Item 10: An essay on gender in "Phone Call"
Build an essay by working with the pre-written statements and by adding your own material (see pages 174 to 176).
Essay question
Gender often plays a significant role in the value-system of a story, even though it may not seem to be the main focus. Analyse the representations of gender in one narrative text, and discuss the way gender relates to the values supported by the narrative.
Essay planner
Introduction
Restatement: Gender plays a significant part in “Phone Call” by Berton Roueché, offering a view of women and men that can be described as ______.
(Hints: sexist? true to life? offensive? outdated? insightful? stereotypical? realistic?)
It does this by supporting conflicting values such as ______.
(Hint: List some of the conflicting values you have found.)
Explanation: The values associated with each gender are ______.
(Hint: State which values are associated with women, which with men.)
Argument: The gender and values that the story as a whole supports are ______.
(Hint: State which gender’s values are supported by the story.)
The text supports this gender and set of values through ______.
(Hint: State which aspects of the narrative support the values – e.g. perspective, descriptions, oppositions, language. Very briefly say how – e.g. by giving negative descriptions of the woman.)
Middle paragraphs
Paragraph 1
Statement: The narrator’s account shows a ______perspective.
Explanation:
Examples:
Paragraph 2
Statement:
Explanation:
Examples:
Paragraph 3
Statement:
Explanation:
Examples:
Conclusion
Restatement:
(Hint: Use the “mirror-image” structure.)
Argument:
(Hint: Refer to your argument statement and to the question.)
Possible statements, following the pattern of an essay on Heart of Darkness (see page 176).
Introduction
Restatement: Berton Roueché’s “Phone Call” offers a view of women that could be described as sexist, or at least outdated.
Middle paragraphs
Statement 1. The narrator’s account of the events shows a ______perspective.
Statement 2. Descriptions of ______are evidence of the ______perspective that dominates the text.
Statement 3. The opposition between ______and ______is a system of classification that operates in the text.
Statement 4. The selection of language in the text is also important in the representation of ______.
Conclusion
Restatement: In the light of these points, we must conclude that “Phone Call” offers a representation of gender that supports the values of ______.
Published in Australia by Chalkface Press.
© 2001 Chalkface Press, Bronwyn Mellor, Brian Moon.
The contents of this CD are copyright. Except for the purposes of private study, these materials may not be reproduced, stored, transmitted or modified in any way without the written permission of the publisher.
ISBN 1 875136 27 4. (book) 1 875136 29 0 (CD ROM).