Multiple Choice Questions for Passage #1

1 "Two men, short, hooded, black boots, black cloaks, black hats were waiting either side of the water-gate. As Jack came through, panting from his run, the men seized his body, pinioned his arms, threw a rough damp torn sack 5 over him and bundled him into a waiting boat.

    'Be this the one?'

    'This be the one sure as I have a tongue and one ear."

    His accomplice laughed. 'If he be not the one, you shall have a tongue or one ear but never both on the same head."

10   'Quiet, you water-rat! Give him the drink.'

    The man held back Jack's head and opened his mouth with his fingers, as you would to a dog, the other fellow poured a think red liquid down Jack's throat. Jack spat and coughed and choked, but he had to swallow some of it. It 15 tasted bitter. It was gritty. It was like fire ashes or fine-ground oyster shells mixed up in red vinegar.

    The men shoved Jack into a closed coop at the stern of the boat. It was a poultry boat and there was a big slatted wooden hen-coop perched at one end where the fowls were 20 rowed to market. Jack looked out through the torn sack and the slats of the boat; the boat was being rowed rapidly east. Jack wanted to shout out, but he couldn't because he was dizzy, and the last thing he saw were the boats on the river no longer going up and down, but round and round  25 and round and round like at a fair.

    Jack felt a great dullness, like the world spinning to a stop at the end of time. He passed into a dead and dreamless sleep, a black place.

    The men in the boat sat still without speaking. One lit a 30 clay pipe.

    As the boat reached its mooring place, several servants dressed in grey came to meet it. Jack was carried from the coop, and the boat and the two men rowed on, distant now, towards Limehouse.

35    The servants took Jack down and down and down. They laid him there and walked away. There was nothing more to do.

    At home, his small spaniel could not be quieted, and ran up and down, down and up, stopping and crying in a dark 40 corner of the room. Jack's mother, standing at the water-gate, had a sense, an instinct, that her son was alive but in danger.

    'He is a boy, he's fallen over, he's eating apples, he's met with a friend,' said the groom, wondering why women      45 never used good commonsense but fretted and worried over simple foolish things.

    'He was to be here at twelve midday,' said Jack's mother, 'and if he comes not to be here by twelve at midnight, then shall I go to him.'

50    'And how shall that be done?' said the groom, laughing at her, 'in all the teeming city of London, its lanes, lodgings, highways and byways, inns and dens, how shall you, a woman, find one strayed boy?'

    But Jack's mother knew how she would find her son. She 55 went up to her room and opened the little door in the wall, and took out a small leather bag with something inside." (7-9)

1.      The use of dialect in the beginning of the scene is best used to:

a.       Show the joking tone of the scene

Not correct, because the tone isn't completely joking.

b.      Give character to the men

Correct, because the use of diction provides the reader with an opinion.

c.       Inform the reader of what is happening by

telling

Not correct, because the test doesn't say what is happening.

d.      Make the reader curious

Not correct, because the text doesn't put anything in suspense.

e.       Introduce colloquial language

Not correct, because it is more strongly used to give characterization.

2.      The purpose of telling the reader, “He passed into a dead and dreamless sleep, a black place.” (lines 27-28) is to:

a.       Give a physical description of where he is

Not correct, because this quote tells nothing about his whereabouts.

b.      Show that he is content

Not correct, because "dead and dreamless" (27-28) is not a content tone.

c.       Foreshadow what is going to happen next, by incorporating darkness

Correct, because darkness usually comes before something bad.

d.      Give the time of day by saying he is asleep

Not correct, because he was drugged so no reference can be made.

e.       Tell the reader that Jack was tired

Not correct, because he was drugged so his own emotions were not in control.

        3. The authors tone in this passage is best described as:

a.       Critical

Not correct, because there is no evidence of any criticism.

b.      Frightened

Not correct, because the tone is more confused than scared.

c.       Dramatic

Correct, because the use of foreshadowing creates suspense.

d.      Informative

Not correct, because the writing style is descriptive and story-like.

e.       Determined

Not correct, because the author shows no determination while writing.

        4. The point of the mothers dialogue in the lines 45-47 is to:

a.       Show the connection between mother and son

Correct, because the tone of the mother is loving and is important to the novel.

b.      Portray her determination

Not correct, because her love for her son is more important.

c.       Give background information

Not correct, because no new information is given that is detrimental to the novel.

d.      Hint at the time period

Not correct, because the dialogue has already done that.

e.       Tell the reader what is going to happen next

Not correct, because the relationship is more important than the foreshadowing.

