“In many texts, a theme or issue may not be resolved to the complete satisfaction of the reader.”
(a) Discuss the extent to which a theme or issue is resolved to your satisfaction in one text on your comparative course. (30)
(b) Compare the extent to which the same theme or issue (as discussed in (a) above) is resolved to your satisfaction, in two other texts on your comparative course. (40)
#625Lab. Corrected by experienced examiner, graded as H3 with feedback on how to improve below. You may also like: Leaving Cert English Complete Guide (€).
(a) In my study of Wuthering Heights (Titles need quotation marks – this is an error throughout the essay) by Emily Bronte, the theme of love is explored through the relationships that the characters share with one another. Following my reading of the text, I was both satisfied and unsatisfied with the resolution of the theme of love.
The theme of love is present (Word choice too formal.) between the characters of Heathcliff and Catherine. Their relationship faced a variety of obstacles and because of this I felt that their relationship (Is this the theme?) was left unresolved. The extent to which their love flourished was unsatisfactory to me as a reader. At the beginning at the novel, there is a lot of potential for their love to grow but unfortunately this does not happen. In chapter six we can see that Heathcliff and Catherine find comfort in each other’s company and are considered each other’s most trusted companions. Their love blossoms out of a sense of dependency. “forget everything the minute they were together”. We can see the full force of Heathcliff’s love for Catherine as he is deeply concerned about her safety following the incident that occurred at Thrushcross Grange, “I intended shattering their great glass planes to million fragments unless they let her out”. On her return to Wuthering Heights (L) it is clear that Edgar Linton’s growing presence by her side will act as a barrier to their love. This hindrance to the development of their love undeniably left me unsatisfied. (Explain why.)
When I reflected on Catherine and her decision to marry Edgar as she betrayed her heart, I certainly wasn’t satisfied with the theme of love. (L) In Chapter Nine, through Catherine’s conversation with Nelly, it is revealed that she has accepted Edgar’s proposal of marriage, despite her true feelings of love she holds for Heathcliff. This acceptance of the proposal is a complete betrayal of her feelings for Heathcliff. “In my soul and in my heart, I’m convinced I’m wrong”. She questions if she made the right decision to accept the proposal which is an immediate indication that her love is not true. Her declarations of love for Edgar are false, her main rational for marriage is to maintain her status, “Proud of having such a husband”. Her choice to go ahead with her decision, even with these factors taken into consideration greatly hinders the true love that is evident between Heathcliff and Catherine. As a reader (L)I am left unsatisfied with the lack of resolution of Catherine and Heathcliff’s love. (Feels like it has not been fully teased out.)
The sense of unresolved love between Catherine and Heathcliff left me feeling unsatisfied. The mental and physical deterioration of Catherine due to her dismissal of her love for Heathcliff was without a doubt very unsatisfying to me. In Chapter Twelve (L) the clear effect of Catherine’s unhappiness in her choice to marry Edgar can be seen as she spirals into madness, “I’ve been tormented, I’ve been haunted”. She is tortured by her past decision regarding love, declaring that she no longer loves her husband Edgar “I don’t want you Edgar, I’m past wanting you”. She realises too late her true desire to be with Heathcliff, “I won’t rest till you are with me”. In chapter fifteen (L)we see the complete destruction of Catherine in the final meeting of Catherine and Heathcliff. Their relationship and love is (L) abruptly stopped by the untimely death of Catherine. Her death leaves her relationship at a cliff edge and entirely unresolved, leaving Heathcliff to wallow in grief and misery. It is unsatisfying to me that Catherine takes no responsibility for the heartbreak and pain she caused to herself and others, “You and Edgar have broken my heart…You have killed me”. I was unimpressed and unsatisfied with the unresolved love between Catherine and Heathcliff, they never allowed themselves to develop the love that existed. (Phrasing needs more variety)
In Wuthering Heights, the resolved love between Hareton and Cathy provides me with a sense of satisfaction. I was satisfied that Cathy was able to escape the forced and false love that she shared with Linton and to find true love with Hareton. From the outset, true interest is shown between Cathy and Hareton which quickly develops into a loving relationship. In chapter thirty, Hareton is infatuated with Cathy and shows no signs of effort to conceal his interest “Looking at her instead of the book”. Cathy also acts on her connection to Hareton as with her help Hareton appears altered, he is now “respectfully dressed”. At the end of the novel, I felt satisfied with their love as it is confirmed that their feelings are honest and truthful. Their love intensifies and is clearly resolved as they are due to get married with their wedding imminent. In each other’s company “they’re afraid of nothing” showing the full extent of the love and the respect that they have for one another.
