Ransom Paragraph Analysis PDF

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Ransom Yr 11 English ...

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What views and values has Malouf expressed in the text and how has he constructed the text to convey them to the reader? The views and values of Malouf are mirrored in his novel, Ransom, through a variety of stories told and narrated by characters. As a nine-year-old, Malouf's childhood was encompassed in stories and novels which he read faithfully. The multiple stories Malouf heard or read of as a child inspired him to construct the major theme of story-telling in his novel, through the lives of various characters. The importance of story-telling in Ransom is reflected in the back story of multiple members, including Priam, Somax and Achilles. Malouf has constructed the beginning of the text with the story of Achilles' childhood to give the reader a true understanding of where Achilles originates from and his relationship with other characters, such as Patroclus and Neoptolemus. From the introduction of Achilles, the reader learns that he is part of the "Myrmidons, from Phthia", and that "he had been mated" with his "adoptive brother," Patroclus. Introducing Achilles first, made the reader aware of how close he was with Patroclus and understand why he had such a serious reaction to his "dear friend's" death. Contrastingly, Malouf has highlighted the stories of both Priam and Somax through the action of conversation. Priam reveals his "shameful…secret", where he was "no more than three or four years old," and smuggled among a "spawn of beggars" to Hecuba in an emotional plead. Somax, on the other hand, opens up about his family to Priam in a heart-to-heart talk. Malouf has signified their pasts through conversations filled with stories to develop the characters' growth throughout the novel. For example, Priam began merely as the noble "King of Troy", ignorant about what the world and the ordinary people living in it had to do with him. However, through the stories shared by Somax, Priam was able to receive insight into the lives of others, gain knowledge, as well as understand that ordinary people have lives that are just as important as his own. Thus, the significance of Malouf's views on stories was represented by the ubiquity of story-telling through several characters....