Lauren Wun-Hym
Arguably, narrative is one of the most essential elements of
the world, as it allows us to grasp our reality and to orient us. (Kuttainen,
2015) Yet, narrative, in its basic form of a novel, also contributes to our
understanding of the world. The use of masterly placed words is a powerful tool
to wield, enabling authors to enhance any reaction them deem necessary, aspect
they feel is important or simply to inconspicuously provide historical
references. Tuan (1991, p. 685) states, “the right to speak and be heard, the right to
name and have that name ‘stick’ – is empowerment”, and the same goes for the
power of the pen.
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| Image from: http://www.thepencompany.com/ |
Sometimes works of fiction have historical references
ingrained in the story, folk tales are prime examples, but modern novels also
tell of the times without stating it in bold letters. Running from 1929 until
1932, the Great Depression was a major historic event but there are many
narratives that provide a different insight into this period. Take F. Scott
Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel The Great Gatsby,
it questions the ‘American dream’, portraying a lavish and decadent image, of the Jazz Age, or,
the Roaring Twenties. Yet, Aldous Huxley’s 1932 Brave New World deals with the Great Depression in another way,
producing a dystopic world under totalitarian rule, reflecting a darker, more
despairing image of the world, while addressing fears that were present during
the 30s. These authors both had the power of the pen to portray their narrative
of the world, and although the two views vary, they are both insightful views
upon the world in the 1920s and 1930s.
The power of the pen is still influential
in modern day society, yet its power has changed to the power of the Internet,
as there is no longer a need to write detailed novels that portray various
events as everything is at our fingertips thanks to the Internet. Narratives
are being created everyday through social medias like Tumblr, alerting and
bringing awareness through virtual space, history can be told through words on
a blog which is spread through the network and being read by those all over, in
a matter of minutes. While social media does not require a pen to empower it, the words themselves are empowering, leaving a narrative of our history as much as the novel.
References:
American Dream. (2015). In Wikipedia. Retrieved August 27th, 2015, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Dream.
Scott Fitzgerald, F. (1925). The Great Gatsby. New York, USA: Charles Scribner's Sons.
Huxley, A. (1932). Brave New World. UK: Chatto & Windus.
Kuttainen, V. (2015). BA1002: Our Space: Networks, Narratives, and the Making of Place, Lecture 5: Stories and Place. [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://learnjcu.edu.au.
Tuan, Y. (1991). Language and the Making of Place: A Narrative-Descriptive Approach. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, Vol. 81. (No. 4.), pp 684-696. Retrieved from: http://www.jstor.org/stable/256343.
Image Reference:
The Pen Company. (n.d.) Fall Back on a Pen. [Image]. Retrieved from: http://www.thepencompany.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/fall-back-on-a-pen.jpg
I completely agree, especially with your argument referring to the novels The Great Gatsby and Brave New World. I think it could also be argued that this ‘Power of Pen’ concept is particularly relevant in terms of Autobiography verse Media. Tuan (1991) mentions empowerment of being named, I also believe whoever is writing or ‘naming’ holds the power of perspective, using narrative to influence the reader. Take for example John Howard in his autobiography Lazarus Rising (Howard, 2010) defending his decision to join the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ in the invasion of Iraq on the pretence of WMD. This is evident when he states “The decision to go into Iraq was right for a variety of reasons” (Howard, 2010, p.425). Howard goes on to further justify his decision. The same event perceived by The Irish Times states “Parliamentary inquiry into the use of intelligence leading up to the war that Prime Minister John Howard, lied to the Australian public about Iraq's weapons programme” (Squires, 2003). This supports my argument that shows two separate perspectives of the same event.
ReplyDeleteReference:
Howard, J.W. (2010). Lazarus Rising: A personal and political autobiography. Australia: HaperCollins publishers.
Squires, N (2003). Australian PM 'lied about Iraqi threat. The Irish Times Retrieved from http://www.irishtimes.com/news/australian-pm-lied-about-iraqi-threat-1.370575
Tuan, Y. (1991). Language and the Making of Place: A Narrative-Descriptive Approach. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, Vol. 81. (No. 4.), pp 684-696. Retrieved from: http://www.jstor.org/stable/256343.