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HSC ENGLISH EXT 1: AFTER THE BOMB

English Extension Linking Texts Core Texts: Ø The Spy Who Came in From the Cold by John Le Carre (1963) o John Le Carre’s spy thriller genre novel- influence by personal experience of working for British Army Intelligence Corps in Austria and West Germany. Therefore, despised glamourous, unrealistic world of espionage depicted in the exciting adventures of Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels- wanted a more realistic portrayal and so attempted to deconstruct the methodology of spying as a glamourous occupation § Deconstructed and subverted the traditional spy novel to give a real insight into the true nature of spying (decentred and experimental) o Red Herring Plot Structure Ø Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett (1953) o Beckett’s Absurdist play- lack of plot, theatre of inaction and uncertainty § tragicomedy- black comedy o Aims to depict themes of hope, meaninglessness, individual search, nihilism, human connection, darkness in the psyche of the human condition, psychological residue on the post war atmosphere Ø Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro (1986) o Narrated retrospectively from the post-war vantage of 1948-50, by the painter Masuji Ono § Three aspects of Ono’s narration à frequent digressions, indirectness and metanarrative comments- Ono as an unreliable and selective narrator § Impacting Ono’s memory- nostalgia and fear of past’s impact on present happiness of family + attempt at self-justification § Ono’s narrative characterised by denial- identities limited and fallible + not sure of the accuracy of his narrative o Memory narrative reveals his transformation from an iconoclastic young artist to a militarist propagandist in pre-war time, and finally to an old man who comes to terms with the loss of his prestige through none too reliable remembrances à reflects postmodern works of ‘unreliable narrator’ and representation of history through personal recollection § Reflects Japan’s shift from a thriving nation to a militarist empire, and ultimately to a defeated national subject to the Occupation after WW2 and subsequent social changes à Japan forced to change following WW2 § Impact of American/western values on Japanese culture o Public and private memory of evident à private through older man’s narration and public history of post-war Japan by other characters reactions and attitudes Related Texts Ø Hiroshima Mon Amour by Alain Resnais (1959) o Alain Resnais’ anti-war Modernist film “Hiroshima Mon Amour” (1959)- influenced by the French New Wave, which saw the rejection of classical literary style of French cinema (“The oppressive and deterministic nature of the plot”) § Wanted to make a fiction film that would reflect that “plans with atomic bomb were circling the earth all the time but everyone seemed oblivious” so

HSC ENGLISH EXT 1: AFTER THE BOMB constructed a classic love story in which the atomic bomb would be more in the background § Reaction to the tendency of post-war France to adopt old traditions, couching in aesthetic terms the “attempt to remove film from the realm of social and political concern” § Resnais attempts to rediscover “unity from a basis of fragmentation” Ø Hearts and Minds by Peter David (1974) o Peter David’s American anti-war documentary film (1974)- accounting for the American and Vietnamese perspective towards the Vietnam War and accounts for the Cold War era § Depicts the oppression of government political actions and the true political motives of the American Governments intervention in Vietnam War- how government represses the individual for ‘greater good’ i.e. ‘ends justify the means’ Overall Ideas: Ø Overall feeling and sentiment within the post war era- impacts individual both emotionally (i.e. feelings of uncertainty, displacement, powerlessness) and intellectually (i.e. changing ideas e.g. from hope to hopelessness, shift in philosophical paradigms, breakdown in compositional structures, etc) Ø Ideas of disillusionment, questioning of morals, disillusioned with idea of national identity and the rule of bureaucratic institutions, uncertainty, questioning one’s place in the world Paradigms à integrated into themes below: Ø Values Ø Scientific- technological developments and connection with individuals Ø Political/Economic- structure of society (i.e. Communism and Capitalism), government structures and their connection with its citizens, political objectives (relationships with different countries e.g. America and Japan) Ø Philosophical- Existentialism, Fatalism Ø Religious- Nihilism, relationship with God, role of religion in society Themes Ø Nostalgia o Spy: §

