Paper 2 Perspective Outline

How can examining a literary text from different perspectives enrich our understanding of both the work and the techniques used by the writer? Base on two works studies. 

Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart” and Naguib Mahfouz’s “The Thief and The Dogs” can both be read from a different perspective lenses, A post-colonial lens and a Marxist lens respectively. These unique lenses allow for each of these text’s tragic hero’s to be examples of victims of a changing social-political context. In effect, through these lenses both authors are able to make comments on the necessity of change in an every changing world 

Both authors create their protagonists as being tragic hero's, who’s actions which resulted in their downfall are justified through the different perspectives. Through a different perspective, victimization is used as a means to comment on the contextual powers which lead their protagonists to their downfall 

Through a post-colonial lens, Okonkwo can be seen as being a victim to a colonial invasion of his homeland as he attempts to protect his tradition and values 

Through a Marxist lens, Said can be seen as being a victim to the bourgeoise and the tensions between the social classes 

Both authors are unique structural techniques which can be explained and justified through a different perspective. These structural can be seen as reflection of the social context each of the authors are writing in 

Achebe uses different structures in the first and second parts of the book to reflect the colonial invasion of Umuofia 

Naguib uses SoC with Said as means of reflecting the paranoia under Nasser, a leader who gave up previous values for a more populist rule 

Lastly, both author’s themes can be seen as a critical comment on contextual issues when observed from different perspectives, that the necessity of change in a changing world is necessary for survival