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A/SHHS 12B English Literature > Oranges are not the only fruit > Flashcards

Flashcards in Oranges are not the only fruit Deck (32)
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1
Q

quote that shows the Manichean outlook of Mrs Winterson

A

“She had never heard of mixed feelings. There were friends and there were enemies.”

“she was in the white corner and that was that”

2
Q

what does this quote show?
“she followed a star until it came to settle above an orphanage, and in that place was a crib, and in that crib, a child. A child with too much hair”

A
  • mythic quest that resembles the quest of Christ.
  • “And” replicates the narrative technique of the Bible.
  • “too much hair” twists austere style to question the nature of narratives and fictions
  • it also represents attempt to rewrite a classic book in her own style,
  • suggests that no text actually represents truth. texts are subjective representations of reality
3
Q

how do fundamentalist christian views reflect ideas expressed in Deuteronomy

A
  • believe “the bible states the truth without error”, “every sentence is true and correct”
  • winterson makes us question its legitimacy “fishiest of fish tales”
  • dominated by the male voice
4
Q

contemporary views about marriage and sexuality

A
  • marriage is between one man and one woman

- homosexuality is a sin

5
Q

manichean fundamentalist christian view that is manifested in mrs w

A

christians go to heaven and everyone else goes to hell

“there were friends and there were enemies”

6
Q

fundamentalist christian view that is manifested in J’s exorcism

A
  • if a member of the church act in a way that contradict their dogma, it is the community’s responsibility to force the member to admit sin and ask for forgiveness
7
Q

synopsis of genesis

how does this link to the bible story?

A
  • book of creation, origin story

- start of J’s life, how her mother tries to mould her to be a missionary

8
Q

synopsis of exodus

how does this link to the bible story?

A
  • Israelites escape from Egypt, live in new land
  • end of chapter, J’s feelings of displacement when she’s forced to leave home and go to school
  • contrasts w Israelites who accept “strange notions” (concepts that don’t conform to Church’s beliefs) without problem
9
Q

synopsis of leviticus

how does this link to the bible story?

A
  • jewish laws

- mothers doctrines dictating L’s life and so J’s life

10
Q

synopsis of numbers

how does this link to the bible story?

A
  • wandering of the Jews in the wilderness
  • J tries to navigate her way through a world in which marriage is supposed to be sacred yet married women find no joy in it
  • becomes to come into her sexuality and meets Melanie (falls in love)
11
Q

synopsis of deuteronomy

how does this link to the bible story?

A
  • last book of the law in the Bible, W gives it this subtitle (only one to have one)
  • v short, personal reflection, not part of the narrative
  • time, storytelling vs history, fact/fiction
  • chapter reflects purpose of deut: reiterating most imp. themes in bible so far
12
Q

synopsis of joshua

how does this link to the bible story?

A
  • leader Joshua keeps ppl safe bc of his faith in God over Hi military skills
  • militaristic way church deals w J’s homosexuality, believe their words show Gods word
  • W learns she must be true to herself, tricks those around her w false statements, admits homosexuality is a sin, repents to satisfy them
13
Q

synopsis of judges

how does this link to the bible story?

A
  • Jewish people rebelling against God and being continually punished by him, lacking strong leadership so don’t act in their best interests
  • W returns to church and acts rebelliously (true to herself and sexuality)
  • leaves church and is forced from her home
14
Q

synopsis of ruth

how does this link to the bible story?

A
  • few instances when women are at the core of stories in the bible
  • Ruth chooses to remaron w her mother in law after her husband’s death and to adopt religion
  • though J can’t stay w her adoptive mother after finding her sense of self and rejecting L’s beliefs, calm reconciliation w L that fits the mood of Ruth
15
Q

quote to show the anonymity of j’s father and the subversion of gender roles

A
  • in mrs w’s eyes “never quite good enough”
  • My father liked to watch the wrestling…
  • “her husband” – noun suggests separation, lack of importance to family, dismissive tone.
  • but can challenge patriarchy – presented as Mrs W’s possession, ultimate matriarch.
16
Q

quote to show the indoctrination of religious and heteronormative dogma in contemporary society

A

“She would get a child, train it, build it, dedicate it to the Lord”