 

        5. All of the following are FALSE EXCEPT:

a.       Jack tried to fight off the kidnappers but they drugged him

Not correct, because they didn't drug him because he fought.

b.      Both of the men that took Jack are positive that he is the one they need

Not correct, because of the lines, "'If he be not the one, you shall have a tongue or one ear but never both on the same head." (8-9)

c.       Jack was given a drink that made him fall asleep

Correct, because the men poured a liquid down his throat that made him sleep.

d.      The men that kidnapped Jack are the same ones laid him down

Not correct, because of the line, "Jack was carried from the coop, and the boat and the two men rowed on, distant now" (33)

e.       Jack's mother isn't worried because Jack misses his curfew a lot

Not correct, because of the line, "'He was to be here at twelve midday'" (47)         

Multiple Choice Questions for Poem #1

The Adamantine Perfection of Desireby Jane Hirshfield

1 Nothing more strong
   than to be helpless before desire.

   No reason,
   the simplified heart whispers,
5 the argument over,
   only This.

   No longer choosing anything but assent.

   Its bowl scraped clean to the bottom,
   the skull-bone cup no longer horrifies,
10 but, rimmed in silver, shines.

   A spotted dog follows a bitch in heat.
   Gray geese flying past us, crying.
   The living cannot help but love the world.

1.      The author most likely believes that desire is:

a.       Insufferable

Not correct, because of the line. " The living cannot help but love the world" (13).

b.      Admirable

Not correct, because the tone is not of admiration, it is darker.

c.       Impeccable

Not correct, because the tone complains about desire, it does not build it up.

d.      Unavoidable

Correct, because of the line, "The living cannot help but love the world" (13).

e.       Painful

Not correct, because the author never even mentions pain.

2.      Lines 3-6 serve to:

a.       Explain that nothing can defeat desire

Not correct, because the text is vague, no explanation.

b.      Tell the reader to try to listen to their heart

Not correct, because the author is saying the opposite, to give up.

c.       Say that the heart is too weak to fight desire

Not correct, because that isn't the main point.

d.      Emphasize that reasoning is the only option

Not correct, because the text says, "No reason" (3).

e.       Prove that desire always wins

Correct, because the text says nothing can defeat desire.

3.      In the line, “ . . .the skull-bone cup no longer horrifies,” (line 9) the cup most likely represents:

a.       Death

Not correct, because death is talked about nowhere else.

b.      Goals

Not correct, because the tone is negative so goals wouldn't even make sense.

c.       Desire

Correct, because of the invisible subject. The subject is implied.

d.      Nightmares

Not correct, because the text isn't about sleep or dreams.

e.       Fantasies

Not correct, because the text has a negative tone, not optimistic.

4.      The separation of stanzas and usage of punctuation in this poem serves best to:

a.       Make the reader stop and think about what is happening

Not correct, because that isn't a strong influence on the poem.

b.      Create pauses in the reading

Not correct, because the poem actually has a constant pace.

c.       Separate thoughts

Not correct, because it isn't the most important.

d.      Lead to a conclusion

Correct, because it keeps the reader reading and builds on itself.

e.       Keep a constant pace

Not correct, because it isn't the most important reason for the punctuation.

5.      The purpose of this poem is to:

a.       Allow the author to express her feelings about desire

Not correct, because she doesn't write in a diary tone.

b.      Persuade the reader to give up all hope and submit to desire

Not correct, because the author isn't telling the reader to do anything.

c.       Inform the reader that desire conquers all

Not correct, because the poem isn't informative.

d.      Show the reader that desire is self-inflicted

Correct, because of the line, "The living cannot help but love the world" (13).

e.       Question the actions of society

Not correct, because there are no questions in the poem.

Response to Passage #2

Story Telling

            Jeanette Winterson's usage of literary devices, lists made of threes and scene changes in her book The Battle of the Sun add a deeper layer to the book that helps the reader decipher the underlying meaning. Through her literary devices she is able to keep the writing easy to read as well as interesting. She also uses the magic number three to provide support for her main points and to show that there is something magical happening. The scene changes hand the spot light from character to character to give different views of the same occurrence.

