A compilation of comparative essay plans made on the two texts Wuthering Heights and A Thousand Splendid Suns, under the Edexcel syllabus, including introductions, strands of argument, pieces of context and analysis of quotes.
KEY:
PINK = context (AO3)
PURPLE = comparison between both texts (AO4)
Compare the ways in which the writers of your two chosen texts present education. You
must relate your discussion to relevant contextual factors.
CONTEXT:
ATSS:
Patriarchal Afghan society disables women from being able to receive a proper education, as a result of
entrenched gender roles - in turn, these gender roles allow men to have opportunities, whereas women
are deprived of them - allows men to take advantage of + abuse their rights EG. Rasheed
WH:
18-19th centuries - society was distinguished by a class structure - elite, middle + working class - Cathy
mocks Hareton for attempting to have a higher social status by gaining education, where it is not his place
to
INTRO:
● Bronte + Hosseini seek to present education as a privilege, highlighting how certain characters
are deprived of educational opportunities that others would be able to have. As a result, it is
utilised as a tool of both oppression + empowerment.
● Hosseini portrays starkly different experiences of education through the characters of Laila and
Mariam, where Hakim’s educated + progressive mindset enables Laila, as a young girl, to have
an education, in the midst of the Taliban’s oppressive regime, whilst Mariam’s status as a ‘harami’
prevents her from having an education, and is instead left to suffer marriage w/ Rasheed, who
manipulates + abuses education in order to effectively control Mariam.
● Similarly, in Wuthering Heights, those of an inferior status, such as Heathcliff + Hareton are
deprived of being equally educated, causing them to manifest toxic and aggressive behaviour in
the place of gaining knowledge + education, potentially suggesting the detrimental effects of the
deprivation of education
PARAGRAPH 1: Both Bronte + Hosseini present education as a tool of oppression, for which men
can control women
Points:
● Mariam’s status as a ‘harami’ prevents her from being able to go to school and experience the
same freedom + opportunities as other children - evident when Mariam’s half-sisters, despite
being the same age, would not be getting married, and instead had “plans to enroll in Kabul
University.” - highlights the differential treatment as a (result from Mariam’s ‘harami’ status)
● Use of the phrase “plans” suggests a future, a privilege that Mariam is unable to have,
suggests how Jalil’s obsession with maintaining his reputation, not only results in in the
consequences of a destructive marriage, but also the destruction of any further hope Mariam had
to have an education = Aghan society (which is ultimately controlled by men) believes that
education is only useful to those who deserve it, not Mariam
● Rasheed manipulates education + knowledge of religion in order to force Mariam to sleep w/ him,
“It's what the Prophet himself and his wives did.” = directly contradicts Islamic teachings on
rape, considered to be a serious sexual crime = thus manipulates religion in order to satisfy his
sexual needs, which Afghan society suggests should be accommodated for by a woman.
● Similarly, women in WH face societal pressures/influences by men + as a result both Catherine’s
abuse their education EG. Catherine hurls her “dingy volume” into the “dog kennel” - use of
, plosive consonant ‘d’- highlights the harshness + brutality of her actions in an attempt to reject
gaining religious education
PARAGRAPH 2: Both Bronte + Hosseini present education as having a negative influence on men
EG. abusing their privileges, yet males also face restriction
Points:
● Rasheed’s incorrect use of the term ‘Karl Marxist’ = highlights how he is portrayed to be a less
educated husband than Hakim, who “knew the difference between a stalactite and a
stalagmite”
● Rasheed displays a lack of awareness + understanding towards women + their interests, evident
when he tells Mariam about superstitions people have about shoes, under the assumption that
“superstitions were largely a female occupation.”
● Rasheed’s firm belief that women should be “controlled” by men stems from his hatred towards
the idea of women being liberated, evident when he expresses his disgust at men “who bring
their wives to my shop” - his need to control + oppress women manifests harmfully towards
Mariam, evident when Rasheed irrationally blames Laila’s “denying” of him to be Mariam’s
“doing”, causing Rasheed to react physically, evident when he “swung the belt” at Mariam -
the dynamic verb “swung” indicates the sheer force that Rasheed uses against Mariam -
highlighting the brutality that men were allowed to treat their wives w/, in the male
accommodating culture of Afghan society
● In comparison, however, in WH, Heathcliff is unable to use education to wield power as a result of
his social status. Instead, he is prevented from becoming educated by Hindley, suggested by the
fact that he ‘struggled long to keep an equality with Catherine’ - verb “struggled” suggests
the difficulty of gaining an education for lower status, leads him to be treated ‘like the other
servants”
● When Heathcliff does gain an education, “he retained no marks of former degradation” =
indicates that he appears to have undergone a change by gaining education, yet it doesn’t
change his social status
● Unfortunately, however, Heathcliff deprives Hareton of an education, which becomes an attempt
to nurture aggression into him - evident by the “string of curses” that Hareton learns from
Heathcliff as a child - highlighting the detrimental effects of the deprivation of education + how it
can cultivate into toxic + aggressive behaviours.
PARAGRAPH 3: Both Bronte + Hosseini presented as a tool to strengthen/liberate characters
Points:
● Aziza, despite the inconvenient nature of her circumstances, is also strengthened by education +
gaining knowledge, evident when Laila is amazed at how quickly Aziza is “finishing [Tariq’s]
sentences” = indicating her intelligence + her ability to rapidly learn - highlighting the beneficial
advantages of educating young girls + women in Afghanistan, in which the Taliban fail to
acknowledge.
● Hakim, in contrast to Rasheed who uses education to confine women, encourages the education
of women, evident when he takes Laila to see the Bamiyan Buddhas, describing them as part of
Afghanistan’s “heritage” and “rich past” - contrast between positive + fruitful notion of “rich
past” with the Taliban’s description of the buddhas as “objects of idolatry and sin” = highlights
Hakim’s awareness + appreciation of Afghanistan's history + thus uses this to empower Laila
● Similarly, in WH = Cathy + Hareton are brought together by education, “the enemies were,
thenceforth, sworn allies” = (juxtaposition between “enemies” + “allies”) Cathy abuses her
education initially however, evident when she turns Hareton “turn his strange talk to a matter
of amusement” (highlights her hypocritical nature since she is judgemental + mocks Hareton for
his lack of education, when her own knowledge of the world is limited), however later on his lack
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