Grade-10-English-The-Mark-Notes.pptx
- 2. Genre Young Adult Fiction Dystopian Fiction Science Fiction An imagined place or state in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmentally degraded one.
- 5. TeenageHeroes JULIET Our protagonist and first person narrator. Selfish, duplicitous, but fiercely loyal. Unruly hair and freckles and big eyes. “Pus-coloured” Posh skin. KITTY He is destined to become a Locust and follow in his father’s footsteps. He is drawn to Ettie because he recognises his own longing for freedom, and because he is attracted to her. This is a forbidden love story because they are not fate- mates. NICOLAS The only person besides Nicolas whom Ettie cares about. Greedy and vain on the surface, but actually a noble, brave martyr.
- 6. Family MISTRESS, MASTER & LITTLE MISS Mistress is Ettie’s mother, and although she seems kind and beautiful at first, this is a façade. Master is her husband, Hylton, and he is an elitist, a classist, with no redeeming qualities. Little Miss, Larissa, is her sickly, spoilt half sister. They form a bond before Ettie realises that they are sisters. HANDLER XAVIER AND THE ORPHAN WARDEN Handler Xavier looks after the older orphans, using them in his cons, which Ettie is very good at. He is also an instrumental member of the resistance, but this noble pursuit clashes with his appalling treatment of Ettie. The Orphan Widow knows who Ettie is, and although fond of her, has not treated her better than the other orphans. She is an alcoholic, drinking “bug juice” made from flies.
- 7. Reader READER He is a blind man who taught Ettie to read. There is an understanding between them – Ettie brings him books and reads for him, and in exchange she can access his library. Because Ettie is the narrator, we are limited to her perspective, and she believes that she is able to hoodwink Reader by helping herself to his books, but there are hints in the text that indicate that he knows what she is doing: “Make sure you hang onto your bag as you walk the streets, Juliet. There are tricksters out there”.
- 8. Themes
- 9. Fate and Control: linked to all Big Brother societies is the idea of “birth lottery”, and oppression of the masses, in this case via the Machine’s numbers. The word “fate” is ironic in this book, because one‘s destiny is determined by a machine, not supernatural power. Escape and Freedom: everyone is trying to escape, with very little altruism. Kitty appears to be a more conventional heroine in this story, but since Ettie is the protagonist we assume that her dogged self-interest will allow for growth in the sequels to come. Love and Hate: There is an inversion of the expectation that parents love their children, and spousal love is artificial. Their mother plans to reveal Ettie is Larissa’s sister on Larissa’s deathbed, which demonstrates that even her love for Larissa is not pure.
- 10. Oppression: class division restricts the oppressed, reminiscent of racial segregation in South Africa, and in many other countries in history, and is a common theme in contemporary dystopian fiction, like the Hunger Games and Divergent, and less recent ones, like 1984. Prophecy and Destiny: the all seeing birds are blinded, but can “see”, like the masses who are figuratively blind to the injustice they suffer, although they suffer vividly under the yoke of this oppression. The birds suggest the future is better, and like many other dystopian novels there is a hero destined to save everyone. Appearance vs Reality: Ettie appears to be a selfish, lying cheat who cares about nobody, Handler Xavier is not just a con artist, Kitty is not just a selfish pleasure worker, Mistress is not the loving mother we think she is, Nicolas is not the elite, Posh boy, happy to enlist as a locust. Nothing is as it seems!
- 11. Motifs
- 12. The civil servants named after insects: The Cockroach – the repellent Director of Justice and Peace (ironic doublespeak), and holder of the keys to Savage City. The Locusts – the corrupt police, they are a plague on the inhabitants of Slum City as they treat them poorly, and often steal the little the earn. The numbers on their backs are reminiscent of prison numbers. These number dehumanise the inmates, in the same way the Slum City masses are dehumanised. What they think and feel is irrelevant, the numbers decide for them. Books represent knowledge and freedom. They are also a form of escapism. Narratives are powerful tools for making sense of the world, and open dialogue about contemporary issues, which this novel will facilitate. Blindness and the birds are all important motifs. The Reader and the birds are blind, but they are the ones who can really “see”. The Reader best understands society and history because he is well-read and educated. The birds prophesy, and are also messengers.
