1. ‘I Am Legend’ – Team Presentations
1. Read (or re-read) the ‘I Am Legend’ extract as a class from your anthology.
What were the central concerns in 1954?

2. Text in chunks
Your group will be given a chunk of the I Am Legend extract.
This lesson, you must analyse and annotate your allotted chunk in depth.
Look out for:
Dystopian tropes and characteristics
Typical dystopian stylistic features (language, structure & form)
Groups given section of text (L3 I am Legend resource is whole text) – see following slides for chunks

3. Let’s practice with the opening line:
Raeesa & Blessing: You’re up! You will both have 2 minutes to come up with your most interesting idea about the opening line of the extract: which one is better? Why didn’t they leave him alone? Did they think they could all have him? As they think – what is our success criteria?

4. Over to you - for Wednesday I need:
Detailed analysis (poster ideally) of your section
Look out for & be ready to feed back on:
Dystopian tropes and characteristics
Typical dystopian stylistic features (language, structure & form)
AO3 links
A model paragraph about your extract for verbal feedback (needs to be ed to me)
Groups given section of text (L3 I am Legend resource is whole text) – see following slides for chunks

5. Language devices:
Rhetorical Q’s – internalising thoughts as he is alone – however, could show a lack of individualism – he is questioning his position in society – the same as any other man.
Personal pronouns – “Why didn’t they leave him alone?” – is it himself or someone else? Ambiguity surrounding identity – a component
“Turned back to his chair” – reminiscent of 1984 where Winston has his alcove to write;
Use of sensory imagery – noises – “noises” “shouted” – intensifying in its impact
Dystopian Tropes
A victim of the villain of this book – cycle of indoctrination that he wants to escape
“You’d think they’d give up” – ‘they’ referring to his ‘opponents’ – power and control – linked to resistance
‘made himself another drink’ – isolation of the central protagonist – isolation as a form of control
Concept of surveillance and fear regarding the unknown
Why didn't they leave him alone? Did they think they could all have him? Were they so stupid they thought that? Why did they keep coming every night? After five months, you'd think they'd give up and try elsewhere. He went over to the bar and made himself another drink. As he turned back to his chair he heard stones rattling down across the roof and landing with thuds in the shrubbery beside the house. Above the noises, he heard Ben Cortman shout as he always shouted. "Come out, Neville!"
1953 – structure of DNA – basic form allows for control over the human race – cause of his isolation
1952 – Pacemaker – mimicking of the manipulation of the human body – panic – vaccine gone wrong – warning us of the possible irregularities and consequences.

6. Someday I'll get that bastard, he thought as he took a big swallow of the bitter drink. Someday I'll knock a stake right through his goddamn chest. I'll make one a foot long for him, a special one with ribbons on it, the bastard. Tomorrow. Tomorrow he'd soundproof the house. His fingers drew into white-knuckled fists. He couldn't stand thinking about those women. If he didn't hear them, maybe he wouldn't think about them. Tomorrow. Tomorrow.
Underpinned by uncertainty – blurs between protagonist speaking and narrator narrating – he himself hasn’t got a lot of clear focus in his life – no clear focus for us as to whose voice it is
Repetition of “someday” shifts into repetition of “tomorrow” – constantly days that he is unsure of – potentially a protagonist that cannot survive
“white-knuckled fists” – uneasy, erratic man – instability and unaware of who he’s running from.
“If he didn’t hear them…” – taking things out of society allows you to eradicate it
Protagonist alone – him against the regime – individual vs. society
“He couldn’t stand thinking about those women” – straying away from love? Relationships?
Contextual links – LA – post-apocalyptic world – major increase in violent crime in USA, such as LA – reflects potential hysteria and turmoil through the protagonist Cold War – Vampires are like the ‘communist other’ – the new emerging society – Robert represents the dying nature of capitalism – fears of communism – how to cope / survive / escape in a world dominated by communist beliefs – inhuman – ‘different’
- Development of drugs had vicious side effects – evolution of science and its fearful consequences – ‘cures’