            When Winterson says, " BANG! went a goblin's head. CRASH! went an imp in a cart. MASH! went a pair of evil eight-legged things with beady eyes and nasty fur. SLASH! went her sword . . ." (352) her use of threes and onomatopoeia creates a vivid picture in the readers head of what is happening. Not only is the reader able to visualize what is happening, but he, or she, is also able to acquire another sense; hearing.

            Winterson also uses a strong metaphor in her novel. "The Queen was on her feet, her lion heart alive with battle." (352) Not only does the reader know that the Queen is upset because of the fact that she stands up, but also because of the metaphor of her heart being alive and like a lions. The fact that the animal Winterson chooses is king of the forest and smart is no coincidence. She knows that a perfect way to convey how strongly the Queen feels about the battle is to compare her to something that doesn't back down in a fight; something that will do it's best to win.    

            The point of bringing in the Queen to the story line at all is not just to make a point about her drive in the battle. It is to show one of the many people that care for Jack. Winterson also brings, " . . . [a] brave little dog Max . . . [who] jumped out and landed on his feet. . . Mistress Split . . . [who] [sprang] off her one leg . . . [and] the Keeper of the Tides . . ." (352-353) to show all of the people who love him and are willing to risk their lives to help him, just like he risked his to help them.

            Winterson's The Battle of the Sun, incorporates many different ways to show the reader instead of telling them, numerous techniques to draw the reader into the novel without giving too much information away and various literary devices to keep the pace of the novel where it needs to be for the exact scene. Without all of her detail, the story would not be anything special. It would simply be a story.



Response to Passage #1

Depth

            Jeanette Winterson, in her book The Battle of the Sun, has a very unique writing style, which she uses to establish meaning and to communicate her purpose. She incorporates wonderful imagery to create a picture for the reader and also to provide a tone for the scene of the novel. Her usage of punctuation and syntax serve to give the reader the fullest experience while reading her novel. The dialogue used shows the culture of the people and that the time period that they lived in. All of these combined create a perfectly woven story that the reader can’t stop reading.

            The rising action of the novel begins with, “Two men, short, hooded, black boots, black cloaks, black hats, were waiting either side of the water-gate.” (7) Not only does this form a dark image in the reader’s mind, but it also sets the tone. The fact that everything is black produces an instantaneous feeling of dread in the reader for Jack, and the tone of the piece foreshadows that something bad is going to happen. The commas used also keep the pace fast and help keep the reader intrigued. If the sentence read differently, or specifically, more slowly, then the reader might not understand the urgency of the situation.

            When the men dressed in black begin to speak the audience begins to get an idea of who the men are and where they are from. “’Be this the one?’ /’This be the one sure as I have a tongue and one ear.’” (7) The encounter between the two men shows that they are less educated, due to the way they speak to each other. When one of them says, “If he be not the one, you shall have a tongue or one ear but never both on the same head.” (7) The word “shall” gives an inclination that the time period that the novel takes place is much earlier than current time. The seriousness in the joke from one man to the next shows that even though they laugh with each other, the person they work for isn’t someone to disappoint.

            Winterson’s writing style makes the novel easy to follow and interesting to read. On the surface everything looks straightforward; but after digging deeper into the structure of the novel and paying close attention to the small details, a much larger meaning begins to show itself. And that meaning is what keeps the reader reading.



Passage #2

The Battle of the Sun by Jeanette Winterson Pages 351-353

   "The Magus rode alongside Jack and reined in his horse.

    'Jack, my Jack, this is all folly. I have defeated you before and I shall defeat you now. Why do you try and fight me? Yet I will offer you a chance. Bow your head to me, kneel before me, and you shall have a share in my treasure and in my power. You shall not be my rival, you shall be like a prince to me. You are too young, you cannot use this untruly power that is in you. Offer it me, and you shall know what power is. I shall soon rule England, and from England, I shall soon rule the world.'

    'You will never rule me,' said Jack. 'I would die first.'

    The Magus regarded him. 'Die, Jack, would you? The you shall!'

    And the Magus galloped forward, his clack flying out behind him, and from the streams of his cloak came every kind of evil - came goblins and devils, red-eyed demons and hook -faced birds, came creatures without heads, came heads without bodies, came silent furies and whistling deaths, came claws, beaks, talons, came the tearing, ripping, shearing racket of dark power.

    As Jack ducked and swung his sword, Mother Midnight in the poop-house pulled her own cloak around her and flew straight out of the window, calling like a bird of prey, but the birds of prey who came at her call were light and clear and aimed themselves fearlessly at the flapping hells that covered the sky.

