The Penelopiad & Photograph 51 comparative essay- Humour 2 PDF

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RAW 39 (2019). 85 SAC average.
Comparative Essay on 2 books: The Penelopiad & Photograph 51....

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Humour “We laughed together in our attics, in our nights, we snatched what we could.” “It’s true – he’s quite the jokester.” Compare the way humour is presented in Photograph 51 and The Penelopiad. In Atwood’s, The Penelopiad, and Ziegler’s, Photograph 51, humour is employed to depict the lives of women at different stages of their existence, adding a light-heartedness to the portrayal of their daily lives in both Ancient Greece and modern western culture. However, beneath the comical facet of their lives, the female characters in both texts often struggle to cope with societal expectations and pressures which relentlessly suffocate them. Through the inclusion of multiple forms of humour, both Atwood and Ziegler reveal the personal repercussions for women when attempting to flatter societal expectations, highlight the imbalance between relationships and the strain this then engenders, and project a comment on the unsustainable nature of a patriarchal society. In using dark humour, both texts portray the painful truth of how the female characters’ lives are anguished by the patriarchal context in differing eras, and drive the revelation of a woman’s plight when striving to honour such a society’s expectations. In The Penelopiad, humour is the only weapon to deal with the oppressive world as it recognises and acknowledges their suppression. Penelope is restricted to appeasing the protocols of a male-dominated society, particularly the male-dominated notion of the ‘perfect woman’, which sees the deprivation of a woman’s individuality and power. Atwood comments on this patriarchal notion when Penelope’s sole purpose is instructed to ‘fatten…so [she] can have a nice big son for Odysseus’. Atwood hints the irony of this situation, where women are also instructed to be physically attractive and petite, thus articulating awareness of their function and to mock it at the same time, hereby mockery becomes a substitute which is stuck in women’s prescribed roles. Mockery, is used in a different, darker shade in Ziegler’s, Photograph 51. Rosalind demonstrates how women are often wholly consumed by the expectation from men to perform ‘wifely duties’ and ‘busy themselves in the kitchen’ – an idea which has been continuously reinforced by the patriarchal society. The character of Odile exemplifies this expectation through her near-invisible presence throughout the play as she busies herself with house duties in the background of men’s conversations and is noticed by the men once she was ‘gone’. The ironic conflict between Odile not being expected much from the men and the men’s bitterness when ‘nothing was left’ in her room is symbolic of the mocking comedy in which men joked around and described her as ‘not particularly rosy’ and disparaged her ‘silent’ contributions. Humour is used against women in a disparaging way, attacked. Audience empathise with female character who is excluded from the world, erased from having any identity from outside the masculine perception that imprison her. Mockery here, becomes a tool of cruel oppression. Therefore, through both Atwood and Ziegler’s integration of dark humour, both authors unveil the degrading consequences women endure when striving to fulfil societal expectations. Furthermore, the incorporation of humour in both texts provides a platform where each author can disclose the imbalance between character relationships and the strain which that

