Reading journal - 1st September 1939

• Setting - 52nd Street, New York, in a dive reflecting upon life
• 'uncertain and afraid' - feelings of most people, Auden representing/speaking for society
• metaphorical language - 'blind skyscrapers' - dictators, blinded by their power, unable to see anything past their own vision?
• 'euphoric dream' - dictatorship, their idea, or perhaps the euphoric dream of America who are not involved in the war
• symbolic of stormy relationship between countries - war
• time is shown through historical figures - Nijinsky, Diaghilev
• irregular rhyme scheme, enjambment - stream of thoughts, Auden's own feelings
• speech - collective voice, again speaking on behalf of everyone- 'I will be true to the wife, I'll concentrate more on my work'.
• Linz - third largest city of Austria - Adolf Hitler grew up here, hence 'What huge imago made a psychopathic god'
• contrast - 'bright' and 'darkened' - illustrating change in people, from being hopeful to hopeless
• 'Offends the september night' - personifying the night, representing those offended by the situation? War?

Reading Journal - Victor

• ABCB rhyme scheme and in ballad form - again telling a story, has a song like feel, reinforcing the idea that, like many of Auden's poems such as Miss Gee and O What Is That Sound, it may be a rhyme told to children
• linear chronology -  following the process of his life from being a baby, 'Victor was a little baby, into this world he came', to growing up, 'Victor was only eighteen', and then getting married. Allows reader to become familiar with Victor and his religious upbringing. Also the use of months to show passing time - 'It was a frosty december', 'It was the first of April', and 'It was the middle of september'.
• religion - all the way through, dramatizes Victor's actions at the end of the poem thus making them more shocking
• mood/tone change - at the beginning his father is lecturing him on being a good man, 'don't dishonour the family name', and 'blessed are the pure at heart,' to Victor disregarding all of this at the end and murdering his wife. Also actually believing he himself is God - 'Prepare to meet thy God', 'I'm the resurrection and the life', and 'I am Alpha and Omega, I shall come to judge the Earth some day.' - Alpha and Omega meaning God and Christ
• voice - objective, unbiased showing no emotion or resent toward neither Victor for his actions nor his wife for her ways, not judgmental - like God?
• personification of river and wind - 'the wind said: she must die', 'the river whispered: 'kill' - to illustrate his state of mind, unstable, insane?
• 'It wasn't the King or Queen of Hearts, but the Ace of Spades reversed.' - Ace of Spades symbolising ill fate or death, foreshadowing Anna's imminent death
• change in pace - poem reads quickly at the beginning and slows down when it is discovered Anna is a cheat and Victor begins to lose his mind, dramatizes situation, acccentuating importance of event

Reading Journal - Musee des Beaux Arts

• Setting - art gallery, 1940
• Voice - Auden, no character, personal observations
• Ekphrastic - the poem is talking about another work of art, Icarus
• Omniscient narrator? - he is seeing all and writing about it, reflective
• 3 stanzas - enjambement - one stanza is a single line that stands out among others - 'Scratches its innocent behind on a tree' - done to show how people will ignore others in suffering to satisfy own needs, however trivial, or how one may stand out among others but still be overlooked by everyone else
• No sense of time - to show issue is ongoing?
• Lack of humanity 
• Language is colloquial in some parts  - 'doggy life', 'scratches its innocent behind on a tree' - to appeal to children? - fable? relation to Miss Gee and O What Is That Sound - many of Auden poems cautionary tales or like nursery rhymes in some way?

Reading Journal - O What Is That Sound

• Phonetics - repeated, 'o', sound of woe, repeated 'd' in drumming, drumming - heartbeat, coundown
• ABAB rhyme scheme - song like - ballad form - nursery rhyme (Miss Gee)
• Childlike - inquisitiveness - 'what is that sound', 'what is that light'
• Quatrain stanzas - help to easily identify change in mood/tone
• Extended metaphor of sickness - again, nursery rhyme, may be used to show the soldiers and war as a plague
• Present tense throughout entire poem - done to make the reader feel like they are living it too, also to show the character feels like she is reliving it constantly, cannot escape haunting memory
•  Imagery and sound - 'scarlet soldiers', 'white hair', 'drumming', 'flashing', 'brightly' - almost hazy, phantasmagoria? - dreamlike, she doesn't want to accept reality
• Call and response - poem is a conversation between husband and wife 
• Subjective - poem is filled with the character herself, and a lot of emotion toward the end - helps to put reader in her position