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Nostalgia represented through the contrast in the characterisation of Leamas and Liz- Leamas looks to the future and is quite nialistic about the current state of the world whilst Liz is more inclined to look towards the past, with the idea that we can progress in the future Waiting for Godot: § Long for certainty and human connection- represented through the absurdist literary form and fragmentation- disillusioned with current staterepresented through Pozzo and Lucky’s relationship as they search for certainty and human connection Artist of the Floating World: § Old generation (i.e. Ono) nostalgic for the pre-war experience since the post-war has brought the destruction of traditional culture and change in

HSC ENGLISH EXT 1: AFTER THE BOMB generations- represented through Ono’s constant reference back to his art career- whilst he does not admit to being nostalgic, the fact that the past and present are intertwined in a never-ending dialogue suggests that Ono is looking and attached to the past rather than changing and adapting to the present and future o Hiroshima Mon Amour: § Their nostalgia for pre-war certainty is represented through the two main characters disillusionment with the post-war condition and their fragmented identity. They choose to hold onto eachother and face an unending replay of their war experience rather than adapting to the present, for fear of letting go. o Hearts and Minds: § Nostalgia is not a prominent theme in this documentary film however the Vietnamese people long for the authenticity of their culture, homeland and family unity after the nuclear bombing in the Vietnam War. They long for connection, certainty and a sense of purpose. Ø Role of Government Structures o Spy: § Even though the East and West liked to differentiate themselves in the postwar era, depicting the other side to be ‘evil’ and ‘ruthless’, Leamas’ death in the red herring plot structure exemplifies that despite their differences, each side is essentially the same in their willingness to deceive and sacrifice lives to achieve an ideological objective o Waiting for Godot: § Relationship between Pozzo and Lucky represents how governments were willing to treat their citizens, in the post war era- authoritarian and repressive figures- citizens chained to masters of the government with the repression of individual knowledge and action (represented by the rope/chain around ‘Lucky’s neck’ (irony in the name), the hat, the boot, Lucky’s speech, etc)- individual left disillusioned when confronted by the rath of governmental motives o Artist of the Floating World: § Doesn’t really explore the role of governmental institutions- but touches on the role of the government to rebuild the nation and their limited ability to account for the post war feeling of older generations- government leave individuals to survive themselves o Hiroshima Mon Amour: § Motives and actions of western governments during WW2 which have left individuals disillusioned- undervaluing the individual- through confronting images Resnais depicts the torture and atrocities the Japanese people were subjected to following the dropping of the atomic bomb which ended WW2mutilated bodies, burnt hair and skin, etc § Represents Japanese government urbanisation and rapid technological development following the bombing of Hiroshima, etc- composers cinematography effective in conveying a modern Japanese nation with flashing lights, unique culture, etc o Hearts and Minds:

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Represents the American Government as deceptive and hypocritical in their motives within Vietnam War- meant to protect the South Vietnamese as allies but instead drop atomic bombs on them, which are specifically meant for people- Governments willingness to sacrifice innocent lives for an ideological objective against the Soviet Union v If want to compare and contrast Spy and Hearts and Minds, these two texts exemplify the true political motives and ‘evilness’ of the West- Spy reveals the fact that the East and West are essentially the same since deception from both sides led to Leamas and Liz’s Death, whilst Hearts and Minds reveals America’s true political motives in Vietnam and their willingness to kill innocent victims to achieve it. Ø Identity (and fatalism) o Spy: § Leamas loss of identity- subjected to the fate and actions depicted by his experience as a spy- forced to be deceptive to other individuals to achieve a national objective, Leamas himself is unsure and unwilling to explore his true identity as his actions are determined by others (fatalism) § Liz, in her search for identity, has it taken away from her with her involvement in the spying world- she is ‘blinded’ (i.e. likened to a blind child) and so her death signifies a loss of identity as her fate is determined by governmental structure o Waiting for Godot: § Absurdist (Vladimir and Estragon)- complete loss of identity and inability to distinguish between what is real and fiction- their plot and endless question signifies their endless search for their own identity and a unique purpose in life. An absence of an identity in the post-world era leads to their willingness to commit suicide rather than face the pain § Lucky- figure with no identity at all- his speech, which technically has no meaning, represents his lack of identity- his future is instead determined by oppression and governmental structures, as represented by Pozzo who degrades Lucky’s sense of self through his accusing comment § Godot- constructed identity in the minds of the individuals (symbolic of hope to achieve an identity and purpose in life) o Artist of the Floating World: § Ono- reconciling with his loss of identity (i.e. being a painter and artist in a bohemian atmosphere) following the change in culture within the post war era- his legacy is undervalued in the eyes of the new generation and so he now searches for a new purpose and sense of meaning to continue § New generation remaking their own identity in post war era, reconciling themselves after the destruction of their culture and their homelanddivergence away from traditional cultures and practices o Hiroshima Mon Amour: § Complete loss of identity- represented through two main characters fragmented sense of self in the non-linear plot structure as they juxtaposed their current uncertain state with their traumatic war experience- attempt to cling onto eachother (in an adulterous love affair) to confront their lack of identity and build another in overcoming change and uncertainty o Hearts and Minds:

