How does Eggers present the relationship between Dave and Toph?

In the novel ‘A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius’ young Dave Eggers is mourning the death of his parents, which has left him to take care of his young brother even though he is still growing up himself. The author presents their relationship in many different ways, which are open for interpretation.

In the novel, it is clear that Dave’s mother was huge figure in his life. He speaks positively of her and implements his subconscious need to want a mother in his actions. For example, he is desperate to find a family for Toph and him. Going so far as to try to find “an attractive single mother” so that Toph can have a friend, implying he is aware that Toph himself may be feeling lonely after the death of their parents, which shows a caring side to Dave. To some readers this suggests that Dave has an Oedipus complex in which he tries to find a woman who has the traits of his mother so both he and Toph can be looked after. Other readers may interpret that Dave is simply looking for someone to have a relationship with as the adjective “attractive” suggests that he is ‘on the prowl’, simply looking for a physical relationship with someone because he is young and is emotionally vulnerable after the death of his parents. Eggers presents his younger self as being singularly minded in some way as he uses the verbs “looking” and “to score”, implying a sexual connotation as it is a slang phrase implying the searching of a physical relationship. The lexical field of “scor[ing]” is one that connotes gameplay, suggesting that Dave’s ‘goal’ is to illicit sex from someone at Toph’s “open house” rather than to find out how his brother is doing. This strategic language may be interpreted by some younger audiences as normal whereas more politically correct individuals may be horrified by Dave’s younger self’s selfishness, which implies that Eggers is presenting Dave in this way so that the readers can question the relationship between Dave and his brother. In this way, the relationship is presented in complex ways as Dave can be seen as simply wanting a secure parental unit for his brother but in other ways he is thinking less of his brother and more for himself, only looking to have sexual gratification but justifying it with Toph having “playdates”.

As both Toph and Dave have lost both their parents in a short space of time, it is likely to have affected both of them in traumatic ways and it has to be questioned how much their relationship dynamic is different because of this. Dave is plunged into parenthood despite not being his legal guardian whereas Toph is suddenly in a situation where his relationship with his brother is drastically different in a short amount of time. It is evident that Dave still needs to grow up himself as he behaves immaturely. As previously suggested, he is young so he may be more interested in pursuits such as physical relationships rather than looking after his brother. The relationship dynamic is clearly still not asymmetrical as the boys play humorous games with each other, signifying the playful brotherly relationship they have with each other. Eggers presents this with the use of the slang phrase ‘but daaaad’, which has an interesting orthography as the ‘a’ sound is elongated as it would be in speech.  This is non-conventional in a novel and helps to form a sound in a reader’s head. It is a playful element as it is informal and shows how their relationship is not one of a typical loco parentis even though it should be. Eggers has used these techniques to create humour and give the audience a sense of what their relationship is like, whilst still highlighting for some readers that their relationship is essentially still dysfunctional.

Dave and Toph’s relationship is also portrayed as being anxiety fuelled on Dave’s side. Eggers uses asyndetic listing, “and then take Toph away, will bring him somewhere where the house is kept clean”, to describe his worries and fears of Toph being taken away due to his lack of good parenting. As he has had no prior experience, he worries that someone will “arrest him” and “call [him] bad names” for keeping the house in a state of disarray despite not doing anything to actively sort this out. The use of the asyndetic listing increases the pace, suggesting a state of worry. Some audiences may not feel any sympathy for Dave as they may criticise him for his lack of care for Toph whereas others may feel sympathy because he is young and does not know what he is doing. This presents the relationship between Dave and Toph as being dysfunctional and suggests that Dave is not a very good parent figure.

