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ENGLISH TEXT SUMMARY NOTES PAIRED COMPARISONS

The Queen / Ransom

Text guide by: Melanie Hayek, Scott Langan, Odette Colbert & Kirsten Finlay

The Queen / Ransom

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Contents TEXT 1 ................................................................................................................................................................... 5 The Queen ............................................................................................................................................................... 5 DIRECTOR NOTES .............................................................................................................................................. 6 HISTORICAL CONTEXT AND FIGURES ......................................................................................................... 7 King George VI ................................................................................................................................................... 7 Britain in the 1990s ............................................................................................................................................. 7 GENRE ................................................................................................................................................................... 8 STRUCTURE ......................................................................................................................................................... 8 Chronology .......................................................................................................................................................... 8 News Flashes ....................................................................................................................................................... 8 STYLE .................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Point of view ....................................................................................................................................................... 9 Values .................................................................................................................................................................. 9 SYMBOLS AND MOTIFS .................................................................................................................................. 10 The Stag............................................................................................................................................................. 10 Hunting .............................................................................................................................................................. 10 Newspapers/Media ............................................................................................................................................ 11 Balmoral Castle ................................................................................................................................................. 11 Blair‟s Office/Family Life ................................................................................................................................. 11 SETTING AND PLOT SUMMARY ................................................................................................................... 12 CHARACTER PROFILES................................................................................................................................... 13 Major Characters ............................................................................................................................................... 13 Minor Characters ............................................................................................................................................... 14 THEMES .............................................................................................................................................................. 18 Family................................................................................................................................................................ 18 Relationships ..................................................................................................................................................... 19 Private Vs Public ............................................................................................................................................... 20 Leadership ......................................................................................................................................................... 20 Tradition Vs Evolution ...................................................................................................................................... 21 IMPORTANT QUOTATIONS – „THE QUEEN‟ ............................................................................................... 22 TEXT 2 ................................................................................................................................................................. 28 Ransom ................................................................................................................................................................. 28 AUTHOR NOTES ................................................................................................................................................ 29 HISTORICAL CONTEXT ................................................................................................................................... 30 GENRE ................................................................................................................................................................. 32 Audience ............................................................................................................................................................ 32 STRUCTURE ....................................................................................................................................................... 33 STYLE .................................................................................................................................................................. 34 SYMBOLS ........................................................................................................................................................... 36 SETTINGS ........................................................................................................................................................... 38 PLOT SUMMARY............................................................................................................................................... 39 CHARACTER PROFILES................................................................................................................................... 44 Protagonists and Antagonists ............................................................................................................................ 44 Construction of Character ................................................................................................................................. 44 Major Characters ............................................................................................................................................... 45 Minor Characters ............................................................................................................................................... 48

The Queen / Ransom

THEMES AND ISSUES ...................................................................................................................................... 53 Honour through Battle: The Hero ..................................................................................................................... 53 Paternal (and Maternal) Love ............................................................................................................................ 54 Grief and Grieving ............................................................................................................................................ 54 Talk: Communication through Action .............................................................................................................. 55 Fate and Chance: Visions and Visitations ........................................................................................................ 56 IMPORTANT QUOTATIONS – „RANSOM‟ .................................................................................................... 58 COMPARATIVE TEXT ANALYSIS: IDEAS, ISSUES and THEMES ............................................................ 64 Learning intentions ............................................................................................................................................ 64 The difference between Unit 2 and Unit 4: ....................................................................................................... 64 Student must: ..................................................................................................................................................... 64 Student Assessed Coursework .......................................................................................................................... 65 Overview of Assessment Requirements ............................................................................................................ 65 ENGLISH VCAA Recommended Performance descriptors – Not compulsory to use .................................... 67 Contribution to final assessment ....................................................................................................................... 68 Comparing Texts ............................................................................................................................................... 68 Common Themes: The Queen and „Ransom‟....................................................................................................... 69 Changing Identity .............................................................................................................................................. 69 Leadership ......................................................................................................................................................... 71 Text Construction ................................................................................................................................................. 73 Approaches to the Essay ....................................................................................................................................... 74 How to go about it? ........................................................................................................................................... 74 Where do I start? ............................................................................................................................................... 75 What will I be marked on? ................................................................................................................................ 75 Ways to compare: .............................................................................................................................................. 75 Essay Construction ............................................................................................................................................ 76 Comparative Essay Structure A: Separate Analysis ......................................................................................... 76 Comparative Essay Structure B: Blended Analysis and Comparison - Thematic ............................................ 78 Comparative Essay Structure C: Blended Analysis and Comparison – Chronological .................................... 79 Writing Advice .................................................................................................................................................. 80 Essay Questions .................................................................................................................................................... 81 Analysing a Question ............................................................................................................................................ 82 FINAL EXAMINATION ADVICE ..................................................................................................................... 84 REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................................................... 86 References Used ................................................................................................................................................ 86 References for Students ..................................................................................................................................... 86