- 14. Reviews The Mark is a fast-paced, gritty and uncomfortable read and Bulbring maintains a cracking pace, blending elements of SF dystopia with nuances of magical realism Pick this one up if you’re looking for something slightly different – Nerine Dorman, Pretoria News Darker than The Hunger Games and more thrilling than Divergent, Edyth Bulbring’s new dystopian novel will fascinate teen readers – Fiona Snyckers, The Sunday Times This is the South African fiction we have all been waiting for – Nikki McDiarmid, Puku A dystopian, futuristic, mystical dark novel with twists and turns that keeps its reader enthralled to the last page. With its examination of a futuristic political system, it would make a great setwork for teenage pupils – Stephanie Saville, The Witness Bulbring paints a believable society in which steampunk is married to advanced technology. Although there is action and excitement, the focus is on the characters and their emotions, so this is never just another post-apocalyptic adventure story but something deeper and more serious – Aubrey Paton, The Herald Edyth Bulbring is South Africa’s premier story-teller for young adults – Library
- 15. Review: The Mark by Edyth Bulbring (Tafelberg) LIFESTYLE / 17 JUNE 2015, 12:59PM / NERINE DORMAN Before you roll your eyes at what you may consider to be yet another YA Dystopia read, you can be reassured that The Mark by Edyth Bulbring isn’t cast in the same mould as The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, as so many recent releases have been. Instead, the work has a grittier, more scratchy-behind-the-eyes feel that one would expect with George Orwell’s 1984. Ettie, also known as Juliet Seven, isn’t the special girl with the super abilities who is going to save the world and overthrow the evil ruling elite. She’s no one. She’s a drudge, a young woman fated to work in a menial job. Her Mark, which she desperately tries to remove throughout, means she’s trapped in the roles cast for her by others… The Machine is all that keeps mankind going, regulating a rigid caste system in which only a few are lucky enough to number among the Elite. The sun is no longer a life-giving source of light, and any who do not play by the rules in this harsh world are deemed Savage and cut off from society. When not training for her future in service of the Elite, Ettie is also part of a criminal underground that scams the “Posh”, and she makes no excuses for behaviour, nor does she possess many redeeming qualities. Though she’s clearly not a nice person – and some of her nasty comments are true gems – her devotion to her friend and companion Kitty, for whom she will go to the ends of the earth to protect, shines through; and also her love of literature that transports her to magical worlds so vastly different from the reality in which she is immersed. The main theme throughout the story is that of escape and not being satisfied with a pre-ordained lot. Ettie’s attempts to break free from an oppressive system lead her through many unpredictable twists and turns; as soon as I thought I knew which direction Bulbring was going to take readers, she confounded my expectations. The Mark is a fast-paced, gritty and uncomfortable read and Bulbring maintains a cracking pace, blending elements of SF dystopia with nuances of magical realism. Pick this one up if you’re looking for something slightly different.
- 16. WhoistheAuthor?
- 17. Bio Edyth Bulbring is a seasoned journalist, former political correspondent and news editor for the Sunday Times. She is also the author of Pops & the Nearly Dead (Penguin, March 2010) and The Club (Jonathan Ball, September 2008), as well as three young adult novels. The Summer of Toffie and Grummer (OUP) was published in February 2008, and Cornelia Button and the Globe of Gamagion (Jacana) was published in April 2008. Her latest title is Melly, Mrs Ho and Me, a young adult novel (Penguin, September 2010). Bulbring did her BA at the University of Cape Town and her MBA at Wits Business School. She has two daughters and a son. She lives in Johannesburg with her husband Mike Robertson. Source: Jonathan Ball Publishers, http://www.jonathanball.co.za/
- 18. Quotes from an interview with Edyth Bulbring “It was a completely new genre for me,” says Bulbring, “and I only started reading books like The Hunger Games and Divergent after I had written the first draft of The Mark. Looking back, I think there is one thing that sets The Mark apart from its fellows. This is that Juliet Seven, or Ettie, who has a prophecy about her saying that she will be the one to overturn the existing repressive system, does not know about the prophecy and she does not embrace popular rebellion. She is a loner, deeply suspicious of other people and she neither joins, nor identifies with the movement in opposition to the existing order. But I think it reflects my belief that all systems/governments are pretty much all the same. They are all underpinned by ugly, greedy rich men with big guns. And, that at the end of the day, behind the Mandelas and the Gandhis – the kinds of people whose heroic faces we so love to wear on our T-shirts and shout slogans about – the new systems that come about because of their sacrifices and the movements they inspire, simply turn out to be pretty much like the old ones – underpinned by ugly greedy rich men with big guns. Nothing ever changes. I think Ettie knows this, that one system is as rubbish as the next, which is why she chooses not to become the new poster girl for other people’s agendas. Ettie isn't the special girl with all the special powers we’ve come to expect in YA fiction. In fact, she isn't even a very nice person, yet she does have some redeeming qualities. Why do we cheer for her despite her not-so-nice side?
- 19. Bulbring explains: “There are lots of not so nice things about Ettie. She is duplicitous, cunning and manipulative, a thief, a liar and she is driven by self-preservation. But there are two qualities that allow us to forgive her and root for her. The first is that when she loves, she loves hard and true. The second is that she is loyal to those she loves. I think we like the fact that she is discerning – she doesn’t care who likes her and likes few people in return. When I thought about a setting, I realised that it would never work in South Africa, or even abroad. I had to set it in a place that didn’t exist. I needed to create a new place and a different time for them. So that’s what I did. I am also a keen recycler and gardener, and one of the things that drives me mental is the control that big corporations have over the environment and the production of food. I wanted to explore the consequences that the actions of a few greedy bastards would have on our future.” The Mark is set some 250 years after a time when the world blew up and cut the face of the moon in half. Very little survived apart from fleas and rats and, of course, cockroaches. Except I love birds, especially hadedas, which are prehistoric looking, extremely deceptive in that they are ungainly and ugly, except up close they are quite extraordinarily beautiful. The sound they make (like strangled vuvuzelas) when they circle above my house and wake me every morning, makes me feel glad to be alive. In The Mark, the muti nags takes the eyes out of the hadeda chicks so that they have a second sight. I chose them to the blind tellers of the prophecy because if there is one bird I imagined surviving a conflagration, it would be the hadeda. They look a billion years old and as if they are set to last another billion.”
