A Doll's House and Purple Hibiscus Flashcards

Flashcards on A Doll's House and Purple Hibiscus

Point (P): Identity vs. Societal Expectation

The struggle to reconcile authentic identity with societal expectation; a persistent undercurrent in literature.

Point (P): Nuanced Literary Techniques

Literary techniques used to explore how individuals negotiate oppressive environments, and the costs and possibilities of breaking free.

Technique: Antanaclasis

Repetition of a word in different senses; used by Ibsen to expose the duality of Nora's existence as a doll-wife and doll-child.

Technique: Bathos

A sudden change of tone from serious to ridiculous; used by Adichie in Purple Hibiscus when spiritual sanctity turns violent.

Technique: Bildungsroman characteristics

Characterized by growth; traces Kambili's journey from muteness to speech.

Point (P): Performance of Identity

The idea that identity, especially for women and children, is often a carefully maintained performance, shaped by patriarchal expectations.

Point (P): Nora's Identity

Subservience and capacity to please; Nora's roles as wife and daughter are defined by these qualities.

Point (P): Roles

Artificiality, roles are constructed for the benefit of others.

Evidence (E): Torvald's Language

Patronizing language; Torvald refers to Nora as his skylark and little squirrel

Evidence (E): Paranomasia

The reflection that when the tea burned my tongue, it burned Papa's love into me.

Point (P): Tension Between Inner Self and Outer Role

Inner self and outer role, suggesting that the performance of identity is both a shield and a shackle.

Evidence (E): Antithesis

The juxtaposition of "true man" and "womanly helplessness" encapsulates the gendered logic that underpins the Helmer household.

Evidence (E): Nora's Soliloquy

Claiming the right to define herself outside of her prescribed role.

Technique: Litotes

Understated negation; emphasizes the impossibility of open resistance under Papa's rule.

Technique: Bathos mirroring collapse

Sanctity of communion is abruptly undercut by the scalding pain of hot tea, mirroring the collapse of religious idealism into domestic brutality.

Point (P): Nora's Epiphany

Realization that she must "stand alone" is enacted through the denouement of the play.

Point

Offering Kambili and Jaja a model of resistance

Quote: Torvald's Language

Torvald refers to Nora as his skylark and little squirrel. Achieves a patronizing effect.

Quote: Antithesis

The juxtaposition of "true man" and "womanly helplessness" encapsulates the gendered logic that underpins the Helmer household. Employs Antithesis.

Quote: Nora's Soliloquy

Claiming the right to define herself outside of her prescribed role. Seen in Nora's Soliloquy.

Quote: Paranomasia

The reflection that when the tea burned my tongue, it burned Papa's love into me. This is Paranomasia.

Technique: Bathos mirroring collapse

Sanctity of communion is abruptly undercut by the scalding pain of hot tea, mirroring the collapse of religious idealism into domestic brutality. This is Bathos mirroring collapse.