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TEXT 1 The Queen

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DIRECTOR NOTES Award winning director Stephen Frears directed The Queen in 2006. He says of directing “Well, while you're shooting, you're bringing a story to life. It always goes in slightly unexpected ways. You're trying to make sure everybody's in the same film… You want everyone comfortable with each other, agreeing on circumstances. You're asking actors, indeed, everybody on set, to be intimate, to be a family in a world that's the product of their mutual imagination. You're the patriarch, holding the whole thing together, depending on everyone being collaborative. In editing, you discover what you've got, what you've missed, what you should have done, things you hadn't thought of, holes that need filling. That's why Woody Allen re-shoots. It's done in light of what he's learned, because you make films in the dark, learning as you go. I'm always so curious to see where it's leading. To find out, you must let go, must relinquish control and be open. When I started opening up about 25 years ago, my films got better.” 1 On directing „The Queen‟, Frears has been quoted as saying that he was attracted to directing this moment in British history as it was one that hadn‟t been explored in detail before. He wanted to look at the subject matter, the conflict that was occurring in the mid 1990s between the old world and the new, focusing on the end of traditions in Britain and how the leaders were shaping, or ignoring, what was next for the county. He felt he had to be meticulous in his telling of this story, since the majority of the people involved were still alive at the time of the film being released. He felt he had to be honest in his story, and to stay away from anything that could not be supported. An additional layer was Frears being a British subject himself. Even though he had spent the majority of the last few decades in America, he wanted to respect his monarch and the institution, and vast traditions, she represents. While people in Britain might have found the traditions of the time unsustainable, they still respect the woman who wears the crown. Some other notable films he has directed include (but are not limited to):  Dangerous Liaisons (1988)  High Fidelity (2000)  Mrs Henderson Presents (2005)  Philomena (2013)  Victoria & Abdul (2016)

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IMDb, ‘Stephen Frears – Brography – IMDb’ https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001241/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm

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HISTORICAL CONTEXT AND FIGURES It is important that students understand the historical context of this film in order to fully grasp the importance of the events depicted. Therefore, we will consider some of these concepts below.

King George VI Albert Frederick Arthur George (14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952), was crowned King of the United Kingdoms and the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death on 6 February 1952. He was known as Albert, or „Bertie‟ until his accession to King George VI. As a second son, he was not expected to inherit the throne, but his older brother Edward abdicated, due to falling in love with an American divorcee. George VI had two daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret, and a very prominent stutter that he worked on for years to never fully overcome. He served in the Royal Navy during World War I and worked with his Parliament closely during World War II. He was never fully comfortable in his role as king. He faced smoking-related health problems in the last years of his reign. Upon his subsequent death, due to these smoking-related problems, his eldest daughter, Elizabeth, succeed him on the throne.

Britain in the 1990s In the preceding decades Britain had gone through many periods of change. The 1950s saw the accession of a „girl Queen‟, as Elizabeth was 25 at the time of her coronation. The 1950s also saw a country trying to come to grips with what had happened to their country during World War II. The 1960s saw the beginnings of many societal upheavals, as the youth of the world were trying to „figure out‟ who they were. The 1970s saw the high levels of unemployment and rise of the British Punk movement with bands such as the Sex Pistols singing songs like „God Save the Queen‟, which included the lyrics “God save the queen, the fascist regime… God save the queen, she ain‟t no human being… God save the queen, we mean it man. We love our queen, God saves.” The 1980s saw the rise of capitalism amongst the people, whereas the 1990s saw low levels of unemployment and the introduction of the internet to households. Gaming systems became more popular and pop stars such as the Spice Girls and bands such as Blur and Oasis rose through the charts. These bands were part of a cultural movement called Britpop.

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GENRE Reading and Comparing requires you to analyse two different text types by discussing how the texts are constructed and how differences in the way texts are constructed impact on how themes are explored. The Queen is a film which requires you to listen to dialogue and note the impact of verbal interactions on characters, situations and events. You should also take into account how graphics impact upon your understanding and overall impression in comparison to the second text, Ransom.

STRUCTURE The structure of the film refers to the way it is put together. This movie could be loosely defined as historical fiction. Although based on a true story and using many elements of real events, there are elements that have been changed, added or subtracted in order to fill in gaps or to add interest or inspiration to the story.

Chronology The Queen is mostly chronological but there are significant gaps in time portrayed. These gaps are often explained using media headlines to give the information needed to fill these gaps.

News Flashes The director has used news flashes from the media to give the audience information that would not easily be revealed through the narrative alone. For example, newspaper headlines and snippets of TV news programs are used to give the audience the background information they need prior to watching the film. News flashes are also used to show how the world, not just the people of Britain, are reacting to the loss of the „People‟s Princess‟. While the film focuses on how Queen Elizabeth and Prime Minister Tony Blair are both working through the death of Diana in the days that followed her death, their respective narratives are intercut with various scenes from televisions, acknowledging interviews she had done prior to her death as well as her relatives speaking out in reaction to how she was...