- 21. Noteson theText Notes on the text.
Editor's Notes
- #2: Turn on timer for 20 minutes. Good morning, My name is Bernice and my talk is on the new Gr10 text, The Mark by Edyth Bulbring. My talk is split into two parts. The first part will be about teaching the novel, and the second part is a closer analysis of the actual text. A common way to start a new text is to use covers for the novel in prediction exercises with classes as a prereading exercise. The picture of Ettie with the numbers on her back is particularly effective for an exercise like this, as the students will need to decide why they are there. Both novel covers suggest a bleak reality, and the hadeda is quite enigmatic, and will elicit interesting predictions.
- #3: Defining a dystopia is central to understanding the main thrust of the book. A useful exercise where students are asked to create a Utopian version of our own reality should generate interesting creative writing. This book could potentially raise worthwhile discussion about what they view as important, and want to discuss about change. Novels which question the status quo and look ahead like this have enormous value.
- #4: This, or any other similar clip, can also be useful to define dystopias. I chose this one because it is quick and effective. You might want to start with a clip from the Hunger Games, or even watch the Hunger Games before reading The Mark so that you can look at an intertextual analysis.
- #5: Here is a brief overview of only the key characters.
- #6: Ettie appears to be something of a reluctant hero, and in fact, much of her internal dialogue through her first person narration is anything but “heroic sounding”. In an interview, the author spoke about why Ettie is so difficult to like, and it is apparent that she is something of an antihero, which means she has very few of the conventional heroic traits. It begs the question of whether we are suffering from superhero fatigue and an overload of the “chosen” ones in dystopian fiction to date? Perhaps this new antihero is a breath of fresh air because we can relate to her imperfection.
- #7: The people who ought to love Ettie, really let her down.
- #8: He is an important character, even if he might not seem to be at first.
- #9: These are my notes on possible themes, and I would love to discuss these later. Perhaps there are other ideas which have come from your own reading and interpretation of the text?
- #13: Motifs are recurring symbols which underpin themes. Here are some of the motifs which I have identified, but I am sure there are more. Some other ideas might be: The sun could symbolise the “heat of oppression”, as when there is cloud cover, the machine cannot track them. The character Me runs a salon, and in himself seems symbolic of narcissistic self-interest, conveyed by his name: Me. He is forever wanting to improve Ettie, concerned mostly with her outer appearance.
- #14: A great way to approach a novel is to find reviews and interviews, which is how I discovered that a sequel is in the pipeline. There are plenty of resources online, and Goodreads is often a good start. These reviews and interviews can be used to start conversations about character traits and themes, and make predictions about what the novel might be about. The only workbook I could find on this novel is available online at Loot.com for R150. It contains chapter summaries and questions, with space for students to make notes.
- #15: These reviews all claim the book will be a fantastic read for young adults, and the Witness prophetically perhaps, claims it will make a good setwork.
- #16: Reading a review like this could make an effective pre reading exercise. You might ask questions like: 1 What claim does this review make about the difference between this book and other works of dystopian fiction? 2 What is a caste system? Discuss elitism and classism, and how this is similar to other forms of oppression. 3 What is an antihero? Does this make the book sound more realistic? Are we sick of perfect superheroes? 4 Do you believe in fate and the supernatural? 5 Do you know what magic realism is? Read a poem by Ben Okri, or any other work of magic realism to gauge how students feel about this genre.
- #17: Knowing who the author is can sometimes help us determine how to interpret a novel. Reading is often a subjective experience, but knowing what inspires an author, and what they are concerned about, can help us understand their concerns and agenda.
- #18: I find it very interesting that she is a political correspondent, as her concerns about classism and autocratic societies are evident. Tell your students about her, and ask what they think she might be interested in writing about given her career history.
- #19: I have taken a few quotes from an interview with the author to discuss with students. It is tempting to criticise the author for calling bad leaders “ugly”, and perhaps she is a little unkind in her book too when she speaks of a boy being bound to a “goblin” of a girl. There’s a cynicism here which is embodied in Ettie.
- #20: The author claims that the idea of exploring a scam artist arose from an incident in Italy when her son was scammed by someone there when on holiday.
- #21: These are my notes on the text. I have taken out specific quotes and discussed them in some detail. There are too many to do now, but I will open the notes and skip ahead a bit. I also have a YouTube video up, which is on an earlier version of these notes. It is 37 minutes long and goes into more detail than I have time to do here, or you can drop me an email and I’ll send you a link to these notes.