I was satisfied with the resolution of love experienced within certain relationships that characters shared throughout the novel, such as Cathy and Hareton. However, the unresolved relationship between Catherine and Heathcliff was without a doubt very unsatisfying to me.
(There is very good use of key moments, avoid naming chapters, just use the text. Your engagement with the question needs more depth and development. Vary your expression, it is quite repetitive) 21/30
(b) Through studying Juno by Jason Reitman and Big Maggie by John B. Keane the extent of the resolution of love is explored through a variety of relationships.(This sentence needs to be rephrased.) The range of resolved and unresolved love found in these relationships left me both satisfied and unsatisfied.
The honest resolved love between Juno and Bleeker in the film Juno left me with a true sense of satisfaction in comparison to the false unresolved love between Maggie and Walter, in the text Big Maggie. Juno and Bleeker share genuine love for each other, which develops to it’s(L) full potential despite all the challenges and obstacles they face. In contrast to the resolution of their love, Maggie and Walter’s marriage crumbles as they give in to the difficulties they endure. A key moment in sequence two shows the love Bleeker has for Juno. His reaction to the news that Juno is pregnant is undeniably sympathetic, wanting to deal with it together “what should we do?” He showed his love and support to Juno no matter what decision (L)deemed necessary, the opposite to the love shown by Maggie. Following Walter’s passing, Maggie is in no state of grieving, conveying her lack of love for Walter, “I have a shop and farm to run.” Different to that of Juno and Bleeker, no respect is present in their marriage truly making me feel dissatisfied. Walter had an affair with another woman, disloyal to his wife, with no attempt to mend his breaking marriage, instead causes further damage. Bleeker stays by Juno, resolving their young love, in contrast to the lack of attempts made by Walter and Maggie to solve their marriage, seemingly devoid of emotion, intimacy and love. (Vary your expression. Happy, contented, pleased, delighted, settled)
Irrefutably, Maggie and Walter’s love is different to that between Juno and Bleeker. I was satisfied with the resolution of Juno and Bleeker’s love in the kiss scene, as they candidly confess their love, accepting each-other’s flaws, while in Big Maggie, love is unresolved. Maggie too, is honest regarding love for Walter, but it is revealed that the opposite feelings of love exist. (L)She confesses her marriage was a mistake “I married the wrong man” completely different to the mutual feelings of love in Juno. Maggie was “suffocated by the presence of that old man” and only felt free when her husband passed. Juno and Bleeker’s love was resolved unlike Maggie and Walter who remained in their loveless marriage, despite their known feelings towards each-other. Pure expressions of love in Juno “I think I’m in love with you” allows me to feel satisfied, as they resolve their love, expressed through their communal singing at the end of the film. Maggie and Bleeker’s love is in no way similar to the relationship in Juno, as their love was unresolved. They suffocated each other with their true love, (Point unclear) which was not true or genuine, but weak, truly making me feel dissatisfied. These two loving relationships are incomparable as Maggie and Walter leave readers with a sense of dissatisfaction due to their unresolved love, different to the resolved love shared between Juno and Bleeker, providing me with satisfaction.