  • heterosexual expectation bound within religious doctrine
17
Q

quote to show the stigma attached to lesbianism

A
  • 2 women who own paper shop:“She said they dealt in unnatural passions. I thought they put chemicals in the sweets.”
    – contrast of knowing, adult, judging voice, with J’s innocence – underscores the taught prejudice by church vs reality
  • even an innocent child, can fall from
    blessedness and become “a house of demons.”
  • pastor in front of congregation “fallen under satan’s spell”
18
Q

quote to show the hypocrisy of the church

A
  • mrs w is manifestation of its manichean nature
  • enemies “sex in its many forms” but book of “old flames”, repressed female sexuality, lesbian tendencies in heteronormative setting
19
Q

quote to show the restrictive confines of marriage and heteronormativity

A
  • women state they were married to “pigs” and “beasts”

“Sometimes he was blind, sometimes a pig, sometimes my mother, sometimes the man from the post office, and once, just a suit of clothes with nothing inside.”

  • next door “the strange noises, like cries for help” also j’s unhealthy upbringing regarding sex
20
Q

quote to show repressed female sexuality

A
  • mother’s conversion “v romantic”
    princess metanarrative
  • “great energy”, in fairytale
21
Q

what does w’s spiral narrative show?

A
  • metanarratives are allegorical manifestations of J’s desire to escape from her own self-imposed limitations on her identity
22
Q

how do the woman who shopped and oranges connect

A

the woman and J both are shunned by society for not conforming to heteronormative expectations, prioritise their own desires as women

doesn’t prioritise the “groom”, )
- Allusion, Ovid’s Metamorphoses (terrible fates exacted on overreaching, aspiring mortals)
- ‘stone hair’, birds ‘shriek’ -> classical harpies
- present punishable ‘sin’ that offends the gods
her own desires:
Image of prostitution- welcomes/anticipates being the vehicle of an obscene capitalist ceremony - the desecration of her own body.

J shunned by society for prioritising her sexuality over satisfying her church’s dogma

23
Q

how does the long queen, history and oranges connect?

A

“Her flesh now sprung from her head” – an allusion Zeus eating his wife and child – Mrs W as an overbearing megalomaniac, breaks gender norms

24
Q

Perfection meta narrative significance and quotes

A

“without blemish inside or out, flawless in every respect.”
- no success, goose says prince modify expectations, chops off head.
- writes book on perfection: only way world can be
saved from corruption is producing “world full of perfect beings.” woman not interested, head cut off bc didnt conform
- prince said he “stamped out a very great evil

25
Q

Evidence of J’s deterioting relationship with her mother and increasing sense of self

A

“What is it about intimacy that makes it so
very disturbing?”
“She burnt a lot more than the letters that night.”
“to distinguish the chalk circle from the
stone wall … a wall for the body, a circle for the soul,”

26
Q

Evidence of J’s increasing sexual awareness

A
  • two women owning paper shop “Unnatural Passion”
  • women refer to husbands as “pigs”, fairytales where women marry “beasts”
  • feels embarrassed around “necking” couples as taught that sex is sinful
  • eventually comes to own conclusion that women can choose to be with other women
27
Q

How is lesbianism referred to by the church

A
  • “fallen under Satan’s spell”
  • Finch uses the no.7 to preach how quickly innocence can become “a house of demons”
  • Miss Jewsbury as predatory yet protective, J “hated and hated” it when they had sex yet couldn’t stop.
    Something she hated at the time yet eventually accepts
28
Q

The Church as militaristic, manipulative

A
  • Melanie as “bovine”

- “wax figures”

29
Q

Princess meta narrative significance and quotes

A

“So sensitive that the death of a moth could distress her for weeks”
Saved by a hunchback such says she has “great energy and resourcefulness”
Both J and L have highly sexual natures and try to hide them

30
Q

L’s controlling nature and lack of emotion towards J

A
  • “get a child, train it, dedicate it to the Lord”

- deafness L: “a state of rapture” “this child’s not full of the Spirit…she’s deaf” said Mrs J

31
Q

Tetrahedron meta narrative significance and quotes

A
  • “a palace made absolutely from elastic bands” J’s creativity, imagination separates her, like her homosexuality
32
Q

J’s deterioration of her relationship with the church

A

“Now I was finding that even the cl rich was sometimes confused