7. Language:
Talks about him being inside and about ‘them’ being outside – separate from them and isolated again – juxtaposition
Lack of motivation – dejected action – searching for the first thing he can find
Sensory imagery – “scraped”, “whined” “thudded” – as he listens to something supposedly giving escape – adjectives represent the zombies and imprisonment
“Beats of a dying heart” – reiterates his time being limited – lack of passion
“Leave me alone” – repetition – no one is coming – he searches hopelessly
The music ended and he took a stack of records off the turntable and slid them back into their cardboard envelopes. Now he could hear them even more clearly outside. He reached for the first new record he could get and put it on the turntable and twisted the volume up to its highest point. "The Year of the Plague," by Roger Leie, filled his ears. Violins scraped and whined, tympani thudded like the beats of a dying heart, flutes played weird, atonal melodies. With a stiffening of rage, he wrenched up the record and snapped it over his right knee. He'd meant to break it long ago. He walked on rigid legs to the kitchen and flung the pieces into the trash box. Then he stood in the dark kitchen, eyes tightly shut, teeth clenched, hands clamped over his ears. Leave me alone, leave me alone, leave me alone!
Context
Structure of the DNA – progression of scientific research – author Matheson – feared the outcomes of experimentation upon people – freedom for a dystopian novel
Fahrenheit 451 – contrast – the protagonist in IAL has freedom but doesn’t know what to do with it – isolation means he can’t tackle society – F451 – taken away the freedom (books) – both have similar destructive outcomes
Tropes
Constant theme of escapism – “the music ended” – temporary to escape the outside – ultimately he cannot
“With a stiffening of rage” – symbol of rebellion – the song is called ‘The Year of the Plague’ – individual vs. society – he cannot bear to hear it

8. Language:
Repetitive syntax of ‘no’ shows his lack of determination as a protagonist – defeated – loss of purpose
Throughout, we only know him as ‘he’ – enemy as ‘them’ – pronouns reflects a monotonous, wider instrument of a bigger dystopian purpose – individual vs. society
“He was acting very stupidly” – self-doubt and lack of conviction – characters are self-critical – caused by the ‘regime’ – when he shuts out the outside world Destruction of knowledge like the burning of books in F451 – allows regime to manipulate
1950’s – AI and programming robots – “quickly trying not to think” – monotonous structure – robotic routine and regularity – is this what humanity’s fate is?
Restriction of knowledge – unravelling of DNA structure – they don’t want you to possess it
Theme of routine and regulation – “it was a habit he’d acquired” – simply ‘exists’ and takes part in his minor rebellions
Lack of individualism – freedom of thought
No use, you couldn't beat them at night. No use trying; it was their special time. He was acting very stupidly, trying to beat them. Should he watch a movie? No, he didn't feel like setting up the projector. He'd go to bed and put the plugs in his ears. It was what he ended up doing every night, anyway. Quickly, trying not to think at all, he went to the bedroom and undressed. He put on pajama bottoms and went into the bathroom. He never wore pajama tops; it was a habit he'd acquired in Panama during the war.
Space travel – exploration of the ‘unknown’ and how we fear it

9. Language
Semantic field of cleansing and purity – guilt of being the only survivor – forgiveness & repentance on his body – reliance upon alcohol – reflection of trauma
Good care of his own appearance – an irony given that he is alone – perhaps wants to think well of himself? Third person perspective not him – almost dehumanising himself here
Questioning his will to live
Conflicted about his purpose / hope – lack of belief
Juxtaposition between the ‘outer’ self and the ‘inner’ self
Tropes:
Concept of alienation – repetition of ‘he’ as opposed to ‘they’ – isolation and solitude – he is the sole survivor
Context:
Running Man – central protagonist is also isolated and alone – feel alone in their pursuit of survival
Nuclear warfare – “he was his own dentist” – apocalyptic similar to Atom Bombs – consequences of weaponry
Artificial intelligence – technological advances – anatomical imagery – heightening a focus upon his physicality – humans vs. ‘non-humans’ (robots? Vampires?)
The ‘body’ links to 1984 – the protagonist here shows strength – Winston in 1984 are disgusting
As he washed, he looked into the mirror at his broad chest, at the dark hair swirling around the nipples and down the centre line of his chest. He looked at the ornate cross he'd had tattooed on his chest one night in Panama when he'd been drunk. What a fool I was in those days! he thought. Well, maybe that cross had saved his life. He brushed his teeth carefully and used dental floss. He tried to take good care of his teeth because he was his own dentist now. Some things could go to pot, but not his health, he thought. Then why don't you stop pouring alcohol into yourself? he thought. Why don't you shut the hell up? he thought.

10. Specific devices to develop their point
Embedded, brief quotations that gives more space to analysis
Link to AO3 – brief but it is closely linked to their point – animals and the people
Sustain an idea
Example of paragraph from 27/30 A level script, Summer 2018 if needed