Another way that the relationship of the two brothers is affected by their parents is the presence of their father, Dave mentions that his father is an alcoholic. As children are often subconsciously unaware of how their parents influence them, and how it affects their future parenting, Eggers is looking back at Dave and describing how this has affected his relationship with his brother. Eggers uses gallows humour, “because threatening children with seventeen-inch knives is funny”, to show that Dave has definitely been affected by his relationship with father as he tells Toph that “dad used to do that all the time.” The usage of gallows humour

(Bad relationship with own father, who was abusive and alcoholic. Takes example from own parents, making him unaware of boundaries. Subconscious. Toph and the knife. ‘’because threatening children with seventeen-inch knives is funny’ Gallows humour.)

This what I managed to do in the allocated time.

Dave's Insecurities PEE Paragraphs

Throughout chapter 5, Eggers uses stylised techniques such as an anecdote to imply that the character of Dave is incredibly insecure even though it is never explicitly stated.

Eggers uses the plural noun ‘possibilities’ to discuss his worries of leaving his brother alone with the baby sister. This noun is from the mathematical lexical field so it implies a quick calculation or thought process. At first, it may come across as a cold way of thinking but it also suggests that there is an endless thought process going on, emphasizing Dave’s long list of worries. Another cold, calculating lexical field is also used to highlight Dave’s worries. The verb ‘snap’ and the plural noun ‘flashcards’ are from a lexical field that suggests games or a strategy. As Dave has an emotional attachment to his brother, it is odd to note that his worries are presented using unemotional lexis. On the other hand, ‘snap’ also correlates with the idea of his thoughts quickly churning around in his head as ‘snap’ is monosyllabic, connoting quick, sudden movements. He also uses Gallows humour, using the simile ‘like pedophilia flashcards’, in order to make light of his anxieties. This suggests that he is trying to lighten the mood for himself and the reader, portraying an underlying insecurity of his that is hidden deep within the seemingly unemotional language.

Dave’s insecurities are presented with the use of the sentence fragment ‘free!’. The exclamatory nature of the sentence is presented with the use of the exclamation mark, which suggests there is a strong feeling of relief or excitement for Dave to be going out, suggesting that he lacks a sense of independent identity when he is with his brother. The sentence fragmentation also suggests that Dave is speechless as he does not say anything incredibly profound or complex yet the one word depicts a lot of emotion. The sentence fragmentation also isolates the verb ‘free’, emphasizing the emotion Dave feels. As he feels burdened with the amount of responsibility he has during the novel, it is implied that in that moment Dave has let go of some of it. Eggers suggests that Dave is an insecure person as he immediately transitions to a state of worry and anxiety over his brother.

Eggers uses colours throughout the extract to convey dark themes and ideas such as ‘blue’ for the image of Toph’s dead body. He uses colours especially well in the phrase ‘constant red/black worry’. The colour red connotes violence and the noun ‘blood’, which is repeated throughout the paragraph to emphasize Dave’s worries about the death of his brother. ‘Black’ also connotes death and darkness, creating a dark atmosphere and creating powerful visual imagery as the colours objectify worry, making it into an abstract noun. The physicality of these emotions make them more powerful and solid, implying that Dave’s worries are more real. As death is an important theme in the memoir, and is repeated continuously throughout the story in many forms, it is important to note that it is used to highlight Dave’s insecurities about it. He is clearly worried that Toph is going to die as his parents have. The adjective of time ‘constant’ suggests a continued and rapid movement of thought. It creates the image that thoughts are constantly appearing in his head intrusively, suggesting a state of emotional distress. These grim ‘flights of fancy’ highlight how emotionally vulnerable Dave is at the present moment, creating insecurities in him.

Presentation of home in AHWOSG

There are many different ideas about home presented in the novel 'A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius', both before and after the death of Dave's parents. Each present different deeper meanings about the characters as well.