    As soon as the window was open, the brave little dog Max, seeing his beloved Jack in the thick of the fray, jumped out and landed on fast feet and ran at hounds of hell six times his size.

    When Mistress Split saw this, she thought only to save her Boojie, and springing off her one leg, she abseiled down the sunflower, and pulled out her huge sword from beneath her skirts and set to work at every monster that came near her or threatened the dog.

    'Slash Mash Crash Bash!' she shouted. 'Come here to be beheaded.' BANG! went a goblin's head. CRASH! went an imp in a cart. MASH! went a pair of evil eight-legged things with beady eyes and nasty fur. SLASH! went her sword, and down went an homunculus with a red face.

    'Bless my wig!' cried the Keeper of the Tides. 'Am I to be here helpless while my friends perish?'

    And he pushed his ceremonial cannon into the window and began firing cannonballs into the squawking air.

    'Take that, and that, and that!' he cried, as a hideous harpy thudded at his feet.

    At the house on the Strand Roger Rover took command of the Queen's troops and they poured out on to the river, and never were men braver, their swords flashing, their double-headed axes slashing the sky.

    The Queen was on her feet, her lion heart alive with battle. Fearlessly she stood in the fully open window and shouted out, 'The Queen of England is with you!'

    And it was time for Silver to do her part.

    She ran downstairs and into the armory and fastened on herself a breastplate and helmet and took a small light sword. The she went to find Jack."(351-353)

Passage #1

The Battle of the Sun by Jeanette Winterson Pages 7-9

"Two men, short, hooded, black boots, black cloaks, black hats were waiting either side of the water-gate. As Jack came through, panting from his run, the men seized his body, pinioned his arms, threw a rough damp torn sack over him and bundled him into a waiting boat.

    'Be this the one?'

    'This be the one sure as I have a tongue and one ear."

    His accomplice laughed. 'If he be not the one, you shall have a tongue or one ear but never both on the same head."

   'Quiet, you water-rat! Give him the drink.'

    The man held back Jack's head and opened his mouth with his fingers, as you would to a dog, the other fellow poured a think red liquid down Jack's throat. Jack spat and coughed and choked, but he had to swallow some of it. It tasted bitter. It was gritty. It was like fire ashes or fine-ground oyster shells mixed up in red vinegar.

    The men shoved Jack into a closed coop at the stern of the boat. It was a poultry boat and there was a big slatted wooden hen-coop perched at one end where the fowls were rowed to market. Jack looked out through the torn sack and the slats of the boat; the boat was being rowed rapidly east. Jack wanted to shout out, but he couldn't because he was dizzy, and the last thing he saw were the boats on the river no longer going up and down, but round and round and round and round like at a fair.

    Jack felt a great dullness, like the world spinning to a stop at the end of time. He passed into a dead and dreamless sleep, a black place.

    The men in the boat sat still without speaking. One lit a clay pipe.

    As the boat reached its mooring place, several servants dressed in grey came to meet it. Jack was carried from the coop, and the boat and the two men rowed on, distant now, towards Limehouse.

    The servants took Jack down and down and down. They laid him there and walked away. There was nothing more to do.

    At home, his small spaniel could not be quieted, and ran up and down, down and up, stopping and crying in a dark corner of the room. Jack's mother, standing at the water-gate, had a sense, an instinct, that her son was alive but in danger.

    'He is a boy, he's fallen over, he's eating apples, he's met with a friend,' said the groom, wondering why women never used good commonsense but fretted and worried over simple foolish things.

    'He was to be here at twelve midday,' said Jack's mother, 'and if he comes not to be here by twelve at midnight, then shall I go to him.'

    'And how shall that be done?' said the groom, laughing at her, 'in all the teeming city of London, its lanes, lodgings, highways and byways, inns and dens, how shall you, a woman, find one strayed boy?'

    But Jack's mother knew how she would find her son. She went up to her room and opened the little door in the wall, and took out a small leather bag with something inside." (7-9)

Response to Poem #2

“Fate and Destiny”

                Fate and Destiny are two of the main themes, or one theme if you prefer to phrase it so, in The Battle of the Sun, by Jeanette Winterson. The main character, a boy named Jack, is kidnapped by a dark alchemist who strives to turn the city of London to gold. The alchemist, otherwise known as the Magus, needs Jack because Jack is the only one who can help the Magus complete his dream. Jack is forced into making a decision about keeping his friends and family safe by helping the Magus, or risking all of their lives trying to escape from, and defeat, him. The Magus tells him, “You are the Radiant Boy . . . the boy that is written in the ancient books of life, and when your power is added to mine, there is nothing that we shall not accomplish.” (Winterson 58). However, Jack is unimpressed with his kidnapping and doesn’t agree with the Magus’ dreams. His defiance to the Magus changes his Destiny, which in turn changes his Fate.

