Comparative Essay on The Longest Memory and 7 Stages of Grieving (Power)
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Course
English
Institution
12th Grade
Book
The Longest Memory
A+ comparative essay on one of the most popular text pairs: The Longest Memory and 7 Stages of Grieving.
Great for test preparation, with bolded quotes on power to help memorisation and a unique and coherent take on nuanced ideas presented by the authors.
Comparative Essay on The Longest Memory and 7 Stages of Grieving (Grief)
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Compare how it is impossible for the characters from ‘The Longest Memory’ and ‘The 7 Stages of
Grieving’ to resist the systemic abuse of power.
Set against the backdrop of a pre-Civil War Virginia, Fred D’Aguiar’s 1994 novella The Longest Memory
utilises the grounded realism of historical fiction to portray the perpetuation of racist ideologies against
African Americans. Likewise, Wesley Enoch and Deborah Mailman’s theatrical play The 7 Stages of
Grieving depicts the subjugation of Indigenous Australians in a post-European-colonisation Australia, and
their difficult path to reconciliation. Both texts convey that marginalisation is conducted by those with
social authority, and often results in brutal inflictions upon the victims. The trio of authors dejectedly
suggest that the systemic abuse of power can usually be impossible to resist from oppressed individuals.
However, they convey that even though victims can’t completely retaliate against the majority which short-
changes and judges them, they can alleviate the pain of loss through moments of joy and feelings of
catharsis. Ultimately, both the novella and the play assert that prevalent abuse of authority can be nearly
impossible to resist by individuals weakened by physical and psychological torture, however, encourage
that despite this, the pain and grief can be minimised through moments that bring relief.
Both texts depict that those with power perpetuate racist ideologies, resulting in enduring marginalisation
which spans several generations. In the novella, Sanders Senior expresses content at his son’s question
regarding “why [African Americans] were dark and [they] were bright”, with juxtaposition signifying
the social disparity and mistreatment of black people compared to the privileged lifestyle of the white
community. D’Aguiar outlines the insidious ways in which racist ideas are passed on from parents to
children through education, insinuating how this would result in perpetuation of the ideas across multiple
generations which occurred in Virginia prior to the Civil War. In addition, this idea is exemplified during
‘Plantation Owners’, when the symbol of “lions” signifies how Mr Whitechapel’s moments of clarity and
sincere empathy towards slaves are shrouded by a fear of social pressures that “roar” at him. D’Aguiar
uses Mr Whitechapel’s conflicted attitude to showcase ways in which racism and cruelty can become
predominant in society as those with power force each other to abide by a status quo, which is built upon
an array of prejudicial beliefs. The play also illustrates this idea during ‘Mugshot’, which is delivered in
the style of a “court report [with] no hint of emotion” to emphasise the apathy of the police force and
judicial systems. In addition, when the “Woman retrieves her dress” at the conclusion of ‘Invasion Poem’,
Enoch and Mailman symbolise how Indigenous people had to eventually succumb to the dictatorship of
British invaders. The playwrights assert that abuse of authority disarms victims emotionally, subjugating
their ability to question their own mistreatment and thereby allowing oppression to propagate. Both texts
reinforce that racist beliefs originate from authoritarian groups and are perpetuated through multiple
generations. However, D’Aguiar’s novella deviates from the play in the way it portrays passing on of such
racist ideologies, conveying that they are communicated through education of naïve privileged children.
Contrarily, the play outlines that abuse of power is only possible due to inaction from the oppressed
individuals, since they are forced to assimilate and abide by harsh rules, thereby clearing way for
intergenerational oppression to take effect. Therefore, whilst D’Aguiar portrays education as a culprit for
the prevalent prejudice in Virginia, the playwrights blame initial inaction from the victims themselves. The
novella’s use of juxtaposition and imagery also contrasts the play’s use of structural and theatrical devices,
such as the delivery style of ‘Mugshot’, with the former aiming to illustrate the infliction of prejudice from
those in power whilst the latter emphasises the constriction of victims. Ultimately, the trio of authors
highlight that abuse of power increases the perpetuation of racist ideologies, insinuating how such
marginalisation would completely disarm individuals from resisting.
Once prevalent, racial segregation further diminishes victims’ ability to resist as they desperately attempt
to coexist within the system which mistreats them. This is exemplified in the novella most prominently
through its structure, as two end-to-end chapters named “Remembering” and “Forgetting” encompass
the bleak and desolate life of Whitechapel, hence alluding to the inhibited lives of African Americans.
D’Aguiar uses this allusion which contours his entire novella to highlight a broader message on how early
1800s restricted the freedom of slaves in Virginia, both emotionally and physically, hoping that future
societies may never face such subjugation of life and memory. Furthermore, Whitechapel’s loyalty to the
slave owners is evident at multiple instances, such as when “he was annoyed at [his great granddaughter]
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