On the first page, Eggers uses a metaphor to describe their family home as being 'a factory'. The connotations of a factory are monotony, routine, and an unclean environment. A factory is usually used to describe a place that is built to produce things as quickly as possible without thinking much of the consequences to the employees. This is not something homes are typically associated with as they are meant to be places of warmth and relaxation. The idea of monotony and routine is strange when juxtaposed with the idea of uncleanliness, and the actual reality of their furniture being thrifty and of 'inconsistent... taste'. The idea of uncleanliness also portrays home as a dirty place to be. In this context, it may refer to the death and disease of his parents and hence why Dave feels the place is like a factory. His mother cannot 'get up to check' their house is clean due to her illness. Dave's negative associations of home is also suggested by Dave later moving out with Toph instead of staying put in a place of memories. The extended metaphor of uncleanliness is continued when they move into their new home as well but it is more of a metaphor for the illness of Dave's mind rather than a physical illness, which Dave also worries about developing.

When Dave and Toph move into a new home, Dave describes the neighbourhood in asyndetic listing, naming significant attributes such as 'an elderly Chinese couple'. He uses the adjective 'ho-hum' to mention that they 'seem' boring in this neighbourhood compared to their last because of the variety of people and families there are. He says this almost in relief as previously, he would repeat the phrase 'people know', suggesting he felt uncomfortable with their family being the centre of everyone's attention because of the tragedy that faced them. He also states that 'only here would we blend'. The adjective 'blend' means that something is mixed into something else smoothly, suggesting an assimilation into their new neighbourhood. Despite this, there still seems to be some anxiety about their new place as Eggers mentions that Dave does 'little in the way of mingling with the community', suggesting that home is not a place where he feels completely comfortable. In some ways, he is saying that is because the people are far stranger than he is, as social blending can also suggest being only in the background of something, and that they went from 'sticking out like a sore thumb' to being completely irrelevant quickly; suggesting that they have gone from one extreme to another.

The sublet Dave's family has 'for the Summer' is hyperbolised in a statement where Dave says it 'overlooks the world'. The verb 'overlooks' suggests they watch the world below them, suggesting an asymmetrical power dynamic when they are away from home on holiday as it creates the image that they are god-like. The fact that they are away from home suggests a desire of escapism for Dave, implying he dreams of feeling more powerful as he feels weak when he is at home. This is not an idea that is typically associated with a home as they are meant to provide physical and emotional security. He also states that he and Toph 'are owed' the world yet not mentioning why. It is suggested that they are owed because they are young, which is often a cliché in modern literature, and because they are looking to compensate for the tragedies in their lives. This is an arrogant way of looking at life but it is how Dave takes a breather from the emotions he feels.

Dave's fantasies continue throughout the book. He often pretends to be Toph's dad in roleplays, using the informal lexis of 'daaad' to show that he is young and until this point, he had had a friendly relationship with his brother in their previous family home. He also does this playfully in some scenes where he gives Toph 'a condition of his allowance', as a parent would do but he makes it into a joke by violently describing what would happen to his brother if he does not complete 'all expressed duties' in their home. The formal language suggests that he is mockingly taking on the parental role and he does not fully see himself as a responsible adult even though in their new home, he is. The new home is a representation of a new part of their relationship. As well as that, Dave is legally in loco parentis over his brother so there is an assymetrical power dynamic in the relationship. This means that he is obligated to take on more responsibility. His anxiety over not being a good enough 'parental figure' is shown in the themes of home. Their new home is a metaphor for Dave's state of mind, disorganised and with 'much work to do', as his parents have just died and he is faced with a lot of responsibility at a young age. He states that he 'worries any minute someone' will take Toph away, in the form of  complex sentence and asyndetic listing, because of his failures in making the house 'clean and doing the laundry 'properly and frequently'. The complexity of the sentence shows that his mind is disorganised and full of thought, almost messy like the house.

In conclusion, home is not represented as being positive in the novel. Home is not presented as a place of emotional security.It is not a place for Dave to retreat as he often associates it with feeling out of place and being unclean. It is presented as a place where the worries are manifested or increase.

How does Eggers present women in 'A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius'?

Note: Do I need to rearrange this essay?