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Loss of Japanese culture and identity following American nuclear bombing in Vietnam- loss of family, hope- unable and unsure of how to continuecomplete confusion, disillusionment and powerlessness- make a plea within their interviews, condemning the actions of the American Government § Ex-Vietnamese American military soldiers- unable to comprehend the actions the America Government had made them commit (i.e. dropping nuclear weapons on innocent people)- ending parade exemplifies the governments unwillingness to account for soldier’s fragmentation of identity following war experience- e.g. PTSD- battle with identity exemplified through interviews o Comparing Texts: § Waiting for Godot and Hiroshima Mon Amour § Spy and Hearts and Minds? Ø Connection with memory and forgetfulness o Spy: § Memory is used as a tool of deception in espionage, to which Leamas uses freely to achieve his greater objective within the mission. Leamas tries to eradicate Liz from his memory to minimise intimacy, leading to the degradation of memory’s value as his job is values over intimacy. This undervalues his willingness to connect with individuals and develop authentic relationship § Liz values memory and fears of forgetting Leamas and the love she has with him à presses importance of valuing things in life § Questions the way contemporary audiences view and remember the motives of the East and West in collective memory- tend to generalise that the West (i.e. capitalism was good) and East (i.e. Communism is bad), however, Le Carre aims to break down those barriers by revealing, in the spying world, that either side was just as bad as the other in their willingness to kill, deceive and sacrifice to achieve the greater objective. o Waiting for Godot: § Repetition and absurdist nature of the play emphases forgetfulnessunending repetitive dialogue between Vladimir and Estragon as they constantly ask why they’re waiting and what they’re waiting for § Emphasises lack of purpose in life and undervaluing of memory since they can no longer remember a time when something was different- each day is a repeat of the other- forgetfulness becomes an aspect of survival o Artist of the Floating World: § Memory is valued as the book interweaves ideas of past and present events to construct the narratives dialogue, through four diary entries which aim to show the progression of time. Ono constantly refers back to past events to emphasise his longing for the past, with retracts his ability to progress and change in the future. Ono clings on to a time where events were certain and he was happy in his role, rather than retired and seeing everything change and modernise around him o Hiroshima Mon Amour: § Memory is valued due to the fear of forgetting one’s war experience- main characters are clinging onto their sense of identity and war experiences due to unwillingness to progress in the future but also since these traumatic

