Module C: People and Politics

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English Revision Task How have the texts studied in this elective challenged your ways of thinking about "People and Politics"? People and politics are able to represent their own ideas and perspectives by utilising different techniques to bring forward a stronger influence and convey meaning. The multiple methods and procedures in which to form representation has challenged my ways of thinking about 'People and Politics'. W.H. Auden utilises satire to communicate the negative perspective of dictators in "Epitaph of a Tyrant" (1939). "The UN speech on Gender Equality" (2014) by Emma Watson combines speech and literary devices to carry forward her representation of gender equality to deliver meaning. In addition, W.H. Auden's "O What is that Sound" (1936) expresses his representation of the threat of communism through poetic techniques. Both Auden and Watson effectively form representations and perspectives through the implementation of techniques within their texts. Auden actively uses poetic techniques to display his own negative perspective regarding the power of dictators in "Epitaph of a Tyrant". Auden immediately creates an ambiguous environment as the first line states how dictators are after "perfection, of a kind". The slight pause after perfection satirises its positive connotation casting doubt upon the reader questioning what type of perfection that the dictators wanted. In addition, Auden further demonstrates his negative perspective through the comment on the amount of knowledge the dictators know; "[Dictators] knew human folly like the back of [their] hand". The simile used by Auden highlights the predatory nature of dictators toward human knowing more about human weakness than the back of their hand. Furthermore, the dictators' power is showcased through his actions; "When he laughed, respectable senators burst into laughter". The idiom used
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