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Humour entails. In The Penelopiad, Penelope sarcastically announces ‘it’s always an imprudence to step between a man and the reflection of his own cleverness’. Her witty aphorism exposes yet again, the follies of the masculine world that suppresses even powerful figures like Penelope. Yet again, her humour reveals an insight into gender inequality. This insight thought, doesn’t necessarily mean that conditions will change, but it shows the extent to which female characters are empowered by giving voice to a reality they understand and comprehend. In addition, Penelope frankly admits she ‘knew [Telemachus] was lying’ when denying her cousin Helen’s maintenance of beauty, ‘but was touched he was lying for [her] sake’. Penelope’s observations about Telemachus reveal a maternal, gentle humour, acknowledging the limitations of her son and yet again, reinforcing a wisdom and an understanding of human, and in particular, male failings that further expands her status as a thoughtful and wise observer of the human condition. Similarly, in Photograph 51, the imbalanced nature of relationships and embedded prejudice are revealed with fierce sarcasm by Rosalind’s responses to Wilkins’ comments about women and the Jews explored through Rosalind’s execution of humour. Rosalind initially declares she disapproves the research into nuclear energy which results in Wilkins making a deeply racist and offensive remark about her Jewish heritage. Rosalind refuses to let Wilkins get away with his clearly racist remark when she declares ‘you’re absolutely right that the Jews should be in a more grateful frame of mind these days.’ Her clever use of hyperbole ridicules Wilkins’ narrow-mindedness which immediately puts him into the defensive by patronising her – ‘all right, Rosy’. The exchange continues over titles and names as Ziegler shows how Rosalind not only refuses to be spoken down to, but through combination of wit and intelligence, exposes the patriarchal and anti-Semitic ignorance lying at the back of Wilkins’ world view. Ziegler and Atwood empower their female characters by using humour not only to reveal the limitations of men who assume superiority, but also to remind the audience that intellectually these female characters are not only equals, but in both cases superior in their ability to understand their environment and those who claim to have a greater power over them. Sadly, the reality of both Ithaca and the university laboratories of Cambridge is that despite the clear abilities that women show, the reality is they’re disempowered and their status remains diminished. Hence, humour as a weapon sometimes resorts to being a coping mechanism a vicarious substitute for influence and control. Whilst both texts incorporate comedy to engage and present ideas to their audience, the Maids present a childish intentional use of humour which emanates from their young age, whereas the women in Photograph 51 deliberately use humour as a coping mechanism for difficulties that they have encountered in their lives. Margaret Atwood explores the resentment and anger of the Maids towards Penelope for her role in their killings and utilises their youth to present an ironic yet comical aspect to the Maid’s chorus lines as they cheerfully deliver the dark and demoralising phrases. ‘The Perils of Penelope’ chorus line sees the Maids describe her as ‘Penelope the Prissy’. The deliberate term used by the Maids to describe Penelope reflects their young age as it is immature and childish, however, it is comical in its contrast to the grimness of the story and the situation of the Maids. Atwood incorporates the naivety that stems from the Maids’ youth and explores this by interjecting a serious matter with a childish lexicon. In The Penelopiad, Atwood explores the ironic use of humour which leaves the readers

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Humour laughing at the naivety of the Maids, whereas in Photograph 51, the character of Rosalind Franklin’s self-aware comical denotes invites the audience to laugh with her. Her wit and her angry but sustained criticism of those around her may not have been real, but it infuses her with the dignity which she deserves. Even in a light-hearted exchange with Caspar in which he asks her rather awkwardly out to dinner, Ziegler’s characterisation of Rosalind reveals both her sparkling and deep vulnerabilities. Responding to Caspar’s invitation to a casual dinner, Rosalind replies ‘…nothing in Britain is casual. No - everything here is filled with meaning no one will name or indulge.’ This exchange captures a character who sees herself as an outsider, both as a woman, a Jew, and as a person who has never been able to perhaps fuse her professional career with a meaningful, emotional, private life. The author here, provides an insightful analysis where the humorous observation displays a deep sadness at the heart of an individual who sacrifices a number of things in her life for no credit in her own time. At the heart of Rosalind’s wit is a deep desire to protect herself from hurt. Thus, the use of humour as a coping mechanism in both texts acts in two ways. First, humour is used a means to deflect and soften the blows of a social and political reality that perpetuates the oppression and belittling of women characters, whether it is the erasing of Rosalind Franklin’s great contribution to the discovery of DNA or the wanton slaughter of the servant girls in The Penelopiad. Secondly, the humour in both texts helps the audience to deal with the sustained injustices that have characterised naturalised patriarchal cruelties and injustices. Both works are fictional, with both writers creatively invigorating voice from myths in history that have been silenced, offering readers and theatre goers a chance to see and hears these marginalised characters reconceived in their full potential. Humour has always being used by human beings as means to deflect, expose and cope with the complexities of human existence, humour can expose the insights of various characters as they try and make sense of a world that is unjust and unfair. Further, humour can unit and bring people together as we laugh with and occasionally at, individuals and institutions. More specifically, in both these texts, Atwood and Ziegler use humour as a powerful weapon to ennoble silenced figures and exhibit their distinct, unique and powerful insights. In doing so, each author is able to model the consequences women suffer when striving to conform to society’s unbending norms, highlighting the imbalance between relationships and comment on the consistent and crude nature at the heart of patriarchal rule and assumptions in our history.

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