HSC ENGLISH EXT 1: AFTER THE BOMB events have characterised their identity. Resnais depicts memory as both global and private, using the Hiroshima tragedy as a way to stipulate the gaps between individuals memory of Hiroshima- people in other nations will forget the tragedy however the scars will still stay with the Japanese people. Therefore, the female main protagonist (who is unidentified in terms of names) is emotionally distraught by the idea of forgetting- her lover (representing the war experience) and the bomb (public and private tragedy) o Hearts and Minds: § Way American Governmental motives have been remembered in collective memory- individuals tend to believe that American motives were morally good however David reveals that the American government was just as willing to kill and achieve mass destruction as the East- challenges post war thinking Ø Contrasting views of post war world- individual position o Spy: § Comparison between Liz and Leamas (optimist vs pessimism)- (idealist vs realist)- contrasting views in the post war world § Powerlessness of the individual in confrontation with governmental structures o Waiting for Godot § Complete meaninglessness, hope, nihilism, search for truth and meaning, spirituality o Artist of the Floating World § Stuck in the past due to changing world- old vs new generation, unwilling to progress, change in culture following complete destruction o Hiroshima Mon Amour § Morally displaced- searching for meaning in lost world- woman feels attached to Hiroshima (individuals connection with place)- unable to progress- traumatised and disillusioned state o Hearts and Minds § Vietnamese people- traumatised, grief stricken, loss of culture, loss of home and family § Ex-Vietnamese American military soldiers- feel betrayed, unable to reconcile with their actions of dropping bombs which led to the death of innocent victims, strong opposition to the American Government, interviews David’s shows in his documentary considered an act of defiance- want to reveal truth of American military activities despite what American presidents were saying to their people (propaganda) Ø Connection with individual and religion o Spy: § Absence of religion- Liz believes in history and socialist/communist philosophy rather than God. This is supported by Leamas who has lost all hope and spirituality in the world o Waiting for Godot § Nihilistic- i.e. don’t necessarily believe in God but are waiting for spirituality or some form of sanctification. In a sense, believe there is no God due to the

HSC ENGLISH EXT 1: AFTER THE BOMB meaninglessness and emptiness they have been subjected to in the post war era (corruption of inner being) o Artist of the Floating World § Makes no direct reference to religion, however integrated into Japanese culture o Hiroshima Mon Amour § Idea of absence of religion due to the reality of the post war experience (nihilistic)- idea that ‘God is dead’ due to the atrocities the woman was subjected to in France and the dropping of the atomic bomb in Japanhowever moving towards recovering and restoring faith § Lack of spirituality, progress and hope o Hearts and Minds § Makes no reference to religion however still the idea of ‘why is this happening?’ o Connecting Texts: § Spy, Waiting for Godot, Hiroshima Mon Amour Ø Idea of ‘Ends Justify the Means’- individual repressed for the greater good o Spy: § Leamas is degraded due to greater objective of espionage and is thus taken advantage of to fulfil the objective (i.e. ‘It was a operational convenience’). This leads to Leamas and Liz’s death and the fact that the spy doesn’t really ever come in from the cold o Waiting for Godot § The end of self-sanctification is worth the meaninglessness, search and waiting for something- waiting for the prospects of meaning and spirituality justifies the struggle and pain in the present o Artist of the Floating World: § Doesn’t entirely explore this concept o Hiroshima Mon Amour § In terms of governments, ending the war through mass destruction justifies the impact on individual lives- that is search for meaning, disillusionment, etc. In this way, the composer questions the dropping of the atomic war which may have ended the war on a public level but has led to individual displacement as many people try to come to terms with its impact o Hearts and Minds § Idea that the prospects of the American governments political objective, to win the Vietnam War and assert their role as a dominating superpower in the region surpasses the value of human right- willing to sacrifice the innocent lives and culture of the Vietnamese people to achieve their political ideological objectives § The American Government aims to control and capture the ‘Hearts and Minds’ of the Vietnamese people to achieve their political objectivecontrolling individuals through propaganda o Connecting Texts: § Spy, Hiroshima Mon Amour, Hearts and Minds Ø Truth and Realism (Disempowerment) o Spy:

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Leamas believes he lives in a world of genuine truth however really lives in an illusion, where truth is distorted for political objectives. This is shown through the ‘red herring plot’ in which the reader and Leamas are led to believe that Leamas and British intelligence are out to trap Mundt by implicating him as a double agent through ‘Operation Rolling Stone’, but gradually realise that nothing is what it seems- British intelligence are instead in collision with Mundt and the British have used Leamas and Liz to help Mundt discredit Fiedler- innocent are instead targeted by the power (leading to disempowerment of the individual in comparison to higher governmental institutions) § Contrast in characterisation- Leamas is a realist while Liz is an idealist (contrasting views in the post war era) o Waiting for Godot § Idea of truth and reality is warped and distorted- absurdist experience is illusionary and characters are unable to distinguish between reality and fiction as they repeat phrases and experiences in their search for meaningleading to disempowerment of the individual as they are subjected to th...