                “Fate and Destiny,” by Robert Grimes, discusses whether or not Fate can be chosen. Grimes explains that people believe “Destiny is open” (Grimes 11) and “Fate is sealed” (Grimes 11). But then contradicts his initial question with another, that acts as an answer to the first, “If our Destiny has yet to be chosen but our Fate is sealed, then is not our Destiny already chosen, /but unseen to us until the opportune moment?” (Grimes 13-14). Winterson seeks to answer the same question; however, she takes a different approach. The fact that Jack is able to change his Destiny is what leads to the change of his Fate, or so we think. The Magus is the one that tells us of Jack’s “Fate,” so from the beginning we have a biased perspective. What if Jack’s fate was really to defeat the Magus? What if it actually was to turn evil; and if so, did he change his fate? The basis of these questions is explored in both pieces of literature, but it is the perspective of the author that changes the answer.

Response to Poem #1

“The Adamantine Perfection of Desire”

                “Nothing more strong /than to be helpless before desire.” (Hirshfield 1-2). The idea that nothing is stronger than desire and nothing can overcome the feeling of it, is a central theme in The Battle of the Sun, by Jeanette Winterson. Jack is kidnapped by a man who dreams of wealth and power in the midst of his own city of gold. The man disapproved and stopped helping with his studies.  The Magus was , the Magus, was trained to be an alchemist by his mentor, but when the Magus began to turn to dark magic his mentor already strong with his power and he trapped his mentor in a cellar and waited for him to die. When he heard of Jack, and what his soon to come powers would be able to accomplish, his desire for the boy and his dream overcame him and he did everything he could to keep Jack unaware of his plan until the time came. “No reason, /the simplified heart whispers, /the argument over, /only This.” (Hirshfield 3-6). Desire is stronger than any reasoning our brains can create. Even if the Magus realized what he was doing was bad for others, his own personal want of power and wealth would still take over his thoughts.

                Jack had a different desire though. His was to defeat the Magus and save his mother from the Magus’ dark powers. To keep Jack under his power the Magus began to turn his mother into a stone statue whenever he did something that the Magus disapproved of. This only made Jack’s desire stronger. Jack’s drive to save “The Sunken King”  (Winterson 53), the mentor of the Magus who was being held captive until he died in a chamber, and in turn receive the help of a magic dragon to defeat the Magus was his source of strength in his journey. Without his desire he might have lost hope of escaping from the Magus. But along his journey to get home to his mother, he fulfilled his Destiny. His desire led him to free The Sunken King, escape with his now stone mother and, in a battle between light and dark, defeat the Magus and return the city from its golden state back to normal. Winterson and Hirshfield prove that whether desire is selfish or admirable, its power over us reigns supreme.

Poem #2 Fate and Destiny

Fate and Destiny

By Robert Grimes

Who can tell us what Fate and Destiny are?
Who can tell us what our Fate is?
Who can tell us what our Destiny is?
Fate. Destiny.
People say we cannot choose our Fate, but we can choose our Destiny.
People say we are Fated or Destined to do/become something.
Fate. Destiny.
Are they different?
Are they the same?
People say we can choose Destiny and we are Fated to do it.
People say that our Destiny is open, but our Fate is sealed.
Are Fate and Destiny the same?
If our Destiny has yet to be chosen but our Fate is sealed, then is not our Destiny already chosen, but unseen to us until the opportune moment?
Fate. Destiny.
When is the opportune moment?
At what point in our life will our Fate and Destiny be revealed?
Or will we realize what our Fate and Destiny are only when it is too late?
Or will we pass our Fate and Destiny without knowing it?
Fate. Destiny.
If someone tells us what our Fate and Destiny are, will we like what we hear?
Or will you strive against the path set before you?

Poem #1 The Adamantine Perfection of Desire

The Adamantine Perfection of Desireby Jane Hirshfield

1 Nothing more strong
   than to be helpless before desire.

   No reason,
   the simplified heart whispers,
5 the argument over,
   only This.

