CTBC: Gender Characterization

FEMALES- Usually referred to as "she", "her", etc. rather than their names. (ex. "I am anxious to hear about my sister.")
BOTH- Spoken to with much respect.
MALES- Names are usually mentioned. (ex. "Perhaps it is my brother John.")
SIGNIFICANCY- Sets the audience further apart from the story. Leaves a sense of mystery. Lets us know about prejudice and segregation. Informs us about culture.

p.s. Who ever named the valley of Lufafa is my new favorite.

Cry, The Beloved Country: 4 Passages

1: SETTING- The entire first chapter tells about the setting. The mood shifts from nice and calm at the beginning to sad, almost urgent at the end. We are told about how the land is grassy and lush and beautiful, until the hills swoop down into a canyon that is infertile and dry and coarse. It makes us think of a frightening place surrounded by beautiful land.
2: LANGUAGE- The characters use use quite a lot of dialogue on the first page of chapter two. They address each other a lot, "I bring a letter, umfundisi" ... "Where did you get it, my child?" ... "The store, umfundisi." ... "Go well, small one". "You might be hungry, small one"... "Not very hungry, umfundisi" ... "a little hungry, umfundisi" ... "thank you, umfundisi". Could this be telling us that people in this land are very respectful to eachother?
3: NARRATIVE- The style of writing when characters are talking is a little bit different and seems to set distance between the reader and the characters. I notice this when newly named Stephen and his wife begin to look at the letter. Quotation marks are not used. It particularly made me think in this sentence: "She mustered up her courage, and said, is it not from our son.". Quotation marks are not placed where they should be, and a question mark is not used at the end of her question. Yet some how the un-grammatically-correct-ness of it has a bit of brilliance.
4: CHARACTER- Stephen is introduced in chapter two. The fact that the author didn't introduce him to the second chapter gives an ominous feel. I like the word umfundisi. Perhaps Stephen is a large man, since the little girl  is referred to many times as a small child.Or maybe the girl is just really tiny. I'm thinking that the fact that the girl is not referred to as a "girl" but as "child" in the first few pages of chapter two has some relevance (even though they use the word "she").

LOTF Theme: 2 ways W.G. explored it

The theme I chose: “Under critical circumstances, people will lose their innocence much too quick for their own good.” 
Way of exploration 1: Ralph's grey shirt.  It is mentioned in the very beginning, and becomes gross  with time. It is a symbol for innocence and childhood, because as the shirt becomes increasingly disgusting, the boys' innocence slips further and further away. 
Way of exploration 2: Ralph's dream. Ralph dreams of home and feeding his horse. This gives a sense that time has passed. He's dreaming of better times as if they were "back in the day".

William Golding's potential decisions: What about girls?

If girls had been included in the children stranded on the island in Lord of the Flies, W.G. would have to make a many different decisions. He could have decided to make the children older, and add some sort of romance? The girls could be tough, or turn tough, because of all the ruckus caused by the boys. Or perhaps the girls could be frail and weak, protected by the strong boy-men. The boys also could not really run around naked, as they did in the book. That would be pretty awkward. The girls could be gatherers, and be the ones watching the fire, so that all or most of the boys could hunt. There could be less conflict if there were girls (less conflict about hunting?), or, on the other end, more conflict (girl-fights and fights over girls?).

LOTF first page analysis: 2 of Golding's decisions

1. One decision W.G. had to make was when Piggy shouted out loud, and his voice was referred to as "it". "'Hi!' it said. 'Wait a minute!'" This could be referring to how Ralph things that Piggy is unimportant. Also, how everyone treats him like dirt. Ralph never does what piggy asks. For instance, when Piggy specifically told Ralph to not tell anyone about his nickname, and he goes right ahead and does. This makes the poor boy feel mistreated and disrespected. Also by using the word "it:", the voice could be male or female. We have not yet been informed that there are only boys on the island. "It" also does not specify species, which could foreshadow that there isn't just humans on the island. "It" could be anything, and the word gives a sense of suspense and mystery.

2. Another decision made by W.G. is to associate Ralph with school. This makes Ralph relatable to children and gives him a bit of normalcy. It also brings out the fact that he is naive and childish. At the beginning of the book that fact that the boys were in school is mentioned quite a few times, to get the point across that they are young. When they take off their school clothes, it is almost the first step of growing up, stripping themselves of things related to childhood.