[bubbly]

hey guys, i was just wondering if you could help me with an essay i have to write. it is a character study on Maerad but only in the gift. i have to write about how her character changes and develops throughout the book and i am finding it a bit difficult to find these changes when they come about. i have read the book several times myself but i could do with the help of a few experts :D .

thanks

[Bridie]

character studies suck. i had to do one on piggy from lord of the flies. booring! lol anyway im here to help, just ask any questions and il try answer them for youu :)

[Bridie]

ok heres a quote from when shes having the flash back to her childhood when she and milana are in pellinor and enkir is threatening her "he pressed the blade closer, and it cut maerad again and she started to weep she stared desparatley at her mother , terrified she wouldnt tell, that she would let this man kill her" on page 425. this shows the extremity of the violence in her past. in the quote m is only about 5 and very naive and vunerable she doesnt understand whats going on and this naiveness carries on through her life because of this incident.

dont know if thatl help you or not

[bubbly]

wow thanx, i hadnt thought of starting before the story starts if ya know what i mean. thats a really good idea - i think i might use that in my essay.

[Gemini]

pity Alison isn't here to give you the "official" version :D

Mearad has a pretty convential arc from the start to the end of gift. If you take it her early childhood, in Pellinor- innocent etc etc, first notion of cruelty of world is sacking of Pellinor, a potent symbol of Maerads loss of innocence is Maerad's memory of her father being struck down before her. Matures further with memory Bridie talked of, afterwards would have been forced to take on role mell (sp... whatever too tired), her mother, once had, now that she is broken and all.

Further Maturity through Gilmans cot, being forced to fend for herself, she begins to build barriers to protect herself from the brutality of that life. Find a little freedom through her music and uses it to express her captive soul. Become fully independent when mother finaly dies, forced to fend for herself from a very young age- forges her independence. Though a lack of intimate contacts and relationships leaves her highly under developed in the way she relates to people and forms relationships- also leaving her very shy.

Then Cadvan shows up and she realises the limited extent of her knowledge. First few days with him shake all that she has known to this point, as result she begins to reasses herself and her position in the world. Her shyness and inability to form intimate relasionships (OTOH there's her childlike need for love and reasurance- Syliva) is shown in high detail all through Innail chapters, in particular in relation to Dernhil, Sylvia and Malgorn, the circle, peers, Cadvan...

She only comes to fully trust Cadvan after having spent months with him- again shows her trouble with intimatly trusting others. First connections to family in Weywood and Rachida, again a shift in her knowledge causes her to begin to question how she sees herself, her family and place in the world.

Begins to experience world, comes to relisation of its many layers and different forms of oppression and cruelty, also learns of choices and the importance of doing what is right and what is easy (if i may borrow from JK :D)

Meets Hem, again finds layers to her family. Creates connections to people and places, begins to form relationships with greater ease.

All through book, she is also dealing with the idea of the prophesy and her place in it, the idea of fate, choices again and her role in the ways of the world.

Comes to Norloch, again has revelations about the nature of good, evil, brutality,their many layers etc etc choices and their repocussions, in other people and her self- through Enkir and his actions, Cadvan and his past, her desire for revenge.

At her instatment she reaches what it considered the coming of age for a bard, whilst still being somewhat naive herself, also revelation of her place in prophsy, again idea of fate and choices.

Further changes with battle on docks, the "tarnishing" of her soul, shall we say, that comes when she reflects on her actions, kiiling in defense possibly innocent people.

Sorry if this is a little incoherent, tis 1:30am after all :D. We've been doing something of the same thing in English lately. I think i dropped off towards the end, i kind of forgot the meat of the story... anyhoo, please excuse any errors of spelling and feel free to rip my analysis of Maerad to shreads.... it's late... i'm tired. :)

[bubbly]

thanks - thats better than anything i would have come up with and i have four weeks to write this essay! also, any help from alison would be greatly appreciated :D thanks again

[owleye]

wow thats really good

[Tari]

Nice one Gem :D Someones been paying atention in class! ;)

anywayz on top of what Gem says i think you need to talk breifly about her relationship with Sylvia in regards to not habing a strong mother figure in her past (well what she can remember of it anyway) and also i think Maerad really came to trut Cadvan after the fight against the Wers just after they escaped form Gilman's Cot. I find that particular chater inportant to Maerad's development of trust i find a large part of her shiel drops away at that point.

And there was something else but i haven't read the book in a while. Four weeks is plenty of time for this stuff. Just put at least one quote for each point you make and keep it to the point.

Good luck :)

~ Tari

[Gemini]

Nice one Gem :D Someones been paying atention in class!
Not really lol, it's just that we've being doing identity and the search for self/ concept of self and so on in just about every class for all of this year,:rolleyes: must have something to do with year 12 hmmm...

You should have no problem writing this essay in four weeks bubbly... just don't leave it to the last minute.... like i've done many a time... :D

And to reiterate what Tari said, don't waffle and have a plan before you start. Always helps to have a plan that sets out what you are going to say in every paragraph, it helps you say everything you need to without repeating yourself. Also, make sure you have really strong opening and closing sentences.

This is what modern history does to you.... it helps having a teacher for a mother as well i 'spose :D.

[Tari]

You aint alone Gem, Modern History must effect eveyone like that!! :D I'm the same. Plus Lit on the side helps alot too. :rolleyes:

Yeh basically don't waffle and spend time on the essay. and EDIT it at least once dont do wat i do and write it he night b4 and pray u get a good mark. . . .innocent look . . . . . Have a thesis too i've recently discovered that they help keep you on track also. (yes i do realise it took me 4yrs of highschool t work it out.)

~ Tari :)