Explore the significance of punishment in two texts you have studied.
Atonement Poetry - Grimes
Robbie’s unjust punishment Grimes’ lack of social and judicial
Compare innocent presentation punishment & inadequacy when it
while being arrested in P1 to appears
the exploration and description Post patricide; is able to steal
of punishment in P2 and plunder from the town with
The prison: vivid, grotesque, no consequence for any crime
sense of claustrophobia through His abuse is enabled and
censorship and being silenced dismissed as “exercise” by
Separation from his love, townsfolk
discarded ambition; the effects Both he and the townsfolk are
of his punishment reverberate condemned by narrator –
through P2 Crabbe’s comment on how
Ironic injustice of punishment abuse can happen
and comment on classism; “little proved” jury dismisses
“Turner” and lack of agency – him mayor gives inadequate
has to follow orders despite punishment (aim for reform?)
“ignominy”; scapegoated Eventual social punishment is
His reaction to punishment ineffective because of his desire
elevates him – encourages “to be alone”? Argue that his
Cecilia to reconcile enforced isolation prevents him
Mention how this is all from even trying to reassimilate
ultimately focalised narration?
Briony’s self-punishment Grimes’ supernatural/religious
The reason for her change in punishment
career to nursing and the Far more severe and vindicating
reason for the novel’s existence for a reader as Peter seems to
Narrative intrusions in P1 show fear this the most
depth and length of punishment Comment on how the women
“locked” took pity on him; unlikely that
Idea that it is inescapable; cut God will do the same – “Again
short because of diagnosis they come!”
(argue that she seems to have Peter’s account of this is
enjoyed success?) unreliable but still powerfully
Never faces legal punishment impactful on him
but we clearly see her Sig: Crabbe commenting on the
emotional punishment – ultimate power of God to enact
question reliability? How far do justice even if legal punishment
we believe her report of her seems to fall short, there does
self-punishment? not seem to be forgiveness
possible for Grimes
In McEwan’s novel ‘Atonement,’ the heinous crime of assault and rape is blamed
on an innocent man, Robbie Turner who is falsely accused and wrongfully
imprisoned while the true perpetrator remains untouched by “the daily stupidity”
of prison life. Robbie suffers an untimely death at war, an unfortunate casualty
made worse by the tragic waste of his life. Our retrospective narrator, Briony
Tallis is the one responsible for this miscarriage of justice and spends “fifty-nine”
years atoning for her crime through the “self-torture” of reliving her mistakes.
Through her self-punishing and painstaking act of writing the novel, she attempts
to grant her victims both vindication against her and the chance to “survive to
love.”
Atonement Poetry - Grimes
Robbie’s unjust punishment Grimes’ lack of social and judicial
Compare innocent presentation punishment & inadequacy when it
while being arrested in P1 to appears
the exploration and description Post patricide; is able to steal
of punishment in P2 and plunder from the town with
The prison: vivid, grotesque, no consequence for any crime
sense of claustrophobia through His abuse is enabled and
censorship and being silenced dismissed as “exercise” by
Separation from his love, townsfolk
discarded ambition; the effects Both he and the townsfolk are
of his punishment reverberate condemned by narrator –
through P2 Crabbe’s comment on how
Ironic injustice of punishment abuse can happen
and comment on classism; “little proved” jury dismisses
“Turner” and lack of agency – him mayor gives inadequate
has to follow orders despite punishment (aim for reform?)
“ignominy”; scapegoated Eventual social punishment is
His reaction to punishment ineffective because of his desire
elevates him – encourages “to be alone”? Argue that his
Cecilia to reconcile enforced isolation prevents him
Mention how this is all from even trying to reassimilate
ultimately focalised narration?
Briony’s self-punishment Grimes’ supernatural/religious
The reason for her change in punishment
career to nursing and the Far more severe and vindicating
reason for the novel’s existence for a reader as Peter seems to
Narrative intrusions in P1 show fear this the most
depth and length of punishment Comment on how the women
“locked” took pity on him; unlikely that
Idea that it is inescapable; cut God will do the same – “Again
short because of diagnosis they come!”
(argue that she seems to have Peter’s account of this is
enjoyed success?) unreliable but still powerfully
Never faces legal punishment impactful on him
but we clearly see her Sig: Crabbe commenting on the
emotional punishment – ultimate power of God to enact
question reliability? How far do justice even if legal punishment
we believe her report of her seems to fall short, there does
self-punishment? not seem to be forgiveness
possible for Grimes
In McEwan’s novel ‘Atonement,’ the heinous crime of assault and rape is blamed
on an innocent man, Robbie Turner who is falsely accused and wrongfully
imprisoned while the true perpetrator remains untouched by “the daily stupidity”
of prison life. Robbie suffers an untimely death at war, an unfortunate casualty
made worse by the tragic waste of his life. Our retrospective narrator, Briony
Tallis is the one responsible for this miscarriage of justice and spends “fifty-nine”
years atoning for her crime through the “self-torture” of reliving her mistakes.
Through her self-punishing and painstaking act of writing the novel, she attempts
to grant her victims both vindication against her and the chance to “survive to
love.”