   No longer choosing anything but assent.

   Its bowl scraped clean to the bottom,
   the skull-bone cup no longer horrifies,
10 but, rimmed in silver, shines.

   A spotted dog follows a bitch in heat.
   Gray geese flying past us, crying.
   The living cannot help but love the world.

AP Prompt Essay #3

Complimenting Conflictions

            The clash of desires that Jeanette Winterson’s main character, Jack, faces in her book The Battle of the Sun shows how prioritizing affects decision making, and how dissimilar desires can culminate into a forced maturation of the young and innocent.

            Jack travels down a hero’s path from the beginning. He starts out as an average kid on his way home for a birthday surprise. All of a sudden he gets kidnapped and his whole world is flipped inside out. He has to discover why he has been kidnapped, decide what his next plan of action is going to be and act on his decision. The most difficult part of his journey isn’t finding out who his captor is, or why he took Jack, but instead deciding on how he wants to take action. He must decide to either submit to his captor, the Magus, by handing over his power and in turn punish the whole town of London, or fight against the Magus to save London from being turned to gold by the combination of his and the Magus' power. The decision would be easy if it weren’t for the fact that when Jack’s mother realized Jack was gone, she went after him. When she arrives, the Magus knows immediately who she was and uses her to force Jack on his side. The Magus tells Jack, “When you become my true assistant, when you serve me as I require . . . on that day and no other, your mother will be freed to life . . . your mother’s life is for you to keep or to lose!”  (101-102). Jack knows that the Magus is not bluffing, but he wonders if there is a third option, one that doesn’t involve giving the Magus his powers or losing his mother, one where he can defeat the Magus and save his mother.

            While Jack is trying to come up with a way to escape, he begins to search his place of captivity; “The Dark House” (Winterson 19). The Dark House has two main areas, the room where the boys work, " . . . warm, and the only place that was not grey . . ." and the rest of the house, " . . .dark . . . [where the boys eat] silent fearful seven o'clock breakfasts after [a] long tramp down and down the stairs . . ." (Winterson 39). In a room buried deep within the house Jack finds a man who used to be the Magus’ mentor; his name is the Sunken King. The Sunken King tells him that there is a dragon guarding the house, if Jack can go to it and bargain with it he will be able to save the Sunken King from his impending death. To get the dragon to agree to help Jack, Jack must first acquire, and give the dragon, the Cinnabar Egg. On his way back from getting the egg Jack runs into one of the Magus’ servants and the servant demands Jack to give him the egg. Instead of giving the servant the egg, Jack gives him a coconut, so that he can keep his bargain with the dragon, and the servant, having been tricked, agrees to free Jack and his mother in return for the egg.

            During the final major scene of the novel Jack battles the Magus. At this point he has escaped from the Magus with his mother, saved one other little boy that was being held captive and, unfortunately, given the Magus his power. The Magus has turned the city of London into gold and Jack only has one more chance to save it. The moment Jack begins to understand his own potential he says, "'The Queen is right, I must claim my own power.'" (Winterson343) His maturity gives him the strength to refute the Magus' last attempt to sway his beliefs. He proves when he tells the Magus, "'You will never rule me . . . I would die first.'" (Winterson 351). When the battle is won he realizes he chose the right option; the third option. If he had settled for one of the choices provided to him by the Magus he would have lost something dear to him, whether it was the quaint city of London or his own mother. His maturation gave him the courage to battle against the Magus' dark ways, and led to the option that conquered all evil.

AP Prompt Essay #2

The Last Sunflower

            In Jeanette Winterson's The Battle of the Sun, she uses a minor character, a boy named Crispis,  to demonstrate the good of the world and to symbolize how light always conquers dark. Crispis is introduced as, "The smallest boy. . . covered in bright red curly hair, and because it stood on end it made him look like he had a perpetual fright." (Winterson 24) This description is meant to make Crispis seem wimpy and unimportant to the plot, despite his later involvement in the story.

            Crispis' importance is first hinted at when Jack's mother Anne comes to visit. Anne tells Crispis "[of a] sunflower that found the sun" and "If you promise to go to sleep, I promise there will be a sunflower for you tomorrow." (Winterson 85) Crispis then tells her that he wishes he were "that sunflower" (Winterson 85). This strengthens the concept that Crispis is just a sad, tiny boy who wants not to be picked on any longer.