The unresolved mother-daughter love that exists between Maggie and Gert in ‘Big Maggie’ left me evidently(L) feeling unsatisfied. This is in total comparison to the true resolved love that Brenda and Juno shared that left me with a true sense of satisfaction. We can see the struggles that Maggie and Gert experience in their relationship which leads directly to the unresolved love the pair share. In Act Two Scene Two(L) we see Gert escaping from her and her mother’s relationship as she moves to London for a more peaceful life, “What happened the night she ran away”. A major obstacle to the resolution of their love was the controlling treatment that Gert received from Maggie.” I hate you”. The need for Gert to escape and run away and the lack of care and support she received from Maggie undoubtfully (Undoubtedly) left me feeling unsatisfied as their love was left unresolved. The relationship full of resolved love between Juno and her stepmother Brenda contrasts entirely with Maggie and Gert, which of course makes me feel satisfied. Although they faced many obstacles and struggles with Juno falling pregnant at such a young age, Brenda supported her unlike Maggie would, “We need to get you healthy you need pre-natal vitamins”. We can see that although conflict did take place between them. In the key moment when Brenda warns Juno about getting too close to a married man, ” you don’t understand Mark is a married man, there are boundaries” their relationship becomes tense and there is a need for resolution between the pair. However, their strong love and bond allowed them to overcome conflict and never fall apart. This is in great contrast to the unloving relationship between Maggie and Gert that will never be resolved. Brenda and Juno’s resolved love leads me to feel certainly satisfied.
When I reflected on the clear lack of resolution of the relationship of Vanessa and Mark in ‘Juno’ it starkly contrasted to the feelings of satisfaction I got from the resolution of the love between Maurice and Mary in ‘Big Maggie’. From the beginning of ‘Juno’, we are introduced to the tense marriage of Mark and Vanessa. It is clear from the key moment of meeting the Loring’s that the pair have vastly different priorities within their marriage. Vanessa is enthusiastic about her long-awaited chance to become a mother, “I was born to be a mother”, and Mark comes across as hesitant, unenthused and more focused on his music, as seen when he abandons the conversation to discuss guitars with Juno. His lack of honesty about such a significant issue to the woman he supposedly loves is disappointing and greatly unsatisfying. This is extremely different to the genuine and honest love of Maurice and Mary in ‘Big Maggie’. The depth of Maurice’s love for Mary can be seen in Act One Scene Two, in which he requests permission from his mother Maggie to allow him to propose. He is full of love for her, “I’m in love with the girl”. With Maurice there is none of the hesitancy that we can see in Mark and as a reader this is undeniably satisfying. He is open and honest, which helps to develop their love further while Mark’s reluctance to speak his mind only hinders his relationship with Vanessa.
Following the conclusion of both texts, I found that the extent to which the love in these relationships was resolved is very different. In Act Two Scene Three of ‘Big Maggie’, Mary confronts Maggie about her refusal to approve of the marriage and the bitter argument that ensues ends with the unity of Maurice and Mary, despite the objection by Maggie. Maurice chooses to finally be rid of his overbearing mother. His choice to fight through the barriers to maintain and resolve their love I certainly find satisfying, as they are now free to be happy in love. My sense of fulfilment I feel from that scene however greatly contrast with the lack of satisfaction felt from the unresolved love of Vanessa and Mark in ‘Juno’. In the key moment in which Mark chooses to leave Vanessa was assuredly unsatisfying. He acts on his selfish hesitancy concerning the baby but does not even consider the devastating effects this will have on both the baby and Vanessa, “I don’t know if I’m ready to be a dad”. His choice to flee and abandon the problem rather than attempt to overcome this obstacle in their love is very different to the actions of Maurice. It leaves the love between Vanessa and Mark at an abrupt end and with no potential to be resolved, which is certainly not satisfying.
Following my reflection of the theme of love I was faced with a variety of relationships and key moments that explored the resolution of the love found in both Big Maggie and Juno. The extent to which the love is resolved within these texts enabled me to feel both satisfied and unsatisfied.
(You are dealing with the question throughout but it is quite repetitive in its delivery. A very long answer, watch your timing. Some of your points were a underdeveloped in the justification of why you were satisfied or not. Don’t just label or flag it, engage and explain why.) 30/40
