Hello readers. I have an english exam coming up this week and I'm preparing for it by writing practice essays for the texts that we studied in class. I would greatly appreciate any feedback as I want to get a good grade for the exam. Thanks

Analyse how a text strengthened your opinion of a particular text or issue

Sexism forces women to adhere to what society considers as acceptable. It is unfair and only destroys relationships and lives. The author, Jennifer Donnelly, wrote the extended text A Gathering Light to express to the audience (especially teenage girls) that the world is a tough place for young women. She based her narrative on a murder that occurred during July, 1906 in the Adirondack Mountains, a time when there was a strong presence of sexism in that society. Through careful manipulation of literacy devices and techniques, she presents this issue to the reader to convince us that no good can come from sexism.

Jennifer Donnelly tells the narrative in the first person from the point of view of the main character, Mattie. During the novel, we are shown Mattie’s experiences and challenges in her life and how she feels and reacts to them. For example, when her Pa tells her that she should be at home helping with the planting instead of being at school, she feels anger towards him. When her father found out that she had spent money buying a composition book instead on food, he hits her in spite of the fact that she has earned the money herself. Donnelly’s narrative point of view allows the audience to sympathise with Mattie and the challenges she has to face in a society when women were expected to look after the family. Mattie’s emotions and experiences contrast to what should have been love and unity, the values of a true family. It’s her anger towards her Pa and the mistreatment that she experiences from her that convinced me further that sexism only destroys relationships. No daughter should be angry towards her father and be abused.

Jennifer Donnelly expresses the idea that sexism causes women to have no freedom of choice and that their lives were destined to fulfil the expectations of men. This is achieved through symbolism. When Mattie was returning home after visiting her mother’s grave, she encounters the body of a young robin. “A hawk’s work, I thought, wondering if the robin had seen the brilliant blue of the sky and felt the sun on its back before its wings were broken.” The young robin represents freedom as they are able to go anywhere they desire with minimal restrictions. However, if they are attacked and killed, then they are unable to go where they desire. This reflects the society at the time, where men controlled the actions of women, stopping them from achieving their desires and choices in life. Later in the novel, Jennifer reminds us of this. On Mattie’s birthday, she receives a second hand cook book from her partner, Royal. Using the cook book as a gift shows that men do not value women’s desires (even on such an occasion where they should be favoured) and reinforces that women were expected to look after the family. Donnelly’s symbolism persuaded me as to how there is an imbalance of freedom between the sexes and how men are upsetting this balance which is unfair.

The narrative is also structured in parallel to make us think of how sexism can lead to the sinful act of murder. It also creates the possibility of whether Mattie will become a murder victim due to the similarities she has with the murder victim. The narrative follows two timelines: Mattie’s life on her home farm and when she was working at the hotel in the holidays and reading the letters of Grace, the murder victim. In these letters, Mattie slowly discovers the circumstances which Grace was living in and how she constantly begged her partner, Chester for help. Similarities can be drawn from Grace’s life to Mattie’s: They both have to look after the children, have to work for their family and have partners. At one point in the novel when Mattie was reading the letters, she finds out that Grace had to quit her job because she was bearing Chester’s child. She eventually became ill from fulfilling her responsibilities, yet Chester did not come to her aid even though Grace pleaded for help many times. Chester eventually murdered her because she became a liability to him and failed to meet his expectation. “My whole life is ruined and in a measure yours is, too.” This is the author’s structured way of showing to us that Mattie is doomed to a certain fate should she follow the normal range of expected behaviours for young women. The similarities indicate that Mattie isn’t the only one that struggles with this issue, but so do many other women in society. It makes me believe that sexism should end to prevent the possibility of more women being doomed to a certain fate.

Jennifer Donnelly wrote A Gathering Light to make us consider as to how unfair and destructive sexism can be. By writing the narrative in the point of view of Mattie and structuring it in parallel makes us feel for Mattie’s struggles and that sexism only destroys relationships in society and subjects women to a certain doom. Her use of symbolism reinforces the idea as to how women are not given the same right of freedom as men and how they are controlling women to tip the balance to their favour. Through communicating to the audience, she has strengthened my opinion that it is unfair and that no good can come from it.