Extract number four
Introduction:
- after a year of marriage between Antoinette’s mother and Mr Mason
- several gossips influenced Antoinette
- tensions and threats are increasingly upcoming
I- Tensions and threats are increasingly upcoming
a) For Mr Mason
- lot of prejudices about the blacks. His miscomprehension of Annette position.
- misjudges the ex-slaves as armless, he is confident( position of an Englishman)
- he doesn’t want to leave West Indies to get back to England
b) For Annette and Antoinette
- by contrast, instinctive awareness, they feel rage and danger around them. They had lived with blacks, so they know what can they do.
- « the sky and the sea were on fire » , dismal description that betoken the fire.
II- The breakaway of the black community in three levels
a) Myra: free by the betrayal
- desire of revenge. She epitomizes the common desire of all the black community. Represents them.
- she proves that blacks are intelligent : forsakes Pierre because that the dead of him will drive mad Annette
b) Mannie: faithful in spite of everything
- she stands by them. She comes to Cosway’s family assistant during the fire.
- she epitomizes the faithful back class at that proves that blacks are more efficient whereas white are flabbergasted.
c) Christophine and obeah
- great place: Antoinette has a premonition of evil= superstitious and greatly influenced by Christophine’s know
- that revels Antoinette’s integration in her black Caribbean surrounding: she believes in obeah .
III- Antoinette’s clash
She insists on this event which proves she is shocked, she lives it again: she is a sensitive person a)As for the dreadful scene
- the lack punctuation conveys a sense of precipitation. The rhythm of the sentences backs up the rhythm of the events .
- she sees her brother: he looks like a dead person=she witnesses a tragically moment
- her loved mother unleashes, she lets out her violence, her anger. She is becoming crazy because her brother is badly injured.
b) The parrot Coco: freedom flying off..
- symbol of freedom which thwarted, his wings were clipped in the same way Annette’s wings were clipped when she married Mason. There is also an echo at the end.
- Coco’s fall announces Antoinette’s fall in Rochester’s house.
c) Tia: Antoinette’s reflection.
- Antoinette runs from the house, see her reflection in Tia face. They paired on close friends, even sisters.
- seeking to define themselves at each others reflections
- Tia throws the rock = shatters the reflected image
-this act represents the end of her black childhood and her emergence into white society.
Conclusion
- the fire announces the change of Annette and Antoinette’s lives
- this section stamp definitely, once and for all the separation between whites and blacks, and even those…
Bon, je sais que c'est plus trop d'actualité mais ça peut toujours servir pour les révisions du baaaaaac !! bonne révisions à toutes et à tous! ( en admettant que cela peut être marrant de réviser ! lol)
Sam 31 Mar - 22:08