            The sunflower, to Crispis, is a way to escape from his current situation. He wants to feel the sun on his face and sway in the breeze of life, but instead he is kept in "the Dark House" (Winterson 19) and under strict watch by the Magus' servants. He represents a small ray of light that is trapped in a world of darkness, unable to express himself and underutilized. When the sunflower is brought up again in the novel it symbolizes the same ideas, but on a much grander scale.

            Towards the end of the novel when the Queen of England herself asks what is protecting a single house from being turned to gold, the owner replies, "'The sunflowers . . . for they are emblem of the sun, and the sun is emblem of the true gold that is the treasure of the soul, and not of the common gold that spoils the hearts of men.'" (Winterson 337) This is the first moment that the reader is directly told that the sunflowers are the only thing that can fight the power of the Magus, the man who is trying to use his dark powers to turn the city of London into gold. It shows that desires for material objects are defeated by desires for morality. Crispis serves as the fool in this novel, he is the one that hints to the reader how wonderful being a sunflower would be, only he describes the want from more of a freedom standpoint.

            The last scene of the novel with Crispis is when he is found in a sunflower patch. Earlier in the novel he eats a magic sunflower seed which turns him completely yellow with a black face. This symbolizes how he is impenetrable to the Magus' power simply because of who he is. When Jack and his mother go searching for Crispis after the battle is won and find him in a field of sunflowers he tells them, "'This is my home, among the sunflowers, who don't frighten me . . . I'd rather be a sunflower" (Winterson 383) After much persuading, Jack's mother eventually gets Crispis to, "walk beside her out of the field of sunflowers." (Winterson 385) Even though the field was Crispis' safe place, to conclude the story he must leave. Every trace of the Magus has been erased and the only piece left was little Crispis alone in the sunflower patch, enjoying his freedom. But to wipe away the last spot of darkness, one must set the final ray of  light free.

AP Prompt Essay #1

The Power of a Parent

            In Jeanette Winterson’s The Battle of the Sun, the Magus, the novels villain, emphasizes the good in the protagonist, Jack, by comparing his past stories and current desires to Jacks. While the Magus dreams of someday ruling a golden world and having exponential amounts of money and power, Jack simply desires to return home to his mother and to defeat the Magus.

            The Magus attempts to win Jack's faith so that he can take Jack's power when he tells him, "'You are the Radiant Boy . . . the boy that is written in the ancient books of life, and when your power is added to my power, there is nothing that we shall not accomplish" (Winterson 59). The Magus has been searching for Jack by kidnapping many other boys to test their power; however, when he realizes that the boys aren't the ones he is looking for, he turns them to stone or keeps them as slaves. The length of time that the Magus has dreamed of turning the city of London, and eventually the world, into gold majorly impacts his increasing levels of desire. The more he fantasizes about power and wealth, the more he feels driven to find Jack and steal his power. His goal of turning the world to gold originated in his youth. He was being mentored by a powerful alchemist, the Sunken King, but when he strayed to using his power for evil, the mentor would not teach him. The Sunken King could not imagine why he would stray from "the Way of Light" (Winterson 53) and choose a selfish path instead. By analyzing his past, the reader begins to realize why he chose the dark path, and how his desire blossomed.

            The Magus' past and Jacks present are antonyms of each other, quite like their goals. While Jack merely wants to return home to his mother and his new dog, the Magus wants an all-powerful status. In chapter 11 the reader learns that the Magus' "' . . .mother died in childbirth . . . [he] never knew her. [His] father sold [him] for a gold coin'" (Winterson 102). His father's choice initiated his dark decisions and the gold coin creates a drive in him to acquire his wealth from gold just like his father. Contrasting his father though, he doesn't want merely wealth, he wants everyone to have gold so that the scarce object to society is food and other necessities of life. Once people realize that they won't survive with only gold, they must bow down to him to receive food. His source of power will be changing certain objects back to normal for the people, he wishes to be viewed as a savior. He desires to feel wanted.

            The contrast between Jack and the Magus serves to give the reader a deeper view behind the motive of the Magus. It shows how one act in a child's life can change their destiny. How much of an influence parents have on their children. When one studies a person’s background, one begins to understand the person’s motives and possibly begins empathize with them. Jeanette Winterson wasn't trying to get her readers to side with the Magus over Jack; she was simply trying to show how a child could be turned evil by the choice of an adult and compared him to a child, with a loving and caring mother, who had yet to make the choice between good and evil.