men:
Macbeth:

4. The worlds explored in each of our texts are divided places
Even in a world shattered and broken by unknown or man-made events there are
those who seem to hold and control power and wealth. The most obvious example
is 'Macbeth'. The lives of the lowly chamberlains (bodyguards) are considered
worthless. Lady Macbeth and Lord Macbeth never cast them a second thought. The
lives of the King, Queen and Thanes are all full of wealth, power and splendour.
They have absolute control over their subjects and what they say goes. In 'Children
of Men', we see a world with less that sixty years left as manking awaits the death
of the last human. Even in this dark world, wealth and power are in the hands of
those who rule, while the illegal immigrants live in condition best suited to animals.
In 'The Road', the world is divided between those who control the road and the
weapons and those who are weak and vulnerable. Each writer seems fascinated by
these divisions which are also so apparent in our single text and many of our
poems. (choose two examples from each text and explain).
Examples:
The Road:
Children of Men:
Macbeth