Analysing the Children of Men To analyse the language features crafted by PD James in creating her vision of a dystopian world

in The Children of Men. Dystopian Concepts Totalitarian dictatorship Glorification and justification of violence Technology replaces humanity Negative social trends are taken to nightmarish extremes

Characteristics of Dystopian Literature Fictional and futuristic Dystopias serve as warnings to contemporary man Comment on our own current society

Five elements every good story should have Setting (where, when, sets the scene) Plot (action, series of events) Character (The people in the story that carry out the action) Conflict (struggle, drama) Theme (central belief, topic)

Plot Structure Exposition (background information that helps support the story) Inciting Incident (Event that starts us down the path toward the climax) Rising Action (Building up the tension) Climax (moment of greatest tension) Falling Action (Most exciting part, the action or the playing out of the tension) Resolution (After tension is released)

The Children of Men (Published in 1992, started writing in the 70s) Mood: Dystopian, transition from dismal to hopeful, redemptive, accepting First 200 pages character building, setting and description Plausible event that could actually happen in the future

Main Characters Protagonists Dr. Theodore Faron: History professor at Oxford Five Fishes

Antagonist Xan Lyppiatt Mass infertility Rolf: turns traitor when he discovers wifes infidelity

Important Scenes Plot-Driving Meeting with the Counsel Meeting in the church Attack by the Painted Faces Ending cabin scene Seeing Julian in church 1st time Robbing elderly couples home Jaspers house (multiple scenes encompassing) Theme-Advancing Visiting the Quietus Birth Expositional/Character Development Running over daughter with car Stroller scene: crazy cat/doll ladies

Major Conflicts Infertility Power Vacuum Lack of democracy Atrocities of government Quietus Penal colony Porn shops/involuntary fertility testing Deportation of Sojourners Dehumanization

Setting Physical setting: London, areas of Great Britain Meta-setting: the conflict is global Time period: Jan 1, 2021 Oct 15, 2021

Structure Structure: Mixed objective description and diary entries Effect: Gives a broader perspective, develops Theos characters, draws reader into the story Point-of-View: Switches between first person and limited third Characteristics of the 1st-person narrator: Theos reliability is enhanced by his good memory, intellect, disinclination to distort facts (from being a historian), and lack of censorship (as this is his own diary). Characteristics of the 3rd-person narrator: The narration is presented objectively, removed from the action

Style Syntax (sentence structure) Well-formed, poetic, descriptive phrases Long and short sentences Well-paced storytelling and sentences Certain aspects underdeveloped Characters thrown away when no longer important General plot is lacking slightly; a few plot holes Diction (Choice and use of words) Complex, but accessible Narrator is reliable because he is writing a diary, meaning he would not skimp on embarrassing/unattractive details because no one else will read

Themes of Interest The arrogance of youth Death and decay\Familial and romantic love The role of religion/peoples response to religion to hopeless situations The human spirit Natures indifference The growth and use of power The roles of women/gender roles Motherhood and maternity

Interpretations Symbols Water: life and purity yet also ominousness and death Religion Title taken from scripture References to La Pieta Five Fish using the fish as an early Christian symbol Luke as a priest Water as purity and renewal

Virgin Mary, birth of the Saviour Deer as a symbol of Christ