Women seem to have a significant effect on Eggers in the novel. He seems to be preoccupied with the physicality of women as a young heterosexual man, and he views them as rather two dimensional characters in most cases.

When he sees women in public, he focus firstly on their appearance, using an adjective to describe a woman on the bus as being 'young'. The connotations of youth are often associated with fertility and sexual prime. He is speaking about her as if he wants to start a family with her as he speaks of 'her daughter'. The view that a woman's worth is decided by her having children is now considered offensive and an almost pre-historic view as women are nowadays considered more than just baby carriers. The usage of the lexis 'Latina' to describe the woman also shows that Dave does not see the woman beyond her ethnicity. To some nowadays, this would be considered offensive as there is a debate in popular culture as to whether this is still acceptable so it shows the ignorance of young Dave. As well as that, in American culture Latina women are over-sexualised and rarely seen beyond the stereotype of being sexually promiscuous so this further reflects Dave's views: that he only sees her in a sexual way. He also describes her as being 'a little older than him', suggesting maturity and experience but also focusing solely on her age, which is an issue that women have in being taken seriously. Older women are considered 'past their sell-by date' and younger women are considered only sexually appealing yet this woman is just old enough to have some of the knowledge he needs, suggesting that he feels alone in raising his brother. With his mother recently dying, there is an underlying implication here that what he wants is comfort and security. Family units are often seen as being secure. He also mentions the daughter is 'younger than Toph', further implying he wants the two families to assimilate and for Toph to have a friend. It can be inferred that Dave thinks his brother is also lonely after the death of their parents.

He describes women who are not young and feminine as being 'haggy creature[s]'. The adjective 'haggy' negatively suggests a woman who is aged and has evil intentions. Again, Dave's narrow-minded views are being displayed in the text as he does not describe young women as that, instead focusing on their age and the sole fact they are women. He rarely goes into too much detail about the women or focuses on their personality, saying in other parts of the novel that these women are uninteresting simply because he considers them old and unattractive, when he meets them as he sees them only as being women. With the sole purpose as being plot devices in his own story. He also uses the noun 'creature' as a suggestion that the woman he is describing is not human, she is something else. This is dehumanising and shows that he does not see women as being people, suggesting rather strange and detached views about them. It also suggests they lack personalities or interests of their own. Eggers is eager in highlighting this as he does plainly so, warping the character of Dave in ours eyes in order to show how prejudiced he was as a young man.

Subconsciously, Dave also focuses on the physicality of his sister but not in a sexualised way. He describes Beth as 'wearing a sweatshirt and spandex leggings'. This description is used by Dave to heavily emphasise  that she enjoys working out. Eggers suggests, in that part of the story, that his sister enjoys working out and often cannot wait to do so when Dave gets home to resume responsibility. It suggests that the women in his life are superficial and cannot be responsible for things. Despite this, she has hobbies and interests that are talked about in more detail even if it is just a repetition of her working. Although Beth is his sister, he does not speak of her much like she is part of their family unit. He refers to his family as being Toph and him, suggesting he doesn't see much of a need to have Beth as part of their family life yet he still actively seeks out other women. Despite this he still uses the collective pronouns 'all of us' to refer to what is suggested to be Beth too, portraying that there is some kind of group.

The only woman's interests he particularly goes into detail about is his mother, mainly speaking of her illness and how it has affected everyone in his family. The death of his mother clearly has an impact on him as he continues to chase motherly figures throughout the novel. He also mention that his mother likes television, 'mom prefers the show where...', and goes into more detail about it, which suggests that he views her more as a person rather than an object. He uses the collective pronoun 'all' to suggest the women are together and that they are a hive mind, lacking any personality.