Reading Journal - Miss Gee

• Poem is in the tune of St. James's Infirmary - blues, sets the tone for the entire poem
• Location - street name - Clevedon Terrace, sounds domestic, homely and friendly however is the opposite to Miss Gee; she is alone
• Ballad form - relates to song
• Voice is objective - very detached, unemotional, reinforces that Miss Gee had no one
• Mood is very depressing - 'Does anyone care that I live in Clevedon Terrace, on one hundred pounds a year?'
• Symbolism - 'And a bull with the face of the vicar was charging with a lowered horn' - sexualised? she is alone, spinster, raunchy dreams, or, a warning of her illness
• Linear chronology - beginning, middle, end - suggests a childs story, cautionary tale?
• Religion - 'clothes buttoned up to her neck', 'no bust at all' - not sexualised in any way, devout Christian 
• Mocking religion? - she went to church and prayed but still was punished with illness, 'dissected her knee'
• Nusery rhyme? - its a song, it has a macabre theme, much like other nursery rhymes, e.g. ring a ring a roses
• Voice change - doctor, wife and Miss Gee are used to tell story - the use of the doctor and his wife may be used to seperate Miss Gee further as she is alone with no husband? 

How is the story told in 'O What Is That Sound?'

Auden begins the poem using phonetics, 'O what is that sound,' which is done as the sound 'o' can be associated with woe or contemplation, and thus allows the reader to understand how the character is feeling. This is continued when he writes 'down in the valley drumming, drumming,' with the repeated 'd' sound actually sounding like the beat of a drum, possibly resembling a heart beat, which almost acts as a countdown throughout the poem to the climax. This idea may forebode something sinister or important is going to happen.

The poem uses an ABAB rhyme scheme so it is almost song like, which relates to its ballad form. This is effective as it seems like a nursery rhyme, when taking into consideration the time it is set, as many nursery rhymes come from macabre themes such as war or sickness. The reason this is effective is that it ties in which the tone of the poem in the second stanza, 'O what is that light I see flashing so clear, over the distance brightly, brightly?' the inquisitiveness and repeated questions makes this character seem childlike and therefore a nursery rhyme would appeal. This is effective as it raises questions about the character's age and the relationship they may have with the second character. We learn later that in fact it is a wife talking to her husband and this is interesting when considering tone.
     The poem being in quatrain form helps to easily identify the change in tone throughout the poem, for example, the first stanzas are childlike and use words with positive connotations such as 'thrill', 'light', and 'brightly', to show temporary comfort and lulls the reader into a false sense of security, however the tone changes when it reaches stanza seven. The mood of the language has changed, for example 'cunning', 'deceiving', 'broken', 'splintered', and 'burning'. This shows a juxtaposition in the character's emotion and also traces the transition of her being comforted to alert and panicking, and even possibly the transition from being childlike to having to mature and adapt to the situation very quickly.

An extended metaphor of sickness is used, when Auden writes 'scarlet soldiers' and 'their eyes are burning', as scarlet may fever to sickness, scarlet fever, and burning being a symptom. This is effective when considering that in the last stanza, the soldiers have their humanity taken away from them, they go from being referred to as 'they' to 'it', e.g 'O it's broken the lock'. This may be because now the wife has realised they are coming for her husband, she sees them, the war, as a plague or illness that cannot be evaded. This may be done to show Auden's feelings towards war and also shows how the poem is using the subjective, because the character is emotionally involved and therefore creates empathy within the reader. 

Present tense is used throughout the entire poem, through the use of an ongoing call and response, 'What are they doing this morning, this morning? Only their usual manoeuvres, dear, or perhaps a warning.'  This gives the feeling that the character is reliving the moment again and again, but also has the effect on the reader that they themselves are experiencing the situation. This brings empathy from the reader and makes the ending more dramatic and heart wrenching when this woman's husband is taken from her. This effect is also achieved through the use of chronology, instead of flashbacks and time being array, this helps to give the illusion that the reader is experiencing this in the exact same way as the wife. 

Imagery is used strongly when Auden writes things such as 'scarlet soldiers', which even though refers to the colour of their uniforms, it also connotes blood, 'flashing so clear' which creates the image of the sun glinting on their shiny weapons, and 'down in the valley, drumming drumming'. The reason this particular line creates imagery even though it does not refer to what can be seen, it works with the other aspects of imagery to create almost a sense of phantasmagoria, giving the image of almost a dream like scene, showing that the wife does not want to believe what is happening. Again this tells us more about the character and her recollection of the memory. 

Beginning of The History Boys coursework

How far do you agree that the comedy in The History Boys conceals a serious exploration of desires?

