IOC Outline: Boys and Girls

`IOC Outline:

Boys and girls:

A: Context of passage:

This particular instance of the story occurs immediately after the narrator allows one of the horses to runaway from their barn, this passage occurs towards the end of the story. Alice Munro’s Boys and Girls is a story revolving around the coming of age theme, and highlights through the use of symbols as well as literary devices the impact of gender roles imposed on society. The title of the story is significant in that it highlights the main idea of the story. 

Setting is vital in allowing the reader to understand the strictness of gender norms at that particular time, and thus allows the reader to create an emotional connection with the unnamed protagonist.

B: Overview

The passage occurs towards the end of the story, it captures the commotion associated immediately after Flora had been let free to run away from the barn, it further mentions the killing of Flora by the men.

C: Narrator

The story is being told from the perspective of the narrator, allowing the reader to gain an emotional connection with the protagonist. Tone of the passage indicated that the reader is reflective, as throughout the passage the protagonist questions her actions, this is further exacerbated as the protagonist states “ I supposed Laird would tell. I wondered what would happen to me. I had never disobeyed my father before, and I could not understand why I had done it.”

D: Structure

The pace of the passage is rather fast, yet it keeps up with the rest of the story. The passage is aimed at the protagonist reflecting her actions. Generally follows a chronological order.

E: Main Idea

The main idea of this passage is to essentially allow the reader to draw parallels between both the protagonist and Flora. Furthermore, the purpose of this passage could be to portray the gender roles imposed on women at that particular time, and that the protagonist has grown up to accept this and realise that is how it will be. Highlights the coming of age experience, essentially that is the main aim of the story. 

F: Commentary Structure

Commentary will be presented sequentially. 

G: Body sequential:

• Immediate opening is fast-paced, this is to imply the reflective nature of the protagonist. Further used to imply the worry experienced by the protagonist. 
• Flora’s actions can be a symbol used to represent the protagonist. Once she escapes from the barn, she is free. Similarly, the protagonist wants to escape from being held by gender norms.
• The passage highlights the coming of age theme.
• Flora’s killing is symbolic of the fact that the protagonist’s freedom will be short lived. Gender roles will always be apart of her life. 

IOC Practice!

Practice IOC



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Alice Munro and David Foster Wallace

TASK: Considering the above, in what ways could Wallace’s theory about education be applicable to the writing of Alice Munro? Justify your conclusion. Through his essay This is Water, David Foster Wallace aims to imply the importance of being “well adjusted”, he explains that the freedom humans experience through education allows us to be adjusted, conscious and sympathetic. Furthermore, Wallace highlights the utmost importance of learning how to think, essentially freeing yourself from being “slave to your head” by controlling what you think and especially thinking positive and happy thoughts. Wallace further implies the importance of education in developing emotional intelligence and empathy amongst ourselves, he continues to suggest the significance of literary fiction in aiding how we think as well as building our emotional intelligence. The quote from his speech which really resonated with me was "There is no experience you've had that you were not at the absolute centre of”, this made me think really hard about a memory where I was no in the centre of the entire experience. Moreover, this highlights his point that as individuals we are too self-centred, we only worry about our interest and not that of others. Furthermore, Wallace highlighted this point through the use of an example later on, where he explained the emotions one feels stuck in traffic, the feeling of annoyance and irritability. However, on that same road are people who are driving an SUV as they have been in an accident before and the size of the SUV makes them feel safe, whilst there are others stuck in the same traffic jam, as their child has been admitted into hospital. Wallace aims to imply that through literary fiction, we interact whilst reading with so many different protagonists, that we are then enabled to put ourself in a similar situation. Moreover, Wallace’s speech on our self-centredness and the importance of literary fiction draws parallels to Alice Munro’s writing. Through her stories she aims at portraying to the reader, the difficulties and struggles various protagonists face in overcoming stereotypes associated with them. it is no coincidence that Alice Munro writes her stories in such a manner, she uses her setting as well as other factors to help the reader identify with the protagonist and thus is allowed to communicate with the protagonist on an emotional level. The manner in which each protagonist struggles allows each of us to immerse ourselves in their situations which thus causes us to develop our emotional intelligence and empathy.