Eggers uses asyndetic listing in the form of a complex sentence to talk about his negative relationships with women. The complexity of the sentence suggests he is naming off different people in a hurry, implying there is a rush of emotion and thought process. He mentions that 'Beth and I... would be bloody and dismembered' if they attempted to live together, suggesting tension between the two. Because he is the protagonist of the story, this statement paints Beth to be the more unlikeable character in an attempt to paint him in a better light. He also states that he and 'Kirsten... need time apart', suggesting separation and a lack of a strong relationship with his girlfriend. This suggests she is simply there as a plot device character, with little real role or presence in his life.

Eggers portrays Dave as being romantically, and sexually, starved. He does this by emphasizing the fact that Dave has almost an obsession with women on their own. They do not exist if they have partners of their own and if they do, as he imagines the woman on the bus has, this is not important to Dave because he imagines that they will not mind him creating a union with them. He emphasises this when he states there are 'single women living with single men' in his neighbourhood, suggesting that there is no romantic relationship between these people. He uses asyndetic listing to list off the people who live in his area, repeating the adjective 'single' in one part of the novel and then using other words to suggest their relationship status, such as 'divorcees, widows, widowers'. All of which are statuses that mean someone is not in a committed relationship. 'Single mothers' highlights the preoccupation he has with mothers, again suggesting he is not over his and he aims to find someone to give him guidance in raising Toph. It is also as if he is looking specifically for women that are available to date. The view that women's marital status is important is again a considerably old fashioned view and it is one that would be considered inappropriate today, which suggests Eggers is deliberately calling his younger self out. He also emphasises 'single men' and 'widowers', suggesting there is no relationship in an attempt to justify the loneliness he feels. It is like he is recreating himself in these situations with women.

In conclusion, Eggers portrays women as being two dimensional and uninteresting, especially if they are unattractive. With young women, he uses them as a way to make himself feel less lonely as he imagines himself having a relationship with them. They have no real personalities of their own and lack anything of value apart from their youth or children.

Drummer Hodge Extract PEE Paragraphs

In this extract, Posner goes to Hector to recite the poem 'Drummer Hodge' by Thomas Hardy. This particular scene is full of ironic melancholy as the audience have just witnessed Hector being berated by the headmaster for molesting the boys.

Hector begins the private lesson with Posner with an interrogative 'any thoughts?', setting the agenda in order to tell the audience what is happening. This is the most professional Hector has been throughout the play as he often uses taboo language, as he does at the beginning of this extract: 'pornography', and discusses inappropriate subjects which defile the student-teacher relationship he should have with his students. In this extract, he 'sheds' this persona that he puts on with the dramatic lexis he uses in order to use the interrogative to open up an avenue of discussion with Posner so that he too, in turn, can open up and form an emotional connection with his student.

Bennett employs the use of the agenda setting technique again when Hector asks Posner 'what we have learned this week?', showing that there is an asymmetrical power dynamic in their relationship. This shows that Hector is again doing his job as a teacher rather than being inappropriate, which allows the audience to see Hector as a more three dimensional character because he is showing a more sensible but vulnerable side to his personality. This is because he often uses a persona to perhaps protect himself as he is seemingly lonely in his old age, hence why he clings to literature and what it can teach the boys. The establishing of the asymmetrical power dynamic allows the audience, and Posner, to see Hector as a teacher instead of another one of the boys because he is more mature.

Irwin and Posner Extract PEE Structure

I am analysing the extract from pages 60 to 63 where Irwin is talking to Posner in the future at his workplace. Irwin is in a wheelchair and is working on a BBC 2 documentary whereas Posner is trying to trick Irwin into revealing personal details so that he can sell him out.