Peter Ustinov, an English actor, writer and dramatist said, 'comedy is simply a funny way of being serious.' When really considering this, you may say that it is the foundation of The History Boys itself. A ‘funny way of being serious’, can be applied in almost every element of this play. For example, Dakin is talking to Scripps about Hector and his bike; 'Scripps: He does go for it. That’s the trouble. Dakin: In controlled conditions. Not on the fucking bike. I’m terrified.' This shows Dakin using comedy to make sense of chaos, drama, a ‘funny way of being serious.’ We learn later in the play, Dakin is exploring his sexuality himself, (his relationship with Irwin) so this may be a foreshadowing of his later journeying and showing repressed desires toward men. This example shows precisely how Bennett has sewn the dramatic genre and the comedic genre together using repressed and un-repressed desires. 

 Sexuality is a recurring theme throughout The History Boys and this is explored through the use of both repressed and unrepressed desires. This theme creates the foundation for the comical and dramatic genres and these work in sync with one another, like Bennett has threaded the two genres together so intricately it is hard to differentiate the two. For example, Posner is talking to Scripps about Irwin liking Dakin: 'But he doesn’t understand. Irwin does like him. He seldom looks at anyone else. Scripps: How do you know? Posner: Because nor do I. Our eyes meet looking at Dakin.' This explores the theme of sexuality through Posner having an unrequited love for Dakin, shared by their teacher Irwin, which can be seen as comical as throughout the entire play, Posner is hopeless when it comes to the pursuit of sex and love, e.g. 'Posner: (about going on Hector’s bike) I’d go. I’m never asked.' He also makes reference to his disadvantages: 'Posner: I'm Jewish... I'm small... I'm homosexual... and I live in Sheffield... I'm fucked.' This extrovertly appears very funny to audiences but this is masking the more dark and dramatic side. One of the things Posner wants most in this play, apart from Dakin, is to be molested by Hector on his bike. However, this is not immediately apparent in this statement as the comedy is what is responded to first, showing Bennett’s ability to weave the two genres together. This also demonstrates how comedy is constructed through Posner’s repressed desire to go on the bike with Hector.

Another way in which comical drama is shown through repressed and unrepressed desires is in the complicated relationship between Dakin and Irwin. For example, 'Dakin: What I was really wondering was whether there were any circumstances in which there was any chance of your sucking me off.' This line is outwardly shocking to audiences and therefore prompts laughter, and when dismissed and put down as a school boy crush, is humorous. However again, Bennett is deliberately sewing comedy and drama together.

Preliminary argument: How is comedy constructed through the use of darker themes such as abuse?

In act one, Bennett makes it very clear that the students have a sense of unspoken respect for their English teacher, Hector. This is shown through their tendency to repeat back to him that which Hector has taught them, such as Shakespeare – ‘The wonder is he hath endured so long. He but usurped his life.’ There is the feeling that there has been a past between the teacher and his students, that we are witnessing something which is picking up where it was left off. It is almost in media res, due to the idea that the students have an on-going relationship with Hector. This already shows affection and prompts the idea that Bennett is hinting toward something bigger.

It can be said that students such as Posner strive for Hector’s affection, due to his constant referring to the dictionary in order to impress his teacher, ‘Euphemism… substitution of mild or vague or roundabout expression for a harsh or direct one.’ This demonstrates their affection toward him and also raises the theme of sexuality, prompting the audience to ask if this will be a prominent element to the dramatic aspects of the play. As the act progresses, it becomes apparent from Rudge that the students are almost competing for the attention of Hector. This largely contributes to the way in which Bennett is constructing slapstick comedy, and as we begin to learn this is done through underlying themes of darkness – ‘He hits you if he likes you. He never touches me,’ to which Dakin replies, ‘(happily) I’m black and blue.’ This is interesting when considering comedy when time periods are taken into account, as an audience watching the play in the 1980’s would inevitably respond to this sort of line very differently to an audience watching now. This is because safeguarding was not as prominent years ago, but now is taken with the utmost care. However, this comedy can also be seen as a private joke between the boys, as Hector’s perception of them clearly means a lot but would be frowned upon greatly by anyone else. This, as well of the time of viewing, shows the idea of perception through the dramatic genre, and suggests that based on one's perception of and place in the situation, the dramatics of it would change.

When we learn that not only is Hector abusing his students by hitting them with books, but is actually sexually abusing them, it is very confusing to the audience. This is because Bennett has almost carefully threaded the genre of comedy with the dramatic genre, so it is almost impossible to decipher which is which. Bennett has deliberately made Hector a character of eccentricity and humour, with an unmistakable likeability about him, regardless of the fact he is molesting his students. Of course the theme of sexual abuse is undeniably wrong and unacceptable, but for reasons that are almost private to the students, they endure it, again reinforcing the theme of perception and place.