In the beginning of the conversation, Irwin uses asyndetic listing, 'eye-catching, showy; false', in order to explain to Posner what the meaning of meretricious. It suggests that the teacher-student dynamic has not changed despite years passing between the two meeting and them being in a grown up situation. It shows that Irwin still has power over Posner, especially since Posner helps to create this asymmetrical power dynamic by beginning the conversation with a compliment, 'you were a good teacher', which is a way of 'sweetening' Irwin up to get what he wants. As Irwin an unconventional teaching style, he taught him to be 'meretricious' and it is evident that Irwin's influence as a teacher has heavily impacted Posner because he is being 'false' in this extract.
At the same time, Irwin breaks away from the asymmetrical power dynamic by using taboo lexis, 'fuck off', when trying to steer away from the tense conversation with Posner. He later returns to this dynamic by using snide language but the change in behaviour shows that even though Posner first addresses him as his teacher, which has the connotations of respect, Irwin no longer has to constrain himself and Posner no longer has to show him any respect as they are in the 'real world' now. The fantasy is disrupted.

During the unofficial interview, Posner asks Irwin about his relationship with Dakin. Bennett uses a  declarative to state that 'nothing happened between me and Dakin'. He repeats this phrase for emphasis, inferring that it this is a 'touchy' subject for Irwin. The subtext of this conversation suggests that there was something inappropriate between the two characters since they had a teacher-student relationship. This would cause shock amongst amongst a modern day audience who would feel like this is a taboo topic. The use of the past tense verb 'happened' references something that occurred in the past, which often has the connotations of negative events, that the audience don't know about. This creates tension and foreshadows the event to come, also hinting that Irwin has an attraction to Dakin which is not yet obvious, which again is not appropriate for their relationship dynamic.
It is first mentioned that Irwin is in a wheelchair, the wheelchair helps, of course', in this extract and it is unclear why to the audience as it is a flash forward sequence. This creates mystery and suspense as the audience may feel like they need to find out how these events have transgressed. This simple sentence has an underlying subtext as it suggests that a wheelchair enables an audience to feel sympathetic for Irwin, which is typical of Irwin's manipulative personality, and the fact that he admits this to Posner gives the sense that Posner is 'in on the secret'. The subtext is that the only way to be successful in life is to be manipulative. Ironically, Irwin has affected Posner's chances in life by teaching him this but Posner is not happy or successful.

Bennett also uses elevated lexis in Irwin's speech, 'monasticism', which portrays him as an intelligent and respectable person. It can said that some of this is true as Irwin is smart enough to be a teacher and is also smart enough to be able to manipulate situations, regularly demonstrating this by pushing the boys to work harder, but this creates a sense of irony as he cannot be considered respectable as he is morally ambiguous throughout the play. Especially in his relationships with the students and what he teaches in specific. The abstract noun 'monasticism' also gives off the sense that he is pretentious and is hiding behind 'long words', which Irwin seems to both relish in the beginning of the play and almost resent in this particular extract. It also suggests that he is hiding behind a façade, which creates a sense of intrigue.

Introduction

I have a lot of interests and I think it is difficult to write a summary of those interests. I have always hated writing those short biography's about myself because I think "what could I say that would impress people?"

In my spare time, I have a lot of extra curricular activities. I volunteered for a Brownie and Rainbow Guide unit for two years and now I have joined a new unit because I enjoyed it so much. I also do a lot of clubs in school, unlike in Secondary school, such as the Social Justice Club, the Human Rights Club, and the Journalism Club. I have been roped into a few other commitments at school too. I just can't say no! Outside of school, I watch a lot of TV shows, both intellectually stimulating and trashy as hell, and I used to read a lot of books when I had time. I also play the ukulele.

I tend to learn in different ways as I like to use everything I can to my advantage. Most of the time, you will find me with a pile of highlighters and sticky notes though. I enjoy taking detailed and thorough notes. Especially in English, where I will scribble all over handouts. I prefer to also use computers to type essays, listening to feedback and writing it down as I go along to improve my work.

The last book I read was the Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. Some consider it a modern classic but I find this strange because I have read a few other books that have been associated with this label and they bored me senseless. I enjoyed it because it was engaging from the beginning and I did not have to wait until further into the book to be hooked. The further along I went into the book, the darker it became due to the tragic back story of Sylvia Plath herself. The mood changed very quickly but it was still a novel that interested me vastly.